Open Thread: Health Reform Politics and Policy
January 21, 2010 · by Austin Frakt · Posted in For Fun, Health Policy
I’ve never offered an open thread before so this is an experiment and not necessarily something I’ll do again (we’ll see how it goes).
Please share your thoughts in the comments on anything related to health reform politics and policy. I’ll apply a lighter-than-normal touch to comment moderation and otherwise stay out of the way. Here are a few questions to get started:
- Was the MA election largely a rejection of Obama’s health reform agenda? A rejection of his style? A rejection of a bad candidate (Coakley)? The embrace of a good candidate (Brown)? A reaction to a bad economy?A response to disgust with the political process?
- What’s your vision of an ideal health system? Now modify that to conform to political realities. What’s the best we can get?
- Should the Democrats use their majority to pass health reform, or move to other issues?
- What would it mean if a majority (even super-majority) party doesn’t achieve its goals?
- How will you feel if House Democrats don’t pass the Senate health reform bill?
- Is the political experience of health reform the new normal (a year of wrangling signifying, so far, nothing)? Or can meaningful progress be made on other issues?
Have at it.
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One Response to “Open Thread: Health Reform Politics and Policy”
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• Was the MA election largely a rejection of Obama’s health reform agenda? A reaction to a bad economy?A response to disgust with the political process? I think it was mostly a rejection of the current state of politics of which Health Insurance Reform was a mojor part.
A rejection of his style? No, Everyone likes Ob ama. As he travels the country and the world everyone likes him and then rejects his ideas.
A rejection of a bad candidate (Coakley)? She was horrible
The embrace of a good candidate (Brown)? He did an excellent job
• What’s your vision of an ideal health system? As much efficiency as can be gained from a simgle-payer system we can’t afford everything for everyone so any such program will be rationed. We need to work with humanity and understand how humans act. Competition, greed, laziness are all attributes that need to be used to insure a fair system of care without little cheating on the part of providers as well as users.
Now modify that to conform to political realities. Can’t really answer that in a short space.
What’s the best we can get? Enact the cost control reforms that have been discussed. Work on the insurance situation so it can be profitable to isnurers and useful. Standardize medical coding and simplify it. Make medical records available nationally and those who oversee the recordkeeping need to look for patters of abuse.
• Should the Democrats use their majority to pass health reform, or move to other issues? Terrible idea. It would destroy any trust in government.
• What would it mean if a majority (even super-majority) party doesn’t achieve its goals? It means they have tried and failed and now need to try on the next issue. We don’t always win but must always try.
• How will you feel if House Democrats don’t pass the Senate health reform bill? Elated. the bill is bad for Americans.
• Is the political experience of health reform the new normal (a year of wrangling signifying, so far, nothing)? Or can meaningful progress be made on other issues? Until people get on board to try to solve a problem I fear we will see increasing stalemate. Government has been so bad the Tea Pary movement and the Christain Religous Right stand ready to destroy everything jost for a ban on abortion and the “proper” religous prayers in schools. This extremist agenda is not unlike what we have seen in the Middle East. When government fails the people mob rule applies and right now government looks pretty bad. There will be hope but I don’t really know when.