After my last request for more accurate characterizations of the differences between those on the Left and Right when it comes to health care reform, I didn’t feel like I made much headway. In yesterday’s NYT, however, Gov. Mitch Daniels (my governor, mind you), did a much better job (David Leonhardt, reporting):
[Daniels] also thinks that people should save money when they choose less expensive Medicare treatments and lose money when they choose more expensive ones. Progressives, he said, believe in letting experts decide which treatments the government will cover. He wants individuals to decide what care they will get.
See the difference? No demogoguing that Liberals would refuse to allow you the care you want, no straw man arguments about denying you care you’d pay for yourself, no screams of rationing and references to the UK. Not a death panel in sight.
The whole article is worth a read. I can tell you, as a resident of Indiana, that Mitch Daniels is widely respected by many people on both sides of the aisle. He won re-election easily, even when the state went blue (briefly) to elect President Obama in 2008.
I doubt that Gov. Daniels and I would agree on every aspect of health care reform. For instance, I do believe in some level of experts deciding what treatments the government should cover. I also don’t believe that consumer directed health care is the panacea many believe it to be. But I do feel that he’s someone who would engage in rational discussions about the issue, instead of trying to mischaracterize those who disagree with him.
We could use more people like that in this debate.
