It seem like the more President Obama defiantly insists that a transformational, budget-neutral, good-for-everyone health reform bill will pass this year, the longer the odds become.  Yesterday, he again chided those that , "those who are betting against us on getting this done are badly mistaken" in a clip played often last evening.

So there was a certain satisfaction this morning to open the leftist New York Times to see the headline, Democrats Grow Wary as Health Bill Advances.  Somehow, he feels that the more he claims the "historic opportunity" facing the nation, the more important the populace will feel about the valor of passing legislation, regardless of the damage will create.

"This is what the debate in Congress is all about: whether we'll keep talking and tinkering and letting this problem fester as more families and businesses go under and more Americans lose their coverage," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. "Or whether we'll seize this opportunity — one we might not have again for generations — and finally pass health insurance reform this year, in 2009."

A major problem with the proposal is that the main intention is to provide universal coverage.  That didn't work in Massachusetts, and it won't work on a national level.  But, perhaps even more concerning, is the desire to push more people into a system that is already dysfunctional.  It would sure be a lot more logical, from a strategic management standpoint, to fix the many systemic problems first, then encourage more access.  

And with regard to the public health option, why not encourage private health insurers more ability to better compete, like by eliminating the state-level controls and allowing them to provide coverage in all states? 

Finally, we must give more attention to the demand side of the healthcare equation, rather then focusing solely on the supply side.  By effectively driving health behavor change and personal responsibility at the consumer level, the nation's healthcare system could be relieved much of the burden of lifestyle-related conditions and diseases.

So, despite the president's defiant urging, sentiment and support for this massive reform bill seems to be eroding as more and more legislators and voters gain perspective that it is not the right solution.  Change is needed, but it must come from market-oriented approaches, not socialist measures.


Frank Hone
Author
Why Healthcare Matters


Obama health reform Dead on Arrival Why Healthcare Matters Personal Responsibility Health Behavior Change Turbo Tagger