ProJo Editors Support Single-Payer and Higher Taxes
In his Wednesday column, “The trouble with health care is paying for it“, Michael Barone wrote:
We know now that it costs a lot of money to pay for insurance policies with expanded coverage for an expanded number of people. And we know that no one wants to pay the price.
We may be in the process of learning something else. Which is that insurance coverage that further insulates patients from costs results in unanticipated increases in health care spending. Yes, it bends the cost curve, but in the wrong direction. That’s what has happened with the much-praised Massachusetts system.
It also happened in Maine and other states that tried to offer a “public option.” For their part, the ProJo editors see the mish-mash of problems reflected in the current plans being considered in Washington and think the problem is lack of a “public option”. Further, they remain convinced that the best option is not less government intrusion into health care, but more. Particularly in the form of a universal, single-payer system:
….how much more economical and efficient a single-payer plan would be than the mosaics being created in Congress to please the insurance companies spending so much money there. Health insurance works best for the public when the pool covers as wide a spectrum of the population as possible.
However, as they admit, we’ll have to be taxed more to pay for this “economical and efficient” system:
Such devices as taxes on fancy “Cadillac” insurance plans, meant to move people into less-expensive ones, and smaller federal subsidies for private Medicare plans, which have been wonderful cash cows for insurers though very expensive for the public and providing no real benefit to public health, would help a bit.
But broad-based taxes will have to be raised (or invented) to pay for universal coverage and for Medicare costs for the Baby Boomers as they slide into decrepitude.
Well, at least their honest. If we really want the European style health care the ProJo continually trumpets, we’ll have to pay European style taxes to support it. With the current recession, that’s really good timing, guys
Any time someone advocates for the European-style of a health care system we also need to ask if they support the European immigration policies. You can’t have Euro health care without Euro immigration policy. Otherwise the health care system will go broke. Some states with Senators and Reps with a clue should get them to start trying to couple these two major current issues.
wow. Did you ever miss the mark. Keep trying to spin it that way though….it is worth the laughs.
Caw, caw. The seagull strikes again!
I guess he took a quick break from deleting my opposing view posts over at RIFuture to throw some baseless assertions down on AR. Please extend the courtesy to him that he does not extend to us and leave it here untouched.
Dan-if you saw a dog turd on the sidewalk,you’d leave it untouched also-point taken.
Marc,
In your link to “and other states that tried to offer a “public option.”; “The Lesson of State Health-Care Reforms”; By PETER SUDERMAN
“A 2008 analysis by Kaiser Permanente’s Patricia Lynch published by Health Affairs noted that in addition to Washington and New York, the individual insurance markets in Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont “deteriorated” after the enactment of guaranteed issue. Individual insurance became significantly more expensive and there was no significant decrease in the number of uninsured.”
State of Hawaii is the only state in the nation closest to providing universal health care to total state population at about 98% population covered.
Under state law any business that has employees working 20 hours a week or more must provide employees with health care insurance.
I am surprised the article you reference and the non-inclusion of the State of Hawaii in 2008 analysis by Kaiser Permanente’s Patricia Lynch published by Health Affairs statement or could it be Hawaii is doing things right with universal health care where the President of the United States was born and raised?
Kaiser Permanente is a very active health insurer and provider throughout the State of Hawaii.
how much more economical and efficient a single-payer plan….
how much more economical and efficient a single car manufacturer plan….
how much more economical and efficient a single wheat producer plan….
how much more economical and efficient a single women’s clothing manufacturer plan……
how much more economical and efficient a single men’s shoe maker plan….
how much more economical and efficient a single computer manufacturer plan….
how much more economical and efficient a single software company plan….
how much more economical and efficient a single newspaper plan….
gee, this is fun and as a bonus for the ProJo’s editorialists, it doesn’t require brains