The Health-Care Bill is Measured in Degrees of Hatred
December 20th, 2009 | 1 Comment
This isn’t going to be a long-winded post about politics or health-care, but rather about one thing in this health-care legislation process that drives me nuts –
What Congress has succeeded in doing is crafting a bill that no one likes. The Republicans never liked any of it. The Democrats liked it in theory all along. But then they started trying to hammer something out. In doing do, they ripped this thing apart and taped it back together.
The Republicans still hate it, though maybe a little less. And now many of the Democrats hate it too. So we have a bill that everyone hates, but a majority still feel compelled to pass because to pull it out would be considered a “failure.” Regardless of the actual goodness or badness of this legislation, how is passing a bill that everyone hates considered a victory?
I agree with Howard Dean – bag this current one, and try again (or don’t try again – I’m not taking a position here on the validity of health-care reform). For the Democrats that don’t like the final result, have the strength to admit that the Republicans have backed you into a corner where the only bill you can pass is one you don’t like, and walk away from this.
Yes, they will have won, but that’s politics. If they “force” you to pass a crappy bill that even you don’t like, then they will have really won.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:14 am (#)
So long as we maintain profit-based coverage model, then we’re going to be fighting to get care. Currently, the bill prohibits Ins.Co. from denying coverage on pre-existing conditions. How many exiting conditions are they going to deny, repeal or otherwise limit coverage for?
I don’t see how it’s going to remove the conflict between us and the insurance companies, their lobby, their lawyers and their politicians.
The alternative? Public, universal, preventative.