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Op-Ed: Will health care reform reduce the relentless rise in costs? - Yahoo! News
First and foremost, I fully admit that an op -ed my Christina Romer is not unbiased, but I found it an interesting read that raised some interesting points. The validity of her claims about how great everything will be I think are at best questionable.
I think this is the best explanation of the problem, and puts it in the appropriate light. It's not about unfairness, it's about simple economics. This is why liberals think health care reform is important. This is something that any person who has ever been told that while they are not getting any more money in their check next year, their compensation is going up since health insurance costs have risen.
As democrats look for ways to sell their bill, I think this is an important role model to follow. The litany of "we have to fix health care" needs a clear explanation, and showing the benefits of lowering the rate of cost increases does that well. It is possible to argue that this won't work, but it's hard to argue that the goal as presented in the paragraph above is not worthwhile.
First and foremost, I fully admit that an op -ed my Christina Romer is not unbiased, but I found it an interesting read that raised some interesting points. The validity of her claims about how great everything will be I think are at best questionable.
The need to slow spending growth is uncontroversial, as families, businesses, and governments at every level are struggling to cope with soaring costs. Each year, a larger share of workers’ total compensation, and of Medicare recipients’ Social Security benefits, is eaten up by insurance premiums. Each year, fewer businesses, and especially small businesses, can afford to offer health insurance to their workers. And each year, a larger share of spending at all levels of government goes to health care, which has led to tax increases, cuts in other programs, and higher deficits.
I think this is the best explanation of the problem, and puts it in the appropriate light. It's not about unfairness, it's about simple economics. This is why liberals think health care reform is important. This is something that any person who has ever been told that while they are not getting any more money in their check next year, their compensation is going up since health insurance costs have risen.
Small businesses and their employees will especially benefit from health care reform. Currently, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more for the same policy as their counterparts at larger firms. Slower cost growth and setting up an insurance exchange where small firms capture some of the buying power of larger firms will result in lower premiums. This in turn would allow small businesses to pay higher wages, hire more workers, and increase investment. It would also increase workers’ incentives to launch their own small businesses.
As democrats look for ways to sell their bill, I think this is an important role model to follow. The litany of "we have to fix health care" needs a clear explanation, and showing the benefits of lowering the rate of cost increases does that well. It is possible to argue that this won't work, but it's hard to argue that the goal as presented in the paragraph above is not worthwhile.