Health Care Reform (again)

Have an hour and a half? I can make it worth your while. Watch the "town hall" meeting Joe Biden, along with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, conducted at a senior center in Maryland. He clearly and powerfully outlines not only the need for health care reform, but just what will and will not happen.

Joe Biden's comment, "Mom, it's hokum. It's a bunch of malarky," regarding the so-called "death panels" has been widely quoted. But he said a couple of other things I like even better.

He talked about his Senate history of defending Medicare, and he posed the question: Why would he, and the other people who worked so hard to defend and preserve Medicare, suddenly try to get rid of it? As he said, "It just doesn't make sense."

Biden also pointed out that the same people who are claiming now to be trying to save Medicare while making dire predictions about government interference and benefits reductions, are the same ones who have opposed Medicare, and were some of the same who voted for the law that will take effect in 2010 that will reduce Medicare benefits paid to doctors by 27%. If nothing is done to change that law.

The reality of this is, as I have said before, that the health insurance companies are the ones who will benefit if things stay the way they are. The companies make enormous profits each year, including subsidy payments from the government (Medicare Advantage, anyone?), and right now are unregulated and in control of who gets what kind of coverage, and what we pay. There is no reason, based on recent history, to expect that they will not continue to raise premiums, exclude people for coverage, and pay their executives million dollar bonuses.

The reform package being considered by the Congress does not go nearly as far as it could in reforming a system crippled by greed and no accountability on the part of the insurance companies. However, there at least are some regulations, a guarantee of coverage for everyone, and an attempt to bring down costs. It includes a government option that will provide coverage for people who can't afford private insurance, and will make it competitive with the insurance companies.

The opponents can pontificate and bluster all they want to. But no matter what argument they make, their interest lies not in helping the people, but in preserving the profits of the insurance companies. And that sends us the message that the profits of business are more important than the individual.

So I want to say to the opponents of reform: Show me your criteria for deciding who gets coverage and who doesn't. Because without reform that is what is happening. And any kind of bill without a guarantee of coverage for every American means they have decided that there are Americans who don't deserve to be able to afford their health care. I just want to know who those Americans are.