Thursday, August 06, 2009

It's So Crazy It Just Might Work

Is there a healthcare reform that SWNID could support? Perhaps.

We are highly intrigued by the so-called Wyden-Bennett bill, authored by two Senators who have devoted considerable time over the years to understanding this thorny issue. As described in their WaPo op-ed, helpfully reproduced by RealClearPolitics, their plan would bring market forces to bear on costs and accessibility by disconnecting tax-advantaged health insurance from employment, removing excessive coverage requirements, and creating insurance cooperatives to provide additional policy alternatives. To make sure that all can be covered, it provides a subsidy for the lowest incomes. To make sure that all are covered and risk is optimally spread, it mandates coverage for all.

We like the looks of this sucker and are ready to consider whether its potential flaws are so significant as to negate its likely virtues.

We understand that the Ds have tabled this bill because it ends the employer-based system, which in fact is the original sin of American health insurance. If so, and if that decision persists, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid will deserve every bit of scorn that the electorate can muster.

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