McCain's Health-Care Vision

Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain had an opinion piece Thursday at National Review Online outlining his vision for the future of the American Health-Care System.

“The problem is not that Americans don’t have fine doctors, medical technology, and treatments. American medicine is the envy of the world. The problem is not that most Americans lack adequate health insurance. The vast majority of Americans have private insurance, and our government spends many billions each year to provide even more. The biggest problem with the American health-care system is one of cost and access, and as a result tens of millions of individuals have no insurance.”

From my standpoint it hit the right notes:

Control of health care choices in the hands of the individuals.

“American families know quality when they see it, so their dollars should be in their hands. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions, less likely to choose the most expensive and often unnecessary options, and are more satisfied with their choices.”

More choices in finding an insurance provider.

“Americans also need new choices beyond those offered in employment-based coverage. They want a reformed system so that wherever you go and wherever you work, your health plan goes with you.

… another option would be available: Every year, they would receive a tax credit directly, with the same cash value of the credits for employees in big companies, in a small business, or self-employed. You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best.

Increased competition in the marketplace for your insurance business.

“Millions of Americans would be making their own health-care choices again. Insurance companies could no longer take your business for granted, offering narrow plans with escalating costs. It would help change the whole dynamic of the current system, putting individuals and families back in charge, and forcing companies to respond with better service at lower cost."

Competition through reform in the maddening array of states health-insurance rules.

“Right now, there is a different health-insurance market for every state. Each one has its own rules and restrictions, and often guarantees inadequate competition among insurance companies. Often these circumstances prevent the best companies, with the best plans and lowest prices, from making their product available to any American who wants it. We need to break down these barriers to competition, innovation and excellence, with the goal of establishing a national market to make the best practices and lowest prices available to every person in every state.”

Extremely important for the bleeding disorders community provisions to insure preexisting conditions within the marketplace framework.

“But we also need to ensure that those without prior group coverage and with preexisting conditions, who have the most difficulty in the individual market, have access to the high-quality coverage they need.”

“I will consult with the governors to solicit their ideas about a best practice model that states can follow — a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP — and work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure that it is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness programs.”

I don’t agree with Sen. McCain on all issues. But this is a sensible, workable approach to addressing the nation’s health-care needs without the leviathan of government run universal coverage. Universal coverage is well intentioned and admirable in principle but in practical terms would be a disaster for this country. The cost of health-care is already outpacing the ability of Americans to pay it. Involve the federal government (more than it already is) and can we seriously envision those costs going down. On a list of bloated, inefficient government programs health-care would be the biggest colossus of bloat and inefficiency. Rather than sending huge premium checks to insurers the American public would instead send their health-care dollars to the federal government in the form of vastly higher taxes.

One major aspect missing from the senator's proposals is some strong steps toward transparency of medical costs. How can the American public be savvy medical consumers if they can't compare costs because those costs are hidden? How hard is it to get the price of a unit of hemophilic factor out of a specialty pharmacy (negotiated contract price with your insurance carrier be damned).

Senator McCain’s proposal may need work and revisions but it is a sensible, responsible and comprehensive start.

Ffffsssttttt…splash

That was the sound of the air going out of Barack Obama’s sails last week following his Pennsylvania primary defeat and then the sound of Rev. Jeremiah Wright being thrown under the keel today.

The presidential hopeful ship of Barack Obama sailed into Pennsylvania waters last week amid what could have been a political perfect storm. For Sen. Hillary Clinton that is. The Keystone state primary was set against the backdrop of the Rev. Wright controversy, renewed interest in the Senator’s ties to former Weather Underground member, William Ayers and Obama’s association with political fundraiser and wire fraud, bribery and extortion defendant Tony Rezko. Not to mention his own disparaging San Francisco comments about middle-class Midwesterners.

All of this didn’t so much fill Clinton’s sails as take the wind out of Obama’s. Pennsylvania’s more blue-collar electorate set up nicely for the former First Lady in the first place and add to it Obama’s recent woes and victory was all but ensured for Clinton.

In the end it may not matter. By throwing the Chicago pastor overboard today Obama more than likely will have righted his ship. Especially in the eyes and opinion of the fawning adoration of the nation’s media.

But let it be a cautionary tale. Let it serve as a reminder of how much we don’t know about the junior Senator from Illinois. People want him to be something different. People want to feel good about him. He is charismatic and witty and smart and people want him to succeed for so many reasons. But just wanting someone to be what you hope for doesn’t make it so.

Hope and change are universal ambitions. But with nothing behind them they are just words.

And remember he just disowned Rev. Wright a mere six weeks after saying he could no more disown his former pastor than he could his own grandmother. Look out grandma and keep your mouth shut.

Mirror - mirror

I know this just has to have been done before but are Steve Nash (on the right,or left) of the Phoenix Suns and British musician James Blunt (on the left, or right) the same person or at least long lost twins. Eerie.

While we've been away...

O.k. I took off last week from work and thought man, I'm gonna blog every day. This is great!

What did I do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing (in the way of blogging).

Nothing happened though, right? The Pope's visit, primary election in Pennsylvania, nothing.

I'll get back in the swing here shortly.