Wednesday, September 22, 2004
When will Congress remove roadblocks to cheaper insurance?
[Jerry Heaster, "Talent plan would help uninsured," The Kansas City Star, 22 September 2004.]
Health Savings Acounts are a positive step toward reducing the cost of insurance. But there are certainly other angles from which leaders at the federal and state level can approach the problem of the uninsured. Today's column from The Star's Jerry Heaster reveals a growing exasperation regarding the unwillingness of Senate leaders to follow through on one of those proposals - association health plans:
If anyone were interested in discussing the really important issues this election campaign, much of the debate would focus on Sen. Jim Talent's efforts to help the uninsured.
The bill would allow small businesses to join forces nationally through their trade associations to purchase health-care insurance. By coming together as major purchasers, small-company groups could achieve enough buying clout to give them access to the same quality health-care coverage at rates similar to those paid by America's largest corporations.
With so many worthies in influential positions so concerned about the uninsured's plight, why isn't Talent's proposal getting more serious discussion in high places?
The sad answer is that there are some who hypocritically decry the uninsured problem while hoping to use it as a justification for greater government involvement in the health-care market. They hope making Americans more dependent on government in every way will translate into greater political power, and they're right. This is why they fought so hard against the concept of medical savings accounts and, later, health savings accounts.
Proposals that give Americans more control over their lives are anathema to these Big Government disciples. The problem is especially noteworthy in the Senate, which once was known as the world's greatest deliberative body.
Now it's a graveyard for a dozen or so major legislative proposals dealing with issues ranging from health care to tort reform to taxes. Many of these stalled initiatives already have passed the House with large bipartisan majorities.
The unwillingness of major candidates to challenge the do-nothing Senate to answer for its disregard of the voters' interests is making a joke of this election campaign.
[Jerry Heaster, "Talent plan would help uninsured," The Kansas City Star, 22 September 2004.]
Health Savings Acounts are a positive step toward reducing the cost of insurance. But there are certainly other angles from which leaders at the federal and state level can approach the problem of the uninsured. Today's column from The Star's Jerry Heaster reveals a growing exasperation regarding the unwillingness of Senate leaders to follow through on one of those proposals - association health plans:
If anyone were interested in discussing the really important issues this election campaign, much of the debate would focus on Sen. Jim Talent's efforts to help the uninsured.
The bill would allow small businesses to join forces nationally through their trade associations to purchase health-care insurance. By coming together as major purchasers, small-company groups could achieve enough buying clout to give them access to the same quality health-care coverage at rates similar to those paid by America's largest corporations.
With so many worthies in influential positions so concerned about the uninsured's plight, why isn't Talent's proposal getting more serious discussion in high places?
The sad answer is that there are some who hypocritically decry the uninsured problem while hoping to use it as a justification for greater government involvement in the health-care market. They hope making Americans more dependent on government in every way will translate into greater political power, and they're right. This is why they fought so hard against the concept of medical savings accounts and, later, health savings accounts.
Proposals that give Americans more control over their lives are anathema to these Big Government disciples. The problem is especially noteworthy in the Senate, which once was known as the world's greatest deliberative body.
Now it's a graveyard for a dozen or so major legislative proposals dealing with issues ranging from health care to tort reform to taxes. Many of these stalled initiatives already have passed the House with large bipartisan majorities.
The unwillingness of major candidates to challenge the do-nothing Senate to answer for its disregard of the voters' interests is making a joke of this election campaign.
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