by Jayne Webb

Created on: August 22, 2009   Last Updated: February 01, 2010

The AMA said the health care and private insurance system we have is unsustainable, which is why it supported the House bill as a start to the dialogue. Private insurance rates are rising at 3 times the rate of wages, 40-some million lack coverage, and among those who have coverage, often they are faced with huge deductibles or find they are not covered for catastrophic illness. Medicare/Medicaid has notoriously low levels of compensation, leading some practitioners to decline such patients altogether. Furthermore, the Medicare system as it stands will be strained to the breaking point in the future with the retirement of the baby boomers. Estimates are that 1 in 16 jobs is related to the health care industry, and a health care crisis is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. (approximately 60%). Costs are rising at a time when the middle class is stagnating or shrinking back in income levels, and we as a nation should consider acting now on this crisis a moral and economic imperative.

While much wrangling with House and Senate Democratic centrists ultimately produced two bills, and many Republican amendments were included, both failed to win any Republican support. As a consequence, the Massachusetts special Senate election effectively ended the debate over the current versions with the public option. Combined with the misinformation campaign fostering falling public support, is meaningful reform dead?

While there may be bi-partisan appeal for peripheral issues such as tort reform, tax credits for purchasing insurance, shopping insurance across state lines, or addressing pharmaceutical advertising, the central issue of absence of sufficient coverage for all Americans remains the sticking point. As long as there are uninsured, costs will rise. If insurance companies are mandated to cover those with pre-existing conditions such as chronic illnesses requiring ongoing expensive care, costs will also likely rise despite a larger pool. Without a competitive option, insurance companies will likely continue to raise costs, and subsidized coverage for private insurance alone as some have proposed amounts to rewarding with a bailout the bad behavior of insurance companies as they already post record profits. Another option, however, poses the potential for major bi-partisan action, while ensuring all Americans have access to affordable health care, and keeps the insurance companies in a lucrative business within context of urgently needed reforms.

Consider as an

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