In a WSJ health care op-ed:
In short, the best health reform proposals will be those that recognize and build on the virtues of our market-based medical system. Sick people around the world come here because they can’t get quality care in their home countries. Many health-care professionals come here to practice, leaving behind well-meaning health-care systems where government is in charge, bureaucrats make the decisions, and where the patient doesn’t have the choice he or she does in the U.S.Mrs. Clinton may think Americans want to trade freedom and innovation for the illusory security of government regulation and surrender control of their health decisions to government bureaucrats. My bet is 2008 will teach us something different if Republicans make health care a centerpiece issue.
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Thanks Karl, so where was your market based plan? Or are you ignoring the fact that you presided over even MORE govt. intrusion into health care.
The irony of him accusing others of trading freedom for illusory govt. security is rich.
And Karl has been so right about everything else?
He has driven his own party to the brink of collapse, yet you want to quote him? Give me a break.
While I believe in the power of market based competition, when it comes to healthcare, Americans don’t want the responsibility of deciding who delivers high quality healthcare. The information currently available to make these informed decisions is not easily accessible, the data difficult to interpret for a lay person and the accuracy and validity of the data for medical providers are questionable.
It is true that health savings accounts have increased, but wide adoption has not occurred, particularly among employers. (noted by the recent Kaiser Family Foundation – 2007 Employer Health Benefits report – http://www.kff.org).
“While widespread adoption of HDHP/SOs [high-deductible health plans with a savings option] could help maintain lower premium growth with firms moving to less expensive packages and higher cost sharing reducing service use, enrollment to date in these plans remains low.”
Although some of what Mr. Rove proposes has merit, he neglected to mention whether a GOP plan would have an individual mandate – requiring everyone to purchase health insurance.
Individual mandate is absolutely critical for success in healthcare reform. If not mandatory, individuals would simply jump in when expensive medical care was needed (i.e. pregnancy, cancer) and leave when the situation improved–and this would simply escalate healthcare costs even faster.
It is a fundamental truth about insurance–all need to take on responsibility for the minority who are at risk for an adverse outcome. Already, medical costs are the leading causes of personal bankruptcy.
How make health insurance affordable for everyone and what it will look like – these are the challenges for the elected officials. Mr. Rove’s proposal alone isn’t enough to be considered reform.
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