McCain's plan actually has merit, I feel, in the sense that employers should no longer be in the health insurance business.
However, before we dump the baby out with the bath water we need to have a system in place that broadens the base to insure everyone - one way or another. If left to their own devices private insurers would cherry pick and insure only non-smokers under 30 and charge absurd rates for everyone else - and forget about pre-existing conditions. The folks who need insurance still would not be able to afford it.
From the McCain website: John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.
What he fails to explain is how that would happen. His program gets into a boatload of buzzwords - coordinated, promote, reform, improve, reduce, encourage, emphasize, promoting - but I'm skeptical they will lead to any near term resolution.
Medicare is in trouble, IMHO, because it covers the elderly, a high risk group. It's time enlarge the program to broaden the base and spread the risk among the population as a whole. It's time to revamp the system, not put more band aids on it. |
