Health Care.

Another moon mission.

Really, really, really interesting.

Poll is pdf, so I won't link it. You can find it at the Dkos link above.

HEALTH INSURANCE: PRIVATE ENTERPRISE VS. GOVERNMENT?

1979
Private Enterprise: 48%
Government - All Problems: 28%
Government - Emergencies: 12%
Don't know: 12%

2009
Private Enterprise: 32% (-16%)
Government - All Problems: 49% (+21%)
Government - Emergencies: 10% (-2%)
Don't know: 9% (-3%)

Somehow, free market capitalist Americans support pinko commie government health care, despite all evidence that Americans are healthy and physically fit.

Allow me to be bipartisan here. I'm willing to debate anyone on whether or not the health care system is experiencing market failure, as long as same person will debate whether access to health care services is a human right. Hint: I'll win both.

The health care system is broken. Americans know this. The industry knows this, which is why they fought tooth and nail against this:

WASHINGTON — The $787 billion economic stimulus bill approved by Congress will, for the first time, provide substantial amounts of money for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness.

Under the legislation, researchers will receive $1.1 billion to compare drugs, medical devices, surgery and other ways of treating specific conditions. The bill creates a council of up to 15 federal employees to coordinate the research and to advise President Obama and Congress on how to spend the money.

I really do worry about the costs associated with single payer, as well as how effectively the government can institute such a plan. Obviously, though, it's badly needed. I'm glad there's been a poll conducted on this, and I hope public opinion is studied more in depth on it.

Like I've said before, this is not something that can ever come from on high. Obama has consistently said that he does not support single payer. It does have its drawbacks, but I do not think these are insurmountable. Most of Washington does. I'll spell out my concerns, and my suggestions later.

Health Care Reform

Just read Krugman's column from Jan. 29, Health Care Now.

I can't argue with him about the economics of it. I'd love single payer yesterday.

He mentions why the entire column is shit in this paragraph:

Finally — and this is, I suspect, the real reason for the administration’s health care silence — there’s the political argument that this is a bad time to be pushing fundamental health care reform, because the nation’s attention is focused on the economic crisis. But if history is any guide, this argument is precisely wrong.

Maybe. It's still wrong to bring it up now. I'm not sure how you can make the argument that Obama is not doing enough with the stimulus and then turn around in the next column and say that he should immediately work to implement a hugely complex social spending program.

First, if you tip the Republicans off to your hand now, before the stimulus is done, you make Harry Reid's job even more difficult than it is right now. And the man has a hard time meeting minimum expectations as it is.

Second, you need to give Obama time to catch his breath. How about we get an HHS secretary who can take some of the responsibility for selling this to Congress? Can we upgrade the White House computers to XP? In the meantime, let him get some easy bipartisan wins on stupid shit. Everybody has to get to know each other, like it or not. If you start out clubbing baby Republicans with the baseball bats too soon out the gate, they will hate you and obstruct everything for the next two years. I know, they already hate you. But they will hate you so much more. Shock and Awe will not work with these people. Obama will need some quick wins, learning how to work with these assholes on stuff they really don't care about but will go to the mattresses on. Gays in the military--stuff that helps America without spending a lot more money on government stuff would be nice.

Third, if the stimulus does nothing, and I have a feeling it will underachieve in a spectacular way, then you're left with two potential whammies. One, the market will crash right in the middle of the health care debate, and two, the spectre of having to raise taxes to pay for all of this shit exactly when the economy starts to improve--not when you wanted the stimulus to do it, but when it naturally recovers, if it recovers, years and years later, you would effectively kill the momentum of the recovery.

Fourth, I think you gain momentum for universal health care when the unemployment rate start creeping up and more and more people are taking the status of their employment a lot more seriously than they are right now. I think we're in for a bad first half of the year. This will do little to decrease public support for something like universal health care.

Fifth, the benefits of universal health care will be immediate, and will greatly improve millions of Americans' quality of life. What Krugman is advocating is a simultaneous left and right. I'm in favor of a one-two punch. I really want to land both squarely on the jaw of one of the most pressing problems our country faces, as powerfully as we possibly can. Can't do that if your feet aren't set.

Does universal health care help strengthen the economy? Absolutely, I think it does. Is it the right thing to do? Yessir. Do I want to stomp Republicans whenever I get a chance? Fucking A. Is this the most absolutely worst time to bring it up? Goddamn right it is.