It's time to pull the plug. Call off the resuscitation team. Bring in the coroner. Health care reform is dead.
Obama gave it a good shot, but it was doomed from the start. It's better that we face it now and start fresh than to perform what would be the equivalent of taxidermy (with emphasis on the tax) and pretend it still exists.
All the talking heads will compare this to Hillary's debacle but in reality the two are nothing alike. In the case of the Clinton's, the failure was one of presentation. There isn't a person alive who can tell you what that plan entailed. If people don't understand something, they aren't going to support it. The message must be clear and if Barack Obama knows anything, he sure knows how to convey a message. Just as Ronald Reagan spoke in a simple folksy manner that clearly described his plans of action, Obama is the modern counterpart -- a hip, confident, straight up speaker who connects with the masses. Yet, he's talking less and less about health care in detail. And with good reason. He knows it's doomed.
We can get into the particulars, but I'll leave that for the TV entertainers -- you know, the loudmouths on both sides, be it Sean Hannity or Keith Olberman, who will blame the opposition as to why the failure occurred, but it's all regurgitated rhetoric. The answers are actually quite simple.
It's pretty obvious that Obama's plate is pretty full right now. I don't think anyone wants the economy, or the war, or the mending of foreign relationships or the potential threat of North Korea to take a back seat to engaging in more bickering over a health plan. And bickering there will be! No matter what plan is presented, the Republicans will try and knock it down. It doesn't matter how good it is, how much it can help the public or how cost effective, it will not get Republican support. They lost their ball and they just don't want to play. The end.
There will also be many Democrats who will vote against it because they don't want to be responsible for the outcome. And I can't blame them. The way it's going, the reform is nothing but a watered down version of the H.I.P. program we had in New York. And anyone who's dealt with them will tell you; it wasn't the greatest. It attracted doctors who hadn't yet established a practice. It was overcrowded and appointment schedules were limited. The waits were endless. You get what you pay for.
What someone must have to guts to say is the dreaded "S" word. Real reform can only come from a socialized medical system, otherwise it's just another version of what already isn't working.
But here's the irony - the one thing nobody mentions. We already have it.
No, I'm not talking about Medicare or Medicaid. In this country there are clinics in every State, every area of the city, every town that provide health care on a sliding scale. All you have to do is walk in and apply. Also, in case of an emergency, there are EMERGENCY rooms in every hospital and they CAN NOT deny you care.
So in reality, we do have a form of socialized medicine and it works pretty well. Is it perfect? No. But nothing can be or will be. When costs are low, service will suffer. That will be the case under any condition and it is the case in any country where health care is provided. You see, this is where the Republicans sneak in that "we have the best care in the world" catch phrase. Sure, if you can afford it. Everyone else will have to settle. But that would be the case no matter what we concoct and it's time we dealt with it.
Raising taxes to simply slightly lower the cost of outrageously overpriced private health care insurance is weak and uninspired. Attempting to revise the entire system is akin to reinventing the wheel -- too much work and the outcome is likely to be sub-par. Instead, we should improve on what we have - walk in coverage for everyone based on income. Provide for more discount chain pharmacy's that have reduced cost prescriptions plans. Allow for refills of scripts without excessive doctor's visits. Right there, I just saved a couple of billion dollars. Now throw that back into the system and make it better. There, is your answer.
People also have to take responsibility for their own health. The saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" has never had a more literal translation. So don't ask the government to stop McDonald's from serving big portions or for Ben and Jerry to keep the chocolate chips out of the chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. And don't try and sue Phillip Morris because you were too stupid to realize that inhaling smoke into your lungs every day wasn't a good idea. It's time we grew up as a people and a nation and took some responsibility.
Will all the optimism I have for the Obama presidency, I'd hate to see this albatross become his Waterloo. Let it go, Barack. And improve on what we have. (Feel free to ask Mike Bloomberg for some advice while you're at it. He knows a thing or two about managing a business.)
Just one more thing. You're going to have to let everyone know - the public and the pundits, the cantankerous conservatives and the lily-livered liberals alike. This is a Socialist program. Call it what it is.
This doesn't mean we're headed for a Marxist regime. It just means we'll be doing what works. And it's about time. I've had this nagging pain in my side and I need to get it checked out.