What to do about that pesky health care problem

Health care is expensive. Employers are dropping coverage. Premiums are skyrocketing. More and more Americans, about 46 million now, have no medical insurance. Millions more have insurance that does not cover their pre-existing conditions for which they most need it. So what do we do about it? A single-payer, government run system like Canada and many other developed western countries? Employer or personal requirements to have health insurance? Or an even more free market system than we have now? These questions will be debated December 6 (I know, it's kind of far off) at 7:30 a.m. (I know, it's kind of early) in Tempe. Mark Manoil, former Democratic candidate for Corporation Commission, will debate former Libertarian candidate for Governor Barry Hess. It appears to be free, and takes place at Jim's Coney Island Cafe, 1750 N. Scottsdale Road.

How Do We Control Health Care Costs? McCain Weighs In.
Whether health care is paid for by government, employers, or families, the costs can break budgets. No shifting of the burden will solve our problems unless we find a way to bring costs under control. Senator John McCain recently released his health care plan, which is strikingly similar to what President Bush and other conservatives have long proposed: tax credits to help individuals buy their own insurance outside of their employers and allowing people to buy health insurance from other states. McCain's idea is that if there is more free market competition, that will drive prices down. The problem is that, when having a heart attack, few people will stop to find out which hospital is the cheapest, nor drive across town to save a few bucks. Buying health insurance from other states where it may be cheaper sounds good, right? Unfortunately, part of the motive is to escape states' consumer protection laws. The other part is to skirt the various mandates that states put on health care. This issue, called "mandate-lite," has come up in Arizona's legislature recently. Basically, some believe that if insurance companies are no longer required to cover certain procedures, or offer mental health or substance abuse coverage, that they will save money and generously pass that savings along to their customers. In the states that it has been tried, it has not been shown to reduce health care premiums. McCain and Bush's proposal to give people refundable tax credits to buy health insurance also has several problems. If everybody buys insurance on their own instead of through their employer, there is no pooling of the risk. People who are healthy will get cheap health insurance, which will be covered by the cost of the tax credits. People in poor health either won't be able to afford health insurance or they will get insurance that will not cover any existing health problems. Conservatives will argue this is about personal responsibility: if people choose to be unhealthy, they will have to pay for it, and if they choose to be healthy, they will save money. They will make the personal choice to eat better, exercise, and stop smoking. Unfortunately, the child born with juvenile diabetes did not choose her health problem. The person with chronic pain because they were hit by a drunk driver did not choose their health status either. So yes, giving everybody a subsidy to go buy their own health insurance works just fine, as long as you don't mind leaving a few sick people out in the cold.