Senators to be Pilloried

In the NY Times are two columns (link to a, link to b) suggesting that passing the Senate Health care Bill is worthwhile, despite its shortcomings. The shortcomings of the bill highlight the shortcomings of our political process.

In 'column a' David Brooks asks if the bill will "put us on a path toward the real reform, or does it head us down a valley in which real reform will be less likely"? He worries that "it will slow innovation. (Because) Government regulators don’t do well with disruptive new technologies ... (and) We’ll shovel more money into insurance companies". Yet his worries about the costs could easily be addressed (and the cost curve bent) if only the reformers would shovel less money to the insurance industry and instead give doctors the incentive to innovate - remember Gawande's accountable care organizations.

And we don't need new demonstration projects. Here in the downstate New York region, a hospital network clinically integrated (a huge hurdle were it a physician network) then emerged, to the consternation of the payers, as the low cost health care provider in its region!

In 'column b", Paul Krugman describes some Senators as "motivated largely by a desire to protect the interests of insurance companies."

Protection of the insurance companies is anti consumer - it is the enemy of physicians, patient interests and meaningful health care reform. Those Senators, and their bill should be pilloried.