Cadillac Health

From Zanecorpwiki

2010-01-20

Though as I write this, the future of health care reform has been put into question due to the loss of the Mass. senate seat to a hot, hot new Republican senator. Whether it's down to the incompetence of the Dems nearly inexplicable terror an being unable to do anything without filibuster proof senate, or the Republicans childishly narrow view of politics, it seems like health care is going to fail again. Or so the scare-mongering media would have us believe. "No super majority? Is this a crisis?" Well, the expert who's job is sounding expertish only cares that the network likes him, and he knows what the network wants. "This is a serious situation here." Thanks, I guess we better stay tuned to see how it all works out!

In reality, the only thing I can say at this point is the Dems better not use this as an excuse not to pass something. Hell, if it's played right, it could be to our benefit that there's no longer a super majority. Ghandi, the legendar insurgent tactician, held that the only victory was one of persuasion. A coercive victory was merely defeat delayed. A health care bill "crammed down America's throat" could end up being a political football for 20 years, killing any chance of further improvement ever. Without a super majority, it's harder to say that more accessible and more efficient health care was foretold in the Bible as the first policy of the Anti-Christ. "For lo, he did mandate that pre-existing conditions shall not be a bar unto a man or his household's entry into the white halls!"

If nothing else, I believe that the Cadillac Health tax will survive. It's already been agreed to--with the exemption of the labor unions--and this is a really good idea. Why? Because it's the only idea with any traction that really bends the cost curve and doesn't require a lot of experts and regulators to get a lot of things right. In other words, it'll clearly improve things without the risk of making things worse.