The AP's Matt Perrone today reported that many wise-head observers believe -- with the sag-tacular foreign-exchange rates, the troop-levels-concerns in Iraq, and the general malaise of the economy (and perhaps the electorate, as well) -- truly substantial Health Care Reform in the U.S. may have to wait until very near the end of 2009 -- if it is addressed at all, by the new Administration.
I think that is only half-right.
While I agree that 2008 has likely been a "year of heat" (with pre-election muck-raking and speech-a-rific "hearings" before Congressional committees) -- I am more than hopeful that 2009 will be a year of light -- the light of meaningful, fundamental Health Care reform, in the United States. [See a sidebar-article, from earlier this Summer, at right.]
I think there will be tremendous populist pressure on the coming double-Democratic majorities in Congress -- and, very-likely, in the White House -- to address the fact that the richest nation on Earth should not subject her voters to third-world health-care processes. Nearly 50 million Americans cannot pay for health-care -- and have no insurance -- a very substantial proportion of those are children. Children whose health care needs will be far more extensive, and expensive, if they do not soon start receiving some fixed levels of preventative health-care intervention. I think the electorate is going to demand this -- concurrently with the phased-withdrawal of our troops in Iraq -- I see these as co-equal priorities -- second only to reinvigorating the US economic-engine. I think populism will rule 2009 (consider the case of one very-green Alaskan governor's sudden, and apparently wide, appeal).
[Now, should the highly-unlikely occur in November -- I think even Sen. McCain has made far too many promises, to get away without at least trying -- on this front -- and there really is no plausible-scenario in which he won't have a Democratic Congress pushing the issue -- at least making noises about doing something -- in this regard.]
So -- I remain convinced that any pharmaceutical CEO who believes the AP spin -- that this will all go "poof", in the middle of the night of 2008 electioneering -- like Cinderella's coach and four -- is going to wake up the next morning -- to a very different sort of neck-tie party, in mid-2009.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Will 2009 be the Year of U.S. Health Care Reform?
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5 comments:
Condor,
Many advocates in the psychiatric patient community have a true fear of how this sort of thing can be abused. While they are greatful for destigmatization and parity, they are afraid of increased mental health screening and insideous pressures to use very expensive and dangerous drugs for illnesses and durations of treatment where the risks are not generally appreciated and are excessive (e.g. atypical antipsychotics for quicker onset of antidepressants or for kids with ADHD and are mislabeled with bipolar spectrum disorder.
From what I've seen, including who's working on this on capital hill and their connections to Big Pharma, I'm also very concerned about this.
Salmon
and let's not forget the plan to put kids on statins!
While I hear you both -- I was thinking about preventive-care like addressing the balooning levels of chidlhood obesity in the US -- through diet and exercise. . . . not medications.
Another example would be truly universal pre-natal care for every expectant mother in the nation, not even limited to documented citizens -- thsi expenditure, would likely, in the longer run, save the nation billions in future acute care expenditures, on balance.
I agree with what you've both written -- I was apparently not clear enough in what I mean by preventative care.
Thanks -- as ever -- for the cogent observations!
Condor,
I wasn't commenting on your intent regarding preventive care. I was commenting on what I see as the underlying motive for some people behind pushing some of these initiatives.
Salmon
Understood -- thanks!
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