Judging Health Care Reform

Today the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the American Health Care Act, the bill recently introduced in the House. It was a mixed message. Insurance premiums, taxes and the deficit would go down while the number of uninsured would rise.

One question that few people are asking is how we should judge this or any health care reform bill. Most important is the quality and cost of health care. As with Obamacare, all the focus is on the funding of health care only. This is very short-sighted.

Democrats seem to measure it solely on the basis of number of uninsured. Obamacare started with the premise that the government decides for the people what health insurance they need. Many young, healthy people deliberately choose to go uninsured. The real measure is the number of people who want insurance but can’t afford it.

We should also look at how it affects our personal budgets. Will it increase or decrease premiums? Will we pay more or less in taxes? Since we are running large deficits, the impact on the federal budget is vital.

There are other intangibles that must be considered. Is it sustainable? What unintended consequences might happen? Is it constitutional?
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I have not studied the bill so can’t comment on it. Since both Democrats and conservative Republicans are criticizing it, they must be doing something right.
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