What Is "Health Reform"?
by John Goodman
Issue 137 - August 5, 2009

What exactly is health reform all about? Readers will be forgiven if they can't come up with a quick answer to that question. No one else can either. But during the Presidential election campaign, Barack Obama mentioned universal coverage a lot. With that in mind, consider that:

• Uninsurance is a lot like unemployment; it happens to many people for short periods of time, but it afflicts very few people for long periods of time.
• In fact, of all the people who are uninsured today, less than half will be uninsured a year from now.
• Less than one in ten will be uninsured two years from now -- an amount equal to less than 2% of the nonelderly population.

Let's concede for the sake of argument that these chronically uninsured people have a problem that warrants federal attention. If Congress doesn't keep its eye on the ball (and it is inconceivable that it will keep its eye on the ball) we can end up spending $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years and -- at the end of the day -- have no assurance that the 2% will actually have been helped!

That works out to about $325,000 for each person who may not be helped!

Is that your idea of health reform?

John Goodman is President and CEO/Kellye Wright Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis.

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