I've critiqued both Obama and Hillary's health care reform plans as extremely problematic, and not nearly bold enough in terms of the essential core to reform short of a single-payer system, which is regulation of the insurance industry. To repeat myself:
The major problem with both the Clinton and Obama health care plans is that neither has a really strong insurance industry regulation mechanism. In most states, mandated auto insurance is coupled with strong regulation of auto insurance premiums; insurance companies actually have to get approval for rate hikes. No such parallel currently exists with health insurance, and neither the Clinton or Obama plan would create an equivalent system (both plans have some “standards” that do not really amount to full regulation).
Well, seems like as much as this may be a sign of the lack of will of the Democratic presidential candidates to take on Big Insurance, the Democratic Congress has decided to one-up their future leader by preemptively caving in:
Congressional Democrats are backing away from healthcare reform promises made by their two presidential candidates, saying that even if their party controls the White House and Congress, sweeping change will be difficult.
It is still seven months before Election Day, but already senior Democrats are maneuvering to lower public expectations on the key policy issue.
[...]
Congressional Democrats have set smaller goals on healthcare next year, like an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which has been repeatedly vetoed by President Bush. But passing broader proposals aimed at insuring greater numbers will more than likely have to wait, they say.
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), a Clinton supporter who sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, said “the money is not necessarily there right now” to enact the plans and said calls to end the war in Iraq might consume Washington’s attention. The healthcare proposals are a “really good start,” he said, but any promises that the next Congress would enact the healthcare plans “at even the beginning of next year to mid-next year would really be political talk at this point.
“I hear on the campaign trail, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ as if there is not a Congress here with feelings and experience on this issue,” Meek said. “I think it’s important that everyone takes that into consideration and that this is not a kingdom, this is a democracy.”
(emphasis added)
Yeah, how dare you address one of the top three concerns of Americans and seek to cover the uninsured... haven't you thought about Congress' feelings?! I like the last sentence, too; apparently a democracy means responding to the will of the entrenched political elite rather than the clear mandate of the people. Oh wait, that's not a democracy, it's a... what's the word?
Oligarchy.
update: Contrary to Sen. Chuck Schumer's concern that he's "not sure that we're ready for a major national healthcare plan," a CBS poll, via Open Left, shows that almost all Americans want big change--54% believe the U.S. health care system needs "fundamental change" and 36% believe in needs "to be completely rebuilt," while only 8% believe it needs only "minor changes." Of course, if you take Schumer's "we" to refer to Congress, and not the American public, it makes sense. Because Congress is full of entrenched, corporate-owned cowards.
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