Primer on Health Reform

by David Edman

Return to Healthcare Reform Listing

If you have a position on healthcare reform that you’re comfortable with, you can keep it. If not, we’ll give you information on the choice of a “public option” — a position on health reform that you can communicate to your members of Congress — if you choose to do so. Here are a set of resources to help you understand and participate in the debate:

The Basics. Fundamentally, the health reform debate seeks an answer to the question of government’s role in healthcare. Read my newspaper debate with Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz: Congresswoman Schwartz supports the President’s position, calling for expansion of government-controlled health insurance, while seeking to improve quality and efficiency. I am in favor of health reform through competition and better transparency in the private sector, but not through expansion of government-controlled health insurance (Medicare or a new public option).

A Healthcare Town Hall Meeting. “Health Care Reform: A Medical Emergency” is the name of a 3-hour town hall meeting and live broadcast of the Dom Giordano radio program on The Big Talker 1210 AM. A complete podcast of the session is available at the station’s website. Part 1 is an informative exchange of views from local members of Congress. I answer questions on behalf of the business community and address the potential impact of health reform proposals in Part 4 of the podcast.

Understanding the Legislative Options. Do you want the latest information on the various health reform bills that are currently circulating in Congress? The Kaiser Family Foundation has updated its interactive, side-by-side health reform comparison tool, which allows users to compare any of 12 different major health reform plans, including the one Democratic plan that has passed through the Committee process.

A Business Perspective (and Lobbying Position). We are in favor of good healthcare reform, and perfection is the enemy of the good. However, bad healthcare reform may be worse than no reform. It depends on what the final bill that emerges from Congress will say. At a Health Care Summit in Harrisburg sponsored by the Pennsylvania Business Council on September 10, 2009, I spoke on, “Policy Impacts and Response from Small, Medium and Large Employers.” I recommended a position for the business community to take to its legislators (see A Businessman’s Message to Congress: Health Reform Dos and Don’ts).