The health care compromise floating in the Senate is, believe it or not, a good deal. The government has had government-run health care for a long time: Medicare. The proposal expands Medicare coverage to people 55 and older (the current age is 65) and expands Medicaid for the poor.
Don’t forget, Nancy Pelosi called this incarnation of health care reform a stepping stone, and this expansion of Medicare is a huge stepping stone, far bigger than a public option.
The public option had already been watered down in the House, then further watered down in the Senate. It may as well not exist, since it really won’t help very many people. Industry has been so entrenched in government for so long that when they speak, lawmakers listen and people, who desperately need help, are ignored. Hey, the poor don’t have money or clout, so who cares about them?
But this compromise, which I think is really a coup for progressives, will, in fact, help the poor and those over 55. It’ll lighten the burden on companies that provide insurance to employees (not that I care about the “burdens” of soulless corporations, but, hey, let’s get them on our side) and Medicare, despite being government-run is actually efficient and helps people. It’ll be even more efficient once health care is overhauled, per the Senate’s waste and fraud reduction measures.
This development has been framed as a concession to moderates. I have no problem with that. Let moderates, and maybe even a conservative or two, think that this is compromise. Let them call it whatever they want. Expand Medicare, help people that need it. That’s the bottom line.
