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Kathleen Parker is one of America's most popular opinion columnists, addressing the country's mental health through her views on current national ...
Read more about Kathleen Parker.
Kathleen Parker is one of America's most popular opinion columnists, addressing the country's mental health through her views on current national ...
Read more about Kathleen Parker.
Reforming Reform The Utah Way
Kathleen Parker
WASHINGTON -- In a way, it's too bad President Obama tapped Utah Gov.
Jon Huntsman to serve as ambassador to China.
The ambassador-designee promised a Senate panel Thursday that, if confirmed, he would press American values in China. If only the Obama administration would press Huntsman's health care reform values here in the U.S.
As governor, Huntsman has overseen a blueprint for the overhaul of Utah's health care system that could be a model for a more-rational approach to national reform. In one fell swoop, Obama effectively eliminated one of the most qualified Republicans to challenge his health care reform, as well as a leading contender to spearhead a Republican coup in 2012.
Nobody ever said the president "acted stupidly." Alas, Huntsman, whose talents include speaking Mandarin Chinese, was also perfectly suited to the China position.
Oh well, c'est la guerre.
In Huntsman's likely absence -- and given that the national health care plan as proposed has no chance of survival -- perhaps we should take a look at what he will leave behind. Rather than dismantle Utah's health care system, Huntsman homed in on the central problems and put mechanisms in place to fix them.
What a stunning idea. Revolutionary in its respect for rational human behavior, Huntsman's plan, scheduled to go into effect this fall, begs to be admired up close. (The Obama plan, by the way, wouldn't start up until 2013, in case you were trying to plan a gallbladder operation. Might want to check in at the Florence Nightingale Hospital in Istanbul.)
Many of the problems afflicting Utah are among the same that plague us nationally. But Utah, unlike Washington, has sought practical, consensus solutions for the real problems, rather than a sweeping remake that puts government in control.
One of the most crucial problems, locally and nationally, is that most of the uninsured earn low wages and often work in small firms. Thus, Utah has created an exchange focused on improving insurance options for them and leaves alone those with good insurance today. And the exchange facilitates consumer choice based on price transparency, not government regulation and control.
One reform, for example, creates portable coverage -- insurance policies that workers can take with them when they leave or change jobs and that can be paid for with pre-tax dollars. Utah consumers also can pick the insurance program that best suits them, taking into consideration cost and level of benefits needed. To assist, the state launched a Web site where consumers can compare policies, pricing and financing, and sign up electronically -- all in one place.
Not surprisingly, Utah's plan resulted from months of research, consensus-building and meetings among legislators, health care providers, insurers, businesses and community members. It hasn't happened quickly, in other words -- nor is the process over. A few problems have been resolved using the best free-market principles, while others will be tackled down the road.
That is to say, health care is complicated and reform takes time. Like Obama, Huntsman recognized the abysmal condition of his state's health care system and declared in 2005 that doing nothing was not an option. Though they share the same goal, the two leaders have taken significantly different approaches. Notably missing in Utah was the rush-rush-rush mentality adopted by the Obama administration.
If the plan is so good, why the hurry?
The House bill was delivered in mid-July and Obama wanted a vote before the August break. If it's so great, why not give everyone time to read it carefully and vet it publicly? The Senate's decision Thursday to postpone consideration of the bill until the fall met with qualified approval from Obama. Insisting that he wants to get the bill right, Obama also said he hopes postponement isn't a tactic to kill health care reform.
The reason for the rush is politics, of course, but that's no excuse when so much is at stake. That Republicans have been slow, and frankly negligent, in producing their own alternatives is also no excuse now to ignore good ideas.
Compared to what's being trotted around the Asylum On The Hill, Utah's bipartisan reform project sounds downright dreamy. Simple and geared toward the consumer, it was designed under the operating principle that Americans are capable of making their own decisions, whereas the Obama plan presumes that only government can solve the problem.
Government has a place, to be sure. But as Huntsman and his team have demonstrated, government's best role is in creating mechanisms for people to help themselves.
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Kathleen Parker's e-mail address is kparker@kparker.com
(c) 2009, Washington Post Writers Group
This news arrived on: 07/26/2009
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Posted Comments:
07-27-2009 10:49
wrote:
Wow JCE -- I don't know what to say. Your post is just so full of inaccuracies and just plain ignorant opinions.
07-27-2009 10:47
wrote:
Wow JCE -- I don't know what to say. Your post is so full of c***.
07-26-2009 20:14
JCE wrote:
HHJ The republicans have added around 180 amendments to the bill in question. These amendments have made the bill so controversial, so difficult to pass, and if it passes, it is doomed to failure. The bill has been very bi partisan. Listen to Cspan, and Cspan2. Plus, they have the blue dog wanna be republicans on their side, the ones that are trying to get all the lobby money from big insurance. Try to track the campaign donations, and you will see. The republicans take bribes from the lobbyists to make sure it doesn't pass. The democrats buy their votes with deals. The republicans add stuff to a bill, and then tell the people that it won't work, often based on their own amendments. And then, they vote against it. The bill fails, the insurance people get their way, the republicans con their voters again. Business as usual. Where do you think half the bill came from? The republicans.
HM The biggest reason that the democrats have tried to reform health care for 6 decades is to protect business from that sort of thing. The reason that the republicans fight it is that they get too much campaign funds from the lobbyists, and so must represent their bosses. And the unions keep asking for more. The unions have just become organized gangs of criminals, much like congress.
Dick from Chaska Very well said. Much like many other Americans. Great people but you can't trust the leadership. Amen to that.
HM The biggest reason that the democrats have tried to reform health care for 6 decades is to protect business from that sort of thing. The reason that the republicans fight it is that they get too much campaign funds from the lobbyists, and so must represent their bosses. And the unions keep asking for more. The unions have just become organized gangs of criminals, much like congress.
Dick from Chaska Very well said. Much like many other Americans. Great people but you can't trust the leadership. Amen to that.
07-26-2009 18:49
Dick from Chaska wrote:
Mormons
Where I went to college about hald the students were Mormon. The person who talked me into the Corps was a Mormon who won the Navy Cross in Korea. Mormon people are great but I do not trust the leadership in the church just like I don't trust the leadership in any church.
07-26-2009 18:42
NM wrote:
yup...
Blame yourselves Demmies if the bill does not pass,
Now you got to fight with the Blue Dogg's and I wish you demmies would hurry up, because I want the bill to pass !!! But as you know the lazy denmmies have to go on vacation that ''we pay for''
JCE, Having run a Corporation for over 20 years all our employee's had health care, and the company paid for it. It always turned around and bit us too, because we had phoney workmans comp claims and people running to the hospital emergency for a excuse not to work !!( Law suits ) I mean the list goes on and on !! I doubt you know what I am even talking about.
Its hard to run a company and make a profit and still have a life thats for sure, workers will do you under every chance they can !!
Now you got to fight with the Blue Dogg's and I wish you demmies would hurry up, because I want the bill to pass !!! But as you know the lazy denmmies have to go on vacation that ''we pay for''
JCE, Having run a Corporation for over 20 years all our employee's had health care, and the company paid for it. It always turned around and bit us too, because we had phoney workmans comp claims and people running to the hospital emergency for a excuse not to work !!( Law suits ) I mean the list goes on and on !! I doubt you know what I am even talking about.
Its hard to run a company and make a profit and still have a life thats for sure, workers will do you under every chance they can !!
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