The Patrick administration has introduced a bill aiming to rein in skyrocketing health insurance costs. David at Blue Mass Group has this post about the bill, sent to the General Court. This is the next step required in providing universal coverage. Romneycare was the first step, cover everyone, and that has largely been accomplished. Now with everyone in the system, the challenge is to restrain the growth of costs so that the programs are sustainable. Massachusetts continues to lead the way on dealing with health care reform.
The corporate media and corporate Congress have established a narrative where Social Security and medical insurance programs (Medicare and Medicaid) are lumped together when talking about deficits. The truth of the matter is ...
...Social Security is not a major driver of future deficits. Rather the exploding costs of health care insurance are driving deficits. Read what Noble Laureate and Princeton professor Paul Krugman has to say about that at this link and this one.
If you acknowledge that medical insurance costs are a major driver of deficit spending, then the Republican opposition to health care reform makes no sense. Reducing the growth of health care costs are the only chance of returning to fiscal balance unless we are going to allow the elderly and poor to go without treatment.
The national health care reform law mirrors the Commonwealth's approach in many aspects. Steps such as proposed by Governor Patrick are the logical next step and will be needed to keep the Commonwealth and country solvent. Unfortumnately we can not have a discussion based upon the realities in our media and Congress. It is to the detriment of us all.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Governor addresses health insurance costs
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6 comments:
Typical government work. Introduce an answer to a question nobody asked. Then when it inevitably crashes and burns annuonce the 'fix' and act the hero.
Some very interesting political initiatives are going on as we speak in Wisconsin.
One link is:
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20110218/US.Broken.Budgets.Union.Fights/
Needless to say, this is real ugly. The unions are doing everything in their power to block any move to reduce or eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employee unions.
This initiative is in process in several other states as well.
Whether you agree with it or not, it certainly points out the widespread belief that we can no longer sustain the costs currently associated with union scale labor in the public sector.
On the ABC Evening News last night, the following facts were presented on a national basis:
1. One out of every 12 workers in this country work in the public sector.
2. Union membership in the public sector exceeds union membership in the private sector.
3. The average amount paid a public sector employee exceeds that paid the average private sector employee. An exception was cited where certain occupations may pay slightly more in the private sector.
4. Nearly 90% of public sector employees have defined retirement programs.
Those facts, ladies and gentlemen, are precisely why the taxpayers cannot sustain the costs as they are in the public sector.
Very impressed with the people of Wisconsin! Keep up the good work!
3. The average amount paid a public sector employee exceeds that paid the average private sector employee. An exception was cited where certain occupations may pay slightly more in the private sector??
Simply not true, when education is factored in public sector jobs pay 8-10 percent less than private ones including benefits. This myth is slowly dying, but when repeated enough people still believe it.
I saw the report on the evening news myself. The report was based upon national averages. I am sure that Massachusetts is on the high end of the statistical curve paying public employees much more money and giving them much more benefits than the average worker. I am sure that collective bargaining rights will not be removed here in the next few years. But it will come to that. Maybe we will be the last state to do so? But it will happen.
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