The American Plan for Health Care

President Obama outlined for the country what George Lakoff has labeled the truely American Plan for Health Care in his NYT op ed today. No plan this complex can be perfect, but this plan will begin to fix some of the obvious flaws in the current system. One could also wish that this plan could be reduced to sound bites, but the problem is also multi dimensioned and the citizen who defines his opinion on the bill solely in terms of a single potential provision is closing off considerable potential good in many other areas. Legislation that produces a maximum amount of improvement for the maximal number of citizens should be supported for the public good. Providing a better way for 47 million uninsured, providing portability from job to job if you have insurance, providing protection against insurance rejection because of pre-existing conditions, and insisting that all insurance plans cover preventive care are significant positive improvements. When the final bill is up for vote, I hope that legislators will balance what can be achieved now and what still remains to be achieved tomorrow. That means a vote that will achieve some of the above improvements within some fiscal balance.