Go Read It: Is It 2013 (or 2014) Yet?

 "All of the competing and often compelling arguments brought to bear on these intractable social issues are steeped not in health care, medicine, epidemiology, economics, practicality, or common sense.  Rather, they are broadcast to us across treacherous philosophical, emotional and spiritual terrain that will never be amenable to political compromise.  And so, in short, the ideologues on both sides of each issue pounced; the issue was squeezed altogether from The Plan or flash-frozen in its current state of impasse (abortion being the perfect example); and what we’ve ended up with is a health care “reform” bill that re-paints all the old lines in the political pavement and promises to reform almost nothing structural or profound about health care in America."

This is an excellent, if somewhat wonky, post on health care reform. If you are concerned about rising health care costs, please do take the time to read it.

For those of us who have worked on health care reform for a long time, the "incredible shrinking health care reform bill" is a disappointment. As I tell others, this bill (be it HR 3962 or HR 3590, and it will probably more closely resemble the latter) is the beginning. There will need to be tweaks and rewrites; just as other legislation needs to be reauthorized periodically to reflect new realities -- and outlays -- so too will health care reform.

I just wish it was a more auspicious start.