The Washington Post reports there is now "rare unanimity among Washington decision makers" that the U.S. health care system "needs a major overhaul."
"But the consensus breaks down on the question of how best to create a
coordinated, high-performing, evidence-based system that provides the
right care at the right time to the right people."
Roll Call notes that as momentum for health care reform "takes shape in the House and Senate and shows
signs of veering decidedly left," business lobbyists are considering "mounting a public relations
offensive to put the brakes on President Barack Obama's overhaul plans."
The biggest controversy is over a "public option" that would compete with private health insurance. In fact, the Washington Post reports that nine of the ten Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee sent a letter to President Obama yesterday outlining their opposition to a so-called public option.
In a great primer, Ezra Klein discusses the "many flavors" of a possible public insurance option.
Bloomberg says House Democrats will lay out their health care reform
proposals today "that include creating a government-run program to help
cover the uninsured, even as Republicans stiffen their resistance to
that idea." CQ Politics has more on the House plan.
The other major obstacle facing reformers is how to pay for broader coverage. CQ Politics notes the most talked-about strategy to pay
for overhauling the health care system -- taxing a portion of
employer-provided benefits -- would only generate $418.5 billion over the
next 10 years. This is not enough to pay the full cost of
expanding health insurance to all Americans, but it would make a
significant dent in the estimated $1 trillion price.
