Dean of Harvard Medical School weighs in on health care reform debate.

[trof]

OK, it's from the WSJ Opinions section, but in this case I'm not ready to shoot the messenger without reading the message.

Health 'Reform' Gets a Failing Grade
The changes proposed by Congress will require more draconian measures down the road. Just look at Massachusetts.

By JEFFREY S. FLIER
As the dean of Harvard Medical School I am frequently asked to comment on the health-reform debate. I'd give it a failing grade.

Instead of forthrightly dealing with the fundamental problems, discussion is dominated by rival factions struggling to enact or defeat President Barack Obama's agenda. The rhetoric on both sides is exaggerated and often deceptive. Those of us for whom the central issue is health—not politics—have been left in the lurch. And as controversy heads toward a conclusion in Washington, it appears that the people who favor the legislation are engaged in collective denial.

Our health-care system suffers from problems of cost, access and quality, and needs major reform. Tax policy drives employment-based insurance; this begets overinsurance and drives costs upward while creating inequities for the unemployed and self-employed. A regulatory morass limits innovation. And deep flaws in Medicare and Medicaid drive spending without optimizing care.

Speeches and news reports can lead you to believe that proposed congressional legislation would tackle the problems of cost, access and quality. But that's not true. The various bills do deal with access by expanding Medicaid and mandating subsidized insurance at substantial cost—and thus addresses an important social goal. However, there are no provisions to substantively control the growth of costs or raise the quality of care. So the overall effort will fail to qualify as reform.

The rest:
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704431804574539581994054014-lMyQjAxMDA5MDIwMjEyNDIyWj.html#printMode

[jjray7]

1. hey dean

wonderful and keen insight into the obvious. we know the two political parties are only interested in their own wellbeing and not that of the American public. we know the current health care reform bills are flawed. thanks for reiterating what we already know. how about offering a solution? where are your proposals to fix the mess? Or are you another idiot advocating the status quo?

[BeatleBoot]

3. Yeah, and Bush and Gore were bascially the same candidate

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[Eric J in MN]

2. Massachusetts doesn't have a public option, and costs there kept going up.

He doesn't mention the lack of a public option in MA.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. But he does note that Medicare and Medicaid have...

driven up spending.

So, why would he be in favor of a public option without the other structural reforms? Or a public option at all?

[HuckleB]

5. K & R.

[WeCanWorkItOut]

6. Actually, there will still be access problems under this bill

There's the problem that many areas are medically underserved.
Not enough doctors in the area.
And in many states nurse practitioners are restricted by law
(presumably by laws designed to benefit doctors).

There's also the problem that many doctors won't take new
Medicare or Medicaid patients.

And of course the mandate is going to hurt people.
A bargain on a forced purchase is still a bad deal.

But I agree with Flier on his main point.
Neither party is dealing with this issue intelligently.
And many lower-income people will be hurt by it.