Today's Atlanta Journal Constitution has a report on the progress of the proposed healthcare reform bill. The Democrat party this weekend is trying to rescue a flailing Senate candidate in Massachusetts while attempting to put together a healthcare bill that will be acceptable to all its members. The Senate race in Massachusetts should have been an easy victory, but a young, charismatic Republican candidate is currently leading the race. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank has opined that if the Scott Brown wins in Massachusetts, the healthcare reform bill is dead (I can only hope that is true!).
Meanwhile, Ben Nelson of Nebraska has asked that the Nebraska exception that would require the other 49 states to pay for Medicaid expansion in that sate be eliminated. One wonders about the status of the "Louisiana Purchase" given to Senator Mary Landrieu, or the Medicare Advantage exception given to Florida.
The real answer to healthcare reform is not included in this bill. The obvious starting point is tort reform, but that would involve angering the lobbyists from the American Bar Association, a major contributor to Democrat campaigns. Until tort reform is addressed, medical costs and medical insurance costs will continue to rise. The current healthcare reform bill does nothing to address that problem.
It's time to scrap the current healthcare reform bill and start over.
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