Monday, May 30, 2005
An Idea
Two articles appeared side by side on the front page of yesterday’s Sunday New York Times. There was no indication that the two were related, but they seemed so to me.
One described an effort by a group of health leaders that has been meeting secretly to find solutions for the problem of the uninsured. According to a spokesman for the National Association of Manufacturers, one of the participants, the group assumes that health care will continue to be provided through a mix of private insurers and public programs.
The adjacent article was about the John M. Olin Foundation, which has been supporting conservative right-wing intellectual activities. Explaining the approach taken by the foundation, its executive said that “….ideas have to be attended to. Only after that can you tend to the policies.”
Applying that philosophy to the issue of the uninsured, I have an idea to suggest. Government should be responsible for funding coverage for its own employees, the aged, the poor, the disabled, and their dependents. Absent single payer, coverage for everybody else should be funded in the private sector.
As a practical matter, that is the principle we are following and it seems to me that agreeing on it openly would greatly simplify the process of addressing the issue.
Two articles appeared side by side on the front page of yesterday’s Sunday New York Times. There was no indication that the two were related, but they seemed so to me.
One described an effort by a group of health leaders that has been meeting secretly to find solutions for the problem of the uninsured. According to a spokesman for the National Association of Manufacturers, one of the participants, the group assumes that health care will continue to be provided through a mix of private insurers and public programs.
The adjacent article was about the John M. Olin Foundation, which has been supporting conservative right-wing intellectual activities. Explaining the approach taken by the foundation, its executive said that “….ideas have to be attended to. Only after that can you tend to the policies.”
Applying that philosophy to the issue of the uninsured, I have an idea to suggest. Government should be responsible for funding coverage for its own employees, the aged, the poor, the disabled, and their dependents. Absent single payer, coverage for everybody else should be funded in the private sector.
As a practical matter, that is the principle we are following and it seems to me that agreeing on it openly would greatly simplify the process of addressing the issue.
