Praise for Health Care Bill Producing Results

Paulie Brading

The Grants Pass Daily Courier published an editorial by Kevin Widdison on 7/18 in praise of the national health care reform bill. In deeply red Josephine County the editorial may signal the beginning of the tiniest of pin pricks popping the GOP balloon. The editorial may be the first piece in the jigsaw puzzle that signals a shift in public perception toward national health care. The all day all night talk radio just might find themselves howling at a benign public moon when it comes to health care reform. Read on.

The first programs available through the national health care reform bill are starting to be phased in, and they appear to provide real solutions to real problems.

Under the terms of health care reform, more than 87 percent of Oregon small businesses with fewer than 25 employees will be eligible this year for tax credits to help them afford health insurance for their employees. This translates to about 67,000 businesses in the state — 4 million nationwide — that qualify for the tax credit.

This will allow many more small businesses to be able to afford coverage for workers. Nothing says they have to cover their workers, but it will be more affordable if they so choose.

Nationally, about 72 percent of businesses with 10 to 25 workers offer some sort of health coverage for their workers. Meanwhile, at businesses with more than 50 employees, 95 percent offer coverage. The reason is simple, group plans for small employers are more expensive than similar plans for large employers, when measured on a cost-per-employee basis. This new tax credit will help level the playing field.

People denied coverage because they suffer an existing condition will also see important changes. The Oregon Health Authority has announced a new insurance program for uninsured Oregonians with existing medical conditions.

This program isn't a freebie. Those seeking coverage will pay premiums ranging from $221 to $714 a month, but these premiums would be higher if not for a federal subsidy provided by the legislation approved by Congress earlier this year. Those who qualify will see their out-of-pocket expenses limited to about $6,000 a year. Once again, this will be a steep price for many, but it is certainly better than being denied coverage at any price because of an already existing medical condition.

On the left, critics of the reform bill charged the legislation was too timid, too watered down. On the right, critics hyperbolically charged the reforms amounted to socialism. As the actual reforms begin to play out on the ground, it would seem that extreme critics of both stripes have missed the mark.

Maybe future aspects of health care reform will create new problems or will be too expensive. Maybe not. These two cautious programs won't solve the problems of every American living without health coverage. For many, however, the situation is better than it was a year ago."

By Paulie Brading July 18, 2010