Paul Krugman says:
O.K., more seriously, it’s actually Mr. Obama who’s being unrealistic here, believing that the insurance and drug industries — which are, in large part, the cause of our health care problems — will be willing to play a constructive role in health reform. The fact is that there’s no way to reduce the gross wastefulness of our health system without also reducing the profits of the industries that generate the waste.
If I understand him, he is saying that insurance companies and pharmacutical companies cannot have any role in health care reform, and it is naivete on the part of Obama to expect them to do anything to help correct the problems in the healthcare system. To me it seems like Krugman is the one being naive, most Americans like their current healthcare, the goal should should be to insure every American and provide the best medical care. Like it or not the insurance companies and the drug companies have the expertise to do that, it is just a matter of creating the incentive.
Krugman seems to feel that the only way to make anyone cooperate is through force, no wonder he supported the Iraq war. The only way health care reform can succeed is if everyone has a stake in it, especially those who work in it every day. To suggest that a new healthcare system can be created without the assistance of insurance companies and drug companies is more naive than talking with them to see what they want. and what they can offer.
The whole editorial can be viewed here
Posted by John Rove in Words