A Kindler, Gentler, More American Way

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) in the Washington Post. "What real health reform should look like"

Stop the madness:

Through any analytical lens, the legislation will not address the central problem of skyrocketing health-care costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that families' premiums could rise 10 to 13 percent; private-sector actuarial estimates top these already high numbers. The higher costs are driven by federalizing the regulation of insurance, narrowing consumers' options and reducing competition among providers. The health-care market would be dominated by government programs and the largest insurance companies, operating as de facto government utilities.

Rather than tackle the drivers of health inflation, the legislation chases the ever-increasing premiums with huge new subsidies. Already, Washington has no idea how to pay for the unfunded promises in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- and creating this new entitlement would accelerate our path to fiscal ruin.

There is a better way. A kinder, gentler more American way:

The tax exclusion for employer-provided health coverage subsidizes insurance instead of health care, hides the true cost of coverage and disproportionately favors the wealthy at the expense of the self-employed, the unemployed and small businesses. Health-care economists across the political spectrum and reform-minded Democrats such as Sen. Ron Wyden identify the backward tax treatment of health care as a problem that must be addressed.

The Patients' Choice Act includes additional reforms -- such as an emphasis on preventive care, medical malpractice reform and interstate shopping -- that could be advanced one at a time in a bipartisan fashion to fix what's broken in health care without breaking what is working.

Timeless principles applied to today's challenges.

A breath of fresh air. A steadying hand.

Scrap the bill. Start over with a clean slate.

A young Abraham Lincoln learned by the light of the fire. He had few books and a simple slate, yet he persevered, and his wisdom endures today.

Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived.

A clean slate. Goodwill.