Romney could be McCain’s health-care ticket
We who obsess over universal health coverage may soon confront a startling development: The only candidate on a major-party presidential ticket to have proposed and implemented a universal plan could well be a Republican. I speak of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, now high on the list of John McCain’s possible running mates.
In the year since Romney helped launch the Massachusetts health plan, the following has happened: The number of uninsured has fallen by 340,000 people, half the total; out-of-pocket costs have dropped significantly; and the benefits are better. With 93 percent of Massachusetts residents insured, the plan approaches universal nirvana.
Do the experts consider the Massachusetts plan a success? “Absolutely, to have these kinds of accomplishments the first year,” Rachel Nuzom, senior policy director at the Commonwealth Fund, a health-care think tank, tells me.
The right wing has been beating up Romney over the reforms, which he designed in cooperation with a Democratic legislature. The achievement threatens the conservative myth that government can’t organize a health-care system that the public will like. Mindful of the attacks, Romney emphasizes his plan’s reliance on private insurers.
And so far, there’s been no evidence of “crowding out” — that is, employers dropping coverage and sending workers to state programs.
How does the Massachusetts plan work? Families with low or modest incomes can find subsidized coverage through the Commonwealth Care program. Others go to the “Connector” to buy private insurance at lower rates and with pretax dollars. The plan is funded by hospitals, insurers, employers, federal and state taxpayers, and the consumers themselves.
The guts in the Massachusetts plan is the mandate: Everyone must get coverage. Those who don’t, pay a penalty. The uninsured holdouts tend to be young, male and in good to excellent health. They figure that if something goes wrong, they can report to the emergency room where they’ll get free care. Such people are called “free riders.”
Obama proposes subsidies to help businesses and individuals buy public or private coverage, but he ignores the free-rider problem.
U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts is now coordinating a bipartisan push for universal coverage in the next administration — perhaps his last hurrah. His advisers believe that the Massachusetts reforms could provide a basis for a national program.
As a vice presidential candidate, Romney could help deliver Michigan to McCain, but even better, he could help deliver a rational health-care policy. McCain needs that just as much.
Contact Froma Harrop through www.creators.com