The President’s Plan for Health Reform

Today's New York Times includes this great editorial:

In all, the administration estimates the cost of Mr. Obama’s [health care] proposals — $950 billion over 10 years — would be more than offset by new revenues and would reduce the deficit by $100 billion over the next decade and by about $1 trillion in the decade after that.

As they consider all this, Americans also need to keep in mind what Republican leaders mean when they talk about health care reform. All of their ideas have these basic facts in common: they would not reduce the number of uninsured Americans substantially; they would not guarantee affordable coverage for people with pre-existing conditions; they make only feeble attempts to rein in medical costs; and their proposals to slow the rise in the cost of premiums would mostly benefit the healthy. That is not enough.

Mr. Obama’s proposals provide a firm basis for both the Senate and House to move forward with comprehensive reforms. If the Republicans resort to filibusters to block passage, the Democrats should use a budget reconciliation procedure that requires only a majority vote for passage in the Senate.