The New Health Dialogue

Like true love, the road to health reform seldom runs smoothly. Just as a good therapist helps couples identify their emotional pitfalls, the Politico's Chris Frates gives health reformers a bit of counseling about their vulnerable points.

Frates highlights five important questions in the health reform debate. But just like in any good therapy session, we really should "talk it out."

• The economy. Frates argues that while the economy could "spawn trouble" for the health reform debate, it could also allow Congress and the Administration to sell health reform as "the next step in our nation's economic recovery." As Len Nichols said in a recent blog post, our economic crisis has only made the flaws in our current system more evident. Further, the connection between health care and the economy has never been clearer. We will soon invest some $800 billion to spur job growth, but if we are going to stabilize our economy for the long-term, we must also fix our health care system.
• Turf War? Under different circumstances, the jurisdictional duties of the Senate HELP and Finance Committees could stall health reform. But as Frates points out, Baucus and Kennedy (on the heels of the Daschle withdrawal) sent a joint letter to President Obama reaffirming their commitment to work together to enact health reform this year. All indications point to serious collaboration between the two committees.
• Speaking of... (who should be the next Daschle?) As David Axelrod said following Daschle's withdrawal, "[health reform] has great power of its own." Losing Daschle is a bump in the road to health reform, but it doesn't diminish the urgency for reform.
• When does playtime end? Frates notes that playtime in the health reform "sandbox" has been polite up to this point. Stakeholder lobbies have seemed more willing to engage, rather than obstruct...so far. As Frates says, expect Obama to "respond swiftly" to threats like those that helped kill reform in the 1990s. Naysayers will emerge, but the longer we keep everyone at the table the better.
• Public plan showdown. How (and if) to allow a public insurance product to compete for business among private insurance plans is a central policy question - and a volatile political issue - in the health reform conversation. Watch for much more from the policy community (and New America) on this front soon...!

Like any good relationship, health reform will take patience, communication and sheer will. But we certainly feel much better after this little chat. Don't you?