Don't Hold Your Breadth But Could Compromise in the Middle Be Happening

A Republican Congressman in a leadership position, Paul Ryan, and a Democratic Senator, Ron Wyden have actually put forth a theoretical template to extend the Affordable Health Care Act principals to Medicare and, for some not old enough to be in Medicare, extended some Medicare concepts to the Affordable Health Care Act.

Not I am far to cynical about any Republican's intentions to not be concerned that Ryan's participation in this is a "Sheep in Wolves clothing".  But this proposal would separate health insurance from employment for some, thereby invigorating the market for individual health insurance.  It would also preserve a public option in the Medicare bracket while introducing competition to control costs.  If a public option works for the older set, why wouldn't it work for the younger set.  It could even use the Medicare infrastructure.

Now as I wrote a few weeks back, true cost control is a complicated process.  It includes getting everyone paying for health insurance, even the healthy, and getting people out of the emergency room and into non-emergency care through them having health insurance.  It includes getting away from paying for service and paying for events.  Simplifying billing through centralized process is another element.  And yes, tort reform is needed as is allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prices on pharmaceuticals.  Both of those require Acts of Congress and competition will do nothing for it.

But something about this Ryan/Wyden proposal smells like it is a good path forward to both getting health insurance to everyone and controlling the costs.  We can only hope this is true for our fiscal dilemma.