Student Blog: Thoughts On The Law And The Legal Field
HEALTH CARE REFORM AND THE ROCKING CHAIR
There is an old saying that worrying is a lot like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere. I have come to the conclusion that the same may be true of the ping-pong rhetoric regarding health care reform. The newest health care reform bill was recently signed into law by President Obama. As the news shows have turned from debate to analysis regarding the impact of the bill, there is one thing that everyone can agree upon: we have no idea what is going to happen. David Axelrod recently opined regarding public perception of the bill that "as people become familiar with it, the bill will sell itself." (http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/brandon-greife/2010/03/31/healthcare-reform-cant-sell-itself-if-america-isnt-buying.html) I'm not sure that any of that really matters at this point. This is now the law. Perception may provide political capital in the short term, but the real test will come from the results. Thus, the apathy sets in.
It is completely understandable why the news focuses on the debates leading up to health care reform. This is an important issue, and by all accounts could define the Presidency of Barrack Obama. Still, does perception really matter? I really wonder how long we are going to be talking about this until real results are actually measurable in regards to the bill itself. I must admit, as a liberal, I am skeptical that it will have much affect at all. Not because it lacks teeth or doesn't have the intention of changing the way the health care industry is run, but because I am not entirely convinced that the government is capable of wholesale change in its present state. When listening to people who say that Government is horrible at running things, I can't help but think to myself, doesn't that also mean that it is pretty hard for them to screw it up, too. Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell. So instead of the rocking chair, let's talk about something else for a bit and come back to it when we can actually qualify/quantify the result.
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