Joe Klein starts his latest TIME column with the assertion that Obamacare is here to stay, then admits how problematic the federal health law has become.
It is a slovenly piece of legislation that will need constant modification and in some cases structural overhaul. The very notion that there are 50 stories here demonstrates a glaring inefficiency. There should be four or five regional exchanges–they should be supermarkets, not corner stores, providing greater economies of scale. There ought to be (as six moderate Democratic Senators proposed) a wider variety of insurance options, including plans with lower premiums and higher deductibles. There should be fewer mandated coverages: if the Jones family believes it receives all the mental-health counseling it needs through its church, it shouldn’t be required to pay for mental-health coverage. Businesses that currently provide health coverage for their employees in the private market, especially moderate-size companies, should be free to shop for better deals in the health care exchanges.
Then Klein returns to his starting point by blasting Republicans and asserting that they have no ideas that would improve the law. Perhaps he should expand his reading list to include the health care reform proposal co-authored by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
