Why Do Presidents Even Bother To Reform Health Care?

Terrific read from David Blumenthal at The Commonwealth Fund on the incredible difficulty that several presidents have encountered in trying to reform our failed healthcare system. From Truman to Johnson, from Carter to Obama, one has to ask themselves, why bother?

It's called:

Reflecting on Health Reform—The Presidential Health Care Curse: Why Do They Bother?

Last week the Commonwealth Fund released its 13th cross-national survey documenting health care experience in the developed world. Based on responses from more than 20,000 individuals in 11 countries, the survey shows unequivocally that the United States has the worst health insurance among industrialized nations. Whether you’re talking administrative hassles, out-of-pocket expenses, costs of administration, complexity of policies, or adequacy of coverage, the U.S. consumer gets a bad deal. 

The system is not only bad, but getting worse. Every year, more people lose insurance as they or their (usually small) employers get priced out of the health insurance market by rising premiums. The Commonwealth Fund biennial health insurance survey shows that 55 million Americans are now uninsured and, equally telling, another 30 million are underinsured, meaning that they spend more than 10 percent of their income on medical expenses despite having health care coverage (5 percent if their income is under 200 percent of poverty). The U.S. has more uninsured and underinsured citizens than the entire population of Germany, where, by the way, private insurance organizations compete, no one is uninsured or underinsured, and the economy is thriving. 

Read the rest of his piece by clicking here...

Good stuff...go read!!!