The first casualty of war is truth - Hiram Johnson
I have been deeply disappointed with most aspects of Obamacare, both in the legislation itself and the manner of its passage. However, the most contemptible actors in this drama may well be the press, both mainstream and otherwise. Major news outlets, such as the New York Times, and the Washington Post have supported the legislation based upon some quixotic notion of realized hope and change. The Wall Street Journal, and numerous right wing publications, have opposed Obamacare by invoking market principles and some vague animus toward the framers of the legislation. The unifying principle behind both sides of the argument is a selective or absent reading of what is actually in the bill, combined with a refusal, or inability to understand the fundamental health care issues that underlie "reform".
My main impetus for writing this article is to address the factually incorrect, politically motivated, confusing, lazy, and inflammatory reporting that dominates both sides of the struggle over Obamacare. Peripheral, relatively easily addressable issues such as "donut holes" in drug coverage, use of Electronic medical records, and insurance company loss ratios, were brought to the forefront of the "debate", as if they truly mattered. Right wing pundits attempt to incite their followers with fanciful chimeras such as "death panels". The real problems, including the demographic crisis that will doom medicare and the perverse and misaligned incentives that drive excessive and abusive care, have been ignored.
The supporters of the bill made many promises including increased coverage and lower costs. Major news outlets supported these goals, and backed the bill without fully understanding that the legislation will not actually do what it has promised. Now that the bill is law, the ramifications are becoming clear, even the NYT is beginning to realize that their political zeal is not enough to change the laws of nature. The latest article raises the points I have been trying to make from the beginning. Obamacare will lower coverage and increase costs. In their own words:
Consumer advocates fear that the health care law could worsen some of the very problems it was meant to solve - by reducing competition, driving up costs and creating incentives for doctors and hospitals to stint on care [Pear, 2010].
What they fail to mention is legislation was never designed to address these issues, but rather was written by a coalition of unions and large corporations to limit their liabilities. The full impacts of this legislation will be long in coming, and will fall unequally upon the people of America. Like the injuries of battle, the scars may be painful for years to come.
Reference: Robert Pear, Consumer Risks Feared as Health Law Spurs Mergers, New York Times, November 20, 2010
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