The Health Care Mess

If Ted Kennedy were alive today, he would support this mess of a health care bill, according to his widow Vicki:

-- Insurance protections like the ones Ted fought for his entire life would become law.

-- Thirty million Americans who do not have coverage would finally be able to afford it. Ninety-four percent of Americans would be insured. Americans would finally be able to live without fear that a single illness could send them into financial ruin.

-- Insurance companies would no longer be able to deny people the coverage they need because of a preexisting illness or condition. They would not be able to drop coverage when people get sick. And there would be a limit on how much they can force Americans to pay out of their own pockets when they do get sick.

-- Small-business owners would no longer have to fear being forced to lay off workers or shut their doors because of exorbitant insurance rates. Medicare would be strengthened for the millions of seniors who count on it.

-- And by eliminating waste and inefficiency in our health-care system, this bill would bring down the deficit over time.

The mandate to have insurance is a disaster, however, and the GOP will use that to great effect in next year's elections.

Although the president and Congress won't pay a bit of attention to this editorial, really and truly health care "reform" needs to be ditched and should have been all along in favor of fixing the goddamned economy.

The editorial's belief the estate tax should be lowered is frankly insane. The reason for the estate tax is to prevent a hereditary aristocracy.