Never mind the naysayers, we need health care reform

Newsday: Socialized medicine. Rationing. Robotic bureaucrats in control. Ominous warnings of that sort have derailed health care reform since the days of President Teddy Roosevelt. They have power because they play to real fears. But this year, fear is a luxury the nation can’t indulge.

Americans spend about $2 trillion a year on health care. Forty-six million people are uninsured. Washington, which pays for care for the elderly and the poor, is bleeding red ink. Employers are dropping coverage or losing ground to competitors who have. Against that backdrop, reform is no longer an option — our health care system is unsustainable. Fashioning a better, more accessible, more affordable one is imperative. That was the message President Barack Obama delivered to the American Medical Association on Monday.

Cost containment

Expanding access will be tough. But because one person’s expense is another’s profit, containing costs will be even tougher. Reform could force some insurers out of the business. Drugmakers’ bottom lines might shrink. Some doctors may earn less. Obama hasn’t ducked all such unpleasant realities. He told doctors Monday, for instance, that while he agrees malpractice reform should be on the table, he won’t advocate caps on jury awards, since they’re unfair to people who’ve been wrongfully harmed. Doctors didn’t like that.

Almost everyone will find something in reform to dislike. But that’s no good reason to leave it undone.