Your Health Care, Determined by 6 People in Congress?
It is impossible to separate government policies from politics, and that is especially true when it comes to hot button issues such as the health care debate now going on in Congress.
In fact, that is one of the best reasons for insisting that policy debates begin with a commitment to free market principles: not because the free market always provides universally satisfactory results, but because government-imposed solutions are always based upon the arbitrary exercise of power exercised by whoever happens to have their hands on the levers at any moment.
A couple of cases in point:
1) Over the past few weeks the course of the policy debate in Washington has been plotted by a Senator from Montana seeking to entice a few other Senators from Iowa and Maine. As much as the public has been focused on the storm and strife at the town hall meetings taking place around the country, the fate of the “reform” was being decided in large measure by the negotiations of a “gang of six” Senators. In the end Baucus was unable to secure any Republican support even from the likes of Olympia Snowe, but the bill that was just revealed was largely the product of negotiations between a few members of the Senate Finance committee. Is this how our fates should be determined, by the idiosyncrasies of a few senior members of the Senate?
2) Once the Baucus plan was revealed, it was instantly panned by both Democrats and Republicans. And why? As often as not it was parochial reasons, not policy reasons that drove the dissent. Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader is in trouble in his home state and as details came out about the bill it became clear that a number of provisions weren’t favorable to his state. So what was Reid’s response? He wants the plan changed to be more favorable to Nevada. And why is this likely to happen? Because he is the Senate Majority Leader. Isn’t it comforting to know that health care policy for the entire country will be shaped to ensure that Nevada does better than most states? (No offense Nevada)
One of the principles that “policy” experts ignore at the peril is the simple fact that policy and politics are inseparable. In public policy matters there is no immaculate conception. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t engage in public policy studies, of course. But it should give us a sense of humility when it comes to assertions about how easily we can tweak reality to provide better outcomes if we can only gain the ears of those in power.
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| Marc Kilmer Maryland Public Policy Institute View Posts |  |
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