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America remains split on health care

September 24, 2009 | By Amanda Reinecker

Last week, President Obama summoned both chambers of Congress to deliver his 29th health care speech. Proponents of big-government health care were hopeful that this address would be the turning point of the debate, striking down, once and for all, conservative arguments against the plan and winning over the American people.

While the speech did spark a temporary boost in support for the plan, Americans remain skeptical about the Left's arguments on health care. And polls show that public support has again declined for a government takeover of an industry that represents one-sixth of our nation's economy.

The Left argues that public dissatisfaction is due to misinformation and poor communication. But "it is not the message that is the problem," writes Heritage's Conn Carroll. "The problem is that the American people do understand what [the President's] health care plan will mean for them, and they just don't like it."

Why would Americans agree to the Left's prescribed health care "reform" when even the "compromise" proposals are little better than the original concept? The plan put forward by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) has been touted in the media as bipartisan and therefore better, but it "was greeted with near-universal disapproval" in the Senate, writes Heritage Distinguished Fellow and former Congressman Ernest Istook.

With a price tag of about $900 billion, the Baucus bill would still expand government to unprecedented levels, inflicting serious economic turmoil and endangering individual liberty.

  • Individual Mandates: All Americans will be required to purchase a federally-approved health care plan or face major taxes.
  • Government Mandates: All businesses that employ more than 50 individuals will be required to provide coverage or pay a tax for each uncovered employee. This tax will be based on that individual's family income as opposed to his personal income. This is a "job killing employment tax" that discourages employers from hiring sole family income earners.
  • Unfunded Mandates: The bill calls for a costly expansion of Medicaid eligibility. This would increase the financial burden on individual states and limit availability to those most dependent upon the program.
  • Middle-Class Tax Hike: The Baucus proposal would impose a new federal excise tax on high-cost health plans—but this tax could hit middle-class workers as well. 

Despite revisions since its debut last week, the Baucus bill has still failed to win conservative support on Capitol Hill. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) outlined conservative concerns: it "does not do enough to lower costs, and in many cases, it will actually increase health-care costs through the new taxes mandated."

The Left, meanwhile, opposes the Baucus plan for different reasons. They won't support the proposal unless it includes a government-run public insurance "option." This government-run plan would compete unfairly with private insurance providers and would pave the way for a complete government takeover of the health care system.

» Visit Heritage's FixHealthCarePolicy.com for the conservative alternative to a public "option"

In a committee hearing this week, Sen. Baucus urged his colleagues to seize the opportunity to "make history" and pass legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system. But making history should not be the objective. The objective should be a transparent, bipartisan and effective health care reform proposal. Until that end is met, back to the drawing board.

Other Heritage work of note

  • President Obama has formally abandoned a program "necessary for defending America's friends and allies as well as the homeland from intercontinental and intermediate-range missiles," write Heritage security experts Baker Spring and Mackenzie Eaglen. The decision to scrap 10 missile interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic undermines America's commitments to her allies and further kindles rogue nations' pursuit of nuclear production and development.
  • Although it has not been capturing headlines as it did earlier this summer, the situation in Honduras remains tumultuous. Ousted President Manual Zelaya's efforts to return pose a threat to democracy and human liberty in Latin America, yet the situation has prompted little more than a "puzzling" response from America, write Heritage experts Ray Walser and Israel Ortega. "The brave people of Honduras believe they have stood up for democracy," so we should stand up for them.

In other news

  • In preparation for November's Group of 20 summit in Scotland, U.S. policymakers have drafted a proposal to revise the global economic order. The document encourages major exporters, such as China and Japan, to consume more and debtors, like the United States, to boost savings.
  • FBI agents arrested Najibullah Zazi, a Colorado resident, in connection with an alleged U.S. terror plot. Two others have been arrested, but officials remain uncertain as to whether the plot has been completely foiled.
  • In an interview on Sunday morning's "Meet the Press," House Minority Leader John Boehner said that the President's health care bill is dead and will not likely be passed due to an absolute lack of bipartisan agreement. While the proposal certainly has its shortcomings, conservatives should not grow overconfident.
  • President Obama was receptive to a proposal for the government to provide aid -- i.e. bail out -- suffering news agencies. This report follows shortly on the heels of a poll revealing that over 60 percent of Americans do not trust the media to be a non-partisan, non-biased news source. A government takeover would certainly not improve matters
  • "During his first eight months in office, President Obama has sat down for three times as many television interviews as his most recent two predecessors combined," the New York Post reports.

Coming up at Heritage

To attend these or any other events at Heritage please RSVP at Heritage's website. Or you can view these events live online. All times are Eastern.

  • Next week, beginning Monday at 10 a.m., Heritage will host a week-long "Homeland Security University" with lectures from Heritage experts and notable guest speakers. Check out the schedule of events and RSVP online to attend one session or all five.

Amanda Reinecker is a writer for MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Nathaniel Ward, the Editor of MyHeritage.org, contributed to this report.