Health Reform in the 21st Century: Insurance Market Reforms

Statement of Uwe E. Reinhardt, Ph.D.
House Committee on Ways and Means
April 22, 2009

A much mouthed mantra in our debate on health policy is that “we all want the same thing in health care, but merely quibble over the means to get there.” Nothing could be further from the truth. That debate has been and continues to be a tenacious ideological fight over the social ethic that ought to govern American health care; but we camouflage it as a technical debate strictly over means.

My plea before this Committee and to the Congress is that any health reform proposal put before the American people be preceded with a preamble that clearly articulates the social goals our health system is supposed to pursue and the social ethic it is to observe. Policy makers in other nations routinely do so and accept the constraints that this preamble imposes on their design of health reform. It would be helpful to have a clearly articulated statement on the social ethics for American health care as well.

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=7672

In a comparatively brief statement, Uwe Reinhardt explained to the members of the House Ways and Means Committee the principles and rationale of social insurance. His statement should be downloaded as a valuable resource for supporting some of the important policies for reform, and for refuting those policies that perpetuate inequities and injustices and may cause even further harm.

Single payer supporters, like me, will be disappointed that he does not dismiss a role for private insurers. But at the same time, we should recognize that he is not talking about America’s private health plans as we know them. Although we will continue to advocate for a pure, publicly administered and publicly financed single payer system, it does not mean that we should remain silent as wrong-headed policies are adopted in the crafting of reform. We should complain loudly and clearly when the principles of social insurance are violated, and then add on why the single payer model would be superior.

Download Professor Reinhardt’s statement now while you have access to the link.