As a left winger

Reader comment on: Fantasy In, Fantasy Out

Submitted by benjamin Geballe (United States), Mar 22, 2010 11:02

I think both argument were made. Everyone seems to agree (including Holtz-Eakin) that coverage will expand. Everyone disagrees about the deficit piece. As a left winger, I too am doubtful that the deficit will be brought down as much as Democrats project, but the CBO did not take into account many of the elements of the bill that could, theoretically, bring down costs. The CBO is restricted in how it measures bills, so it couldn't account for the various pilot projects that will attempt to reward quality care, not just more care. Ross Douthat was right, that over time we will see exactly how much people like this bill. We must remember though, that the alternative was nothing. We already know what was happening with no action - rising premiums, employers dropping coverage, and horrific stories of people being denied or cut off from care. Hopefully this is the first step towards a single payer system like Canada.

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