The Hard Sell

by Keith Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, July 31, 2009

I will agree with my brother Gordon that high-powered salesmen have recently been out in full force.

Anyone who has turned on Fox News or tuned into talk radio has heard the fear-mongering and admonitions. But this hard-sell technique isn’t pitching the healthcare reform measures at debate in Washington. It is drumming up opposition to whatever emerges from the Congressional committees.

And the salesmen aren’t only representatives from the “media”. It has become politically beneficial for GOP leaders in Congress to join other pitchmen in denouncing the measures. An example of the power of politics over policy is the recent statement by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina that a defeat of healthcare reform would be Obama’s “Waterloo”. I am certain that for millions of Americans who are unable to afford insurance – or who are struggling with mountains of medical debt – “breaking” the president with a failed proposal is of little interest.

Much of the thrust of the propaganda I’m hearing lately tries to minimize any consideration of the plight of the uninsured or underserved in our healthcare system. A favored approach is to mention that large numbers of the 47 million in the United States without health insurance are illegal immigrants. The implication here is that a public healthcare option would bring those uninsured immigrants into the U.S. healthcare fold. The concept appeals to a group of Americans who hold a certain animosity toward immigration that borders on xenophobia. Some conservative commentators also claim a subset of these uninsured choose not to have health insurance. These pundits overstate the size of this subset and misrepresent the reasoning behind this “choice”. Apparently if a young adult decides to pay his rent, buy food, supplies, or college textbooks rather than the security of health insurance, that constitutes a conscious “choice.” There may be a handful of people who believe themselves invincible who are rolling the dice by choosing to live dangerously, but they are certainly not representative of the uninsured among us.

Another favorite claim from the Right is that Obama is dismantling the greatest healthcare system in the world to install one based on the evils of socialism. I found it surprising that this claim and also the words “greatest healthcare system” were so widespread in talk radio, used most notably by the prominent Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. I was surprised because the World Health Organization released a report in 2000 that ranked the United States at 37th among developed nations in quality of healthcare (lagging well behind the “evil” socialized healthcare systems of Canada and the United Kingdom that are so often criticized by these very radio personalities). And it is common knowledge our healthcare comes with the world’s highest price-tag. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that such misinformation is disseminated by folks who continue to dismiss global warming as a hoax.

Unfortunately, the pitchmen aren’t limited to news networks, talk radio and Congressional leaders. The hardest sell, and perhaps the most ominous, comes from the healthcare industry. Health insurance providers, the corporate pharmaceutical industry, and medical organizations are powerful lobbying forces. Any measure that passes through Congress, regardless of which party has political control, is likely to be one that has garnered the approval of the industry. This force is the reason past attempts at healthcare reform have been perceived as political suicide.

Like my brother, I had concerns that the reforms needed to the current healthcare system would be rushed through process too quickly. I understood the political pressure to push for legislation while approval ratings are high as an effort to achieve real results. Unfortunately, I feel that a rush to bring about change would result in a token placation of a base that seeks universal coverage without any real reform. A few more months is not likely to yield something that much more meaningful, especially if the trend is to appease health insurance companies and reassure conservatives that socialized medicine is not in the offing.

My vision of healthcare reform is unlikely to be realized. I personally advocate a single-payer system that resembles the socialism many would have us fear. A modification of the current system is likely to fail to bring about lasting and meaningful reform. The current system promises choice through market competition, but most individuals (even those with above-average insurance) have little choice when it comes to the type of healthcare they receive. The current system relies on profitability as the driving incentive, not the quality or viability of treatment.

Unfortunately, as long as the focus is on the politics each side is pitching, a healthcare system befitting a nation as advanced and progressive as the United States remains a pipe dream.