Reform will cost; so will failure to reform

Eric Stefik, Las Vegas

Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.

A recent Associated Press report quotes Republican Sen. Michael Enzi criticizing the latest efforts to reform and make health care more inclusive as failing the standard of “lower medical costs for Americans without increasing deficits and the national debt.”

Sen. Enzi is eligible for the taxpayer-supported medical plan for members of Congress and other federal employees. And, as a member of Congress, he is an expert on what it takes to raise the national debt through expenditures for good legislation and bad.

It would be naive to suggest that reform will come without any new costs. Longer term, however, failure to enact reform would also introduce new and unacceptable costs, including increased use of emergency rooms for conditions that could be treated less expensively elsewhere.

Clearly the uninsured are paying dearly for their lack of coverage, and they stand to save money through access to outpatient care and other coverage that reduces the cost and frequency of emergency assistance.

Perhaps Sen. Enzi hopes that the first priority is to reduce health insurance costs for those who are insured, and to reduce their annual tax bills. If so, this is a case of misplaced priorities.

If Republicans want to be a part of the debate, it would be useful for them to focus on the effects the uninsured have on the health care system.