Health care reform

The Republican House wants to make a show of trying to repeal health care reform knowing full well that it won't pass the Senate.  Common Sense thinks that political theater is not a substitute for real governance. 

The original so called health care reform bill is certainly flawed in that it principally reforms heal insurance not health care.  Consider the altogether typical and mindlessly wrong quote from one of our Democratic Representatives that people die because they don't have health insurance.  Think about that for a moment.  Common Sense thinks that people die because they don't have health care.  Health insurance is simply the way we deal with payment.

That brings the issue into some better focus.  Consider that we regard education through high school as a "general welfare"  on the theory that an educated populace is good for all Americans.  We regard the interstate highway system as a "general welfare" issue on the theory that rapid, convenient, low cost transportation is good for all Americans.  Likewise many other benefits. 

What then of health care?  Is a healthy populace good for us all? 

Common Sense says so.  An unhealthy population is an enormous risk to society as a whole.  It is an enormous drag on the overall economy.  Why then is the issue of universal health care so contentious?  As many western nations have already discovered, universal health care is practical.  It improves health.  Live expectancy is longer.  Quality of life is better.  And health care cost are LOWER!

Just some common sense.