Time to Show America Why We Need Health Fix

With 90% of voters already insured, it’s time for President Obama to put his oratory skills to the test, clearly explaining to Americans how health reform can help us—and not just mean tax hikes, writes David Leonhardt in the New York Times. As it stands, many never see the money coming straight from their paychecks to pay for care. Doctors “appear to be free. What’s not to like?” Leonhardt asks.

Eating up one-sixth of the economy, health care costs the typical household $15,000 a year—some $6,500 more than other countries pay, Leonhardt writes. But “so far, no one has grabbed the mantle as the defender of the typical household.” Lobbyists are encouraging Congress to write measures that “defang” cost-cutting ideas, and while Americans like “the stated goals of health reform,” they’re not happy with what’s shaping up on the Hill.
(More health care stories.)