I don't think many would say we don't need changes in our health care system. But the news media, including McClatchy and the Sun-Star, are providing little to shed light on the situation. We need some good investigative journalism and strong editorial positions.
Sure, there are a few good news sources, but you really have to look. There are none I've found that include good old-fashioned "Woodward and Bernstein" type digging.
No, I'm not saying the Sun-Star needs to send a reporter to Washington.
But, I do think our editors need to take positions. And, it's OK if another McClatchy paper takes the lead. There's plenty to go around.
The issue is not simple. The Senate Bill, at 2,074 pages, is only a bit larger than the House bill containing 1,990 pages.
We've all heard the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite at a time."
That's what editors need to do with this subject. Break it down into bite-sized editorials about different aspects of the problem.
Oh, the Sun-Star has plenty of stories about the haggling going on in Washington. My Sun-Star search for "health care" popped up a whopping 677 hits.
But unfortunately, much of it is left or right spin. Democrats say Republicans are stalling. Republicans say Democrats are spending our grandkids' money.
It's not just political spin either. Advertising is everywhere. Ads paid for by whom? Pharmaceutical companies? Insurance companies? Lobbying groups for attorneys?
Ad nauseum. All the spinning makes me dizzy.
It's hard, if not impossible, to tell who is telling the truth. Or, indeed, if anyone is telling the truth at all.
Steve Cameron, in a recent column, told his account of taking a friend to the emergency room. His point was primarily that the ER was crowded, inefficient and poorly managed.
His conclusion was that folks didn't have insurance and thus the ER was the only place patients could be seen. It may be true, but I wonder if he did a survey of the ER room. Could it just be too few resources?
I'm certainly not claiming Cameron is wrong. I took my mom to the ER the day before Thanksgiving. Yes, it was crowded -- so crowded in fact she was kept in the hallway of the ER from noon to 8 p.m. She was then admitted to the regular hospital.
Even with crowded conditions, she received excellent care during her ER stay.
Editors, here are some ideas to start the process.
Using the ER as a clinic is estimated to waste about $14 billion, but that's well below other "big ticket" items.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers the two biggest wastes are:
Too many medical tests -- $210 billion a year wasted.
Inefficient claim processing wastes another $210 billion.
These two big-ticket items are complex and like the elephant, should be broken down into smaller bites.
Why too many tests? Are doctors ordering tests because they really need them? Or, as some suggest, do they order tests to cover themselves against possible lawsuits?
Some say jury awards for malpractice lawsuits should be "capped" -- protecting doctors and lowering costs. Others say that there should be no such tort reform -- that patients "deserve" whatever a jury decides.
Possibilities for editorial positions are limitless:
Should undocumented immigrants be covered?
Should abortions be covered?
Should there be tort reform?
Should there be "controlled" pricing?
If so, controlled by whom?
Should there be a public option?"
This issue has the likelihood to change our country in ways we can't even imagine. It needs to be done right.
And it's time for all news media, as the Fourth Estate, to play a major role.
Oh, I should add it should be done in a nonpartisan, neutral way -- a way that is truly best for the country.
Tom Frazier writes Sun Dog and can be reached at sundog@promessage.com.
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