Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA), a Blue Dog Democrat, made an interesting declaration at a town hall in his district: That our health care is already a Soviet-style system of central control and planning by the insurance companies — and by Medicare and Medicaid.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Marshall distributed a handout at the event. (A copy was also provided to us by Marshall’s office.) It referred people to an Atlantic article on the economic distortions in our present health care system, and how care is damaged by disconnecting the patient from the true costs, even with the best of intentions. Key quote from Marshall:
Much of the health care reform debate overlooks this inconvenient truth. I can’t. Although it is tough to do politically, this reform effort gives us the opportunity to help our fellow citizens while at the same time helping the country. We should take that opportunity. I believe we need to gradually transition to a health care system that gives individual Americans greater control and responsibility for their health. Our current system is fundamentally broken. It is well intended but grossly wasteful.
Central planning and control didn’t work well for the Soviet Union. And it isn’t working for American health care, either. That’s a pretty dramatic indictment. But it’s true. Beginning in World War II, American health care gradually migrated to an inefficient, Soviet-style system of central control and planning provided by health insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid. Our current system largely divorces patients and doctors from the cost of care, causing an explosion in overall costs for little or no overall benefit.
Marshall’s communications director Doug Moore explained to me what Marshall is saying — and said that it’s very important to read the article. “It talks about the fact that the American patient is not who — health care is not really responsive to patients, it’s responsive to insurance companies and to the government. And Jim believes it would be better if American health care were more responsive to the needs of the patients. And so that’s what the point of the discussion was.”
So does Marshall believe that Medicare and Medicaid are Soviet-style problems that we need to transition away from? “No that’s not what he is saying,” said Moore. He is talking about specifically, if you read the whole thing, he cites those as the central control and planning. What he’s not saying — nowhere does he say he wants to transition away from Medicare and Medicaid.”
