Final health care reform debate should be televised on C-SPAN
Citizens should get to view health reform arguments.
As U.S. Senate and House lawmakers haggle over the final health care reform bill, they should open up the process to the public.
It was President Obama who, on the campaign trail, promised a transparent process, with hearings televised on C-SPAN.
That’s happened to some extent already, with C-SPAN broadcasting countless hours on the topic. Now that the negotiations have reached the final stages, there’s no reason to stop.
This is especially important as the American public remains skeptical about the process. There are several important differences between the Senate and House bills, and citizens should be able to see the debate for themselves.
Those issues include setting up insurance exchanges to make insurance more readily available; restrictions on abortion coverage; a tax on so-called Cadillac insurance plans; requirements that employers offer health care coverage or pay fines; and the establishment of an independent board that would recommend changes to trim Medicare spending.
For New Yorkers, there are other issues of interest. One of those is the future of Medicare Advantage plans; the Senate bill protects New York’s 800,000 enrollees from cuts.
The head of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb, has written to Congressional leaders asking for permission to broadcast all “important negotiations” on the health care bill. Although it was Obama, not lawmakers, who promised a transparent process, they should adopt that spirit of openness.
There’s much suspicion that health care reform negotiations are catering to the special interests, from the pharmaceutical industry to insurance companies. Real debate can help lawmakers to prove those allegations wrong.
Some behind-the-scenes negotiations are to be expected. But as much as possible, citizens should get the chance to hear lawmakers directly and unfiltered.
