From John Stossel's blog:
Fox News reports today that the Senate health “reform” bill is in danger from liberal Democrats. Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said:
"I know health reform when I see it, and there isn't much left in the Senate bill."
He’s right. It isn’t “reform”. But expanding the government’s role in healthcare isn’t reform either. And why does the media call what Congress does, health “reform”? The definition of reform is: making something better. I don’t know that what Congress does will make our system better. Much of what Congress does makes life worse.
Tonight’s show (8pm ET / 5pm PT) is about government’s promises. The “reformers” say they will improve American health care, and slow the growth in costs. To believe that Congress will do this is magical thinking. They won’t keep costs under control. Medicare was supposed to cost $12 billion a year by 1990, but the actual cost was $110 billion. In the UK, the government-run system has tripled per-person spending since 1990 – a much bigger increase than is the US.
My studio audience includes single-payer activists and members of the NYU Young Communist Club. They will give Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey and me a hard time. Mackey’s stores were boycotted by “progressives” after he wrote an Op Ed that was critical of Government-Care.
Hope you can join us tonight on Fox Business. If you cannot, the health care show will be re-broadcast Friday night at 10 (against my old program, 20/20!), Saturday at 7PM EST, and Sunday at 11PM EST.
