Repeal or not? Americans want to see health care reform go, but not if nothing comes of it

Wednesday's vote in the U.S. House of Representatives was the newly elected Republican majority's keeping of a promise.

They campaigned on health care reform repeal -- and many of their constituents asked for it. So even though the measure is likely to die in the Senate or at the hands of the president, they passed the measure -- a goodwill gesture of sorts.

But just like the November victory that was handed cautiously to the GOP, the public's confidence about the party's ability to direct a new health care reform is reserved, too.

Everybody admits that there are some changes that need to be made in how health care is delivered and paid for in this country. While most of us want to see some of those processes tweaked, none of us want to see a whole scale move to socialized care -- and we aren't too thrilled about the potential in higher costs and less personal choice that the original health care bill included.

And we are even less thrilled about the fact that most of those who voted for the bill did not read it.

So as we move into 2011, we want the discussions to begin again. A vote to repeal the measure we were not thrilled with is simply not enough. There is still a problem that needs to be addressed.

And talking about health care providers isn't enough, either. We want to hear detailed plans about eliminating waste and cheats. We cannot afford them anymore.

Now that the symbolic vote is on the books, it is time to go about coming up with a new idea -- and to fast track that process.

And that means more than just grandstanding at a podium.

Published in Editorials on January 20, 2011 11:29 AM