PERSPECTIVE: Health care reform is needed, but at what cost?

» Two simple criteria must be met before a wide range of Americans could support sweeping legislation.

When it comes to health care reform, it seems the more we know, the more scared we become.

The latest bit of information reveals what reform’s cost could mean to us here in Virginia.

In short, more money.

According to a report released this week, “The Prognosis for National Health Insurance: A Virginia Perspective,” funding health care reform based on President Obama’s priorities would cost $4,176 for every person in Virginia. Add state-govern-ment expenditures to the mix and throw in another $275 per person.

The report was produced by Arthur Laffer, Donna Arduin and Wayne Winegarden for the nonpartisan Virginia Institute for Public Policy. Laffer was an economic adviser to President Ronald Reagan.

In the report, the authors show that reform would reduce economic growth in Virginia because the state would be forced to raise money to meet federal requirement enacted under possible health care legislation.

Of course, that’s just our state. Nationally, economic growth would shrink and billions would be added to the federal deficit.

This just isn’t the health care reform we want to see.

Unintended consequences are the gremlins of federal law, and if health care reform is to happen, it cannot do so by adding expense to the people; to allow that would be to contradict the very purpose of reform — raising national well being.

Here are the two requirements that have to be hit before this newspaper would support any reform legislation.

- It must be paid for ... and we don’t mean by raising taxes.

- It must not negatively impact those of us who already have health insurance.
It’s pretty simple really; prove that those two points will be met, and not only this newspaper, but probably many skeptical American citizens will fall in behind reform.

Don’t prove those points, and the way forward will continue to be fraught with adversity.

The News & Messenger
(Prince William County)