As Congress reconvenes today and begins again to consider health care reform, its members, including several leaders from California, must get back to basics.
From Rep. Dennis Cardoza, of Merced, to Rep. George Radanovich, of Mariposa, and even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of San Francisco — they need to tune out the rhetoric and tune in to the real problems of the American people.
As the personal stories elsewhere in this section illustrate, our nation's health insurance market is broken. Too many people can't afford insurance, and too many others can't get it because insurers don't want to sell it to them — at any price.
The costs for those who do have insurance are rising.
One reason is that we're getting more care all the time, and hospitals, doctors, labs and drug companies are charging more for it.
Another reason for those rising premiums is that people who have insurance pay extra to reimburse doctors and hospitals for treating those who have no insurance or who get their care through government programs that underpay for the services rendered.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Merced Sun-Star.