One Man's Agenda 1, Honest Debate 0

In his column today, New York Times columnist David Brooks writes:

But it should be possible to strengthen the safety net while modernizing some of the Great Society structures. Paul Ryan, a Republican, and Alice Rivlin, a Democrat, have come up with a Medicare reform plan in which new enrollees would receive a fixed contribution from the government, growing a bit faster than inflation. They would apply that money against the cost of health insurance. This would make Medicare a defined contribution program and save hundreds of billions. If Obama said he was open to thinking about this sort of fundamental reform, he'd generate tremendous excitement on the right.

Medicare inflation is a Titanic burden on the health care system and on the overall economy. It must be addressed, and one way to start is with an honest presentation and not an ingenuous sales job. Unfortunately, Mr Brooks' remarks are closer to the latter.

You may well believe that the Ryan plan is the best way to curb Medicare costs: It would likely save billions of dollars, would offer the benefits of portability, would force greater consumer involvement in health care choices, and would limit the health care role of government to that of financier. If you do advocate Rep Ryan's approach, then you also know that the vouchers are scheduled to take effect in 2021 based on 2010 dollars. You are also aware that while they are indeed indexed to a rate above general inflation, they are also indexed at a rate below the higher rate of medical inflation. The idea is to provide momentum to reign in Medicare costs, but it requires elders to increasingly bear the risks of success or failure. That is the actual crux of the question about the Ryan plan: We can save billions of dollars, but who bears the cost and the risk? And is the answer to that question acceptable? What are the alternatives? Many advocates of the Ryan plan are prepared to discuss these questions honestly, but unfortunately one of the leading columnists in the country is not.

If we're to accomplish anything, we must debate health care proposals based on their actual content, not on what sounds most inviting. Mr Brooks has failed to contribute to that debate.