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More U.S. Residents Will Need Government Help With Health Insurance as Employers
More US residents "will need government help" with health insurance, as employers shift more of the cost to employees and health care costs continue to increase, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne writes in an opinion piece. He cites the recent decision by automaker General Motors to lay off 30,000 employees. According to Dionne, "Almost everybody right of center sees" the decision "as inevitable, the result of the American auto industry's failure to meet foreign competition and the 'excessively' generous wages, health benefits and, especially, retirement programs negotiated by" the United Auto Workers. Meanwhile, the "left is united in talking about rising health care costs and the fact that most of our foreign competitors have government-run health insurance systems that take the burden of health care off employers," he writes. However, the "left's narrative is less compelling not only because there is no single story but also because few on the left attack the current system with the same gusto the right brings to defending it," Dionne writes, adding, "Because so many Democrats fear that they might sound like -- God forbid! -- socialists, they are unwilling to challenge the right's core story." More employers "will need to offload the costs of medical insurance to avoid bankruptcy" in the future, he writes, adding, "Yes that's 'socialized medicine,' just like Medicare. But don't tell anyone. The phrase plays terribly in focus groups" (Dionne, Washington Post, 11/29). Related Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Day to Day" on Nov. 23 included an interview with Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, about the effect of increased health care costs on employers and employees (Brand, "Day to Day," NPR, 11/23).
The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
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