One certain prediction in health care debate

 If I were to say I knew everything there was to know about the Democratic health reform plan, then I think you could pretty easily say that I was lying about such a statement.

 The  truth is that I, like probably millions of Americans, know little about the plan which originally targeted health insurance of some kind for all our citizens.

 But I think deductive reasoning will get one toward some pretty good suppositions about some of the proposed features of the plan floating around out there. I say “suppositions,” not “suppositories,” although I am sure the latter would be an apt word to help describe what Republicans would like the Democrats to do with the plan.

 With respect to the so-called “public plan” that polls show Americans favor, it should be easy to see that the only way any kind of positive change will happen is through some kind of a public options. Perhaps the majority of those polled like a public plan because they want health care available to all Americans and the public plan will be the only way such a plan would fly. If  you have no public plan, you have the status quo, which is nada.

 Another non-starter is the ability for states to opt out. In red states such as Texas, where I live, the  state legislature would never pass  a public plan no matter how much the voting public wanted it. Why some state leaders, like our screwball governor, think the state should pull out of the whole United States. Public health insurance in Texas if it is not mandated? You got to be jivin’ me.

 I may not know a lot about the health reform package but I know if you let states skate on major issues those states will never capitulate until the greater republic decides enough is enough and some form of carrot-stick approach is used to bring the states into line. When I talk about carrot-stick, I refer to examples such as the federal government withholding highway funds until states pass stricter auto or public safety laws. The seat belt and 18-year-old drinking laws come to mind. Pick your own congressional blackmail.

 So we shall see what we shall see in the next month or so. I can’t see too far off in the future but I do have one prediction that will probably hit with near-perfect accuracy. That is, I predict everyone will not be happy when the health reform debate is done. How’s that for sticking my neck on the line?