Senator pushing health care

A few weeks ago we suggested that this nation's politicians shouldn't wait until after the elections to start fixing this country's problems.

Usually, there is sort of a "stall" period in the year of a presidential election, as politicians try to avoid having to actually face a roll-call vote on any specific issue.

Which is why we're pleased to see Sen. Mike Crapo being one of the leaders in pushing an effort to create a bipartisan health-care reform bill now, rather than later.

Because while the war, and gas prices and the eroding value of most people's paychecks are dominating current debate, access to affordable health care is a major issue that must be addressed, even if it is flying a little under the radar right now.

Crapo, several of his fellow Republicans, and an equal number of Democrats, are asking both presidential candidates to work with them in helping develop a plan both parties can embrace. And the general outlines of what is being proposed by this bipartisan effort look good. Rather than falling into the divisive party dogmas of the last decade, which resulted in nothing being accomplished, there seems to be a fresh effort to find workable compromises that will actually benefit the average American.

In essence, the current thinking among the 16 senators from both sides of the aisle trying to push this measure, is an effort to guarantee that every American can afford quality, private health insurance. The plan would, currently in broad outlines, give Americans a choice in where they get their health care, modernize the employer-employee relationship to make health care portable from job to job (and continue if you lose your job), promote personal responsibility and preventative medicine, and reform the insurance market so that insurers are forced to compete on price, benefits and quality.

Recently, the Congressional Budget Office concluded that the Healthy Americans Act, as it is being called, could accomplish those goals while also generating budget surpluses after the first two years of implementation.

This is a move in the right direction and shows that there are some politicians out there willing to take a stand during a time usually reserved for ducking issues.

The devil, of course, will be in the details, but the broad strokes seem to be something that is worth supporting.

-- Kelly Everitt