Washington Ready to Tackle Health Care Reform?

The Washington Post reports that a renewed emphasis on health care reform is being felt in Washington, with two bipartisan Senate proposals in the works, a near doubling of health care experts on the staff of the Congressional Budget Office this past year, and Monday's health care summit, organized by the Senate Finance Committee, at the Library of Congress. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke issued cautionary words about the financial challenges facing our health care system, saying that rising costs have been compounded by an aging population and the retiring baby boomers -- all of which will put an unprecedented strain on both personal and government budgets if nothing is done.

In fact, a new study from the Health Research Institute at PriceWaterhouseCoopers reports that employer health costs are projected to rise 9.9 percent this year.

Though many inside the beltway seem geared to tackle these issues, the public is still working through the possible solutions and has yet to come to terms with the various tradeoffs involved in health care reform. Cost and access are seen by the public as the most urgent health problems today, and most are in agreement that the system currently needs either fundamental changes or to be rebuilt entirely. But support for a universal health care plan varies based on survey question wording -- especially when paying more in taxes or premiums is mentioned. And yet two-thirds say it is the responsibility of the federal government to guarantee health insurance for all Americans.

It's also critical to point out the perception gap between experts and the public as to what might be driving these costs. Whereas experts consistently make reference to new medical technologies and treatments and a longer life expectancy, when asked to name the single biggest factors of rising costs, the public names company profits, malpractice suits and fraud and waste in the system.