The second thing we know from Massachusetts is that Bay Staters believe their own health care reform, passed in 2006, is a failure. For most, it has not lowered costs and they say the quality of care has gotten worse.
Liberals, like the New York Times' Paul Krugman, and government-run health care advocates are fond of touting the "reformed" Massachusetts health system as a model for the entire nation. But they are not so fond of the opinions from people who actually have to live under such a system. In a piece last month, Krugman argued that we should all just ignore the polling data which reveals 36% of citizens in Massachusetts view the state's government health care reform as a failure, and 31% say it's made health care cost more, compared to just 20% who say the opposite.
Even the liberal-leaning Boston Globe has been unable to ignore wave after wave of bad news washing up on what seems like a daily basis. The headlines have forced those who support the 2006 reforms in Massachusetts, including Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown, to now admit that controlling costs is becoming a major problem, even as wait times for specialists and follow-up care begin to mirror the horrors of hospitals in England and Canada.
In May of last year, the Globe headline read, "Waits to see Hub Doctors Grows Longer." The story even said some patients were put on waiting lists for up to one year to see certain doctors.
In August, at the height of the anti-government health care revolts at town halls across the nation, the Boston Globe ran a story proclaiming Massachusetts residents paid the highest insurance premiums in the country. And just a month later, another story warned Bay Staters that their health care costs were going to rise even higher!
In December, the chickens came home to roost. Costs cannot rise indefinitely, and the Globe ran a story about six Massachusetts hospitals which filed a lawsuit against the state for failing to adequately reimburse them for the care they provided to citizens on the state's government-run health care plan. It seems even the government runs out of money when it comes time to pay for government-run health care.
The Massachusetts health care system is indeed a model for the entire country - a model of exactly what not to do if Americans want lower costs and better care. Ironically, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are working feverishly to hammer out a similar, doomed-to-fail health care bill behind closed doors (counter to President Obama's promise of an open and transparent process). But the fate of the entire bill hangs on the outcome of the special election in Massachusetts between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley.
For his part, Brown says he will vote against the current national legislation because it will raise taxes, increase spending, and lower the quality of care.
He should know.