Making future reform even harder

THE POINTS that Lance Selfa makes in "Will 'reform' do more harm than good?" are excellent. But there is an even bigger problem that will make future attempts to reform the U.S. health care system even harder.

The Democrats' proposals make the insurance companies even richer. It gives them a market that will be mandated by law to buy their products, at the ever-rising exorbitant rates that they charge. And on top of that, it gives them $500 billion in tax credits. Basically a pipeline of public money to the insurance companies will be opened up, this time in the name of trying to get a few more people on the insurance rolls.

What we know from past experience is that these new riches will flow back into American politics. Now that the insurance companies have achieved their goals of mandated customers and access to public tax money, they will certainly work hard to defend those gains, and to expand them when necessary.

This money will come back into politics as a strong force opposing any real reform. It will flow in as big campaign contributions for pro-insurance industry politicians. It will flow in as lobbying fees, gifts, trips, etc.--all designed to reward pro-insurance industry politicians. It will flow in as "nonpartisan" and "independent" political committees who will be able to spend unlimited dollars supporting pro-insurance industry politicians. And it will flow as funding for cushy jobs with the insurance companies as a reward to faithful pro-insurance industry politicians.

Any future fights to try to win reform will now face an even tougher uphill struggle. Not only will we all be too broke from paying our mandated corporate health insurance premiums to contribute to honest campaigns of reform-minded politicians, but we'll face an even stronger opposition, funded with the very money that's being stolen from us with this bill.
Marc Schuler, Denver