The passage of  a bill to overhaul the state of healthcare in this country is a legacy Sen. Ted Kennedy yearns for with gusto. He calls it “the cause of my life”. The pinnacle of over 35 years of steady, deliberate leadership in this area has, until now, allowed for only the rudimentary microcosm of such care in his home state of Massachusetts. Now, as the language and gestalt of his push for greater government accountability and responsibility of healthcare delivery imminently takes center stage in the upcoming debates on healthcare, there is question and increased scrutiny as to what a Kennedy-led government overhaul would look like in practical terms.

The answer, according to many Republicans, is one in which guaranteed employer mandates, increased Medicare rates of reimbursements to hospitals and physicians, and Medicaid coverage exapnsion all create a healthcare market backlash which will ultimately hurt consumers. Kennedy, of course, realizes this, and is striving achieve a strong bipartisan balance. But, ultimately, Kennedy’s goals will have to be tempered by the realism that is characterized by healthcare delivery in this country — that publicly guaranteed care, even with strong support of the masses, comes with a very influential pricetag. | LINK

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