Sen. Hatch: Start From Scratch

Senator Orrin Hatch has an op-ed in USA Today that calls for the health care debate to start from scratch:

Americans want health care reform that reduces costs and provides affordable access. But they also worry about preserving quality, improving a struggling economy and reducing the nation's unsustainable debt. Amid this uncertainty, we should be careful not to do too much too fast, risking mistakes of lasting consequence.

The president was right to finally acknowledge that the American people are unhappy with Washington's partisan, closed-door, special-deal approach to health care. It was an exercise driven by politics and an arrogance of power rather than responsible policies and transparency.

Regrettably, the White House's latest proposal doesn't abandon the big-government approach the American people have overwhelmingly rejected.

Instead of taking the enormous health care tax-and-spend bill off the table, the president largely endorsed it. This is like throwing a fresh coat of paint onto a condemned building and calling it fixed. Guess what? The American people aren't buying it. If we really want to create something that will work, we need to start from scratch on a new proposal.

Out of sight of the cameras at the bipartisan health care summit will be an all-out push for the highly partisan "nuclear option" of reconciliation, special rules to circumvent bipartisan Senate opposition, to jam this bill through Congress. To be clear, this procedure was never contemplated for legislation of this magnitude — and rightly so, considering it affects one-sixth of our economy.

Does this mean Republicans believe health care should wait? Absolutely not. Our current economic realities do, however, dictate that we move forward in an incremental and fiscally responsible manner. Instead of spending an additional $2.5 trillion over 10 years, let's craft a step-by-step approach to put America on a path to sustainable reform, including putting states — not the federal government — in charge of reform to address their own unique challenges; allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines; and reducing junk lawsuits that increase costs.

We can come together to strengthen our health care system, but that means starting fresh on a truly bipartisan, incremental proposal that reflects the economic realities we live in. Our nation deserves nothing less.

Sadly, that won't happen. The PR stunt planned for Thursday will attempt to give the appearance of bipartisanship without actually allowing the GOP to have any meaningful impact on the bill. There's no reason for the GOP to participate, but I'm guessing they're scared of the "Party of NO" label, even though "NO" is exactly what Obama and the Dems need to hear.