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Healthcare should be priority of the states, not the nation

Letter to the editor, 02-02-10

Published: Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Updated: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 00:02

Mr. Goodwin's article about Obama's healthcare plan did a good job of presenting both sides of the argument, yet failed to fully explain a viable solution. I don't consider it surprising that Obama's plan has failed to garner enough bipartisan support, considering his task of convincing a majority of citizens with varying political ideologies across the nation to agree on a liberal proposal. Rather, I believe this issue is best left to the states to solve, wherein states can form their own policies based on the interests and political ideologies of their citizens. Liberal states can form a public healthcare system, and conservative ones can maintain the free market one. We have already seen this occur a few years ago, in which Massachusetts, a liberal state, created its own specific health insurance policy requirement for its residents. States have the constitutionally backed authority to provide for the safety and health of its residents, so this solution to the healthcare stalemate is well within their mandate. 

 

Faris Al-Hashmi

Political Science, Class of 2011

 

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1 comments

Richard Oedel '76,'77
Tue Feb 9 2010 06:27
I take issue with Faris Al-Hashmi's comment about healthcare. He states that "Obama's plan has failed to garner enough bipartisan support...across the nation to agree on a liberal proposal." In fact, the vast majority of the people in the nation (over 70% at one point) agreed that the plan proposed should be accepted. It was not the people, but the political process and the lack of true debate that undermined the previous effort. Left to the states, as it has been, the healthcare system in this country has become broken and unmanageable. Only a national framework, detailing rights and responsibilities of insurance coverage, is going to resolve the issue in any meaningful way.
In addition, with regard to New Hampshire, the state has so little leverage due to its size and placement, that there is virtually no bargaining power to craft an effective state plan.






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