Health care forum: Market reform best way to fix the system

A panel gathered by the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce expressed little optimism about the federal government’s ability to enact beneficial health care reform.

Between 35-40 chamber members attended the forum — held at the corporate headquarters of Baldor Electric Co. in Fort Smith — that the chamber hopes will be the first in a series addressing health care issues affecting the Fort Smith region.

Jason Green, vice president of human resources at Fort Smith-based Baldor and chairman of the chamber’s health care council, moderated the panel discussion that included Todd Stewart, a physician at Westark Diagnostic Clinic; Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith; Dr. Chris Hardin, also with Westark Diagnostic Clinic; Bob Ridgeway, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield; and Sylvester Smith, the Arkansas head of the National Federation of Independent Business.

Each panelist was given about five minutes to make an opening statement.

Hardin said any true health care reform must including “meaningful tort reform,” the ability to buy medicines across national borders, and allow citizens to buy insurance across state lines.

Smith said Congress is not considering the full impact on small businesses of the various health care reform plans, adding that “liberal extremists” are pushing for nationalized health care that will have “dangerous side effects.” He said the NFIB is opposed to the federal government “taking over the health care system.”

Rep. Pennartz encouraged small business owners to contact the offices of U.S. Sens. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, and tell them their concerns. Pennartz said her experience with state government has caused her to be a big believer in “local control” and local input from citizens to their representatives in government.

Ridgeway challenged the crowd to become familiar with the five health care reform proposals now floating through Congress. He said the insurance industry is convinced the current U.S. health care system is “unsustainable” and promoted a plan that would cover more Americans — including those with pre-existing conditions — if the government required more of the “young and invincibles” to purchase health insurance. Ridgeway said if Congress addresses only health insurance costs without also addressing health care costs, then they are just “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Stewart agreed with Ridgeway’s assertion that health care costs must also be addressed. However, Stewart said there are only two primary ways to manage health care: market capitalism or socialism. Citing Medicare and the VA system as forms of socialized medicine, Stewart said he would “defy anyone” to show where socialism is true long-term successful solution. Furthermore, he noted, it is wrong for politicians and others to claim the “health care market” has failed, because decades of government interference has not allowed the market to work.

“We have to get true market reform,” Stewart told the crowd. “I don’t hear Democrats talking about this. I don’t hear Republicans talking about this.”

He said health care will be fixed when price and supply are allowed to interact with as little government interference as possible. When asked by an audience member as to why there is such opposition to true market reform, Stewart offered two primary reasons. The first is that there is a misunderstanding by many “well-meaning people” about how the marketplace really works, and how tinkering by federal and state governments upset the balance of that marketplace. Secondly, there are many people who truly believe that government must use its power to pursue “social justice” that they think will result in social and economic equity.

Smith took it one step further, saying that money is the real reason why market reforms are opposed. He said too many special interests across the political spectrum have twisted the system to “protect the profit margin of those already in the marketplace.”