Health Warnings

A camel, they say, is a horse designed by committee. To take the expression further, let's call it a committee of experts. After all, only "experts" could take something as graceful as a horse and replace it with something as difficult as a camel.

And that brings us to health care.

During his presidential campaign, President-elect Barack Obama promised to help uninsured Americans obtain coverage. But, "If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower your premiums," he told an audience in Canton, Ohio, in October. "If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that members of Congress give themselves."

Unfortunately, that promise could be undermined by Obama's nominee to be secretary of health and human services. Former Sen. Tom Daschle advocates creating a "Federal Health Board" to oversee the one-sixth of the American economy that's spent on health care.

That's a bad idea. Moreover, it directly violates Obama's pledge that Americans will be able to retain the same kind of coverage - and coverage choices - they have now.

There's a better way to cover more Americans.

The Obama administration should ask Congress to change the way the tax code treats health insurance. Today, employers get unlimited tax relief for the coverage it provides to employees, but families without coverage through work don't enjoy similar benefits.

Experts on the left and the right agree this should be changed, by capping the benefit an employer may deduct and by providing direct assistance, either in the form of a voucher or a refundable tax credit, to help lower-income workers buy private coverage.

Lawmakers could also expand coverage by exploring something called "auto-enrollment." There are certainly working Americans who cannot afford to buy health insurance. But for some, the reason they aren't in a plan is because they never get around to signing up. Even worse, there are some who figure they can always get care at an Emergency Room, so having insurance isn't a real concern for them.

Finally, the federal government should encourage states to experiment with new ways to cover their citizens.