Credit where it's due: unlike most Republicans, Mitt Romney made healthcare reform a priority and helped produce a program that, while not without its flaws, seems to be working. Less than two percent of Massachusetts residents are without insurance coverage. More business are offering insurance to employees. Costs seem to be manageable.
I dearly wish more Republicans were focused on healthcare reform, but it wasn't and isn't among their priorities. Rick Perry has talked of Texas dropping out of Medicaid and opting instead for a State plan, but to my knowledge he hasn't spearheaded a comprehensive plan to cover the Lone Star State's many uninsured and under-insured residents. The Texas Health Care Policy Council's finding and recommendations don't compete with a plan of action that has the support of the governor, the legislature, and the citizens guiding it to fruition. I hear tell that over half of the births in Texas are financed by Medicaid. What happens to these pregnancies if Medicaid ceases to be an option?
If Perry can realize a plan, then fine; make it happen, but make healthcare reform a priority and not an afterthought. Look, I welcome experimentation with different ideas to find the best means of forming a economically feasible and socially just healthcare system, but let's not forget that this is a life and death issue that demands the attention of our public servants. Half-measures won't cut it.