Why Lefties Are Wrong on Health Care

As Senate Democrats pass another party-line hurdle on Tuesday morning, many liberals, led by Jane Hamsher at FireDogLake, are clamoring to kill the bill. Hamsher’s “Top 10 Reasons to Kill the Senate Health Care Bill” has been circulating, and at The Washington Post, Ezra Klein responds point by point. Hamsher, Klein points out, both criticizes for doing too little to control costs and then also takes aim at some of its cost-controlling measures. At the Wonk Room, meanwhile, a handy chart lays out what things will look like with and without reform. Without reform: 54 million uninsured, an average cost of $13,100 for a currently uninsured family, and seniors charged 11 times as much as younger customers. With reform: 23 million uninsured, an average subsidized cost of $10,133 for a currently uninsured family, and seniors charged, at most, three times as much as younger customers.