Wisconsin has become a leader in funding health care programs for children.
Gov. Jim Doyle on Wednesday signed his BadgerCare Plus initiative into law. It provides child health insurance for a cost that dips as low as $10 a month -- among the lowest nationally. Eligible are kids in households where income doesn't exceed $38,202.
"We have a moral obligation to provide every child in Wisconsin with affordable, quality health care," Doyle said in a prepared statement.
That's true, but his assertion can be extended further. People of all ages deserve health care access. So far, however, nobody has developed a way to provide quality, affordable care.
Despite claims made in Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko," nationalized health care offered in other countries is not without faults. In places where it's deemed the best, costs are reflected in much higher taxes. Elsewhere, health care demand far outstrips supply. Patients frequently are put on long waiting lists and wait months for medical procedures.
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Americans aren't in the mood for either option. Nonetheless, they're not happy with the expensive system provided through free enterprise. Meanwhile, Congress has turned a blind eye to the whole affair.
Wisconsin deserves credit for offering such a progressive program, but the problem demands a better solution. Unless market forces change, neither employers nor individuals will be able to afford insurance premiums much longer. By default, medical procedures will be rationed, and only the rich will be recipients.
When Hillary Clinton recently reintroduced her national health care proposal, it was met with broad criticism. Some of it was deserved. But let's remember any fool can complain. That's not the same as formulating solutions.
Congress should learn from Wisconsin's example and launch a progressive discussion.
