Rep. Cantor: "To Fix Health Care, Start Over"

After refusing to hold health care town halls all summer, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) finally faced his constituents at a "public square" forum hosted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch last weekend.  Cantor proceeded to demonstrate why he was smart to avoid engaging on the issues, as he told a woman that her uninsured relative with fast-growing tumors should just "find an existing government program" or a charity.

So, one might think Cantor would use his new Politico column today to better explain his ideas for health care reform.  Well, not exactly.  Instead, he proposes this not-so-bold solution: "To fix health care, start over."

"...let's reset the health care debate and start from scratch."

Cantor's call for undoing nearly a year's worth of work is particularly unsettling given recent statements by conservative lawmakers suggesting that Republicans agree with President Obama on "about 80 percent of the issues." Indeed, Cantor seemed to embrace the 80 percent argument last weekend in Richmond, when he talked about the need to fix "some of the 20 percent." He even predicted that "something will emerge" to bridge the gap between the parties.    

Unfortunately, Cantor's inside-the-beltway rhetoric doesn't match what he told his constituents back home.  And not only does he want to "start over," but he wants to do so while offering only the vaguest of solutions: 

"At the same time, both parties should be able to agree to several common-sense reforms. Implementing real medical liability reform is a simple way to eliminate billions of dollars of waste each year in defensive medicine. We could establish universal access programs that can help individuals with pre-existing conditions afford insurance and reduce costs for the small businesses that employ such individuals without raising insurance premiums for everyone else. And we can strive to create more insurance competition that offers small businesses and individuals more choices at lower prices."

President Obama has already said he's willing to work with Republicans on tort reform.  As for the rest, "universal access programs" and "more insurance competition" are empty phrases unless they're backed up with details.  Cantor provides none. 

Conversely, Democratic reform plans, including the public option, would achieve exactly what Cantor claims to support.  In addition, a new New York Times/CBS poll found that 65 percent of Americans favor a "government administered health insurance plan -- something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get -- that would compete with private health insurance plans." That's the public option. 

Cantor claims to be interested in real reform.  But he's also one of the most intensely partisan members of Congress and has received significant contributions from the insurance and health industries.  It's time for anyone who hasn't to acknowledge what should have been clear from the start:  Rep. Cantor and the Republican leadership are set on scoring a political victory by blocking any meaningful reform.