Editorial: GOP 'discovers' health care issue

AS Yogi Berra might put it, it's deja vu all over again.

When Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, introduced, during the 1997 Legislature, her patient protection plan to fight managed care abuses, not many political observers gave the legislation any chance of becoming law. After all, health maintenance organizations -- some of the biggest political contributors -- opposed the bill as an unwarranted government intrusion.

But Buckley pushed forward and legislative hearings were held in which people described in painful detail how they had been the victims of heartless HMOs. Despite the long odds and fierce opposition initially, Buckley's bill became law because the public demanded an end to an HMO's bottom line dictating medical treatment.

Fast forward half a year now to the start of 1998. As the year began, not many gave any hope to a patient's "bill of rights" pending in Congress that closely mirrors Buckley's legislation. Undaunted, Senate Democrats have taken to the floor of their chamber every working day, noting the plight of at least one American who has suffered at the hands of an HMO or insurance company.

Finally, some Republicans and HMOs are sensing a tide of public support for federal legislation to curb managed care abuses. On Monday, a coalition of HMOs finally said it would be willing to go along with a number of guarantees, including coverage of emergency room care, appeals procedures for patients and guaranteed access to medical specialists. It's also interesting to note that on the same day, Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., who leads the House in political donations from HMOs, decided to endorse a managed care reform plan similar to that passed in Nevada.

To put it charitably, Ensign's view on government's role in managed care certainly has evolved. In a March 18 article by the Sun's Art Nadler, Ensign was undecided, wondering whether health care is a right. But on Monday, Ensign suddenly was joining his HMO friends in backing reforms. "Patients are entitled to all the information and options available to them. Our health care system is in desperate need of an infusion of common sense," Ensign said in a news release.

Public opinion, not a sincere concern for eradicating abuses, is driving many Republicans and HMOs to now back reform. But for those who have suffered under managed care, even such cynical support is welcome, as long as meaningful legislation is passed. There's still a long way before managed care reform becomes a reality, but if Nevada can do it, so too can Washington.

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