Today's opinions and editorials

Why Health Reform Will Succeed Politico
It is the Republicans' right to choose this course of hard-line opposition. But, just as surely, Democrats are the majority party in Congress. And we have a responsibility to lead (Sen. Tom Harkin, 9/29).

Why Medical Malpractice Is Off Limits The Wall Street Journal
[T]his is the one reform Washington will not seriously consider. That's because the trial lawyers, among the largest contributors to the Democratic Party, thrive on the unreliable justice system we have now (Philip K. Howard, 9/29).

Only Washington Can Fix Health Care Des Moines Register
States do not have the necessary authority to fix what's ailing this country's health-care system. This is true, whether the proposals are coming from Democrats or Republicans (9/29).

Texas Needs Tighter Standards For Home Health Care The Dallas Morning News
"The Cost of Care" series in The Dallas Morning News has peeled back the way health care works, giving us a better understanding of what clicks and what doesn't (9/28).

Medicare Money Malpractice The Washington Times
Once again, Congress is choosing to ignore the massive federal entitlement's dire fiscal picture for fear of angering older voters. This move only digs Medicare into a deeper hole (9/29).

Pay For Health Reform With An Alcohol Tax The Washington Post
Taxes could pay for health care for the uninsured and budget-busting state Medicaid expenditures; some portion of the tax could be directed to alcohol prevention and treatment programs (Lloyd I. Sederer and Eric Goplerud, 9/28).

Hispanic Immigrants Kept At Arm's Length From Healthcare The Miami Herald
But if the idea is to foster more equality to allow millions of residents of cities like Hialeah to have affordable access to medical services, the government should not turn its back on immigrants (Daniel Shoer Roth, 9/29).

A Lifesaver, But Not A Solution The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot
America's current system is too broken for too many people. Free clinics can play a role, even an important one, but they are not the solution to our problems, which have grown simply too big (9/29).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.