Today's editorials and opinions

Health Costs Are Crushing Small Businesses The Wall Street Journal
After years of struggling with costs that were eating into his bottom line, David White, a small business owner in Maine, recently dropped health insurance for himself and his employees. It was a nerve-wracking decision (Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., 10/8).

Making The Case For A 'Public Option' The Chicago Tribune
After considering all of the options on the table, I am convinced that a "public option" has to be included in any health care reform package. I will vote against any plan that doesn't include a public option (Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., 10/9).

A Better Way To Health Reform The Washington Post
A good health insurance system should 1) guarantee that everyone can obtain appropriate care even when the price of that care is very high and 2) prevent the financial hardship or personal bankruptcy that can now result from large medical bills (Martin Feldstein, 10/8).

Health Care Costs That Count In The Senate Finance Bill The Christian Science Monitor
The idea of even tinkering with Medicare brought howls of outrage from Americans at town-hall meetings this summer. And yet, solving the country's crisis of escalating healthcare costs is impossible without reforming Medicare, which accounts for the bulk of government spending on healthcare (Editorial, 10/8).

A Transfusion In Healthcare Funds The Los Angeles Times
In this era of revenue shortfalls and program cuts, California should jump at the chance to get billions of dollars in federal money to repay hospitals and other health providers for the service they render to low-income patients (Editorial, 10/9).

The Baucus Conundrum The New York Times
"[W]hat we are going to get is health insurance reform, not health care reform. We'll be adjusting and expanding the current system, not essentially changing it (David Brooks, 10/8).

Health Care Reform From A Surgeon's Perspective The San Jose Mercury News
The greatest benefit, in both economic and human terms, would be to discourage surgeries unlikely to be of benefit to the patient. Health reform proposals typically include a focus on evidence-based medicine for determining eligibility for payment (Dr. Robert Jackler, 10/8).

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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.