May 11, 2009 3:55PM 

# Why Health Care Reform Is Not a Sure Thing 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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Over at NPR​.org, I’ve got a [commentary](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104000746) that explains why comprehensive health care reform is far from certain — [current events](https://www.cato.org/2009/05/11/are-health-care-industry-lobbyists-really-proposing-to-reduce-their-members-revenue-by-2-trillion/) notwithstanding. Read it, recommend it, comment on it.

From the NPR piece:

> There are two things standing in the way of Democrats’ plans for universal health insurance coverage: math and politics.
> 
> First, the math. According to the [Urban Institute](http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/5/w399), covering the uninsured would cost a minimum $120 billion per year. Over [10 years](http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2008.pdf), that comes to about $1.6 trillion.
> 
> That money’s gotta come from somewhere. And that’s where politics comes in. Everybody wants that money to come from someone else.

UPDATE: Here’s my appearance on Fox News today, discussing lobbyists’ proposal to cut health care costs:

Also, [is health care a right?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H13OVMbIdQ&feature=channel_page)

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

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