Today's Opinions: Medicare illusions, small biz perks, abortion regs and more

Truth Catches Up To Democrats On Health Care CNN
Americans told lawmakers in Washington that they wanted reforms that would lower costs; Democrats in Congress increased them. They said they wanted Medicare protected; Democrat leaders used it as a piggy bank, cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare to help pay for this massive new government expansion of health care (Sen. Mitch McConnell, 8/26).

Health Reform's Lifeline To Small Business The Orange County Register
In three years, many of the provisions in the new federal health care reform law will kick in and make the onerous insurance figures that have become a mainstay of doing business a thing of the past (John Arensmeyer and Scott Hauge, 8/26).

Regulating Abortion Clinics The Washington Times
Liberals usually want to regulate everything that breathes, moves, burns, flows or produces. When it comes to abortion mills, however, the same leftists scream bloody murder -- not against killing babies, but against daring to regulate the practice even for the mother's safety (8/26).

Virginia Can Lead The Way On Health Richmond Times-Dispatch
Recent reports that Gov. Bob McDonnell has formed the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council are good news for Virginians. For years we've known that increasing health care costs are unsustainable for individuals, businesses, and government programs (Kallio, 8/27).

The Medicare Reform Illusion The Washington Post
The administration credits Medicare's seemingly healthier financial outlook to changes made by the new health-care law. In fact, the legislation has weakened the program. Worse, its changes create the perception of progress, making it more difficult to pursue the reforms that would put Medicare on sound financial footing so future generations of seniors will benefit (Michael O. Leavitt, 8/27).

Backdoor Rationing Indianapolis Star
Seniors should be very wary of [the Independent Payment Advisory Board]. It is tasked with implementing the same kind of cost controls that have made it extremely difficult for Medicaid beneficiaries to find treatment (Flowers, 8/26).

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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.