Today's OpEds: Sebelius' tough talk; Changing the malpractice system; Different perspectives on the health overhaul

Government Health Care Is On The Way Minneapolis Star Tribune
The problem is, quite simply, the centerpiece of the entire health care overhaul -- guaranteed coverage for so-called "preexisting" conditions. As long as both parties insist on this, the national discussion over real health care reform is going nowhere (Jason Lewis, 9/30).

The Heavy Hand Of Kathleen Sebelius Forbes
If Sebelius wants the "misinformation" campaign to stop, then she needs to talk to the president -- because it's the administration that's misinforming the public. Heavy-handed warnings and demands that insurers get on the ObamaCare bandwagon are alienating both the health care industry and the public (Merrill Matthews, 9/30).

Changing The Malpractice System The New York Times
There are many reasons why we should overhaul our current malpractice system - perhaps even take it out of the tort system altogether and into alternative forms of dispute resolution that separate the issue of compensation for avoidable injury from professional fault. Ever so slightly bending down the cost curve may be one reason to take on the malpractice system. More important, in my view, would be to remove the threat of potentially demoralizing courtroom spectacles from the physician-patient relationship (Uwe E. Reinhardt, 10/1).

Obamacare's Health Hazard The Washington Times
Mr. Clinton was right to say that Americans are inherently optimistic, which is why the public has hope that a new Congress will stop Obamacare before it can do any more damage (9/30). 

Don't Be Fooled By the GOP's Sick Healthcare Rhetoric Salon
Obamacare's problems, however, are somewhat of the White House's own making. Polls have shown that while the law's unpopular in the abstract, its constituent parts earn wide approval. That's partly because GOP propaganda, "government takeover," "death panels," etc., scared low-information voters; partly because the bill's so complex that few really understand how it works. That needn't be an overwhelming obstacle (Gene Lyons, 9/29).