Chanting Points Memo: The “Republican” Horner

Luke Hellier at MDE finds more background on the “Republican” Tom Horner:

“What they (MCCL) set out to do could have a dramatic impact in 1997,” said Tom Horner, of the Bloomington-based public policy firm Himle Horner Inc. “The involvement of the pro-life community makes the end-of-life decisions much more of a political debate than an individual issue or medical concern.”

“What will start to emerge is the recognition that there has to be a move away from the fee-for-service,”

Never worked in the insurance business?  “Fee For Service” means “Pay money, get insured”.

Managed care means “pay money, have a case manager or a committee of reviewers decide what care is cost-effective for you”.  You could even call it a “death panel”, although that’s sorta inflammatory and makes liberals irate.

Horner said. “And more and more people will have to be moved into managed care with some limitations, and that is going to be a pretty difficult task.”

Especially because people don’t want it.

Hellier:

Horner’s position in favor of “moving away” from fee-for-service and into “managed care with some limitations” simply means health care rationing—the denial of care to those who need it.

Managed care isn’t problem in and of itself;  it was a market response to rising healthcare costs in the seventies. The problem, if you value individual choice in health care, is that Horner pushed government healthcare.

Why does the media continue the meme that Horner is a Republican in any way?