Bush rallies America with
confident speechThe issue: A transformed President Bush
reports to Congress on the state of the union.Like a surfer riding the crest of a rolling wave of national popularity, President Bush called on Americans last night to press on with the war against terror, to strengthen the defense of the homeland, and to revitalize the economy with verve and unity.
Perhaps the most striking impression of the president's address was the change in himself. A year and nine days ago, when he was inaugurated, Bush had just emerged from a bruising election and a legal quarrel that left him open to challenge as a legitimate president. On the night of Sept. 11, he appeared shaken by the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington that day.
By Sept. 20, when he appeared before Congress to call the nation to arms in a war against terror, the president clearly had risen to the occasion. Last night, it seemed that the transformation had been completed as a composed and self-confident leader addressed the nation. At one point, he even wagged his finger as he admonished the Congress to heed his economic demands.
With the polls suggesting that public support was flagging in the war on terror, the president sought once again to rally Americans to the cause. "Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun," the president said. "This campaign may not be finished on our watch, yet it must be and will be waged on our watch."
He noted that American soldiers have been dispatched to the Philippines to help fight terrorists and asserted that North Korea, Iran, Iraq "and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil." He urged "all nations to heed our call and eliminate the terrorist parasites who threaten their countries and our own."
As before, Bush warned: "Some governments will be timid in the face of terror. And make no mistake: If they do not act, America will." His audience applauded with vigor.
Although advance billing had focused on his economic plans, there was little new in that portion of the speech. The president was forthright in asking that his budget and legislation for economic recovery be adopted with bipartisan support, but the substance was mostly a laundry list of earlier proposals.
Instead, the president who was earlier faulted for his lack of experience and insight into foreign policy delivered a calm but sweeping vision of what the world could be. "This time of adversity," he said, "offers a unique moment of opportunity." He spoke of meeting common dangers alongside Russia, China, India and the Islamic world.
The president has come a long way in a year and nine days, and America and the world are the better for it.
Lack of oversight
unhealthy for allThe issue: A bill proposes to shed
light on how health insurance
companies set their rates.Because state law requires Hawaii employers to purchase health insurance for their employees, the state has an obligation to ensure that insurance companies are charging fair rates. At the same time, the government's intrusion into the health insurance business should be minimal and its reviews efficient so as not to place financial and bureaucratic burdens on insurers.
The state is seeking legislation that would give the insurance commissioner power to examine how health insurance rates are set. The commissioner would determine that they aren't so high that consumers and businesses suffer or so low that they threaten the ability of insurers to pay for the medical care of those they insure.
The bill would require insurers to justify their rates by providing data to support them. Some employers, unhappy with the cost of insurance for their workers, have told lawmakers that insurance companies aren't giving them enough information about how rates are calculated, leaving them unable to judge whether costs are warranted and at a disadvantage when negotiating health plans.
Health insurance in Hawaii is dominated by the Hawaii Medical Service Association, which holds 60 percent of the market, and by Kaiser Permanente with 22 percent. Both insurers are nonprofit and as a result do not pay state taxes or answer to shareholders. Commissioner Wayne Metcalf contends that without information on how insurers set rates, potential competitors cannot gauge whether they can make a go of it in Hawaii.
Insurers say regulatory measures could increase costs if they must spend time and money preparing filings for the state. Metcalf counters that the filings should not be difficult since the insurers are already required to do them for other purposes. Further, disclosing the reasons for rate increases would help employers control their costs and would release insurers from consumers' negative perceptions about rate-setting practices. Moreover, the bill allows insurers to contest rate decisions by the commissioner.
Regulation of auto and worker's compensation insurance has produced significant savings for consumers and stimulated competition, Metcalf says, and health care costs would similarly decrease.
If the state can oversee the industry to protect employers and the consumer, and if regulation succeeds in reducing the cost of doing business in Hawaii, the effort will be worthwhile, especially with the current economic downturn.
Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, managing editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
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Lucy Young-Oda, assistant managing editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comRichard Halloran, editorial page director, 529-4790; rhalloran@starbulletin.com
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