Jonah, NRO readers should be thankful John Kerry has just
five bills to his credit during his 20-year Senate career. The
potential cost of a mountain of legislation pushed through by an energetic
Senator Kerry is frightening to contemplate.
Take one example, health care costs. Senator Kerry cosponsored
Senator Tom Daschle’s S.1833, the Healthcare Equality and Accountability
Act. This legislation would codify Clinton Executive Order 13166, which
created a civil right to free translation services at taxpayer expense.
A fellow cosponsor of S.1833, Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton admitted that this legislation would also
increase translation costs and impose new racial quotas on medical care
providers:
Remove language and cultural barriers. Because language and cultural
differences create barriers to health care, the bill would help patients
from diverse backgrounds, including those with limited English proficiency,
with provisions such as codifying existing standards for culturally and
linguistically appropriate health care, assisting health care professionals
in providing cultural and language services, and increasing federal
reimbursement for these services.
• Improve workforce diversity. The bill would expand existing programs and
create new ones to address the shortage of minority health care providers
and researchers. Increasing the number of minority health care providers
can help promote trust and improve outreach efforts to minority and
underserved communities.
Tonight’s debate moderator Bob Schieffer might have asked
Kerry about the likely cost of this legislation during his endless
questions about health care.