The health reform plan isn’t ready yet, but the arguments against it are

We're not sure exactly what kind of health plan will emerge from all the ongoing work at the White House, in five different committees and Congress and in meetings with stakeholders. But whatever the shape of the final plan, we know what arguments the Republicans are planning to use against it.

	Credit: MSNBC

The Republicans will claim: The plan represents a "government takeover" of health care. Politicians, not your doctor, will be deciding what care you should get.  And the tests and treatments you need - and especially the ones your kids and your parents need - will be delayed or denied.  The plan is really a bailout for the insurance industry!

These arguments aren't true, but that doesn't seem to matter to those who are determined to block reform.

If we don't know what the plan is, how do we know the arguments against it?  Because Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster and strategist, spoke to party operatives on Capitol Hill this month, and his memo got leaked.  The story was originally reported by Politico.

Luntz counsels Republicans that Americans strongly desire health reform, so it isn't a winning strategy to defend the staus quo. He also says, "If you make this debate about Republican vs. Obama, you lose. But if you make it about Americans vs. politicians, you win."

The way to win, Luntz continues, is to play on the fears of a "government takeover" and denial of care.

"Dr. Luntz, the man who developed language designed to promote preemptive war in Iraq and distract from the severity of global warming, is at it again -- this time with a messaging strategy designed to sink our historic opportunity for health care reform," Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, wrote on the Huffington Post.

"Let's be clear: this is not a strategy to push certain ideas about health reform," Merkley said. "It is a strategy intended solely to kill reform efforts altogether. In his own words, Dr. Luntz has stated, 'You're not going to get what you want, but you can kill what they're trying to do.' "