The Week in Quotes

By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

With the nation’s focus on rising unemployment, an uncertain economic recovery, and health care reform, here are some of the more salient quotes from leading figures this week:

“It is hard to escape the conclusion that the Fed may need to maintain fairly low interest rates over a period of many years … If you want to bring down leverage, you should keep monetary policy sufficiently accommodative to forestall a collapse in spending and a deflationary spiral.”

- Goldman Sachs economists Peter Berezin and Alex Kelston, commenting in a report released this week Read more

Questions About Health Care Reform

By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

As many of you have probably heard, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey recently caught some flak for writing an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal opposing any new health care entitlements on the grounds that they would have to be financed with major deficit spending.

Mackey’s article sparked a wave of outrage among political progressives, many of them Whole Foods customers. His arguments even instigated an organized boycott of the grocer that currently numbers in the tens of thousands. This is just one instance that demonstrates how high emotions run in this debate, and some claim the intense passions we’re seeing expressed on both sides of the political spectrum are about more than just health care.

Is that true? In a sense, yes. Emotions aside, the health care debate boils down to distinct philosophies concerning the proper role of government and the private sector, as well as conceptions of rights. Read more

NAR Gears Up for Health Care Reform

By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

The National Association of REALTORS® could be contacting members this summer as Congress seeks to revamp health care coverage for Americans. NAR supports what’s known as the SHOP (Small business owners Health Options Program) Bill, which would enable small business owners and self-employed individuals to band together across state lines to negotiate affordable health insurance.

NAR Deputy Chief Lobbyist Jamie Gregory sat down with REALTOR® magazine last week to talk about what REALTORS® can expect as Congress starts debating legislation. Gregory notes that the elements of SHOP have to fit into the larger health reform legislation that’s currently under discussion. The main sticking point is what’s known as the public plan option. This is where the government fills in the gaps left by private insurance providers. We’ll be carefully watching–and reporting–how this plays out.

Watch the inteview with Gregory to find out more information.

Bridging the Divide on Health Care

By Wendy Cole, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

Health care reform is on the way. And with 28% of REALTORS® currently uninsured, the time is ripe for a major fix. President Obama has put insurance reform at the top of his legislative agenda, and heated debates in Congress are sure to follow. But what will reform look like and who will pay for it? Most Americans — and REALTORS® — agree that the current system demands an overhaul. Real estate practitioners. however, are much more divided about what the federal government’s role should be in developing a new system that makes insurance available and affordable for all.

A recent poll sponsored by NAR has found that 53% of REALTORS® are concerned that Congress won’t do enough to reform the health care system, while 47% shared the opposite concern: that Congress may go too far. The pros and cons of government-mandated health insurance were the subject of rich debate today during NAR’s Midyear Legislative Meetings.

What’s your view? How should the government address the insurance gap?