That veto has been appalling me for weeks. The rationale seems to be that rich people might pretend to be poor people so that they can gobble up the free health care for their kids. Or something.

Because heaven forfend that children of rich dishonest parents get health care anyway! That would be a true tragedy!

That fucker.

Well,if it is any comfort, the article did say he got a colonoscopy, so he is having something stuck up his ass too.

From the article: "about a third of the $2 trillion spent annually on health care in this country is squandered on bureaucratic overhead."

That is what is wasted now; triple that figure once the feds step in.

... warning that it would lead the nation "down the path to government-run health care for every American."
Warning? What the fuck is wrong with you people that you vote someone as your leader (not once, but twice!) who thinks that possible universal health care is something that needs to be warned against? How the fuck did you ever get to be the most dominant country in the world?

Hmm, maybe I got out of bed on the wrong side, too. *shrug* It's still true, though. Just don't take it personally.

er, ah actually Medicaid, which is run by the government has a much better admin to health care dollars spent ratio than the private insurance carriers. So, the myth that everything government is inefficient compared to privatization is simply that, a myth.
I believe there are areas that should not be left solely to the "free market", education, and health care being the top two.

Counter Medicaid with Medicare, the VA and SSDI. 1 marginal success versus 3 failures.

dg: The issue passed beyond universal medical coverage years ago. The problem lies in designing both the structure and the oversight of the regulatory and/or the administrative agency. Hell, just deciding between a regulatory or an administrative process -- or some combination -- is as much an intraparty issue as an interparty issue. Managing bureaucracy has been the bane of the US government since its inception.

As in many issues like this, the soundbites from both the politicians and the activists get the attention while the mechanics of such a massive bureaucracy are conveniently ignored by everone with a mouthpiece, especially the pundits who write inflammatory columns pushing the hot buttons and ducking any real analysis.

For perspective, this country cannot decide whether and how to maintain a simple border wall.

I reckon we could heavily offset the national debt if we simply auctioned off George W. Bush's Colonoscopy Rights. I know I'd pay just about everything I own for the opportunity to shove a cold, un-lubricated...

taint just you, pupps.

There's no way to sort out the health care crisis in the states as long as the lobbyists for big pharma and big insurance have the ear of the senate.

I wish they had found something in his colon.