I have to say I was a bit surprised watching Meet the Press this morning to hear the pundits on both sides of the political spectrum discussing the Wyden-Bennett Healthy Americans Act as an alternative to the more partisan Democratic health care reform bills already on the table in the House and Senate HELP Committee.
The Republican spin seemed to be that, "We've always been for Wyden-Bennett, it's real reform."
The Democratic spin was something like, "Suddenly you're for Wyden-Bennett, where have you been all this time?"
To me the good news is that the debate may finally be getting to the question of what real health care reform is. As I have posted on this blog before, I am concerned that we are really on our way to a massive entitlement expansion without actually changing the health care system in a way that will make it affordable.
Wyden-Bennett is a serious health care reform proposal.
Hopefully, finally bringing Wyden-Bennett into the mainstream of the debate means we are about to have a serious discussion about systemic health care reform.
I hope it isn't just Republicans, far too many of whom have been sitting on their hands for months, grasping at something to make them look like they have a credible alternative.
But if they are just grasping for something to believe in they at least have found something credible.
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