Over the past two weeks, three of the top officials in our government have undergone major medical experiences. Bush had a colonoscopy and polyps removed; Cheney got some kind of new cardiac device; and John Roberts had a seizure that landed him in the E.R.
If those experiences had happened to most Americans, we'd be sorting through our health care plans to figure out what was covered and how much we owed. That is, if there was health insurance coverage. Meanwhile, I don't think Roberts is fretting that he had a pre-existing condition or whether E.R. visits are in his plan. The rest of us are tortured over things like that.
You know that none of those guys have any such worries. You're paying for them to have the best health care around. Yet, George Bush is vowing to veto the SCHIP reauthorization. This week, the House will pass its version of SCHIP reauthorization, the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act (CHAMP), H.R. 3162. That bill will provide health care to 11 million kids while protecting senior citizens from the Bush effort to privatize Medicare. Yep, health care for kids and seniors. But, Bush can't have that.
Bush's veto threat really is a new low even for him. It's not a surprise that he's choosing the insurance companies and tobacco industry over the American people. But the Democrats are ready for this fight. Earlier today, I was at a Maria Leavey Breakfast with Speaker Pelosi who discussed this very issue. PoliticsTV has the audio. The Speaker is geared up. On this one, she is ready to get in the ring with Bush saying, "Okay, here's the fight....[Bush] is going to fight us on the tobacco tax and children's health. Welcome to the discussion....this will be a defining kind of debate for us."
A defining debate -- and it has got to be just the start of real reform. The health care system has to change. It works for Bush, Cheney, Roberts and the rest of the government officials, but not for most of us.
