What a difference a year makes in health care

Via Rich Lowry at National Review Online’s “The Corner” comes this bit of Obama nostalgia from a year ago: “Obama hopes to avoid Clinton health care missteps.” Hah!

Some excellent parts that sound like parodies: “The strategy begins with giving people the chance to highlight their concerns and experiences….By asking anybody and everybody to share their health care experiences, Daschle is confronting one of the major criticisms of 15 years ago: that the effort to craft former President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal coverage was too secretive. ‘We have to make this as inclusive a process as possible,’ Daschle…said in a speech in Denver.”

“He cited other lessons, too. This time around, lawmakers cannot try to address every detail when it comes to legislation. ‘Details kill,’ Daschle said. ‘If we get too far into the weeds, if we produce a 1,500- or 1,600-page bill, we’re going to get hung up on all the details and we’re never going to get to the principles.’ [Note: They listened to Daschle; they didn’t produce a 1500-page bill; it was a 2000-page bill.] Once Congress does take up a health plan, it also can’t divert attention to other subjects, he said.”

“But the insurers want to require that people buy insurance, while Obama only supports a coverage mandate for children.”

Does it seem to anyone else that they did not follow that plan?

Meanwhile, from Nancy Pelosi: “I don’t have the votes for it at this time.”

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