The Platter: Doctor, Doctor by the Thompson Twins (Can’t you see ‘em earning, earning?)

The Bait:The Dreamweaver Chrome Series Spin Doctor Flasher (Laughin’ and Lovin’ It All at the closed shop union)

There’s this thing called the Commerce Clause in the Constitution, Congress regulates interstate commerce, health care is part of interstate commerce, and that’s that. The courts won’t spend 10 seconds on this one, and the Attorneys General should be disbarred for wasting public time and money.

Tough cookies, Attorneys General, but you didn’t win the election, and so the 45,000 Americans you’re willing to let die every year now have a future!

Gorilla says: “Rule of law? More like Bueller of law!”

And let’s be clear: the Know Nothings have no difficulty in letting 45,000 Americans die annually for lack of insurance, and they have no problems supporting a racist, homophobic extremist group called the Tea Party within the Grand Old Party…

What’s to be celebrated is the beginning of the end of health care as we know it!

What’s to be feared is extremists who can buy a gun and mete out whatever justice they wish…

Gorilla says: “We can choose to be better or worse, let’s see the choice we make!”

And single payer would reduce the deficit even more, but alas that’s not what we’re getting.

Great sighs of relief will be heard on Capitol Hill when the bill finally passes and is signed, but the lessons learned may take a while longer:

1) The President should have gotten this bill through in the first 90 days of his Administration. He wasted a year and nearly got nothing because of his infatuation with nonexistent bipartisanship.

2) The Democratic Party needs to become more cohesive, or it will be pitched out of office. The Blue Dogs and clowns like Stupak are not really Democrats; progressives need to start fielding and electing candidates that are progressive.

3) The Know Nothing Party has nothing to offer the country.

4) The extreme right remains a spent force, not worthy of a moment’s consideration in the political process or in any country that thinks it is civilized.

Gorilla predicts: “There’s a long way to go, but we’ll all be in Medicare by 2025!”

The Platter: Undecided by Django Reinhardt with Beryl Davis (the suits in the room or the voters we need?)

The Bait: The Gotcha Cedar Plug Daisy Chain (for two houses with abundant pox)

And so it’s on to this week’s pointless health care summit, where we will again see:

Republicans will not propose anything of substance.

In today’s New York Times, 5 “conservative proposals” were:

1) pay providers based on “value”, whatever that means, rather than “fee for service”, which is what actually happens;

2) pay more money to those who provide better value, whatever that means and whoever they are;

3) cure more diseases and provide more health care so we don’t spend money on things we no longer need to, although we’ll be spending ever more money on doing these things until the cures arrive;

4) introduce more “regional” competition, although in most states the vast majority of insurance coverage comes from 2 or fewer providers, thus insurers will just have a greater incentive to cherry pick across state lines; and

5) limit malpractice awards, although the cost of malpractice in total amounts to a little more than 1% of total health care spending.

Republicans will not vote for any bill endorsed by the President or the Democratic majority in the Congress.

Neither party will consider a single payer system, bringing everyone into Medicare, or eliminating the link between health care and employment, or eliminating the anti-trust exemption for insurance companies, or eliminating the tax deductibility of employer-provided health care, all of which would drastically reduce health care spending and improve health care outcomes.

Americans will continue to pay 50% more annually for health care than any other nation on earth so as to achieve a life expectancy that’s less than that of Portugal (which spends less than a third as much as we do!).

Gorilla thinks: “The rhetoric is willing, but the leaders are weak!”

No, it’s time for more endless bullshitting from our leaders in Washington, who are shocked, shocked to find that insurance companies engage in cherry picking the healthy and those who are less successful at it (only $2.7 billion in profits last quarter!) pass the costs of the sick onto (wait for it!) the sick!!!

Gorilla thinks: “Chronic leadership failure disease starts with anti-trust exemptions, develops more full blown as PAC donations increase, and continues along its merry way to bankrupting the country!”

Over the weekend, the G-7 boys and girls tried to reassure each other that the PIIGS of Europe aren’t going to be a problem.

Today, it’s President Obama, calling on Republican leaders to join him for yet another pointless summit on health care reform.

The facts are these:

1) Republicans will not vote for any Administration proposal on health care reform, or any other major issue, in 2010.

2) Democrats have not yet decided whether they will abandon health care reform, thus guaranteeing they will lose big time in 2010.

So, the President could say to House Democrats: Vote for the Senate bill and we’ll fix it later using reconciliation.

Or he could engage in a time wasting exercise in hopes that Americans will blame a minority opposition party for the failures of this President and his party to tackle major issues.

Gorilla says: “Good luck with that!”

So, why not proceed ahead with health care reform?

Or, even better, why not just bring the remaining 50% of health care costs into Medicare/Medicaid and cut these costs dramatically?

After all, the US spends more than anyone else on health care, but health care outcomes are certainly not as good as in socialized medicine countries like the UK, Spain, or (gasp!) Canada…

In fact, we spend nearly $3,000/year more per capita than the number two spender Switzerland, i.e. 67% more, and guess what? The Swiss live nearly 4 years longer!!!

Here’s the famous Ezra Klein graphic:

Gorilla says: “Single payer anyone?”

According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House won’t pass health care reform until the Senate passes a “sidecar” bill that reforms the already passed Senate version of the bill.

Presumably, the calculus is: you can only pass health care once, you can’t come back a few weeks later and amend it, so you have to get it right the first time.

Works great, assuming there are 51 votes in the Senate for whatever amendments you want.

Kills health care reform altogether if the votes aren’t there.

Either way, the Democrats will be blamed.

For that reason, it’s astonishing that the House doesn’t simply pass the Senate version of the bill and move on.

Health care will need lots of tweaking and reforming in the next 10 years.

It’s difficult to believe that Democrats will not vote for their central campaign issue in 2008, thus demonstrating conclusively that they cannot govern.

Gorilla thinks: “Why do these chickens always insist their eggs are square? They’re merely soft and yellow!”