Pacific Views

Can we say 'election-year ploy'?

The Republican leadership in the US Congress says they're going to come up with a plan to help people under 65 who don't have health insurance.

Administration officials said Mr. Bush would try to head off Democratic criticism by proposing a major investment in tax credits and other measures for the uninsured.

But prospects in Congress are clouded by lingering Democratic bitterness over the Medicare law. Democratic leaders, shut out of negotiations on Medicare, are in no mood to cooperate with Republicans on another health care issue.

In addition, it will be difficult to find money for a major initiative at a time of large budget deficits. Congress and the administration are looking at proposals that cost $50 billion to $80 billion over 10 years.

We'll resist the temptation to point out that tax credits are of questionable benefit to people in the lower reaches of the income scale — after all, that would be cynical.

But we will note that, even giving the GOP a year off to deal with the aftermath of 9/11, this proposal is coming at least two years too late. And that it's certainly no coincidence that the Republicans are finally worrying about health care when there's some chance that Dubya could get his sorry ass chased out of the White House in 2004.

Via NY Times.