Recall the Paul Krugman piece cited by this blog a few days back? Krugman was making the pleas for action on healthcare — now. Then came the Tom Daschle derailment, and the hopes for any swift legislation to improve even a modicum of healthcare delivery went out with the bathwater. Truth be told, President Obama’s loud silence on the matter was a more telling admission of inactivity more than Daschle’s inevitable “distraction” could ever be. 

[T]he Democratic-led Congress is taking longer than expected to approve Obama’s economic stimulus plan, which has topped $900 billion in the Senate, and Obama has to cope with a budget deficit some estimate could top $1 trillion this year.

Creating a comprehensive plan to control soaring healthcare costs and cover 46 million uninsured Americans has eluded previous administrations and is an ambitious goal for lawmakers with so much on their plates.

Obama’s quest for bipartisan handwringing over the mechanics of the expected economic stimulus bill passage has apparently trumped his desire for any initial meaningful steps toward actual healthcare reform. Perhaps he’s got his ace up his vetting sleeve with respect to the ultimate chosen HHS Secretary; maybe — just maybe – when he takes to the national airwaves on Monday, healthcare policy watchers will be in for some pleasant surprises. | LINK

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