Wait a minute, hold on here

“We will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms, colonoscopies, or eye and foot exams for diabetics, so we can avoid chronic illnesses that cost not only lives, but money,” Mr. Obama said.

link: Obama Tries to Pitch Health Care on a Consumer Level - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

Is he saying - that's Obama talking, in case you didn't notice - health insurance companies don't cover that now? Is that a joke? I get eye tests and tests for colon cancer (I prefer to avoid the colonoscopy where possible, thank you very much, but still) and whatever other tests I need, whatever the doctor says, and all I have is one of those governmentized socialistic commie pinko health services everybody else is trying to freaking avoid - how is this possible? Unless, of course - well, they wouldn't lie to you, would they?

I was reading this piece in this morning's NYTimes by some business writer - probably somebody famous, but I don't follow business writers much - and marveling at how out-of-control rising health care costs are suddenly all the fault of those greedy sick people, you know, the guys who consume more health care than they really need (like, you know, they might buy too many socks) because...wait for it...health care benefits are not taxed.

Huh?

And how all those big health care companies - you know, private companies like the ones St. Ronnie himself told us would always be more efficient than the government - just freaking can't restrain themselves from putting any controls on what they pay the health care providers. Are you with me here? That's just plain bonkers. I mean, off the chart.

"Health care" has become care for Big Medicine, not, you know, care for just plain people who happen to be sick.

And of course, say the Big Meds and their wholly-owned subsidiaries in Congress, we can always spend a little less on the sick people by cutting down on Medicare.

Yeah, if they can only screw up the part that works, then the part that doesn't will look better. I get that.