In his speech last night before a joint session of Congress (transcript here), President Obama said healthcare reform can’t wait but offered little that was new regarding his reform package. But that’s all right. He’s offered more than enough specifics on what he wants to do. Hell, the guy he wanted to run the show wrote a book on the subject; if only Daschle had paid his taxes he’d probably have the job. So I was surprised to hear Alexis Glick on Fox Business (here) suggest Obama has been short on specifics and that “he sort of hinted at universal healthcare.” Actually, he’s specifically called for universal healthcare. Anything short of that would be a failure for him and frankly for the nation. I’d argue that for Obama, it’s a failure if he doesn’t push through his proposal of a new public health plan similar to what’s offered to federal employees. As I’ve said before, his plan isn’t ideal, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Addition (Feb. 26, 2009): O.K., my apologies to Ms. Glick. Obama’s call for “affordable, accessible health care for all Americans” may not actually be a call for universal coverage. It just sounds like one to me.
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