“There is no need to wait until a new president is elected next year for the great national healthcare debate. It is underway right now, disguised as a routine extension of an immensely popular, non-controversial 10-year-old program of providing coverage to poor children. In fact, this proposal is the thin edge of the wedge to achieve the longtime goal of government-supplied universal health insurance and the suffocation of the private system. The Senate Finance Committee was scheduled to mark up this portentous legislation expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) today [Thursday], but disagreement over the size of the program and how to pay for it forced postponement.” [editor’s note: While this would seem to be an area where tax-subsidies might be acceptable (barring major voluntary funding, that is) — since children have at least the excuse that they were born into the families they get — the obvious “slope” slips into universal HC all too easily - SAT] (06/28/07)