If John Kerry is as bad as you think he is, why does Bush have to distort Kerry's proposals and his record in order to criticize him?  (The link gives but one example, there are many more.)

The answer is simple - Kerry is a Liberal and a Boston upper class SOB.  What was known in the Navy as "A White Shoed Fuck".  My .02

Duh, its because BOTH candidates are in the business of interpreting their opponent's policies to their own benefit. "Oversimplified bumper sticker policy" is the apt term used in the article.

Case in point: The Kerry campaign continually points to how we should blame the Bush administration for rising costs.  Anyone with any knowledge of health care knows this trend started before the Bush administration and has more far reaching sources than Medicare policy.  

In fact, Bush's advocacy for Medicare and Medicaid reform - through health savings accounts and the like - is the only legit thing on the table that has a chance at addressing COSTS.  All Kerry wants to do is cover more people with almost ZERO attention to resolving the cost issue.

Now, it is fair to say the dems favor more regulation (price controls, mandated benefits, community rating) as a way to address costs whereas the republicans certainly look to the free market (HSAs, tiered Rx, etc.).  In this respect, Bush's accusations are true but that is probably a reach.

Required reading for health care: Michael Porter, Alan Greenspan.  Both get it.  Neither of the candidates do.

I disagree.

Bush wants to continue helath care icost increases by privatizing profits and socializing the risks. The new corporatism.

A Single payer system would decrease administrative costs at least.

And the idea that Bush is for fair trade is bunk WRT pharms. They already have artificial price controls. And they are set high.

First, there are conflicting arguments as to whether single payer is cheaper.  Yes, admin costs could decline.  But, the privatizate sector seems to be better at reducing utilization.  The only way single payer gets MEDICAL costs out of the system is rationing, which brings us to the article cited above: rationing DOES get in the middle of our health care decsions.

Second, don't forget, Kerry isn't advocating a single payer system.  All he's suggesting we do is expand Medicaid and force employers to buy insurance.  All that does is increase the taxpayer/employer burden with NO cost agenda other than Rx price controls.

Third, don't be stupid.  Bush doesn't want to "continue cost increases" (neither does Kerry), he just doesnt have the stones to admit to the public what his implicit agenda is: force individuals to pay more and make decisions about what care is worthwhile and what isn't.

But, at least he HAS an agenda, which is more than I can say for Kerry. Kerry simply pretends that the problem is coverage, not cost.  He also adheres to the fallacy that simply controlling Rx prices will solve all of our problems.  Don't forget, Senator, that hospital and physician payments are fixed and Part A and Part B are still broke.