Today’s Opinions And Editorials

The Public Plan The New York Times
[Obama] should not give up without first getting a strong alternative to achieve the same goals - and so far there is nothing very strong on the political horizon (8/18).

Healthcare Reform Doesn't Hinge On Public Insurance Plan The Los Angeles Times
[W]hen the Obama administration signaled this week that it was backing away from a public plan, it wasn't putting the kibosh on meaningful change (David Lazarus, 8/19).

The Death Book For Veterans Wall Street Journal
If President Obama wants to better understand why America's discomfort with end-of-life discussions threatens to derail his health-care reform, he might begin with his own Department of Veterans Affairs (Jim Towey, 8/18).

What If The Problem Is Too Much Care? The Baltimore Sun
A physician who knows that a procedure is not going to take any money out of a patient's pocket is going to be more likely to order the procedure, even if he thinks it is only of marginal benefit (Phil Manger, 8/19).

Whole-Grain Health Reform The Washington Post
Now is the time for all good capitalists to shop at Whole Foods. Not only will you get great produce, fresh meat, fish and healthy to-go meals, but you'll irritate those who think that President Obama's health-care plan isn't quite progressive enough (Kathleen Parker, 8/19).

Fixing Health Care: It's Time To Experiment Forbes
American business is jeopardized by ever-escalating health care costs. In other countries businesses don't carry those costs on their books. They're carried by government, paid for out of taxes (Adam Hartung, 8/18).

You Can't Blame Obama For American Stubbornness The Hartford Courant
I think the president is simply too decent. Washington is not a nice town, and the American public is intolerant and too many know little more than what they are told by Fox News and by talk radio (William Pfaff, 8/18).