Unfortunately, these gentlemen will fall into line with the Daschle proposals that (so far anyway), like the Massachusetts plan, willingly spend hundreds of millions of dollars (billions at the federal level)to preserve the private insurance industry and its profits INSTEAD OF establishing a program like Medicare to cover 100 percent of the residents of this country. Medicare's administrative costs are about 2-3 percent while those of private insurance are 20-25 percent. Big, big bucks to be saved.

The Obama administration should be talking instead with representatives of Physicians for a National Health Plan and with representatives John Conyers (author of HR-676) and Dennis Kucinich. HR 676 would phase in over 10 or more years, avoiding any sudden shock to the health insurance industry.

For a model State plan, they can consult with Minnesota State Senator John Marty, whose Minnesota Health Plan (SF118/HF135) would save us about 9 percent of our state's health care costs.