First do no harm

Robert Samuelson on Real Clear Politics: "Obama's health care will make it worse"

No president has spoken more forcefully about the need to control costs. Failure, he's argued, would expand federal budget deficits, raise out-of-pocket health costs and squeeze take-home pay (more compensation would go to insurance). All true. But Obama's program would do little to reduce costs and would increase spending by expanding subsidized insurance. The House legislation would cut the uninsured by 37 million by 2018, estimates the Congressional Budget Office. The uninsured get care now; with insurance they'd get more.

"You'd be adding a third medical entitlement on top of Medicare and Medicaid," says James Capretta, a top official at the Office of Management and Budget from 2001 to 2004.

I've said this before with regard to Social Security but I'll repeat: the federal government has over-promised to Americans for too long and, now that the baby boomers are retiring, there's no money to pay for the current entitlement liabilities much less for new ones.

Extra - Rasmussen: "32% favor single-payer health care, 57% oppose."