Excellent observations.

For my own part, the healthcare "reform" looks to me like a handout to the health industry, which will result in higher healthcare coverage rates but also higher overall costs, at a time when we already spend about twice as much, per capita, on healthcare as the other wealthy nations. Yet, I still support it. I don't have all the details yet, but it sounds like the shape of the program is such that it's a reasonable stepping stone to something better. Put the structures in place first, and then start controlling costs later.

Most liberals would probably say I don't give Obama enough of a benefit of the doubt, but on this, it's exactly what I'm giving him. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he's playing this like chess -- thinking a couple moves in advance. It's a positional move, which recognizes that the obstacles to taking a more direct path towards quality, affordable healthcare have proven insurmountable for generations, so maybe it makes sense to try a less direct approach. Once we have something close to universal health coverage, it's unlikely that'll ever get reversed, so the fight moves to cost controls, and in that fight the tax-cutters and deficit hawks may turn into allies in cracking down on health industry profiteers. If the fiscal conservatives and libertarians realize that unversal coverage won't be reversed, they may come around to realizing that the only choice is to rein in the industry.