The Double E's: Ezra Klein and Elizabeth Edwards

(pic courtesy of Pushback)

Last night, Elizabeth Edwards was in a discussion with another fellow health care policy wonk, Ezra Klein of the American Prospect, at GWU Medical School. The program was entitled, "Sick and Broke: A Conversation with Elizabeth Edwards." The program was sponsored by Campus Progress.

Rather than giving you all of the highlights, I am providing a link instead to two videos: one of highlights, and one of the full session. I will say that she is critical of most health care issue plans, including those of JRE, but she explains why JRE went the route he did, and it made sense.

Ezra met his match last night. While he said nothing little on his blog today, he must have been pleased as good punch he had this opportunity to be the moderator of something of not only his expertise, but to engage someone who is very knowledgeable (Elizabeth is truly an equal, but she doesn't claim to have all of her fingers on the facts--and has Erza confirming one of the facts) and has a passionate discourse to share with all of us due to her incurable disease.

Here's the link to the full and highlight videos:

http://zedc3test.techprogress.org/issues/2008/10/cpedwards.html

Flowers and water for the Double E health care wonks: Elizabeth and Ezra. I respect their views on this matter more than anyone.

Health care is going to be the 21st century version of Social Security.

I'm going to go out on a limb for a moment.

While I think Social Security is important, I think many of us do believe (as we did with Clinton) we won't see it when we retire. It was designed for those of the depression for a small amount based on actuary data, and those of the "Greatest Generation" have been able to take advantage of it...some having a vacation home in Florida or Sun States. The Greatest Generation in general scrimped and saved to help the war effort. But not all did. I had an uncle who was not a participant in WWII, and benefitted more with receiving from the system until he died although he paid a lot less into the system. That's what gets the elephants' underwear in bunches, and I can understand that, except, they made stupid decisions on many things, and SS is the less of those big expenditures that is worthwhile. I have a friend who has SS and a pension, and lives OK with it due to Medicare, but it would difficult if she didn't have those combos. She's single and is an active civic person.

I think we will have to choose between UHC and SS, and to be honest, I would choose health care gladly. It's the best policy for prevention, as EE notes, and to save us all from more costs in the long run to our government and to our small businesses, the growth engine of our economy, always.

I doubt we can fund both SS and UHC well in the future.