Primary care providers

Dammit. I'm not a Hillary fan. But this Paul Krugman op-ed clearly underlines the unpalatable fact that when it comes to the issue of healthcare, Clinton has got Obama's wrongheaded plan whomped.

But while it’s easy to see how the Clinton plan could end up being eviscerated, it’s hard to see how the hole in the Obama plan can be repaired. Why? Because Mr. Obama’s campaigning on the health care issue has sabotaged his own prospects.

You see, the Obama campaign has demonized the idea of mandates — most recently in a scare-tactics mailer sent to voters that bears a striking resemblance to the “Harry and Louise” ads run by the insurance lobby in 1993, ads that helped undermine our last chance at getting universal health care.

If Mr. Obama gets to the White House and tries to achieve universal coverage, he’ll find that it can’t be done without mandates — but if he tries to institute mandates, the enemies of reform will use his own words against him.

If you combine the economic analysis with these political realities, here’s what I think it says: If Mrs. Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, there is some chance — nobody knows how big — that we’ll get universal health care in the next administration. If Mr. Obama gets the nomination, it just won’t happen.

Sigh. If there are any pro-Obama people reading this, please defend his healthcare plan for me. I really want to support the guy, and I really don't want to support Clinton. But getting it wrong on healthcare...that's a biggie.