I'll take our eleventy billion ideas and four of yours......

President Obama indicated today he would be open to four whole ideas, offered by Republicans at the heath care summit last week. In a letter to congressional leaders Obama began what could essentially be construed as closing arguments in the long, drawn out health care debate.

President Obama signaled Tuesday that he will embrace four Republican ideas on health care, including a greater investment in medical malpractice tort reform, as he begins what an aide agreed was the "final act" in the administration's effort to overhaul the health-care system.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama said he is also "open" to increasing Medicaid reimbursements for physicians, stepping up efforts to combat fraud in the health-care system and ensuring that people who buy insurance on so-called insurance exchanges could participate in health savings accounts.

Is it nit-picky of me to notice he seems to be applying a band-aid to a dismemberment injury and that there are some outright factual problems?

First off, what in the world does "a greater investment in medical malpractice tort reform" even mean? Does that mean we will have tort reform? I know we have all be told a zillion times that tort reform is meaningless; it will save pennies compared to the overall cost of health care. What is a greater investment? They will take even more money from trial lawyers to ignore the problems that out of control medical malpractice suits bring? Who is making the investment.....the taxpayer, like when we invested in GM or the lobbyists, like when they invest in getting their way? I'm afraid if any Republican lawmakers talk about this as a good thing my head will explode. This is clearly politician speak for "we won't actually do anything."

President Obama also talks about increasing Medicaid reimbursements to doctors. That's a GREAT idea....or not. First off, we all know the Medicaid system is already going broke AS IS. Increasing payments won't make Medicaid cost less. Also, I thought they were getting a whole bunch of money to pay for the new, improved health care system by decreasing reimbursements to doctors. Did President Obama forget he said that? I didn't. This administration keeps spending money we don't have. I'm all for increasing reimbursements to doctors, if the system can support it. Under the current system and any thus far proposed, it can't.

This is clearly a ploy to either get a few Republican votes or to appear to give Democrats the cover they need to vote for this behemoth. Neither is acceptable and neither should happen. The entire plan needs to be scrapped and a new small steps need to be taken. The government should not be involved in health care in any way, shape or form. It is ridiculous for President Obama to try to paint these four-and mostly pathetic-ideas as "bi-partisanship". Its a pat on the head to Republicans at best and should not be enough to sell them on this crap.