Posted by Gary Howard on 11/11/09 5:49 PM Last updated 11/12/09 3:02 PM [Newer: Bernanke Lobbying Hard for Status Quo Federal Reserve] [Older: Press Release: Operation Health Freedom Website Launched]

Today in a Washington Times article, we learn that Virginia Senator Mark Warner thinks that President Obama "misplayed" the healthcare reform debate. 

Warner, despite whether I disagree with him on what to do regarding health insurance reform, rigthtly points to what the debate should be about:

"I wish the president would have started the debate by explaining to the American people that our current health care system is not financially sustainable, for even another decade," Mr. Warner said. "Driving down health care costs should have been the focus of the debate."

Exactly, costs. That is the real debate which is being obscured by those using sentimentality and the apparent "moral obligation" we all have to  ensure everyone has access to healthcare--which everyone already does . But the proponents of a government-controlled health system will not admit as much. No one is ever "denied" care when in need, though many are uninsured--mostly due to the high cost of paying for insurance. The debate needs to be refocused back on what really matters, reducing that high cost. But it may be too late at this point, and the best we could hope for is to stop this leviathan of a health bill from moving any closer to the President's desk.

On Tuesday, he told The Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio show the key points of the debate should be that the largest contributor to the U.S deficit is federal spending on health care, Medicare will go bankrupt in the next seven years and the average American family will spend 40 percent of its disposable income on health care insurance.

Warner is at least being honest about what this is really about, but I am not sure if he would be courageous enough to buck his party and vote for something that actually addresses the problem. Instead, he would probably vote for something likely to raise costs even more, leading to an inevitable single-payer disaster.

The Senate should do what the House failed to, look at the common sense solutions being promoted by Campaign for Liberty's Operation Health Freedom project. This package of legislation takes steps in the right direction to help all Americans bring their healthcare costs under control.