Robert Reich takes up the problem of cutting healthcare costs and encourages Harry Reid to draft a bill--or at least an amendment--that provides a robust public insurance option available to everybody, knocks out the provision extending for 12 years the monopoly for generic drugs, and holds Medicare reimbursement rates to the COLA formula enacted years ago. Cross posted at HuffPo. This would provoke determined opposition from insurance companies, drug companies, and the AMA, but it needs to be done because otherwise healthcare, which is already unaffordable for most Americans, will get even more so.  Reich says Reid should use the budget reconciliation procedure (requiring only 51 votes for passage) and get tough with Blue Dogs--if they don't vote for it, they should get no re-election help from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Hat tip to Christine for the link.