Bill Frist is surprisingly non-hysterical about this bill.

[liberalpragmatist]

He posted his reaction in the NYT. It's not quite outright praise, but it does kind of backhandedly praise the bill and then talk about all the stuff it doesn't do, but still needs to be done.

The Bill Will Need Reform

Bill Frist, a surgeon and former majority leader of the Senate, is a professor of business and medicine at Vanderbilt University.

Medicare 45 years ago and the current health care legislation are historic in that they are both huge coverage bills, focused primarily on distributive justice: a country as prosperous as ours should ensure affordable access to health care for every American. But Medicare was a reform bill, and today’s Congressional bill is not. Without substantive reform that includes purposeful alignment of incentives throughout the care delivery value chain, spending will skyrocket, deficits will definitely increase, and the country’s recovery from recession will be slowed. With passage, we should immediately unite and commit to a true reform initiative that is patient-centered, provider friendly and consumer driven, fueled by 21st-century information and choice.

> http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/a-historic-moment-for-health-care/#frist

Maybe Frist needed to leave politics to stop being a hack. I mean, he was always a smart guy. Much smarter than the braindead morons who are the current Republican congressional caucus.

[Clio the Leo]

1. He was an early supporter I think....

.... unless I'm confusing him with Howard Baker but I thought he was one of the ones the President got on board (along with Bob Dole) as being Republicans who were in support of the bill.

[liberalpragmatist]

4. I think that's true actually

He said in an interview last fall that he would have supported the Senate bill. He backtracked after his comments caused a minor tiff, but he seemed to be quietly supportive. When he criticized it was mostly about ways to strengthen the bill and cut costs more, not "kill the bill" antics.

George H.W. Bush's old Health Secretary, Dr. Louis Sullivan, is also supportive from that link.

[Cant trust em]

2. This is what happens when they don't have to run for elections or belong to a party.

They can see things rationally.

[SwampG8r]

3. that is true on both sides of the aisle

[global1]

5. Of Course He's Non-Hysterical - He'll Be Laughing All The Way To The Bank.......

With 30 million + people now able to come into the ranks of having medical insurance - his hospitals will be doing a gang-buster ton of new business.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. How do you explain all of the hysterical Republicans?

Are they really giddy and just hiding it? Because you'd figure they'd be jumping for joy if this was such a giveaway.

[Lorien]

8. Watch the giddy stock market tomorrow

that will make it clear just who this bill ultimately serves.

[Sebastian Doyle]

7. Bill Frist's family owns the largest corporate hospital chain in the country

A single payer system would eliminate a lot of extra paper work for his corporation, and thus save him money.

Of course he would be for it. And it's probably the one time I wouldn't mind making life better for the cat butcher.

[progressoid]

9. Of course he's not. It's a Republican lite bill.

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Graphics/2010/022310-Bill-comparison.aspx

[karynnj]

10. Interesting reaction

I was going to nitpick the "it's not reform", but reading forward, the best thing is what he then says. Within the structure set up, there is lots of room to change the incentives in ways that would both provide better healthcare and cut costs. This is not a stock Republican - savings accounts would be better/tort reform would fix everything response.

Now, this might just be Frist, who after all went into medicine as his first career and who worked with John Kerry to sponsor legislation to fight AIDS in Africa (even though Bush is often given the credit without mentioning them). It would be good if there was bipartisan support (even just a little) to support real improvements.

[Vinca]

11. Frist has visions of taxpayer subsidies coming his way in his head.

[eridani]

12. You're kidding, right? Frist is one of the useless shitstains who will get a lot richer

--from the rest of us being forced into being customers of his.

[DailyGrind51]

13. I suspect, privately, he favored passge.