A somewhat confused discussion of Medicare in the NY Times.

Because of these continuing gaps, elderly Americans actually pay more
for health care as a percent of their income now than they did before
Medicare was enacted: 21.7 percent in 2000, versus 19.1 percent in
1965. Paradoxically, the program is also extremely expensive and
wasteful.

Are we sure that "paradoxically" belongs in there?

Anyway, they argue that what is really needed is another politician of the calibre of Lyndon Baines Johnson in the White House to sort out the entire system.

a president as committed and politically agile as Lyndon Baines Johnson.

As the Kossaks are telling us (If you’re out to prove spectacular Bush administration incompetence and corruption) you’ve already got a corrupt Texan in power. What more do you want?