Bill Kristol Admits Public Health Care Sometimes Better On 'Daily Show' (VIDEO)

Neoconservative commentator Bill Kristol returned to The Daily Show last night to have another one of his affable-yet-contentious tete-a-tetes with host Jon Stewart. On the one hand, it's pretty clear that the thought of sparring with Kristol sharpens Stewart's interviewing game. On the other hand, I've long suspected that Kristol willingly gives up a little ground to Stewart. Maybe he takes perverse pleasure in getting abused by the Daily Show's audience, or maybe beating up on the glass-jawed Fox News colleague Juan Williams on a weekly basis just gets ridiculously old. At any rate, last night's highlight was the way Stewart managed to steer Kristol into complimenting government-run health care.

STEWART: So you believe no public option, so even though that's good enough for the military, not good enough for the people of America.

KRISTOL: Well, the military has a different health system than the rest of Americans.

STEWART: It's a public system, no?

KRISTOL: Yeah, they don't have an option, they're all in military health care.

STEWART: Why don't we go with that?

KRISTOL: I don't know. Is military health care really what you -- first of all, it's expensive. I think they deserve it, the military--

STEWART: But the American public do not.

KRISTOL: No. The American public do not deserve the same quality health care as our soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve, and they need all kinds of things that the rest of us don't need.

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STEWART: Well, no, they can have that level of care, but are you saying that the American public shouldn't have access to the same quality health care that we give to our better citizens?

KRISTOL: Yes. To our soldiers? Absolutely. The American public--

STEWART: Really?

KRISTOL: I think that if you become a soldier, you deserve--

[crosstalk]

KRISTOL: One of the ways we make it up to the soldiers, since they're risking their lives, we give them first-class health care. The rest of us can go out and buy insurance--

STEWART: So you said that the public--

[crosstalk]

STEWART: Get this on the record. Bill Kristol said that the government can run a "first class health care system." And a government-run health care system is better than the private health care system.

KRISTOL: I don't know if it's better.

STEWART: You just said that.

KRISTOL: I don't know if it's better.

STEWART: You said it was better! You said it's the best. It's a little more expensive...

KRISTOL: The military needs different kinds of health care...

STEWART: I just want to get this down: "The government runs the best health care."

Earlier in the interview, Stewart commended Kristol for correctly predicting that Sarah Palin would end up on the ticket with McCain. Kristol averred that Palin's plan was to spend the next few years in deep study: "She has a couple years to make her case, educate herself more on national and international issues." Kristol also promised to get Palin booked on the Daily Show. "I have no clout," he said, "but I'm going to email her and say do Jon Stewart."

I am not going to hold my breath on that one. Here's the complete, unedited interview:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bill Kristol Extended Interview
www.thedailyshow.com
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Comments

[RageAgainstTheNeoCons]

Completely obliterated!
Ultra-pwnd!

[killmenow]

I wish that I could be just half as smart as Jon Stewart. What a quick and precise mind he has.

As for Bill Kristol, someone should just put a bib on him and dribble some baby food down his chin while he attends to the business of warming his diaper while babbling about Sarah Palin.

[disintaGreatNation]

VA health care ain't bad, either.

(VA = U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, a branch of the federal government.)

[mavissue]

Kristol doesn't know a thing about healthcare. People with private plans DO get denied tests. I have an exhisting Dx ......the specialist I see is well known in his specialty. He Rx an MRI for which he felt I needed.. after being turned down by my insurance Co. and 3 seperate reviews he ordered an Ultrasound ASAP which had abnormal findings and the report recommended that I have an MRI......3 months after the original RX. which of course they approved...... and I am told I have a good plan .

[BigSuede]

I guess I am just pretty confused... I live next to Travis Air Force base and I have NEVER heard that they provide the best or even superior medical care than you could receive through private insurance. Generally the doctors who work for the government are very average doctors compared to doctors in private practice...

I think the main concern about government run care is that currently one can seek out the best doctors and as long as they have good insurance that will pay top dollar, you can receive the best care.

If everything goes public... then the best care will start going to the most connected... and how do we determine who is the most connected? do government workers get the inside track to the best doctors?

Also I worry about the effect it has on incentive to be a great doctor. A higher paycheck tends to be the only real motivating factor for your average person, even for doctors.... if you take that away... might they start practicing medicine like a UAW member puts together an automobile? That seems troubling.

[killmenow]

Who pays the bill and the rate of compensation are two very separate issues. When you hear accusations and complaints about Canadian health care, for example, question if the complaint is about the system as it is designed or about how the system is administrated. The systems used for compensating health care providers are very complicated and should be probably based on patient outcomes rather than fee-per-procedure. But just developing a health care system that can give everyone in America access to the system is just one step in the process. How you compensate providers for the best outcomes and skill levels is something separate from implementing a real health care system in America that expands access to health care for everyone. Right now, we are trying to start with access so that families are no longer bankrupted by health problems and millions are locked out of basic health services.

[blackfriday1978]

To find the best care will become a task like find a good restaurant or discover a good warehouse sale - Do your research and word of mouth. Given the technology nowadays, it is not that hard. Also, they cannot refuse to treat you with the public system! You got the choice, and you got the power just as much as anyone else.
Incentive to be a great doctor... I doubt he or she would not be great great when he or she only cares about money. One thing for sure is that they will squeeze more money out of you, and keep you sick so they can get more pay. When people have the power to choose, do you think those poor performance doctor would have any patients left?

[LeAnn Cammack]

My dad was in the USAF for 20 years and we all got the best health care ever. I thought everyone could go to the doctor whenever they needed, get hospitalized if necessary, get prescriptions very cheaply, etc. My family wasn't rich by any means, but we never had to worry about health care and that was priceless.

If everyone could have access to the same care, you'd never go back to this haphazard, "I hope they cover this", "twenty percent of How Much?!?", "I'd better hold off on my dental work until the start of the new plan year", and "When did the plan stop covering that?" system we have now.

[s miller08]

Nailed him! I'm sure Colbert wishes he could've had that quote!

[roma1]

Absolutely one JS's best shows!!! Loved it, loved it!!! Bill Kristol might just have lost the case for the Re//th/ugs!!!!

[roch20]

Jon Stewart, you are my HERO!!!!!!!!!!!

[NMdonkey]

And Congresspeople have access to better health care than the rest of us schmucks. Does Kristol think they, like military members, are superior human beings who are more deserving of the best health care available? What a sad, sick, sorry excuse for a human being he is.

[BKearney]

Oh no the cat is out of the bag. Health care provided by one non-profit entity is better than for profit health care, Really?

[bonbk]

Jon Stewart did a GREAT job getting Kristol to spill the truth, then try to hem and haw his way out of it.

Worth watching the full interview.

[den1953]

Can't believe how one person can paid for being so wrong all the time!

[zeezan]

You are speaking of Kristol aren't you?

[mcmutter]

Kristol would sell his own mother to a hoehouse for a nickel.

[fittovote]

I was a military spouse for 7 years. All 3 of my kids were born in military hospitals. My wife stayed in the hospital 3 days for each birth & was encouraged to stay for rest and recuperation. Each birth cost us $10.

When we needed medical care, it was available. We never waited for an appointment, test or procedure any longer than we have waited under private insurance post-military. When a doctor wanted a test or procedure done for one of us, there was no insurance company bureaucrat nor government bureaucrat questioning his medical decisions or expertise. We never needed to wait for pre-approval.

Doctors and all medical staff were paid straight salaries. There were no incentives to limit care and no incentives to provide unneeded care. They could simply practice medicine and care for the patient more purely than they can in the for-profit insurance driven health care system.

The system was not perfect and there are, no doubt, horror stories to be found; like with any system. The biggest culprit was never ending budget battles for the military health care system. When it was funded well, it ran like a well oiled machine.

This was a government run health care system treating millions of people. It was well run and has been effectively providing healthcare for decades. So when Republicans say that the government cannot run a good health care system, they're just plain wrong. This is a system that we should aspire to.

[chirps]

Well said.

[Samalabear]

Listen to the VA system being discussed on Countdown:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

[k1k2lee]

Nicely said.

[s miller08]

The opposition knows that. They're trying to protect the "insurance lobby." It's all about the corporations.

[LeAnn Cammack]

Well said. My dad spent 20 years in the military and we had the same experience. See my post above. I'm very thankful and proud he served his country and his country took care of him and his family.

The country can provide the same option for the public and it will work.

[PhilipTaylor]

Truly, Kristol looked like a "little leaguer" next to Stewart!

Kristol admitted the Government runs the BEST Medical Care Program in America!

But to deny that to the rest of Americans sets up a CLASS-DRIVEN Society!

Shows that Kristol is a total "LIGHT WEIGTH" when it comes to logic and reason!