Can Democrats expand healthcare coverage during the Bush White House?

The Democrats in Congress today pushed for significant changes in Medicare funding that would complement the bipartisan agreement on expanding government-funded health care coverage for low-income children across the US. According to a report by the New York Times, Democrats Press House to Expand Health Care Bill, President Bush is likely to veto a bill that would cut Medicare funding for privately-run health plans. How credible, really, is President Bush's announcement that expanding coverage for low-income American children is a step down the path of big, government-run health care? In any case, it does seem unlikely that the Bush White House will allow the passage of a significant expansion of any health care reform that does not fit into Bush's vision of a highly-privatized, competitive market with significantly less government intervention than today. Whatever the outcome, it is likely that this will become a campaign issue, and a particularly difficult one for GOP candidates to deal with.