Well it’s almost High Noon for reconciling the House-and-Senate-passed healthcare reform bills and the media is flogging away at the story, notwithstanding the yawns of apathy shown by the public at large.

The Chronicle had a page full of stories on the subject from the AP today, and I saw a couple of items that might explain the vehement opposition this movement has generated. (That and the billions in profits at stake)

First was a chart from Deloitte and Touche detailing the expansion of Medicare payroll taxes to high income earners. You see, people with incomes over $106,000 have so far been exempt from the 2.9% Medicare payroll tax. A major source of funding for expanded health coverage under the bill would come from extending this tax to high-earners, from a annual levy of $450 from single taxpayers earning $250,000 a year, to a $43,000 tax bill on those earning $5,000,000. You know that nobody squeals louder about income taxes than those with the biggest income.

The other item that caught my eye was the measures in the bill to ensure that no tax dollars are spent for abortion coverage. This has been a sticking point in the House, with no-choice Congressman Bart Stupak of the C Street “Family” that has included disgraced Senator John Ensign and disgraced Governor Mark Sanford, threatening to derail the legislation. To my eye, the only item they have left to object to is the exception for cases of rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother, one accepted by most reasonable people.