Two stories today tell you a great deal about Republican attitudes toward health care in this country. One, predictably with the end of a Congressional session, was done on a Vampire Vote in the middle of the night. Via WaPo:

Republican lawmakers, with little public debate, quietly added a billion-dollar health-care benefit to legislation that was rushed through Congress just before it adjourned Saturday morning.

...The legislation allows anyone to shelter thousands of dollars annually in H[ealth] S[avings] A[ccount]s, regardless of how much that person pays for a health-insurance deductible. [The short: it was raised from $2,700 for an individual or $5,450 for a family to $2,850 for individuals and $5,650 for families.)

Now let's look at the story from the Post-Gazette:

But by most estimates, nearly half of all private-sector workers in the United States do not have a single day of paid sick leave. And more do not have a paid day off that can be used to care for a sick child.
[snip] Read more…