I have an article that was just posted on the main site, from a conference call earlier today in which Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), who serves as chairman of the health subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, said that Democrats were unlikely to vote on a comprehensive health-care reform proposal until early in 2010.

He said that any proposal would have to include a new government-run program modeled after medicare, and likely a mandate requiring that individuals purchase health insurance.

Also, he had some tough words for insurers and doctors:

“You won’t get the insurance companies onboard I don’t think, but they are the easiest to roll, because nobody likes insurance companies,” Stark said. “Somebody has to be the bad guy.”

He also struck a mocking tone when asked about doctors who complain about how much they get paid under government-run health-care programs.

“To somehow suggest that whatever some heart surgeon wants for a transplant in Los Angeles, and has to make $600,000 to $700,000 a year, as opposed to maybe they make $400,000 a year with Medicare fees, doesn’t get much sympathy from me,” he said.

Later in the call, he added: “I have been tussling with this for over 20 years, and I have yet to see a physician come into my office talking anything about their patients — the first thing they say is that they are going broke…That’s like my kid saying they’re going to hold their breath and turn blue if they don’t get their second dessert.”