Gov. Tom Corbett set the stage Tuesday for his budget address with a theme similar to President Barack Obama’s exit of his recent State of the Union address with a rousing acknowlegement of personal sacrifices made by military personnel.

Neither did so by accident, but their intentions were very different.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Cory Rembsurg, a wounded veteran with 10 missions in Afghanistan, received thundrous applause during Obama’s speech. In fact, Remsburg’s presence received more applause than anything the president said.

Likewise, Corbett’s introduction of Maj. Randy Lutz and Chief Warrant Officer Joshua Soper, helicopter pilots with the 104th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, brought a standing ovation for the soldiers, who had their own recent mission in Afghanistan.

Corbett then introduced a dose of reality: the Pentagon wants to move the Apache helicopters and pilots out of Pennsylvania. He asked Pennsylvanians to join him and the state’s National Guard commander, Adjutant General Wesley Craig, in their fight to prevent the move.

The governor mentioned his own service with a National Guard aviation battalion, drawing further distinction between himself and Obama — a distinction not lost on a state population saturated with aging veterans.

Corbett’s subtle setup had a purpose; namely, to enhance the appeal of his own health care reform proposal, Healthy Pennsylvania, while discrediting Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act.

“As the federal government has asserted more authority over health care in recent years, Pennsylvania has showed caution,” Corbett said. “We know a great deal about health care policy in this state. We have a history of bipartisan reform to prove it.”

Corbett said Healthy Pennsylvania will make the most of the state’s buying power by taking “full advantage of competitive pricing in the free market.” The program will bring more doctors into under-served communities and bring specialists to remote areas through telemedicine, he said.

While Washington continues to sort out its health care reform, “Healthy Pennsylvania will put high-quality, private-sector health insurance within reach of all our citizens, whatever their means,” Corbett said.

“This is the solution we have chosen for ourselves. The alternative is to let Washington, with its usual one-size-fits-all mind-set, make our choices.”

And Washington’s mind-set, he said, would send a half million currently uninsured Pennsylvanians into Medicaid, a restrictive entitlement program. By contrast, Healthy Pennsylvania would give these individuals and families more choices and independence, encourage healthy behavior, and deliver better care at less cost to the taxpayers — while saving the state more than $125 million in its first year.

“All we need is a waiver from Washington. We’ll do the rest,” Corbett said.

We’ve all heard variations of this statement: “If Obamacare is so bad, what’s the Republican alternative?”

Healthy Pennsylvania is an alternative. Corbett should be given a chance to demonstrate it.