A Royal Screwing

The only health care reform plan that makes any sense is a single-payer system. I've discussed this subject before here and here. But since this is the best way, and the way that puts the blood-sucking health insurers out of business, you can bet your youngest child that it ain't gonna happen. We're still going to have to deal with health insurance scumbags. No way around it . . . so, assuming that there's no way we'll even get Congress to talk about single payer health care, what's the big debate about now? It's about something called the "public plan option." The next best thing for the consumer. What this option does is set up a government-sponsored health plan to compete with those in the private sector. We've already got such a system: everybody who works for the federal government, including all the lawmakers, and retirees falls under a government-sponsored system. Everybody. And I can attest personally that it works very well.

And that seems to be the problem. For the Republican party and the "moderate" Democrats--see how things get distorted? If you are in favor of the public plan, you're not a "moderate." What the hell???? Anyway, these people are unalterably opposed to any kind of government-sponsored program. Does this really surprise you? That these lackeys of corporate power are getting ready to stick it to us again? A system that by its nature is intended to keep the insurance companies honest and force them to actually compete is going to be spurned the guardians of our rights in Congress. Something that will actually be something resembling reform the health care system is going to be opposed by the Republicans automatically. We need people, ordinary people, the people who are being bilked and hurt, to insist that there be no compromise on the public plan.

Every single one of us is getting a royal screwing by the health insurance companies. Their miserable friends in the Congress want to make sure this keeps happening. If we blow this chance to stop this crime, we're finished--if we aren't already.

BTW, did you know that the health insurance industry has invested $14. 5 billion in the tobacco industry? That's billions to help a product that will kill us.

Update 1: Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich talked about health care reform with Bill Moyers last evening. He says the opposition to real reform, to anything that is going to cut into the obscene profits of big drugs, big insurance, and others is tres formidable, and the real test will be whether Obama has what it takes to stand up to them and demand what he wants. Frankly, I don't have much hope of this.