Maine (4.00 / 1)

Maine as one of the strongest single payer movements in the country. It is breath taking how little regard for constituent opinion these senators have.

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by: AliceDem @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 10:37:25 AM CDT

When was the last time ... (4.00 / 1)

politicians gave a crap about their constituents? .. Dennis K?  Bernie Sanders? .. How many others?

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by: Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 10:43:32 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Keith Ellison (4.00 / 1)

He's done OK by me.

"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

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by: SpitBall @ Tue Sep 23, 2009 at 11:31:34 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Keith Ellison (0.00 / 0)

is AMAZING. Man I wish he was my congressman.  

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by: ai002h @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 19:18:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

And that's why (0.00 / 0)

the greatest danger of the public option is that the "reform" plan will stack the deck against it, putting it at a severe disadvantage (a disadvantage that may exist regardless given private insurance's ability to cherry-pick customers), thereby actually hurting the push for single-payer.

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by: david mizner @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 10:46:22 AM CDT

You mean just shut em down without any (0.00 / 0)

opportunity to rip off a few billion more before they are forced to cut their costs?

This is the line in the sand.  At least it had better be.   If Obama and the Democrats get away with this, just what is the point?  

They're asking for another four years -- in a just world, they'd get 10 to 20. ~~ Dennis Kucinich  

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by: dkmich @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 11:10:25 AM CDT

Poor, brain-addled Olympia Snowe (4.00 / 3)

and so many of her ilk are still under the illusion that the healthcare "marketplace" is already a competitive environment where companies vie to offer the best service at the lowest cost. When the reality is this:

"94 percent of insurance markets in the United States are now highly concentrated, and insurers are thriving in the anti-competitive marketplace"

(HT: TPM)

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by: jeffbinnc @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 11:52:33 AM CDT

Insurance companies = rentiers (0.00 / 0)

This is feudalism, not capitalism.

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by: tdub @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 12:25:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Serfs (0.00 / 0)

Let us eat cake.

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by: Aliceann @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 17:59:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The cat is coming out of the bag (0.00 / 0)

In the last couple of weeks we have had testimony to Congress revealing that in the credit card industry people who pay off their balances each month are known as 'free loaders'.

And in the health insurance business that actual payouts of covered claims are called 'medical loss'.

At one point in time credit and insurance were services for which providers charged a fee. And particularly for the former were controlled by regulation in the form of usury laws. Deregulation simply flipped that service model on its head, now the money is to be made by extending credit to people with bad credit and offering health coverage to people who don't need it.

I knew we were in trouble when American Express upended its whole business model, back in the day you were not even allowed to carry balances from month to month, now they continually badger you to 'go Blue', i.e. start paying interest on carried balances. 'Service' has been mutated into 'exploitation'.

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by: Bruce Webb @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 11:56:44 AM CDT

gee.... (0.00 / 0)

so they're saying "we don't want competition because it lowers prices, impacting our bottom line"

As you say, Chris--duh..   Any college freshman who's taken Econ 101 could tell us that's the whole point of competition--to keep prices down.  

If money didn't make its own Justice, I'd almost say these guys are digging holes, that a properly disinterested DOJ and Court could prosecute (either using existing anti-trust statute, or maybe even criminally, in cases like the LA dumpings)

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by: justadood @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 12:21:08 PM CDT

Cover the uninsured (0.00 / 0)

Sorry, the number one priority is, or should be, to cover the uninsured.  A second priority is to eliminate the insurance scams such as "pre-existing illnesses", huge discounts for large employers, failure to cover individuals.  Of course, better health care and the ability to change jobs is also up there.

There is way to much swiss cheese here.  Holes everywhere.  The oddest thing is that filling in the holes actually saves money.

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by: David Kowalski @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 12:24:53 PM CDT

I agree (0.00 / 0)

The most expensive health insurance is, undoubtedly, the best health insurance. Rarely does one see such rapier-like insights from a sitting US Senator. I may move to Maine simply for the honor of living in the State that sends Sen. Snowe to DC. She deserves several robust rounds of applause in the public square, really she does.

 

"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

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by: SpitBall @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 12:34:05 PM CDT

so tired (4.00 / 1)

of these rotten bastards

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by: velvetdays @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 12:43:42 PM CDT