The House Bill is a corporate-corrupted pile of crap that will not solve the problem

[Zodiak]

That is just the state of things. We all knew exactly the kind of legislation that would come out of this Congress, and so it should come to no surprise to us that the bills in the House and Senate have provisions (3 year delay, patent protection, age discrimination, etc.) that work to protect corporate profits before the American People. Everything this Congress has done for many, many years has been pretty much in line with this overarching favoritism towards Wall Street.

However, when the battlefields are surveyed, we did pretty well considering we were at a horrible tactical disadvantage. After all, single payer came off of the table immediately....not because of its impracticality, but because its removal guarantees that the outcome of the health care debate heavily favored private insurance. What's more, we have been up against a gigantic disinformation campaign all summer, an entrenched and belligerent Republican party, a corporate media that promulgates Republican talking points, and a bevvy of Conservadems whose top priority is scuttling any progressive legislation their party may produce.

....in the end, we got a middling to weak public option and a few provisions that will cover a few extra Americans slowly over time.

But seriously, it could have been many times worse....and it looked to be many times worse at many points along the way.

I am definitely not happy with the bills as they are, but I have to say that strategically this is the time to get behind these Bills and get them passed. They suck, but they suck ever so slightly less than the status quo. This will accomplish a few things: 1) There will be people who are helped by this bill, and lives will be saved. 2) This will score a political victory for the Dems and show the American people that, unlike the Republicans, the Dems are capable of effecting some change, however incremental 3) This bill will create strong political will to effect more change because cost control will become the number one issue and lastly 4) Forcing the bill through the entire process will expose the corrupt politicians for what they are...ultimately they have to vote one way or another, and we will be there to keep score.

This is the way forward, I believe. We should always be mindful and vocal about the flaws in this bill, but we MUST support it as it goes through the process. Against all odds, a public option of some kind is in both houses.....even cynical me could not have predicted that

[babylonsister]

1. Why such a negative title when your eventual conclusion

is that we have to move forward with this and it's better than you suspected? :shrug:

[Zodiak]

2. It got you to look and read, didn't it?

I don't do OPs typically, but I learn how to title them watching others.

The title happens to also be the truth. The point is that despite this truth, we need to move forward. I certainly am not apt to put lipstick on pigs.

[babylonsister]

5. It just got me to wonder if you were another doom and gloomer.

:hi:

[Zodiak]

6. No, I am a different animal altogether

Cynical, idealistic, strategic all at once.

[babylonsister]

7. Sounds good to me.

:D

[napi21]

3. I know it's not single payer that most of us wanted, but

overall, I think it's a good start and will help a lot of people. It eliminates the pre-exting problem, eliminates the lifetime cap on benefits, sets limits on % rates can be raised, and many more things. I've only gotten through reading the first 100 pages too.

You mentioned age discrimination. There IS a two tier system that permits slightly higher rates for older individuals vS the young, but I don't see that as discrimination. Rates are based on risk, the same as loan rates are, and life ins. and many other things. You have to admit, the risk is higher on older people.

[Zodiak]

4. Please define "slightly higher rates"

Because in my book, 2x and 3x the rates of others is not slight. Slight would be a 25% increase...something less than 100%.

Remember also, age discrimination in healthcare is not a common practice in the world...in fact, I believe it is uniquely American. Wonder why? Because the lifetime risk of everyone dying or getting sick is 1.00.....100%. Universal healthcare is presumably over a period of a lifetime, is it not?

Older Americans are precisely the people we should not be nickle and diming to death.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Mediocrity is all we can expect

From mediocre and well paid for leadership. We are now a nation that embraces our lack of ability to do the right thing, or even the best thing.