If you want to "rein in" a cabal.....Don't mandate purchase of the cabal's product.

[Faryn Balyncd]

MSNBC: "Government insurance option appears doomed"

Senior House Democrats have largely abandoned hopes of including a government-run insurance option in the final compromise health care bill taking shape, according to several officials, and are pushing for other measures to rein in private insurers......

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34781635/ns/politics-health_care_reform/

[leftstreet]

1. K&R

Amen!

[EFerrari]

2. If you want to rein in a cabal, don't expect their employees to do it for you.

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Seriously, is there ANYTHING remaining in this joke of a bill even slightly resembling reform?

Fuck this piece of shit. Start over, and do it right. With single payer. The public option was the compromise that allowed those criminal cowards to remain in business. That should have been the line drawn in the sand. Even that was more than they deserved. Now there's no reason to give them even that much mercy.

Pull the plug on these fucking criminals. Their existence serves no valid purpose.

[frog92969]

4. K&R

[Skittles]

5. you watch - they will tie it to your credit rating

[grahamhgreen]

6. Of course! As the credit ratings agency do not have to disclose how they come by scores.

[OneBlueSky]

7. I still don't understand how we can turn our healthcare system over . . .

to entities that have absolutely zero interest in the provision of healthcare -- good, bad, or indifferent . . . corporations have one purpose, and one purpose only -- to make as much money as possible for their shareholders . . . it's their fiduciary responsibility, and it's the law . . . nothing about what they do has anything at all to do with providing good, affordable healthcare for Americans . . .

does anyone believe that's why these corporations were formed? . . . they were formed because healthcare is a multi-billion dollar business, and the people who formed the corporations saw an opportunity to get a share of the pie . . . that's it . . . it had nothing at all to do with altruism, generosity, or serving the American people . . . and now that they're up and running, it's in their best interest to maximize their income (i.e. increase premiums) and minimize their expenditures (i.e. decrease payouts for benefits) in order to earn the greatest profits possible -- as their fiduciary role requires them to do . . .

how does it make any sense at all to turn our healthcare system over to entities that have absolutely zero interest in healthcare? . . . and complete and total interest in bleeding their customers as much as they possibly can in order to maximize their profits? . . .

again, health insurance companies have NO interest in healthcare . . . their only interest is making money, and the vast sums spent on healthcare is simply a golden opportunity for them to rake a bundle right off the top . . . while screwing policyholders at every opportunity . . .

[Union Yes]

8. Proud knr! nt

[TheKentuckian]

9. Leaving them an anti-trust exemption should be like a neon sign

that says "No real regulation here".

I haven't seen one response to this situation. Even the surest spinners must know there isn't anything to stand on there.

Big insurance will continue to rape and pilage as they have always done with an updated wink and a nod, codefied right into the bill.