The HHS report is out and it's predicting a MAJOR increase in Health Insurance Premiums. This is at the time when Health Insurers in 4 major states have raised premiums by upwards of 40%. Add to this, the list of Senators who support adopting the public option through reconciliation is growing daily. It seems the snowball is gaining momentum.
Perhaps this was the plan all along. Wait until premiums were raised high enough across the board that the public outcry would drown out those who oppose health care reform.
These premium increases are going to cause major pain for individuals and businesses alike. More and more of them can't or won't be able to afford to continue coverage.
It has been my experience in life that people don't usually demand change unless they are in pain. Then they yell loud and clear.
The Dems in Congress have NO CHOICE but to act. Otherwise they are demonstrating that they don't care or listen to the will of the people who support the public option by 66% to 33%. That 33% of course are GOP crazies who dote on propagandists like Beck, Limbaugh and Palin.
Their failure to act and relieve the pain that Americans are feeling ON TOP OF major unemployment will only result in major Dem losses in November.
Americans just want it done! They don't care about the political posturing game that is going on in DC. They want health care and they want it NOW!
The Dems need to learn from Rove's playbook in 2002. Rove forced Dems to go on the record about Iraq. The one's who didn't support Iraq were major targets in the 2002 election, most of which were soundly defeated.
In this day when no one has the extra cash to even go to the doctor because it will most likely result in a bill upwards towards $100 or more, health care reform is even NOW TODAY a more important issue than it was a year ago.
Glad to see that they are finally getting it. No more deals with people like Nelson and Lieberman. Either they are part of the Dem caucus or they are not.
I wrote Lieberman last summer and receive a letter back that said...."I don't care what you think. If you are not from CT, then your opinion doesn't matter to me." Of course I am paraphrasing but that was the gist of it. In fact, Liebermann doesn't care about his own constituency either since they overwhelmingly support the public option.
It's time to use reconciliation to just get it done! We have the opportunity to do it NOW. We may not have that opportunity later in the year especially if they continue to stall insisting on Bipartisanship which is NEVER going to happen.