Last week, I posted a link to a Mike Fiore cartoon at my short post blog, Griper News. Fiore depicts two men plummeting through the sky. Both wear parachutes, but they argue about whether to use them. One argues that the parachutes are flawed and what they need to do is start over and design some sort of "hydrogen jetpack." Finally, the debate goes on too long and it's falling guys meet ground.
The moral of this story should be obvious. It isn't some whimsical notion President Obama had to reform what we've been calling our system of healthcare delivery. It's reaction to a real world problem that's happening right now. We have a healthcare crisis, it's happening now, and it's only getting worse. Republicans are fond of pointing out that the healthcare industry represents 1/6 of our economy. If we do nothing, it'll become 1/5. Insurance companies are raising rates at an alarming clip and there seems to be no end in sight. I don't feel I can say often enough that this is happening right now. And the opponents of reform are saying we should start over; in other words, wait. Meanwhile, the ground is getting closer and closer.
This February, insurance company whistleblower Wendell Potter wrote about increases from the industry.
The moral of this story should be obvious. It isn't some whimsical notion President Obama had to reform what we've been calling our system of healthcare delivery. It's reaction to a real world problem that's happening right now. We have a healthcare crisis, it's happening now, and it's only getting worse. Republicans are fond of pointing out that the healthcare industry represents 1/6 of our economy. If we do nothing, it'll become 1/5. Insurance companies are raising rates at an alarming clip and there seems to be no end in sight. I don't feel I can say often enough that this is happening right now. And the opponents of reform are saying we should start over; in other words, wait. Meanwhile, the ground is getting closer and closer.
This February, insurance company whistleblower Wendell Potter wrote about increases from the industry.
I pointed out on Countdown that WellPoint's planned increase in Maine was so high the state's insurance commissioner cut the planned increase in half, prompting WellPoint to sue the state. That case is still pending. And I noted that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska announced plans last year to increase rates on some of its plans by more than 35 percent. It won't take a lot of investigating for members of Congress to see that these outrageous rate increases are common, and that the WellPoint increase in California is nothing more than business as usual for this industry, which values profits far more than the health and well-being of its customers. If everyone who has received a rate increase notice lets their members of Congress know about it, it just might give lawmakers the motivation they need to get reform passed...[CLICK TO READ FULL POST]
