>>>If the Health care bill wins today, I will personally write letters to every House member who votes "yes" and will personally start a website to call for their ouster when their elections come up.
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>>>Today is an important flashpoint in modern American history - either Barack Hussein Obama will finally "get the message" of the American people....or the U.S. will quite possibly take the biggest step backwards since 1929.
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>>Five years from now, or even fewer, you will realize how wrong you are. We are about to finally catch up to the rest of the advanced world. The system we have now is embarrassing and Obama had the stones to change it.
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>You might want to actually read the bill before you make that statement. Unless something has changed, it is still being presented as providing medical insurance for the majority of Americans (which is what the systems in your "advanced" countries do), but in fact it is requiring Americans to purchase insurance if their employers don't provide it. That is not in any way shape or form similar to European or Canadian systems. If you do not purchase health insurance, then you will be fined up to 2.5% of your gross pay. Even given that serious problem, the part that really concerns me most is the Medicare cuts. On top of that, while everyone is forced to now purchase health insurance and the insurance companies cannot drop anyone or refuse coverage, there is no enforcement of reasonable rates but rather taxes and fines on the good coverage policies or the so-called 'maserati' policies. The assumption is that the market (more insurees paying into it and more competition) will control the premiums. So not only are you required to purchase health insurance, everyone will have a mediocre policy and there is no limit to what it will cost. Hopefully it will also include a reasonable cap on the premium rates.

I do not believe everyone will have a mediocre policy. I've got a mediocre policy now, and one that gets more expensive every year, way ahead of inflation. As you have said yourself, the current system is busted.

My only regret about this historic bill is that there will be no public option. It's still going to be like riding a bronco to keep the insurance companies honest. They will still face only regulatory pressure, not competitive pressure. These guys are predatory you know whats and I have no idea why anyone defends them.

As I said to Kevin, let's see how this all looks 5 years from now. I sincerely believe we will be in a better place.