Health Insurance Companies: “Go Ahead, Cut the Baby in Half”
To everybody with at least two brain cells to rub together, it’s been obvious since the early 1990s that the health insurance industry has only one interest: gouging as many people as possible for as much money as possible. Period.
Their interest in health care is about the same as a loan shark’s heartfelt concern that everybody should have as much money as they need.
If the HMOs’ cutthroat mentality wasn’t obvious fifteen years ago, it became crystal clear last August when thousands of
And the health sharks’ ruthlessness and jugular mentality became even more blatant just a few days ago. Two days before the final committee vote on health care reform, the HMOs released a last-minute “report” showing how devastating it would be for every American if the HMOs’ profits were jeopardized.
This was a “report???” How about a “report” from one of those drug cartels, showing the incredible health benefits of shooting heroin at least three times a day.
And you’ve gotta love the timing. It’s exactly the same as those last-minute “hit pieces” that political candidates send out just a day or two before an election. The opponent doesn’t have time to respond, so thousands of voters go to the polls thinking “Oh my God, he raped and murdered his granddaughter and then threw the corpse at his ex-wife?!?!? That does it, I’m voting for his opponent.”
There hasn’t exactly been a Solomon anywhere in this health care debate. But even without one, the health insurers have shown their true colors. They’ve become that infamous mother who didn’t care if the baby was cut in half as long as that other woman couldn’t have him. “It shall be neither mine nor yours—divide it!” screamed the HMOs.
Referring to the HMOs’ last-minute tantrum and pout-fest, Nancy Pelosi said:
“Anyone who had any doubts about the need for such an option need only look at the behavior of the health insurance industry this week. The idea that we would have health insurance reform without a public option becomes less likely. If you are going to mandate that people must buy insurance, why would you throw them into the lion's den of the insurance industry without some leverage with a public option?”
You Go Girl.
Labels: “It shall be neither mine nor yours—divide it”, health insurance industry last minute report, Nancy Pelosi, Solomon
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:11 PM
22 Comments:
Well by the time this kicks in the 14,000 people who are losing their health care every day will add an additional 30 million people who will not have coverage. So they need to enact it this before we have 100 million uninsured. I can't believe the democrats are willing to wait that long and have one third the country uninsured while the earth is sinking from Global Warming.
Just a hunch, but I suspect if Pelosi was president, a final bill would've shown up for her to sign by now — and it would amount to Medicare Part E, meaning open to everyone. She didn't get to be speaker by being dumb, wishy-washy or ineffective.
I grew up in a town with a strong Italian-American presence, and some of my closest friends were from that group. I knew their families. I can tell you, Italian moms get stuff done. They tend to be smart, strong on rght-vs.wrong values and churchgoing Catholics. They can be as sweet and tender as a blooming rose or as tough and forceful as a bulldozer, depending on the situation.
I see just those qualities in Pelosi regularly, and admire her for them. If we somehow end up without a public option, I'm sure it will be in spite of her putting up one hell of a fight, possibly behind the scenes more than in the public eye, since this is a Democratic tug of war.
Nancy Pelosi is just waiting for her pay day. It's all about her.
She's got her lobbyists,Unions and trial lawyers all set to help line her pockets. Why throw us into the lion's den of the insurance companies when we can get thrown into the pride of the democrat's den.
Yep. It's like I said-that last trick almost guaranteed a public option as part of the final package. And they have no one but themselves to blame.
Lisa: You forgot to mention Nancy Pelosi's 20 gazillion dollar vineyard. Uh oh, you're slipping :)
SW: I'm from the Northeast originally, so I also grew up with a lot of Italians. My impressions are the same as yours.
Pelosi has caught a lot of shit for waffling and backsliding, but even when she's dodging back and forth and being diplomatic, I think there's an iron fist inside that velvet glove.
JR: I think that's what happened. A lobbying group can only insult the public intelligence so many times before almost everybody starts to finally see through them.
I think that getting a sensible, workable health care plan out of Congress is as likely as getting a coherent comment from your troll.
We are not talking about ethical people here, lies and more lies, is all we'll get from them. It's amazing how republicans stand behind the corporations that are almost running the country and the legislative body, not just republican politicians but the rank and file supporters, who know the lies are pouring from the mouths and the coffers of the lobbyists and yet they support them. They will cut the baby in half, no wisdom there.
Lew: LOL. In that case: come on Lisa, say something coherent.
Holte: Nope, no ethics whatsoever. Those cutthroats will happily cut the baby in half -- thousands of babies for that matter -- before they'll sacrifice any of their stranglehold on the public.
H/T to Lew Scannon.
FYI, Lisa, Pelosi's family was well off and her husband is very well off. She has a big family with a platoon of grandkids she adores. She's not hard at work in a high-profile, high-stress job years after most people her age have retired because she's concerned about lining her pockets. What she's about is something conservatives have trouble understanding. It's called public service.
Whether or not you like her politics, shove your smear attempts where the sun don't shine. When it comes to honesty and integrity, Pelosi has earned her stripes.
That's a damned sight more than can be said for Tom DelLay, Newt Gingrich and Dennis Hastert — three of many conservative black holes where ethics are concerned.
Small world, Tom. I also grew up in the Northeast.
SW: I thought maybe you were from the Northeast when you mentioned growing up with a lot of Italians. The San Francisco area has a large Italian population, but other than that I think most of them are in the Northeast.
Excellent answer to Lisa.
I love it when SW goes holy lib roller on the right wingnuts!
BTW, I personally think more of Nancy Pelosi than I think of all the republicans in house and senate combined. She's mostly been the target of right wing smear - why? Because she's a dem, she's a woman, and she's more powerful than they are. Gotta like that :)
As long as they sterilize the axe, which is, I know, asking for the moon.
SW-Did you know that as a rule liberals are more rich than conservatives?
But don't tell that to Goldman Sachs who just got a big bonus or the Unions who are going to strong arm and destroy the health care industry and businesses.
Yep try convincing people that the record unemployment,record foreclosures and record amount of people going to food banks that this is all for them.
The party of "public service" my ass.-
Bee: Pelosi catches a lot of shit from the Left too, for not being firm and steadfast enough, or fiery enough. I haven't followed her that closely, but it seems like all the bobbing and weaving and backpedaling she does is just part of the process. She sure is a target for every misogynist and wingnut out there.
Randal: I'm sorry, axe sterilization is not covered under the following exclusion on page 87, Paragraph c)...
Lisa: "liberals are more rich than conservatives" -- Since you're presumably answering SW's comment about Nancy Pelosi, what does this have to do with anything?
"the Unions who are going to strong arm and destroy the health care industry and businesses." Like I said in another comment, if you have paid vacations, weekends, sick leave, mandatory lunch and break periods at work -- thank those F$%&#!#!! labor unions.
lisa defecated,
Did you know that as a rule liberals are more rich than conservatives?
But don't tell that to Goldman Sachs who just got a big bonus or the Unions who are going to strong arm and destroy the health care industry and businesses.
Yep try convincing people that the record unemployment,record foreclosures and record amount of people going to food banks that this is all for them.
The party of "public service" my ass.-
Jesuski W. Christ, you're either one of the biggest frigging idiots ever spawned, or you're playing a game.
You ARE aware of WHO IS RESPONSIBLE for all those food banks, foreclosures, and unemployment rolls, aren't you? Let me help you a little-they had complete, unfettered power for 6 YEARS.
Dumbass, you're either too young to remember, or too stupid to know, that when we had strong unions in this country we DIDN'T have foreclosures, food banks, and mile-long unemployment lines. Do you revisionist asshats really think that if you repeat bullshit over and over again it becomes true?
Umm JR one of the reasons CA is broke is because of unions. Much of that state employs the public sector.
I bet Chris Dodd and Barney Frank would beg to differ on the housing crisis.
But as usual the silence is deafening.
Keep fallig for all he BS thi administration is feeding you and I will save you a spot on the chow line.
Lisa: So California is broke because of those wicked unions? Dream on.
Proposition 13, and then 16 years of Republican governors (from '82 to '98), plus the fact that the state doesn't have anywhere near the infrastructure or jobs for 30 + million people.
But it's easier to sit back and Watch Fox News and blame all the world's problems on those commie no-good unions.
Tom,
ABC news just had a guy who wrote a book comparing the health plans of US vs the other Industrialized Country (He thought the UK was the best).
When asked for the major comparison he said that the US Insurance Companies average a profit of 40% while everywhere else they average 5%
Erik
Erik: Thanks for that info. It makes perfect sense too. No wonder the health sharks in this country are putting up such a huge fight; they're scared shitless of a 5% profit in their future.
Lisa asked, "Did you know that as a rule liberals are more rich than conservatives?"
No, and I still don't.
there is no arguing with a lisa - she is always right.
the fact that insurance companies are profiting nicely as the country slips into a coma from a lack of affordable health care is quite stunning
and the fact that even the NON RICH republicans are backing the the GOP assholes in congress is just a testament to how completely stupid most republicans are.
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