Why HCR, why now?

[BeFree]

Could it be that like most every other major business in America that is not defense related, the HC Insurance companies are about broke?

GM, is broke, conservative talk radio is broke, Medicare is, SS is, the US government is broke and borrowing to stay afloat.

If you ever wanted collapse, you may soon be satisfied. Not even this bailout of HC will save the system. The system is broke. Bankrupt or on the edge.

Personally, collapse scenarios make me sick. It didn't have to come to this, but here we are.

[ixion]

1. Yep: the insurance companies want their bail out

and they got it, at our expense, as usual.

It's another sad day for America.

[sandnsea]

2. Why did Howard Dean propose it in 2004?

Do people even try to think around here.

[BeFree]

3. Propose what?

HCR? Was Dean the first to propose HCR? That would be news to me.

Dean, bless his heart, can't tell us the truth, either. No one in office or close to power can. Most people can't even think about it, it's too awful.

[still_one]

4. I will tell you why now. We have some Democratic Senators who are not particularly healthy

We hold the filibuster in check by a very narrow margin

It is as simple as that

[SharonAnn]

5. Because it wasn't done yesterday, last week/month/year/decade.

[damntexdem]

6. Why not 60 years ago, 44 years ago, 36 years ago, 15 years ago?

Why not true reform now?

[juno jones]

7. Because it is a huge distraction.

Here's two subjects I have yet to see appear on DU.

We just bombed Yemen in support of our Saudi allies.

NBC: U.S. fired on al-Qaida targets in Yemen
Warships launched missiles on Obama's order in joint operation with ally
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34485336/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

And our economic system is as ersatz as the gold bars propping it up.

Moody’s warns of 'social unrest’ as sovereign debt spirals
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/6819470/Moodys-warns-of-social-unrest-as-sovereign-debt-spirals.html

officials-and-experts-warn-of-crash
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/12/officials-and-experts-warn-of-crash.html

The health care bait and switch has become a major distraction, drawing liberal attention from other pressing matters. Perhaps that's what it was intended to do, since it's not really changing anything.