President Obama said that the Public Option was needed to keep insurance companies honest.

[rateyes]

Since the public option doesn't seem to be on its way to becoming law, what's going to keep the insurance companies honest now?

[dkf]

1. His faith in the charity and goodwill of American Corporations of course.

:sarcasm:

[rateyes]

2. Oh. I forgot about that.

:sarcasm: :hi:

[Blasphemer]

16. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with the Corporations... nt

[DrToast]

3. We'll put Lieberman on the case

[rateyes]

4. There you go. Send a fox to guard the henhouse.

[snagglepuss]

5. That is an excellent question.

:thumbsup:

[mzmolly]

6. Regulation?

:shrug:

[rateyes]

7. Bwaahahahahahahaaaaa!

:rofl:

Now, THAT is funny.

[mzmolly]

8. Rockefeller/Franken Amendment?

;)

[rateyes]

9. If we could get up to about 90%, that would be great.

[mzmolly]

10. I agree.

:hi:

[Bodhi BloodWave]

18. unless i read an earlier report wrongly, the bill does have around 400 pages of regulation for the

insurance companies

[Jamastiene]

11. In order to keep the bastards honest, they would need to already be honest.

There will be nothing to make them honest. Any light tap on the wrist that this current administration does add to this bill will be removed once the Republicans (or another trojan DINO) get back in power...that would be the only reason they would ever revisit this legislation. I can guarantee that. They certainly aren't gong to unburden the middle class EVER.

[polichick]

12. They're far from honest now, and nothing in the anticipated bill will make them honest...

The president seems to think that the people can be easily fooled. This time, I don't think so.

k&r

[Hydra]

13. The President Outsmarted himself in this regard, I think

He campaigned hard for the things that were really needed, and spoke the truth about what was wrong with things...and now he's stuck supporting the very things he spoke out about, because the Presidency is nothing more than the public relations face of TPTB.

I wonder if he knew that going into the office, or if he got the "talk" after the election.

[DisgustedInMN]

14. Obama promised you "Change you can believe in."

Now he's living up to it.

He's changed his mind. He'd rather suck up to the corporate masters, than do what WE put him there for.

Believe it.

[tbyg52]

15. Don't know if he'd "rather" or if the system's got him, but the result *is* the same. nt

[uponit7771]

17. Tripiling the number of CHC's,.....next?

[TheKentuckian]

19. How does that keep big insurance honest or provide them with competition?

This isn't a snark contest but rather a real issue that affects us all.

[w4rma]

20. He had good people working for his campaign and then he hired Rahm and Goldman Sachs

to run the country. We're screwed.

[Vidar]

21. K&R.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

22. The American People should keep the insurance companies honest

if people weren't so apathetic about health care......
After all the government is only a so called representation of the people. If the people want change they should do something about it!

[TheKentuckian]

23. Suggestions??? An individual against those kind of resources is tough

we put people in place to use the system to keep them honest, that is how our law works. What are we supposed to do that we haven't?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

38. the people are not complaining enough

[Proud Liberal Dem]

24. Going out on a limb here......

the customers. More customers means that insurance companies will have to do a better job providing their services for or risk a backlash- the kind of massive backlash that might actually lead to a real PO or SP. It's kind of like the draft. The more people whom are affected by something the more likely they are to demand change if they're not getting what they want (i.e. good coverage, reasonable rates). Plus, more healthy people will be paying into the system and can shop around easier than people whom are sick or older. :shrug:

[TheKentuckian]

25. The customers are not a systemic or regulatory tool

that is hoping shit eventually will work out as it should.

Prayer isn't real policy for either party.

[Armstead]

31. What do you think has been going on for 15 years?

There has been a backlash since at least the early 1990's.

People hate health insurance companies, the exhorbotant rate hikes, the abusive denials of service.

People have been pissed and they wanted solutions.

But our President and Congress refuse to provide them.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

33. I guess it hasn't quite hit the kind of critical mass

that could get officeholders thrown out of office for not supporting a PO. Also, Republicans would not be able to successfully demagogue an issue if people still didn't buy into the demagoguery. Unfortunately, people are apparently still not in a mood for (or at least continue to be *scared* of) more government programs, unfortunately. If the public REALLY wants a PO, then, if history has taught us one thing, they WILL keep speaking up and fighting for what they need/want. We ARE getting some much needed reforms now, however, which, considering the presence of conservadems and "Traitor Joe", is quite an achievement. Now, we need to keep working on electing more progressive Dems to Congress whom will continue the work of HCR- NOT giving up and sitting on the sidelines. I don't think that even President Obama claimed that what happens this year was going to be anything more than a framework and attempt to breakthrough the inertia of doing nothing that has persisted for several decades.

[Armstead]

34. There is a critical mass -- Democrats failed to harness it

There is a segment of the population -- always will be -- who will resist any government involvement in anything, including healthcare.

But a larger segment, including middle of the roaders -- who have wanted help for a long time.

They would support striong fregulagtion of insurers and some kind of public alternative.

All of gthe pieces have been in place for a long time. But the Democrats have failed to deliver on any meaningful reform.

Instead they have put in an authoritarian plan that forces them to buy healthcare -- but does not even regulate prices.

That is not the basis for biulding the foundation for future reform.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

39. There's really not much anybody could've done

with Conservadems like Nelson, Landrieu, Lincoln, and ESPECIALLY "Traitor Joe". The Senate was practically prepared to adopt a Medicare Buy-In and the late Senator Kennedy's bill did include a PO, albeit a weak one. Unfortunately, it has ended up being all about the numbers and, unfortunately, despite the fact that Lieberman supposedly caucuses with the Dems, he hasn't exactly been a very reliable vote on this whole endeavor, so, frankly, we don't have the numbers to approve what I think most Dems and probably even President Obama would have liked to have achieved. There are methods by which we might be able to still do a Medicare Buy-In but something like that, which could imperil efforts to get what we do have approved, probably won't be able to happen until afterwards because nobody wants to run the risk of the Conservadem/Traitor caucus to pull their support for what we have now- as it stands on the precipice of becoming law.

[shadesofgray]

26. Nothing. Obama lied about wanting a public option from the get go...

so he never was concerned about whether they were honest or not. It was all a sham.

[SpartanDem]

27. The 400 pages of regulations in the bill?

Democrats in the House and Senate have filled their bills with a dizzying array of rules and regulations on insurers. The insurance market provisions in the Senate bill alone run nearly 400 pages.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-health-assess18-2009dec18,0,5056746.story

[SpartanDem]

28. dupe

[Moochy]

29. What's going to keep them Honest?

Obama's forward-looking attitude, his strict avoidance of accountability, unbroken promises of future corporate welfare at the highest levels, and his supporters' kind and inclusive spirit.

[Armstead]

30. Don't you believe in Reaganesque supply side trickle down economics?

If we allow private corporations to benefit, they will magnanimously share the wealth with the rest of us.

Welcome to the New Democrat Party.

[freddie mertz]

32. We should stop obsessing on the Senate bill for now and try to get it mended..

In reconciliation.

Call your representatives.

[quaker bill]

35. He said it was "a way" to keep them honest

He never said it was the only way. Regulation can also work. As long as honesty is the only way to get into the OPM managed exchanges, then the mission is accomplished in relevant part.

[Skittles]

36. nothing

which is precisely why the bill is one giant piece of SHIT

[brentspeak]

37. What's needed to keep Obama himself honest?

[ChiciB1]

40. Obama Said This, Obama Said That... Obama Said, Obama Said...

What Obama said isn't something he really has DONE!! He says a lot... action... not so much!

[EndElectoral]

41. Just like the banks did, they will wheel in significant profits off this bill.