Oct 13, 2009

Saying No to Greed

Karen Ignagni, spokesperson for the health insurance industry, was on the News Hour last night defending the industry’s complaints about the emerging healthcare reforms. While they had been happy with the prospect of forcing everyone in America to buy into their plans, they are alarmed now that the reforms will cut into their god-given profits. So, she warned, we will just have to raise everyone’s premiums.

Message to America, Obama, and the handful of congressfolk who don’t have their ears stuffed up with industry bribes: despite the fact that they do nothing to improve the health of Americans, the insurance industry insists on grabbing 25% of every dollar spent on healthcare.

They are greedy, pure and simple, all eyes to their profits, with no concern for the health of the nation, nor compassion for suffering citizens.

Robert Reich points us in the right direction:

Now’s the time for Senate Finance Committee and the White House to say to the insurance industry: You want to play hardball? Okay. We’ll play it, too. You didn’t want a public insurance option. That was one of your conditions for supporting the bill. You wanted gigantic profits from having thirty million new paying customers and the market to yourself. We agreed because we wanted your support and were afraid of the negative ads and hurricane of opposition you could finance. But you’re even greedier than we imagined. And now you’ve demonstrated that greed to the American people. They don’t want to turn over even more of their hard-earned money to you. So, insurance companies, we’ve got news for you. We’re going to make sure Americans have the freedom to choose a public insurance option that’s cheaper and better, and you’re going to have to work hard to keep them your customers. –Robert Reich, Salon

Alas, like Obama, Reich doesn’t go far enough. It is time — way past time — to cut the insurance companies out of the process.

Medicare for All. Now.

Michael Sky | CommonHealth