The House Judiciary Committee throws down the gauntlet.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted to repeal the insurance industry's federal antitrust exemption in a move aimed at spurring competition and controlling the cost of premiums.

The panel, in a 20-9 vote, approved legislation to ban companies from engaging in price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation. The measure may be combined with a proposed overhaul of the health-care system the House is considering.

Three House Republicans crossed the aisle to vote in favor of revoking the exemption, which dates back to 1945. Two of these Republicans represent marginal districts -- Dan Lungren of California 3, which narrowly backed Barack Obama in 2008, and Tom Rooney of Florida 16, which was represented by a Democrat in the previous Congress -- perhaps explaining why they would join the Democrats on this measure. However, the other, Louis Gohmert, represents a district in Texas with a Cook PVI rating of R+21. What's more, he traditionally votes extremely conservatively, suggesting, perhaps, that there could be more widespread support for stripping the insurance companies' antitrust exemption than one might otherwise expect.

Regardless of this measure eventually becomes a part of overall healthcare reform legislation, it does give those in favor of reform important leverage in negotiations and deliberations -- including over whether or not to include a robust public option.

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Crossposted from Hillbilly Report.

You know, single-payer was taken off the table before the table was ever sat down at by anyone. Now, most of the focus on healthcare is centered around the Baucus bill which is equivilant to more Corporate Welfare and does not even include a public option. While some Democrats are showing disgust at some of us that are being critical of our party's leadership, I believe that at this time in this debate and to effect the debate on policies that will follow after the conclusion of the healthcare fight, critical voices are now needed more than ever. To me, it seems as if most of our leaders in our party are merely running around in circles trying to avoid the real solutions Americans need to solve our healthcare crisis.

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Crossposted from Hillbilly Report.

You know, single-payer was taken off the table before the table was ever sat down at by anyone. Now, most of the focus on healthcare is centered around the Baucus bill which is equivilant to more Corporate Welfare and does not even include a public option. While some Democrats are showing disgust at some of us that are being critical of our party's leadership, I believe that at this time in this debate and to effect the debate on policies that will follow after the conclusion of the healthcare fight, critical voices are now needed more than ever. To me, it seems as if most of our leaders in our party are merely running around in circles trying to avoid the real solutions Americans need to solve our healthcare crisis.

There's more...

For anyone not interested in slogging through the debate on the 500-odd amendments to the Baucus bill, it has become increasingly and painfully apparent that the healthcare legislation soon to emerge from at least the Senate will fall far short in reigning in out of control health care costs.

That lapse is especially ironic in that "affordability" is perhaps the only goal that seems to top everyone's to do list, from President Obama to the "keep the government hands off my (government-financed) Medicare" crowd.

But as long as our policy makers refuse to throw the elephant out of the room, the insurance company pirates and their predatory pricing practices,  all their subsidies and tweaking will amount to little more than an umbrella in a hurricane.  

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It's time to stop talking about make believe death panels, and talk about the real ones.

Six of California's biggest insurance companies have rejected more than one in five claims the past seven years -- according to data the insurance giants, Blue Cross, PacifiCare, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, Cigna, and Aetna report to the state Department of Managed Care.

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