I fully expect that there will be massive changes to the HC bill.  

The unfair to 49 states "Nebraska Compromise" is gonna split this bill wide open in the House. With Stupak and his followers refusing to back down, that alone  will create an opening for many, many others to demand changes also.

This battle is far from over.

Someone earlier today wrote a snide anti union slur comment to me and laughed at Labor hero and new AFL-CIO President Trumka and dismissed him as a fat white guy with a mustache. This both shocked and disgusted me.  What kind of "liberal" would say such a thing?

Let me tell you - unions are mad at this bill and they have a right to be,  Just for starts, how can progressives not care that much of the funding for this bill comes from a 40% special tax on good employer provided plans like those provided by organized labor.  (and few others these days) I expect the AFL to fight against this attempt to pay for this bill by hurting working families.(Where did Obamas oft repeated promise to tax the super rich to pay for all this go?) And please be sure,  there will be other changes introduced, so we dont know whats coming.

I mean the chair of the RULES committee, Congresswoman Slaughter, came out against the bill, and if you dont know how our congress works - let me tell you - thats HUGE.  Many house member will demand a public option - understand this battle is not over as yet.  So save your champagne for New Years - toasting the passage of this bill is premature.  its not passed till - its actually passed - and this hasnt happened yet, so put down your glasses...

But lets pretend this bill will become the law..

We'll still be spending twice the average of OECD countries.

Nothing will be controlling co-pays, deductibles, annual and lifetime caps.

More of us will be insured; more of us will be underinsured.

With mandates to policies that have 60% actuarial values, many of us will still be vulnerable to bankruptcies driven by medical expenses.

The biggest cause of excess expense and gaps in coverage is our crazy quilt of government programs and private for-profit insurance.

A public option to our health care system is the way to bring efficiency and rationality to our health care financing.

Instead this reform strengthens the role of for-profit insurance, which will expand their political heft.

At its core, this is not incremental change, but enshrining the basis of the status quo.

States will even be forbidden to pursue waivers to create alternative funding systems, such as single payer, till 2017.

I'd be delighted that 30 million more of our fellow citizens will have some insurance,