Your Daily Dose of Health Care Reform Stupidity

Well, well.  The Senate Finance Committee finally got off its arse and passed health care reform legislation.  Sen. Snowe flipped her party a big bird and joined the Dems in getting it done, saying "When history calls, history calls."  Mitch McConnell's trying to play her defection off as no big deal, but she's taken a serious risk breaking party ranks.  So, y'know, kudos to her for courage.

Speaking of breaking ranks, a couple of Blue Dogs are pulling a Snowe and telling the Dogs that the public option's a good thing.  Good on them.

Greg Sargent has a good roundup here.  Better than what my tired arse is gonna manage, anyway.

Let's leave legislation behind and have some fun at AHIP's expense, shall we?  It's rather too bad for them that their super-special report got undercut by the very folks who issued it.  Turns out, AHIP had PWC analyze only cherry-picked bits of proposed health care reform, and when the non-cherry-picked bits are included, the conclusions are quite different.  Be still, my heart.

That painful debunking, of course, didn't stop AHIP from doubling-down with that report.  Or from issuing super-secret talking points that show just how desperate they are to turn reform into their very own cash cow.  They haven't even seemed to pause for a second to realize their strategy's backfiring.  Rep. Weiner's pleased that AHIP's is making the reform advocates' case for them. 

Nobody loves them.  Except Joe Liberman, who's turned into a proper little parrot.  Imagine that.

And, finally, a little something to send to those who claim health care reform = ZOMG-RATIONING!!1!11!  Health care as it stands in this country already includes rationing, thank you so very much.

Hang tight, my darlings.  We're finally in the home stretch on this thing.