" 'This is an outrageous threat by one of the richest industries in America,' said Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the 86,000-member California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.  

" 'Our legislators should respond to this bullying and stop coddling a useless industry whose sole function is to make enormous profits from the pain and suffering of patients while providing little in return,' said DeMoro.

"Overall, the Finance Committee bill in particular will 'still constitute a stunning, massive bailout for the insurance industry,' said DeMoro. Components of that bailout include:

• The individual mandate requiring all those without coverage to buy private insurance; even if the penalty is reduced, still worth tens of millions of new paying customers.
• Subsidies for moderate income people to buy insurance.
• No meaningful price controls on what insurers can charge in premiums, co-pays, deductibles, co-insurance and other fees.
• No meaningful reforms on insurance denials of care recommended by doctors that the insurers don't want to pay for. 

" 'It's long past time for our elected leaders in Congress and the Obama administration to acknowledge that the problem today is not a public option, it's the private option. The private insurers are at the heart of everything that is wrong with our present system and why it is failing in access, cost and quality.' "

"The best way to respond to this crisis, said DeMoro, 'is to remove the obstructionist and interfering role of the insurance industry entirely by expanding and updating Medicare to cover everyone.' "

"The House is expected to vote on a Medicare for all amendment this month by Rep. Anthony Weiner. CNA/NNOC is urging all legislators to support it."

"The report, issued by American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), is a particular stab in the back to President Obama and Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus. Both have spent recent month’s assiduously kissing the insurers’ gold plated butts, in exchange for their “co-operation” on health care reform. The Baucus bill is already a giveaway to the health insurance industry: By requiring millions more Americans to buy private health insurance plans, it stands to shovel even more money into their coffers, while posing little government regulation and no competition from a public plan."

Meanwhile, Rose Ann DeMoro and Michael Moore explain why the current bills in Congress don't solve the health care crisis and are just exercises in re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 

"..overall, the leading bills and the President's proposal are, like the dog that didn't bark, more notable for what is missing."

Here are just a few of the 13 problems of the current health bills (partial list), that they list:

--No cost controls on insurance companies. The coming sharp increases in premiums, deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, etc. will quickly outpace any projected protections from caps on out-of-pocket costs.

--Insurance companies will continue to be able to use marketing techniques to cherry-pick healthier, less costly enrollees.

--Not universal

--No definition of covered benefits

This health care reform (what a euphemism) fiasco graphically illustrates how well deserved is the United States' terrible reputation as one of the only industrialized nations without government administered, universal health care. That this should be true in the 21st century is shameful as it continues to condemn tens of thousands to death in this country based on economic inequality.  

The responsibility for those deaths belongs to the elected officials in Washington who have opposed, still oppose, or caved to those who oppose government administered health care for all.