Shame, shame, shame on the Democrats in the House and Senate.  

A spineless Congress and White House has deliberately failed to even begin the process of the US joining other industrialized nations that provide government administered, universal health care coverage....that is quality health care coverage for all as a human right.

Instead, the US legislative and executive branches, supposedly controlled by Democrats, who have top notch, government supplied health care coverage, have employed their usual hot air, smoke and mirrors, polishing a turd, form versus substance, busy getting dizzy with no effective results process to consign most people in this county to a continued, unaffordable patchwork of so called health care coverage dominated by the gazillionaire health care industry, one of corporate controllers of Capitol Hill and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

John Nichols writes at The Nation:

"The public option was always a compromise for serious supporters of health-care reform, who -- like Barack Obama when he was running for the Senate in 2003 -- knew that a single-payer "Medicare for All" system was what America needed to provide health care to everyone while controlling costs.

"But, in the reform legislation debuted Thursday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the compromise was even more compromised than had been expected.

"But, while there is a public option, it is anything but robust.

Progressives believe Pelosi has bent to far to the right.

"And The New York Times suggests as much in its analysis, which declares that:

Under pressure from moderate-to-conservative members of the House Democratic caucus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided to propose a government-run insurance plan that would negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals, rather than using prices set by the government...

Ms. Pelosi said the public plan, which she prefers to call a "consumer option," would compete with private insurers. But the speaker was apparently unable to muster the votes needed for the 'robust' liberal version of a public plan, which she has repeatedly said would save more money for consumers and the government.

"Translation: The "public option" Pelosi and her team have proposed a plan that would not make payments for care based on Medicare rates, as the Congressional Progressive Caucus and key Senate Democrats have proposed.

"Rather, under the Pelosi plan, the rates be tied to those of the big insurance companies. That's a big, big victory for the insurance industry, as it will undermine the ability of the public option to compete -- and to create pressure for reduced costs.

"Reviewing the details of Pelosi's plan in a passionate speech on the House floor, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, one of the chamber's most ardent advocates for reform asked: "Is this the best we can do? Forcing people to buy private health insurance, guaranteeing at least $50 billion in new business for the insurance companies?

"Kucinich continued:

" 'Is this the best we can do? Government negotiates rates which will drive up insurance costs, but the government won't negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies which will drive up pharmaceutical costs.

'Is this the best we can do? Only 3 percent of Americans will go to a new public plan, while currently 33 percent of Americans are either uninsured or underinsured?

'Is this the best we can do? Eliminating the state single payer option, while forcing most people to buy private insurance.

'If this is the best we can do, then our best isn't good enough and we have to ask some hard questions about our political system: such as Health Care or Insurance Care? Government of the people or a government of the corporations.' "

Health care reform has been joke played on regular Americans by a majority DINO Congress and DINO White House overwhelmingly inhabited by millionaires and multi-millionaires who do the bidding of corporations.  They are no different from the GOP and support and protect government of, by, and for the wealthy few and big business.

Unfortunately, it is no joke to those who continue to die every day because they lack affordable health care, or must fight for it even though they supposedly have coverage.