As a former insurance agent I am pleased to see that people are finally wising up. As a health insurance executive once told me ... we are in the business of collecting premiums, not paying claims. If people knew how many gaps and limits there are in their coverage they would be amazed. The sad part is they never find out until they have a large claim.

Making our healthcare system a profit-driven has always been plain stupid. All the incentives are wrong. What's sad to see is that just like the Republicans, the Democrats are obviously in the pockets of big insurance.

I've taken a lot of flack on a lot of blogs for saying this, but here goes again:

We hold the key to solving this problem. All we have to do is STOP GIVING THE INSURERS OUR MONEY. But, but, but you say...what if I get sick during the 3 - 6 months it would take to put the insurers out of business? Well, at the current rate of medical bankruptcies, each of us has a better than 1 in 10 chance of going bankrupt over medical expenses sometime during our lives anyway - and that's WITH insurance. If you can live with those odds every day of your life, you think you can't live with the risk of being uninsured for a few months?

Let me elaborate on this point by point: We could burn the mother to the ground if just 20 or 30 million people stopped paying their premiums. Now, out of the 100 million or so of us in the labor force with employer-provided health insurance, at least half of us are healthy with no known chronic health condition. And we can relatively easily get back on our employer's plan if we fail to kill the insurers. So the folks with highest risk - those who need their insurance to help defray costs of medicine, etc - don't drop coverage. You'll be helping out by costing the insurers more while the low risks flee the pool. Those with private policies who might have a hard time getting re-instated, keep your insurance. Let those of us with the lowest risk carry the ball.

Second, I doubt we'd ever have to spend a single DAY uninsured. I think it would work like this: in the week where the insurers and congress get hit with the millions and millions of letters notifying them that if we don't have a public option signed into law by X date we are dropping our insurance...who do you think will be the first ones on the phone to their congressional representatives? The health insurers, of course. Except they'll be DEMANDING action on passing a public option so they at least have the chance to stay in business. Suppose you are a member of congress - are YOU going to stand idly by while 20% of the US economy burns to the ground in an act of arson that you knew was coming - during the worst recession in 70 years? What do you think that will do the unemployment rolls? What do you think it will do to your chances for re-election? Think ANY constiuent who went without coverage for even a day will be voting for you?

People in this country more often than not DISGUST me with their "me me me-ism" and the way they allow fear to rule their every action. How do you think we got here in the first place? Because everyone is so worried that they'll get sick and lose everything that they'll overlook the fact that 15% of their fellow citizens can get no treatment at all, they'll overlook that insurance hasn't saved their fellow citizens from financial ruin, they'll overlook that the health insurers have made them their bitches, and they'll just keep on paying those premiums and co-pays and deductibles at a higher and higher rate while crossing their fingers and hoping that when their time comes, their insurer will pay the bills.

I see people in Iran marching in the streets because they're fed up and willing to risk being SHOT rather than continue to take abuse...and then I look at my fellow citizens whining about how they might lose their STUFF if they dare to tell the insurers to shove it, and I feel total DISGUST.

We've got the health care system that a bunch of lazy self-absorbed people deserve; if we want a better one, we're going to have to deserve it. No pain, no gain.

There appears to be a growing number of disgruntled bloggers who are bemoaning that the Change that they voted for in the 08 election has not come. Ok, I get that.

BUT, what next...Do you think that just because you voted that your job is done? Change will only come when you continue to demand that your legislators follow-up on their committments made during their campaign.

If the public becomes complacent, then the opposition to CHANGE will win...so we need to see that we mandated the first step up the steep hill of change, - 08 Election, but we need to continue to speak to our elected officials to get to the top of the mountain.

Most elected officials like the status quo, because it is easier than CHANGE. Most elected officials are reluctant to CHANGE because they are afraid they may be in conflict with their financial supporters. But it is WE who elected them and WE must demand them to do the job WE elected them to do.

The only Polls that elected officials are concerned with are their own, so a "national poll result" will not affect them, only their constituents concern them, so WE need to continuously remind them that there are consequences for failing to do what WE elected them to do.

So we must remain active and vigilent...blogging is great, but if your legislator does not hear from you directly, they will do only enough to placate their electorate and cater to those who pay for their elections: big business / lobbying groups / PACs.

We elected a new President, but one person cannot do it alone, everyone needs to press for Change by continually contacting your legislator to act on your behalf.

I just got to listen to one of my Senators in KUOW (yes, Maria Cantwell, I'm talking about you) give us a bunch of excuses about why they couldn't get a true public option through the Senate (it seems there no support for it ....) and how the co-operatives are just wonderful.

I don't think they're listening.

Except, Radical Square, that other polls have independently confirmed these numbers. I'll bet Nate Silver has some comment on it at 538.com.

Except, Radical Square, that other polls have independently confirmed these numbers. I'll bet Nate Silver has some comment on it at 538.com.

Now listen up you 72% who support a public option;

In the words of that model of integrity, ex Congressman Ozzie Meyers, "Money talks and bullshit walks." So unless you want to ante up more than those who are making gazillions on the status quo....take a walk!

Part of my job is to deal with health care companies and discuss what the benefit package that employees where I work will receive.

Pretty much since 2001, it has been cut backs or employees pay more out of their paycheck (which is, in my opinion, a tax), more co-pays and a bigger out of pocket deductible.

So, employees are paying more and in some cases, getting less. What isn't being reduced is the profits of the health care industry.

We should all have single payer or a public option that truly makes the private sector compete. Because in all my dealings, one thing is sure, the private sector is not competing and has basically rigged the system in which we will continue to receive less health care or pay a lot more to continue receiving it as long as the Healthcare Industrial Complex continues to make their $$$.

This greed is short-sighted, however, because eventually, the middle class will be gone and the poor can't pay and the rich will go to Canada or Europe to get medical care. So, the whole greedy system will collapse on itself if they don't change.