Hopeyness

Atrios says:

[The healthcare reform bill] does not do the important work of sowing the seeds of the insurance industry's destruction, leaving the skimmers in place, and only takes baby steps towards moving them to the regulated public utility model. It also doesn't get rid of their anti-trust exemption, leaving the effective monopolies in place. This leaves us open to continued abuses by the industry and fails to do the most important cost-cutting measure, cutting out the paper pushers who serve no useful purpose in the economy.

He adds that, because "there is good in the bill, too," it's still "both on substance and politics, better to pass it than not" and hope "that over time demands by the public will" pave the way for reform that doesn't detrimentally insulate the insurance companies.

Momentarily setting aside my strong reservations, ahem, about the way in which the healthcare legislation was passed, I nonetheless hope that's right, and fear that it's not.

Because when the cost of healthcare inevitably spirals, and people are denied care from insurance companies that are still in the business of making profits, I fear that the blame will be laid at the feet of "Obamacare," rather than the insurance companies; I fear that this legislation will be viewed as having gone too far! rather than having not gone far enough.

I hope that's not so, but fear that it will be.