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I must admit I’m sad that the health insurance companies were active in determining the law. I don’t think the vested interests in the status quo can be invested in a sufficent degree of change. For instance, the companies vetoed the public option, even though it can be argued that it is in the public interest.  Furthermore, immediately after the health-insurance reform became law, some health insurance companies decided to interpret the requirement that children with pre-existing conditions do not have to be covered after all.  “The concept that insurance companies would even seek to deny children coverage exemplifies why we fought for this reform,” said Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia and chairman of the Senate commerce committee, said: “The ink has not yet dried on the health care reform bill, and already some deplorable health insurance companies are trying to duck away from covering children with pre-existing conditions. This is outrageous.”  But this is what happens when the industry’s lobby is invited to participate in writing the legislation.  Self-interested fine print is inserted for the purpose of being exploited as a loophole.  In other words, this is no accident, and our representatives should have had their staffs on the watch for it.
I believe that business/industry has too much power over public policy in the case of the US Government. After the health insurance reform bill passed the US House, President Obama said “this is what change looks like”…but can it be real change when whether the extant firms can make money off of it?

The other thing that bothers me is when the Tea Party (and Repubs) said that the health insurance reform that uses health insurance companies is socialism and the government taking over health-care. This is to take a very moderate reform and portray it as radical…so there would not be truly radical reform that says the hell with the health insurance companies. Why can’t we say the hell with them? Why can’t we recognize the conflict of interest in such a company being a player in the writing of reform? …especially if the player has a veto!

I think the hyperbole is a subterfuge for the greediness of the wealthy—which is a reflection of how much money is valued in the lower 48 States. I am just beginning to sense that the culture itself values money/wealth differently than in Europe (I’m perhaps overgeneralizing here too…not distinguishing northern from southern Europe). I’m trying to distinguish greed from how much wealth is valued…arguing that the latter is different here.  Greed is everywhere.  However, some cultures value wealth more than others do. The extent here is very hard to notice because it is so basic in the culture. It is like a fish seeing the water! But I think Europeans can see it…looking at the culture here from the outside. I’m positive that we don’t see it…for we are in it.  I think we should listen to what people around the world say about American culture.  I think we could learn something about the society we are.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/health/policy/29health.html?ref=us