Insurers jack up premiums, Whole Foods CEO calls health care law fascism, House Dems begin new push for the public option

Last Sunday’s New York Times reported that many health insurers have begun declaring war against their customers by aggressively jacking up premiums. In another scandal, pseudo-libertarian Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who seems to think he is Ron Paul-Lite, called President Obama’s healthcare law “fascism.” Mackey then retracted the “f” word when talk of consumer boycotts against Whole Foods greeted his charge. In the best news, Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) joined 43 other House members with a renewed push for the public option that is supported by a significant majority of voters.

Mackey made his comments (why am I not surprised?) while promoting a book, took back his comments when his book promotion was beginning to hurt his company because so many customers were offended, and has a history (research this folks, I am not kidding) of opposing pro-consumers healthcare changes and suggesting instead that consumers buy certain products which are (I kid you not, can you believe this guy?) sold by Whole Foods.

It is noteworthy that while many Republicans continue their attacks against Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — with polls showing between 60 and 67 percent of voters disagreeing with Republicans about this — liberal Democrats are pushing for a public option that in most polls has been supported by some 60 percent of voters.

The problem with the healthcare law was not that it was too strong, but that it was too weak, which is why so many Americans support the public option.

The problem with many insurers is that they will take any opportunity to gouge their customers, which is why... the problem with pseudo-libertarians who quote Austrian economists from another country from a previous century is that they are basically front-men (and in the case of Ayn Rand, front-women) for profiteers ripping off Americans, which is why... Republicans have lost three out of the last four national elections, and House Republicans have good reason to fear they will soon have lost four out of the last five.

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