Reid is saying no bill before next year.

I am sorry, but that isn't much of a heartbreak. The legislation is horrible. In a nutshell, it mandates citizens to buy overpriced and non-comprehensive insurance from the private corporations that broke the health care system. TENS of millions will be without ANY insurance. Tens of millions more will be unable to afford anything but catastrophic coverage which hardly covers anything, even in the case of a catastrophe. Millions will pay a penalty from opting not to buy a product they can't afford and not choosing the cheap suck ass castrophic coverage.

The public option, in the best case scenario would cover 2%. CBC estimates those covered will pay MORE under the public option then under a private plan.

It does nothing to control costs, and it would quickly become financially insolvent (as is the case in MA, where I live - they are slashing the budget everywhere to keep it alive, but that will only work for so long - soon they will start cutting the health care benefits and making people pay higher co-pays - and soon that won't even be enough).

It allows the insurance companies to raise premiums up to 25% right off the bat.

It does mandate the insurance companies will not be allowed to deny coverage for those with preexisting conditions. It doesn't stop them from denying coverage utilizing the hundreds of other scumbag tactics they have developed to not pay out for claims.

In sum, this legislation sucks. And, the fact that it is being delayed, it gives us time to FIGHT for real reform. Single payer or a public option open to everyone. We need to organize. We need to lay out our terms and STICK TO THEM. We need to make ourselves MATTER. We failed to unite over the summer, we were all waiting with fingers crosses for Obama to outline his magic plan and Congress to fight for us. It didn't happen.

We have been given the gift of more time. And, it should not be wasted whimpering and whining to Congress making demands for a non-existent public option. We need to demand real health care reform.

If we can convince them that implementing real health care reform is the magic key for decades of democratic power, they might go along...

Peace

(Here are a couple of relevant articles from my journal. I have tons of related links on health care reform that pretty much document the evolution of the legislation over the past year)...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/...