Excellent question(s) Dennis...

Will MSNBC continue with the 'Lean Forward' agenda?

Personally, I would LOVE it if they did. However, I have the eerie feeling that Comcast is more conservative...

This is why I’ve got the feeling Comcast is ‘conservative’:

Finally!

MSNBC’s hostage stand-off has ended with David Shuster!

After an over six-month "indefinite" suspension from MSNBC, David Shuster's contract with the network has expired.

A network spokesperson said Tuesday that Shuster, who was suspended indefinitely in April over reports that he filmed a CNN pilot, is "no longer with MSNBC."

Shuster, reached by phone in Washington, confirmed that he has officially left the network.

"I had a great eight-and-a-half years with MSNBC and I have many lifelong friends that I made there," he told the Huffington Post.

Where ever David ends up… I for one can’t wait to see him on air again!

MSNBC's loss is OUR gain!

Wow, your increase is only 11.24%, what company are you with ?

BC/BS Illinois has been putting out increases of up to 33% or more. I'm having to switch insurance for our company just to keep the increase below 15%.

Without the HCIR legislation, do you know what your rates would be now?

NotBuyingThis. Consider yourself lucky you have insurance and your health. My health insurance has gone up every year for the last 9 years; it has nothing to do with reform legislation and everything to do with private insurance companies, the high cost of medical care and medical testing. You don't have insurance pools because the GOP plans to block funding for them plus many of the states run by republicans are challenging the very measures that would help reduce costs and level the field. What democrats wanted but couldn't get with the Senate GOP blockade--a public option which would have provided competition for big insurance providers.

Yes, Jody,

Just what we need, a public option, run by the government. Those same people that do such a great job of managing social security, medicare/medicaid, and our governmental budget.

I can agree on regulations on some things, especially the fact that they cannot refuse insurance to people, that they need to pay any claim that comes forward, especially if people have paid their premiums. But we need to get the government out of our business, they do not know what is best for me and my family. How can some idiot in Washington know what is best for someone in Texas, Colorado, or even California. I would even agree to a regulation on insurance companies that limited their increases on insurance to 3% a year, cut down on some of their profit.

But then again, it would be better to choose whether or not we have to buy insurance, but since our government has mandated that we purchase insurance, I don't see that happening, until the Supreme Court rules on it. Like people keep complaining--don't buy from China, support American jobs--according to HCR--we don't have a choice, we have to buy insurance.

the senate /congress were bribed by the companies so their profits remain high ....These BUMS need to be voted out of office ...they secure their financial futures with bribes while i get screwed !!!!

I'm kinda fuzzy on this stuff, but I don't recall any Repubs voting for this atrocity. These "BUMS" would pretty much be the Dems right? The ones lead by Nutsy Nancy who proclaimed we "need to pass it so we can find out what's in it." The ones lead by Obama who preached about bending the "cost curve", then later laughed and said we can't add all of these people for nothing?

Speaking of finding out what is in it - from a Rich Lowry piece - the way Obamacare is written, an unelected bureaucrat, Kathleen Sebelius, pretty much gets to decide everything. Philip Klein of the American Spectator went through it and counted 700 references to the secretary "shall", 200 to the secretary "may" and 139 to the secretary "determines".

And this after the way HCR was passed, with the majority of Americans against the specific legislation?

After all the legislative cramming and jamming finally ending with the lame ducks and DADT, START, etc. Unelected bureaucrats dismantling the energy industry, unelected bureaucrats forcing their own agenda on business, etc., etc.

Obama couldn't get cap and trade passed so he'll do it with his bureaucrats. As he says -"There is more than one way to skin a cat."

Funny, the people like their cat just fine, they don't want their cat skinned. Doesn't matter, Obama doesn't like cats (oil/energy industry) - and is going to skin it anyway.

What would be nice for 2011?

Representative Government.

.........two words,.......

Vote Democratic.

Bob1805...

I seem to recall that the dems loaded the bills with repub ideas (ie-interstate exchanges, etc...) and provisions. The repubs held their noses and held up their votes as hostage to fill the bill with repubbie stuff.

Unfortunately, the dems complied in the idiotic hope of getting repub support / votes. Morons!!

Then once the bill was "repubbed up" enough Repubs voted AGAINST their own stuff, and required 60 votes for passage.

Way it should have been done was to have put the entire country on Medicare and have health care companies try to compete with that.

That is how I recollect this thing going down.

BigBear62 -

Good thought. First time I've ever agreed with you. The only intervention the Government should be involved in is making sure the Insurance Companies keep their contracts and promises to their insured, not try and weasel out and cancel their obligations to their insured.

Greg

The ability to buy insurance across state lines (you call it interstate exchanges) was not included in the health care bill, real tort reform was not included in the health care bill and now 100's of companies. millions of people are being exempted from the requirements "because it is too expensive".

It did not take 60 votes to pass - it was passed via the reconcilliation process.

The one thing you were correct about is that the Republicans did not vote for it, they said they wouldn't and they didn't.

The constitutional question on the mandate is key, as the bill will implode without it as there will be no expanded pool to even come close to paying for it. The Republicans have promised to repeal (unlikely), reform (possible) and not fund (likely) the bill in the coming budget.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

I took my husband to the emergency room at Kaiser the day before Christmas eve. He stayed three days. I paid $150.00 for everything with insurance. What happens to those who do not have insurance? I really think, if you don't like Obama's plan, our nation needs to push for some plan for the uninsured and people with pre existing conditions. My husband would have bled to death if he had not gone in. We really need to look at this as a socially resposible society and not self serving jack asses. I thank God I had the insurance but there are allot of people who do not have any because they cannot get it or cannot afford it. It is easy to justify a point of view until you are faced with loosing everything you own or not getting the health care you need. Let our tax money go to the common good and not bailing out the wealthy banks and bad doers again.

Greg

Did you honestly say "after 30 years of Republican control", have you forgotten the glory years called the Clinton administration and the many years of Democratic control of the Congress

We got to where we are together.

So you think that taking jobs overseas and pursuing jobs overseas is the way to go? (your plan for your son), what does that say for the future of American manufacturing?

We need to work to reestabish our industrial base in this country

The only problem is that many doctors will no longer accept any new Medicare patients. Medicare is starting to be just like any other insurer, if the doctor you want to see does not accept the insurance, then you have to pay, CASH, CHECK, OR CREDIT CARD ONLY, IN ADVANCE!!!! Oh, btw, there is NO guarantee that the result we tell you will happen, we do not under any circumstances promise that what we sell is the truth of what we say. We are no better than politicians, we just say we are GOD...lol :)

Medicare may pay 80% of the bill but they've also "negotiated" artificially low reimbursement rates to the doctors and facilities who accept Medicare which is a key reason medical costs are so high. If a service costs $10 and Medicare pays $2, who do you think makes up the other $8?

Suzy, you are correct. Medicare has a stated rate, it's probably closer to reality than what the hospitals and doctors chose to bill. If you are paying CASH, the flat, unegotiated rate for an aspirin in the hospital might be $ 3.17, under insurance $ 2.57, medicare, $ 0.27. All for the same single asperin. It's unfortunate that Congress was unable to get to a single payer system. Those kind of outrageous actiivities would be eliminated. Also, the double digit annual increases in premiums.

They don't brand themselves as "NEWS" as does FOX. All three deal in opinion, FOX NEWS gets its facts wrong more often.

As to regulation, if the FCC could regulate Keith or Rachel, FOX "NEWS" never would have made it past their first week on cable.