Anyone want to take a guess as to whether Protack is right or wrong? Put on your surprised faces — he’s wrong! According to industry reports, premiums in Mass. have fallen significantly since reforms were passed.

And the results have been an enormous reduction in the cost of nongroup insurance in the state: The average individual premium in the state fell from $8,537 at the end of 2006 to $5,143 in mid-2009, a 40 percent reduction, while the rest of the nation was seeing a 14 percent increase.

I know it’s like fish in a barrel, but I couldn’t resist. And here is the link:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/11/massachusetts_provides_evidenc.html

Health Care reform is AFU as Obama made deals with so many of the interested parties (Pharma and Insurance companies) that the issue got saturated by competing 1000 page bills and trillion dollar costs.

The Massachusetts plan gives everyone instant access and comparison to insurance plans but has not lowered costs one dime. The insurance companies have lost nothing.

Sadly, the public option so many people hold on to as the dream is unworkable and is doomed.

Mike Protack

For progressives, this is a situation in which half a loaf is worse than none, because I don’t give a rip at this point whether Obama gets re-elected or not. As we learned under Bush, giving Republicans power leads to Democrats winning elections. Maybe our next Democratic president will actually have a progressive agenda he is willing to fight for.

The lesson is you have to work at the purple areas and continue to deliver on stuff that will motivate people to vote for you. This is the same lesson for portions of the Obama coalition too — the kids and the independents especially are not so much tied to Democrats and they’ve vote for you if you give them a reason to.