I think the mistake happened early.  I understand why it happened.  But it was a mistake.  We need to back up.  We started this debate about the millions of uninsured.  How do we get the uninsured covered.  This was an error.

The problem isn't the uninsured.  The problem is that the insured are paying too much and getting too little in return.  We should be offering public healthcare that's cheaper and more generous than what insurance companies provide.  The message always should have been, and this is an honest message that for profit health insurance is a giant rip-off.

Here's how I see it: If we get health reform that gave insurance to every uninsured American but leaves the rest of us with exactly the same coverage we have now, we'll have failed.  I want, at least a public option.  If it's not as good as what I get now, I won't take it.  If it's better, I will.  But we are really far from that at this point.  It looks as if healthcare reform will leave the majority of us right where we started.

I know this sounds a bit ungracious -- covering the uninsured would be a definite accomplishment but it's nowhere near enough.  Everybody in America needs a better deal, not just those who have been left out.

The health plan that our senators and congressional reps get to use is cheap (average premiums of $120 a month) and very effective (just ask Ted Kennedy) and has a role for private insurers (participants can choose from 300 providers, organized by unions and associations that represent the insured rather than HMOs but they still use private insurance).

Why can't we all just have that?

Because I'll tell you, we don't see Ted Kennedy's insurer saying "oh, he has a serious condition now, let's cut his coverage" the way we see that happen to normal people.

Maybe it's not exactly the federal plan that should be offered to everyone.  I'd prefer single payer. But we can't have a situation where our elected representatives get better, cheaper, more generous healthcare than the rest of us. So long as our congressional reps have such great coverage, nobody in America should be uninsured.  And if private industry can't treat us as well as it treats our representatives in Washington, then we don't have much need for private industry.