Why are there no provisions in health care reform bill mandating lower prices for americans on health care?

Joie Kemmis: The problem is that our govt.works for the big corporations that finance elections, not for the people at large. Obama began his 2008 campaign favoring a single payer plan, which 60% or more of Americans approved. Later in the campaign he changed his mind, he said that he didn't think single payer would work in 'a country like this'. In the meanwhile he had accepted $20 million from the big health insurance corporations.Money has become the most important thing in our politics, in fact nearly the only important thing. In a free election (i.e. no incumbent running for re-election) the candidate who spends the most money wins about 95% of the time. So our campaigns become money-raising contests, and our elections become no more than -auctions-. AND, since both parties get their money from the same sources, you can't really expect their agendas to be all that much different.Since health care became a major issue, during GHW Bush's time in office, there hav! e been several health care 'reform' plans tossed around. GHW Bush had one. Clinton had one. Hillary and Obama presented plans during the 2008 election. ALL these plans had the same feature, the existing health care insurance companies are preserved, their control over our health care is strengthened and perpetuated. The taxpayers kick in some money to these companies to insure some (not all) uninsured at their going rates. In other words, these plans, from both parties, can all be seen as no more than govt. subsidies of the existing health insurance industry.This industry is dominated by 7 companies, and in some states you really only have a choice of 1 or 2 companies. They are specifically exempted from anti-trust laws. They have been spending more than $1 million per day all through Obama's time in office to lobby to protect their control and their profits and their huge executive salaries.It's funny and ironic to hear Republicans criticize Obama for kowtowing to ! the heath care corporations, since the Republicans' only alter! native is MORE help from the govt. to the corporations, including deregulation and bigger taxpayer subsidies.BOTH our parties are almost irretrievably corrupt. I voted for Obama because I thought he was the better choice, and I still feel that way, but I don't expect him to waste any of his political capital fighting for -people- when the competition is actually for corporate money. Meanwhile, things will onl get worse as more and more Americans are conditioned to see this as a partisan thing, Republicans vs Democrats, not people vs. corporations....Show more