More Real Reform

Nate Silver finds evidence in an Ipsos/McClatchy poll (because they asked why people supported or opposed health care reform) that some of the opposition to reform is because the bills being considered … well, let him tell you:

One way to look at this: 43 percent of people favor health care reform, whereas 38 percent oppose it (20 percent are undecided). But the actual plan under consideration gets numbers that are more or less the reverse of that — 34 percent in favor, 46 percent opposed — because a significant number of people think the plan doesn’t go far enough.

AP reports that a mysterious loophole has appeared in the Senate health reform bill:

As currently written, the Senate Democratic health care bill would permit insurance companies to place annual limits on the dollar value of medical care, as long as those limits are not “unreasonable.” The bill does not define what level of limits would be allowable, delegating that task to administration officials.

Adding to the puzzle, the new language was quietly tucked away in a clause in the bill still captioned “No lifetime or annual limits.”

Read Matt Taibbi for a unsettling take on how the Obama White House the “packed his economic team with Wall Street insiders” once the election was over. Even when reformers try to get traction, they have to contend with those within their own ranks who want to weaken reforms. The New Democrat coalition, for example.

It also appears that the Hinchey amendment to reinstate Glass-Steagall never made it to the floor of the House for consideration as part of the financial reform bill. It is not on the list of amendments accepted for debate.

Just more reasons why Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) isn’t optimistic:

Watch Subcommittee Chairman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) take financial opponents to school: