Senator Rockefeller is denied a seat at the table.

Hope it ticks him off enough that he votes against whatever bipartisan crap that Baucus come up with.

here:

“Private insurance companies want to have their cake and eat it too. They want health care reform to earn them maximum profits if they start covering millions of uninsured Americans. But they are not willing to abide by the fair rules, oversight and cost containment that Americans deserve. Shared responsibility – that includes insurers – is the only answer and a public plan is the only real solution.”

Rockefeller’s Legislation Will:

* Offer a “Consumer Choice Health Plan” as an option alongside private insurance. By bringing a competitive public plan option to the table, private insurance companies will be driven to provide Americans with better value for their health care at a better price, in contrast to the current private insurance framework, which is focused on avoiding risk and increasing their profits.

* Establish America’s Health Insurance Trust as a “good housekeeping seal of approval” to give consumers a voice in health insurance oversight. This nonprofit, consumer-driven organization will evaluate and give ratings to all health insurance products offered through the national health insurance exchange – based on factors such as affordability, adequacy, transparency, consumer satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and quality.

Can't have consumers overseeing the insurance vampires. What do consumers know?

(The "consumer" language bothers me. We use it too much in the Ed. business too. But his heart's in kinda the right place.)

if he keeps this up we may have to retire the name Jello Jay.

customers as powerless, eh?