Blocking These Insurance Company Mergers Would be a Good Thing...

...Given the Obama administration's spotty record on enforcing antitrust laws, however, one wonders whether the incentive here is really limiting corporate power; as opposed to, say, protecting the president's limited legacy of important legislation?

The reason for this is plain enough certainly. The Affordable Care act legislation is on thin enough ice as it is with regards to a few of the biggest players in the insurance world not wanting to play along, limiting profits as it does (oh those poor dears, making only modest money on a vitally important social need). Throw in a great deal more concentration of power in the industry and the prospects for the continuance of what was essentially a very good idea becomes even more problematic.

What this suggests, of course, is the Democratic party's continuing ambivalence towards truly limiting the power of "Big Money." Despite the lip service they give to it, as opposed to the Republicans outright worshiping, they know they still have to continue on with their secret love affair with it. After all, if they were really serious about it, wouldn't they have made a much greater emphasis of tax law reform (other than Hillary's own recent lip service -- see the same, first linked article, above)?

It was the practice of "tax inversion," after all, that made blocking the Pfizer/Allergan merger impossible, not to mention the collection of a ton of money that ought be owed to the government by a number of very large companies. Do you think Hillary will be making that issue a priority should she win the White House? Anything is possible certainly but the relative probabilities involved here wouldn't be much to encourage even a devout Liberal, much less the Progressives among us. And lets not even suggest there's a possibility that the other guy would take that issue on; despite all of that blather that a rich guy would actually help the powerless in this country.

The beatdown goes on I guess... Unless you started questioning the entire game itself. You know... Removing money, and everything that goes with it, as an issue in the first place?  Just a thought.

U.S. Moves to Block Health Insurance Mergers

by PETE WILLIAMS