The Department of Health and Human Services has finalized the Medical Loss Ratio rules in Obamacare.  You may recall that these are the rules that specify that insurers must spend 80% of their premium revenues on claims in the small group market and 85% in the large group market.  

Believe it or not, Rick Ungar, at Forbes.com, is celebrating: 

This is the true ‘bomb’ contained in Obamacare and the one item that will have more impact on the future of how medical care is paid for in this country than anything we’ve seen in quite some time.  Indeed, it is this aspect of the law that represents the true ‘death panel’ found in Obamacare—but not one that is going to lead to the death of American consumers. Rather, the medical loss ratio will, ultimately, lead to the death of large parts of the private, for-profit health insurance industry.

Why? Because there is absolutely no way for-profit health insurers are going to be able to learn how to get by and still make a profit while being forced to spend at least 80 percent of their receipts providing their customers with the coverage for which they paid. If they could, we likely would never have seen the extraordinary efforts made by these companies to avoid paying benefits to their customers at the very moment they need it the most.

Today, that bomb goes off.

Forgive us Rick if we don't join in on the champagne toast.  I am sure Rick probably thinks I am demonstrating sour grapes because HHS has excluded broker commissions and pay from the 80/85% side of the ratio.  I actually agree with that decision because I don't see anyway you could consider broker compensation claims.  But, that doesn't make it a good idea.  Brokers serve a purpose.  They match customers with policies that suit their needs.  I disagree with Obamacare attitude that they are superfluous to the process.  So, forgive me if I am going to refrain from celebrating, as you are, "the death of large parts of the private, for-profit health insurance industry."  We might also call those "jobs."  Jobs that came into existence because of a free market.  Jobs that will now be wiped out because the government has decided to take over.  What a day to celebrate.

Rick just can't help himself: 

They [health insurers] know what we should all know – we are now on an inescapable path to a single-payer system for most Americans and thank goodness for it.

Whether you are a believer in the benefits of single-payer health coverage or an opponent, mark this day down on your calendar because this is the day seismic shifts in our health care system finally get under way.

If you thought that the Obama Administration chickened out on pushing the nation in the direction of universal health care for everyone, today is the day you begin to understand that the reality is quite the contrary.

Apparently, Rick has gotten the all-clear to let the cat out of the bag.  Poltifact labeled "Obamacare is a 'government takeover' of the health care system" as the "lie of the year" for 2010.  Those silly Republicans!  This is just a necessary and needed reform to expand health care for everyone!  

Yes, silly us.  Apparently, Rick thinks the SCOTUS decision is a foregone conclusion and that the 2012 presidential election will have nothing to do with Obamacare.  

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