The most (bitterly) amusing part is that the problem of insurance rate hikes is of their own doing. Not that it was not all part of the plan to eventually implement a single payer system.
Here is the deal. Under ObamaCare, insurance companies are now required to cover people with preexisting conditions. Souds likea noble goal, but what is happening is that a bunch of people who automatically have medical expenses will be covered by insurance. The expenses incurred are more than the healthy policy holders are currently paying in so, so rates have to go up.
As you can see in the linked article, the rate hikes insurance companies are forced into under ObamaCare are now being demonized by democrats. Greedy insurance companies making all that profit of sick people--you know the drill. This is a carefully orchestrated process to bring about price controls.
Price controls will run a large number of insurance companies out of business while diminishing the quality of coverage for thefew that can stay in business. With health insurance falling because of price controls instituted by them, Democrats will suggest a public option as the solution.
When a public option is in place, employers will stop offering heath insurance as part of their employment packages since their workers can just enter the government plan at no expense to them other than the ridiculously high taxes we will have to have to cover it all. It is going to be a rip roaring expense, too, because at that point, we all we have single payer.
That was the plan all along. The left has to movea littlest time, but that is what they are going to do. At this point, it is going to be next to impossible to stop them without huge Republican gains in 2010 and 2012.