Michael Moore has posted an open letter to Republicans. Says he, The Great Thing About the Health Care Law That Has Passed? It Will Save Republican Lives, Too:
Thanks to last night’s vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.
Thanks to last night’s vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.
Thanks to last night’s vote, after your cancer returns for the third time — racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive — your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.
Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we’ve made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. [READ ON]
For my GOP pals I note that Moore’s been decidedly ambivalent about the bill. From his St. Patrick’s Day letter, The Green They Steal, The Greed They Wear:
This bill is a joke. It has NOTHING to do with “health care reform.” It has EVERYTHING to do with lining the pockets of the health insurance industry.
Then this:
And how big will the fines be if the insurance companies do deny someone coverage for having a pre-existing condition? Are you sitting down? A hundred dollars a day! That’s it! So if you’re the insurance company, and Judy is a customer of yours, and Judy needs an operation that will cost $100,000, what do you do? You take the fine! Let’s say Judy lives another year after you’ve sentenced her to death, your $100-a-day fine will only cost you $36,500! That’s a savings of $63,500! And trust me, my friends, that’s EXACTLY what’s going to happen.
Nate Silver looks at why liberals (suddenly) love the health care bill:
I can assure you, contra Glenn Beck’s darkest fantasies, that there is no Secret Liberal Cabal at which Andy Stern is doing tequila shots off Michael Moore’s jiggling belly while Markos and Dennis Kucinich eat vegan hors d’oeuvres and share notes on messaging strategy.
Dante Atkins has a one on one with Michael Moore at Daily Kos. Moore will be a guest tonight on Larry King.