Cold Shoulder

According to the NYT,  Obama issued a decree for a command performance in DC to discuss the Obamacare roll out.

Problem is, it was sparsely attended.

Among attendees from the industry, which stands to get millions more customers, were Karen M. Ignagni, the head of a trade association for the insurance industry; Chet Burrell of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; David M. Cordani of the Cigna Corporation; Scott P. Serota of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, a federation of local Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies; and Joseph R. Swedish of WellPoint.

New York Times

Notably absent (or at least failed to make honorable mention) were Aetna, Assurant, Humana, United Healthcare, Kaiser and a few others.

Did they send regrets or snub PresBO?

Is there a message here?

The purpose of the meeting seemed to be to remind everyone we hang together or we shall hang separately.

“We’re all in this together,” Mr. Obama told the executives, 

Government and industry, which battled while forging the law, are now “joined at the hip,” the president said at one point. “We’re going to make it work.”

Wasn't this health care reform all HIS idea? But now we are in this together?

For weeks, news reports have conveyed industry warnings that the new law could lead to higher premiums for many people, because the policies to be sold under the law’s requirements will be more comprehensive than those many Americans have now. Republicans in Congress, who remain united in opposition three years after the law’s enactment, have held hearings to underscore such warnings.

But the administration says such talk is overblown. 

As Jack Nicholson said, "You can't handle the truth!"

And now we (they) are calling the exchanges . . . "marketplaces". 

The marketplaces would intensify competition, she said, adding, “When plans have to compete side by side and it’s very transparent, that in and of itself drives prices down.”

Marketplace has such a pleasant ring to it vs. exchange.

Makes it sound like walking through an open air fruit and vegetable market where you can pick the best produce at a price you are willing to pay.

Yeah, this is going to be fun to watch.