sat down at 10 AM with a cup of coffee, snow falling outside and online video streaming inside, to watch as much of the health care debate as possible. I am surprised to say I'm still here, three hours later. The summit makes for compelling theater and I don't even have to dress up and travel. Kudos for making this public. Here now are thoughts on the first half of the show (final summary to be added later today).

Op-Ed Columnist
Afflicting the Afflicted
By PAUL KRUGMAN
If we’re lucky, Thursday’s summit will turn out to have been the last act in the great health reform debate, the prologue to passage of an imperfect but nonetheless history-making bill. If so, the debate will have ended as it began: with Democrats offering moderate plans that draw heavily on past Republican ideas, and Republicans responding with slander and misdirection.

Recently, Anthem Blue Cross of California, an insurance company owned by the for-profit company WellPoint, Incorporated, announced that its individual market premiums would rise by as much as 39 percent in the coming months. This shocking increase isn’t unique. Across the country, families have seen their premiums skyrocket in recent years

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