The insurance companies are off and running and their lobbyists are going to be extremely busy. The gaming of the new system has already begun in state legislators’ and insurance commissioners’ offices, and in regulatory drafting committees far away from scrutiny by the media and the public. Let’s just hope the whole thing is not completely gutted between now and 2014 when the biggest changes to health care begin.

One of the Democratic leadership’s talking points for the reconciliation bill is that it increases affordability tax credits for people on the exchange. What they aren’t saying is that the increase in subsidies in the Senate bill is only temporary.

In what is likely to be one of the last acts of health care reform kabuki theater, the role of the football will be played by President Obama’s proposed National Insurance Rate Authority. As always, the role of the Lucy shall be played by the Senate.