Health care reform is no longer an option; it is a necessity. As a registered nurse I began to realize just how bad it was when I watched the Bill Moyers PBS talk show on July 10. Moyers interviewed Wendell Potter who is a former CIGNA health insurance vice president. Potter explained how his and other for-profit insurance companies are rated on Wall Street.

This rating is called the medical loss ratio. This measures how many of the medical claims they turn down and how many members they deny coverage to. The more they deny, the higher the rating for the investors. Wall Street will punish the companies that actually try to provide medical care. The CEOs and other top executives of these health insurance companies are judged and paid according to how many dollars from the premiums that you pay will go to investors, shareholders and executive bonuses.

The latest polls state that three of every four Americans want a public option. The conservatives and insurance companies say that our government is not capable of running a public option, and yet Medicare operates with 3 percent overhead. Private insurance companies operate with 20 percent to 30 percent overhead.

We are already seeing the fear tactics from the lobbyists from the insurance industry, AMA and pharmaceuticals. They will say that big government will get between you and your doctor. What they won’t admit is that right now the insurance company CEO and GREED is between you and your doctor.