In a development sure to send shock waves throughout the insurance industry, President Barack Obama today named New York's disgraced former governor and attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, as his new "Czar" to implement health care reform.
"I cannot think of anyone more qualified to see to it that all the promises of our new health care reform legislation are kept to the millions of Americans without insurance today, and who could find themselves without coverage tomorrow should they lose their job, or have to choose between paying health premiums or their mortgage," President Obama said this morning in a Rose Garden ceremony.
"Mr. Spitzer has had his personal difficulties, but this is a forgiving nation, and I am confident he will discharge his new responsibilities with honor, integrity and the single-mindedness required to overcome all of the resistance our reform law is likely to meet–particularly within the insurance industry," President Obama added.
Mr. Spitzer–once known as "The Sheriff of Wall Street," and whose probes exposed bid-rigging and contingency fee abuse among major insurance carriers and brokers–thanked President Obama for "giving me the opportunity to not only redeem myself, but to bring health insurance to everyone in this country who needs it."
Mr. Spitzer vowed to "take no prisoners making sure no one–not greedy insurance companies, not sour-grapes Republicans, not baseless lawsuits and not Tea Party obstructionists–will prevent this administration from taking over one-sixth of our economy and imposing long overdue socialized medicine on this nation."
Reversing the declaration made by President Bill Clinton, Mr. Spitzer proclaimed that "the day of Big Government has returned!"
While admitting he had not yet read the 2,000-plus page health care reform act ("Who has?' he quipped), Mr. Spitzer said he was confident he would be able to "implement every paragraph by the deadlines set forth."
Mr. Spitzer, forced to resign as governor in a prostitution scandal, brushed off suggestions that he lacked the moral authority to carry out his mandate from the White House.
"Morality in politics is overrated," he said. "The people are less interested in our personal peccadillos than in what we can do to make their lives better."
What do you folks think about this amazing turn of events?!? Is this the insurance industry's worst nightmare, or what???
APRIL FOOL'S!!! (But you never know….Stranger turnabouts have taken place in politics, and I do not think we've seen the last of Eliot Spitzer in public office!)
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