Dr. Marcia Angell was on Bill Moyers Journal last night – arguing for the defeat of Obamacare and for passage of a single payer national health care system.

Also on last night’s show – former insurance industry executive Wendell Potter.

Potter argued for the passage of Obamacare – saying it would be a “win for consumers.”

Based on comments posted on the Moyers website by viewers after the show ran, Angell won the debate – hands down.

“What this bill does is not only permit the commercial insurance industry to remain in place, but it actually expands and cements their position as the lynchpin of health care reform,” Angell told Moyers. “And these companies they profit by denying health care, not providing health care. And they will be able to charge whatever they like. So if they’re regulated in some way and it cuts into their profits, all they have to do is just raise their premiums. And they’ll do that.”

Sounds like a real win for consumers, right?

“Not only does it keep them in place, but it pours about 500 billion dollars of public money into these companies over 10 years. And it mandates that people buy these companies’ products for whatever they charge. Now that’s a recipe for the growth in health care costs, not only to continue, but to skyrocket, to grow even faster.”

If they insurance industry likes Obamacare so much, why are they fighting it?

“They really haven’t fought it very hard.” Angell said. “What they’re fighting for is the individual mandate. And if they get that mandate, if everyone does have to buy their commercial products, then they’re going to be extremely happy with it.”

Almost all the players in Washington know that Obamacare is a step in the wrong direction.

But Democrats like Potter are so freaked out at the thought of Obama and the Democrats losing control in Washington, that they think that any bill – no matter how lousy – is better than no bill.

Angell put it this way:

“A lot of people who say – Look, it’s a terrible bill. Even a step in the wrong direction as policy goes. But we need to get Obama elected again and we need to continue with the Democratic majority in Congress. And so we need to give Obama and the Democrats a win. If we don’t, the Republicans will come in and take over Congress in the fall, and then the White House in 2012.”

“But the problem with a political analysis is sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re wrong,” Angell said. “And Democrats and particularly liberals have a history of outsmarting themselves. “

”The issue is – will this bill make them better or worse? And I believe it will make it worse.”

“Senator Jay Rockefeller referred to the private insurance companies as rapacious, rapacious, and said – Like sharks, they swim under the water, and you don’t know they’re there until you feel their teeth.”

“Now there are not many people in America who would disagree with that description and so what this plan does is says – This is a terrible industry, so let’s force people to buy their commercial products. And let’s subsidize it and put a lot of money into it.”

“And what do you think they’re going to do? If you were an insurance company, you would say — ‘Well, thank you, Santa Claus. I’ve got all of these captive customers. Young ones are healthy. They probably won’t even use the insurance. There’s nothing to stop me from raising my premiums. I have all of these subsidies coming in.’ Don’t you think that the prices would go up? I think it would be remarkable if they didn’t.”