"The kickbacks and payoffs in the force-placed insurance industry used to be a dirty little secret that pushed far too many families off the foreclosure cliff, " he said.
Pros: The dividends can be steadier than stock returns or interest rates and can be borrowed tax-free as long as the life insurance policy stays in force.
We also saw it when Democrats and Republicans in the House came together to pass a bill that will force insurance companies to abide by common-sense rules that prevent price-fixing and other practices that drive up health care costs.
In the meantime, the (mainly Republican) states that oppose Obamacare have been able to use the legal impasse as a perfect excuse for foot-dragging: they have not started work on setting up the subsidy regimes and health-insurance exchanges that will be needed in 2014, when the bill is supposed to come fully into force.