Because insurance companies really do rule the world:

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine has proposed a 22.9 percent rate increase for two health insurance plans targeting individuals. The filing comes as Anthem awaits a judge’s ruling on an earlier rate case. Maine Insurance Superintendent Mila Koffman last spring denied Anthem’s proposed 18 percent rate hike for its individual insurance plans. Instead, she approved a revised request for a 10.9 percent increase, which provided for a zero percent profit margin.

Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of whom have spent most of their adult lives getting benefits paid for by taxpayers, were vociferous opponents of the public option. Over the summer, Barack Obama told us that self-employed individuals would be “primary beneficiaries of the potential public option.” Well, that didn’t work out so well. Now, Olympia and Susan’s self-employed constituents are going to get hit hard by the rate increases. Nice work.

And, notice how insurance companies are so willing to raise rates even as Congress wraps up the health care debate. They’ve got no fears about being reined in.