House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to take a strikingly aggressive tone against insurance companies — you know, the entities that make reliable health care available to a couple hundred million Americans.

Politico reports:

“The glory days are coming to an end for the health insurance industry in our country,” Pelosi told reporters Friday afternoon. “This is about inoculating against misrepresentations and educating about what is in the bill,” she said. “We all want bipartisanship … but you’re either with the insurance companies or you’re for something new.” 

I don’t know how much clearer Speaker Pelosi could be: You either want to preserve the system of private health care that delivers excellent care for the vast majority of Americans, or you want to squeeze insurance companies out of the system and turn the health care economy and health care delivery over to the government.

The consequences are huge. I hope the Speaker keeps talking, and I hope Republicans (Chuck Grassley, maybe?) are taking notes.