Congress just doesn’t listen to the American people. They come up with this contrived PR campaign to discredit real Americans who voiced their opinions and disdain for a government takeover of our healthcare system. Ok no Public Healthcare Option, then No Public Health Insurance Option, change the wording. Then pass a healthcare bill out of committee, wait a couple of months, then throw the Public Option back into the fold.
2010 vote everyone of the bums out of Washington DC. They do not represent the people!
The Public Option would take potential revenues and profits away from health insurers and put it in the pockets of consumers. If, as is happening already, insurance is unaffordable (much less unavailable) to individuals and small business, what is so bad about that, espaecially compared to the alternative-having tens of millions of Americans with no health insurance option all all?
OK, now I’m starting to get ticked off. I watched for 8 years while the Republicans were in charge, ignoring major problems as they grew out of control while creating new major problems. So the bums were tossed out and the Dems put in charge. The Democrats presented much more well reasoned arguments and less pigheaded philosophies. Bait and switch. We should control healthcare costs and make it easier for people to buy insurance if they want it (and they SHOULD be able to buy it at a subsidized price if they are sick). Get ready for yet another generation of cynics.
It was a great Democratic sales job. Just like now – we believe in transparency only to have behind closed doors meetings.
Control healthcare costs is the operative words for democratics with a socialistic mentality. We are going to change the entire healthcare system for less than 17% of the population. Of that 17%, 12-15 million are illegals approximately 5%. So, the government takes over 1/6 of the economy. Yet another government takeover of the private sector.
Why not expand the Medicare system to the citizens that are in need of healthcare? As a start. Health Insurance is not a constitutional right. Hey but who cares anymore what’s constitutional?
Yes, the public option would take revenues away from health insurers and probably run some out of business. Competition would deminish and the unemployment rate would rise.
In addition, taxes would increase to pay for this beast, taxes paid by you and I, people who work hard for what we have.
Before anyone here makes an arguement, please be aware that any course of action has a consequence. You need to look at the end product, not just the short term gains.
Also, look at the gov’t’s track record w/ programs it controls. There is a lot to be worried about w/ a public option as well. Just food for thought.
Insurers will cease to do business in those locations where the public option is available. When every medical provider (in states where the public option is available) is forced to accept payment that doesn’t cover the cost (like Medicare and Medicaid are right now), they will take up practice in another state or retire. Rationing will come very quickly in states that don’t opt out and the ruse of a public option competing with private insurers will be obvious. Why, when we were all being gouged by the oil companies, wasn’t there an outcry about having a public option gas station that carved out the profits of those oil companies? Now those were obscene profits!
Please list all “major problems” that the republicans ingnored over the past 8 years.
Just to play devil’s advocate here… the Bush administration’s main goal was to protect the U.S. from further terrorist attacks. After 9/11, we went to war and increased our security measures and there hasn’t been another terrorist attack on our soil since. What did this cost us, billions (but not trillions), thousands of American soldier’s lives (but better than 10’s or 100’s of thousands of lives).
If in the process of saving thousands, some problems were neglected, I am okay with that…as for the economic crisis, if you continue to believe it was the previous administration’s fault, you need to do a little research.
Yes, the war cost us money, but the collapse was due to the housing market… there was a democratic policy enacted during the Carter years that required banks to provide sub prime mortgages… witht the premise…”hey let’s give loans to people who can’t pay them back.” When people can’t pay their mortgages, they go bankrupt and foreclose… all of the companies in the financial sector who had large amounts of mortgage backed securities lost billions… and it was a downward cycle from there.
But then, a new president came in and decided to give those companies hard earned tax payer dollars… I could go on…
Give me one reason why I should trust Obama and his democratic congress when they have yet to prove their worth?
I will support the president if he starts addressing the real issue…the cost of medical treatment…
How can he do this… easy, restrict the outrageous payouts for medical malpractice claims.. this will relieve pressure on dr.s so they won’t have to run unnessecary tests on patients due to fear of litigation.
A majority of the population is covered and is happy w/ their health care… if we are worried about providing for the uninsured… then reduce that number by getting rid of illegal immigrants who take jobs and receive free health care. Some choose not to receive health care and some, unfortunately have no choice (we need to focus on this minority of people).
Yeah… re-election and security of for a democratic legacy (the hiddened agenda).
This president is trying to portray himself as someone who gets things done. I admire his spirit and willingness to act, but he is too ristricted by lobbyists, his party, and the political game (as is every other politician). There is too much celebrity and not enough leadership and in depth thought.
A complete overhaul of our nation’s leadership might be nice…but, of course, too many non educated on the issue voters out there. We should vote based on our stances on various policies. WOuldn’t that be nice?
The housing meltdown was caused by deregulation in the financial sector. The number of poor people who were foreclosed upon is not that large, that is just propaganda that you believed.
And as far as the war on Iraq, that did not make us safer, it was just a waste of money.
Terrorists could still attack us whenever they want. What about the sleeper cells the Bush admin would have u beleive in?
Its all lies, and you just believe everything you hear, and then call other people ignorant?????
Truth, really, come on. Why is that any leftist response has to quote fox news? Fox news is far right, CNN/NBC is far left; it is best for Americans that neither of these networks be watched.
You are correct that more regulation is needed in the financial sector, but that is a small fraction of the problem. I have yet to find anything proving your point; please send me the link so I may investigate.
We have to be careful with regulation… America was founded on freedom and the desire for less gov’t involvement (there has to be a balance). Gov’t regulation forced these sub prime loans in the first place.
Who is the one believing everything they hear? Conservatives have been bashed for almost a decade… only hearing from the left… I didn’t even like the previous administration, but in the end, they did what they set out to do whether we like it or not. Bush was an idiot, but we haven’t been attacked since (do you know how many terrorist plots have been foiled since the gov’t stepped up security?)
Was Iraq a bad idea, I definitly agree w/ you on that… however, I can’t argue that I would rather have people dying down the street as opposed to over there.
Your response seemed a bit novice, lacking in substance or backing of ideas but I appreciate your view.
This was a funny read. It is nice to see the blamers blaming everyone but the guilty party. Admittedly Bush and his “compassionate conservatism” was problematic so he let the housing crisis go on instead of letting himself be declared “mean spirited”. Lets face it, Bush was a nice guy but not the best president we ever had. He did keep the war located somewhere else, which is not all bad.
Bush 3, as I refer to Obama is in a hurry to take over everything. Realize that when the govenment handles a bag of cash, it is always lighter than when they received it, ostensibly so that the people who redistribute the wealth can be paid. However, government is the bulk of the new jobs created.
Politicians just keep shoveling the healthcare stuff around trying to make it stick; they back off and stick it in later. Some earlier enlightened commenter pointed that out.
Scott, the first guy to comment said it best with his three steps to make healthcare better without spending a ton of money. However, the ton of money being handled by the government is the objective. When you cannot push taxes any higher, come up with a new government program to “make things better” that involve lots of cash being handled.
This brings to mind the supposed other crisis, global cooling (or is it global warming) since it will involve a lot of cash being handled with no way to verify that there has been any result. They are in a hurry to pass that legislation, too. If the healthcare bunk passes, remember what you read here and prepare for the worst. *sigh*
Americans are dying because they can’t afford to seek medical care. People that worked hard all their lives end up laid off and uninsured. I told my spouse last night, if we get real sick we’ll just have to weather it out here at home. Or else lose our home. There are 300,000 people ahead of us on a waiting list for affordable health care from the State of PA. One missed colonoscopy or mammogram can mean stage four cancer detected next time.
I think I read from “Scooged” that there were 300,000 in front of him on a waiting list for affordable health care from the State of PA. If we have everyone in the U.S. waiting on “affordable health care” (aka Universal Healthcare, aka Public Option), the waiting list will be much longer and it will be routine to miss a colonoscopy or mammogram.
However, I think this letter writer might be going for the sympathy vote, because around here mammograms are free and have been since I can remember. If you have insurance, the insurance pays, if you don’t have insurance then the mammogram is free.
As to colonoscopy procedures, those are required later in life and only two are recommended which Medicare pays for until the new free health care comes out and guts the insurance that we have all been paying for all of our lives to use the money for the new free insurance. Colonoscopy is relatively new procedure and not widely enjoyed due to its um, well, un-coolness. There are other ways to get a similar result, perhaps not as good, but certainly much cheaper. If the “free healthcare for all” comes to be, then this cheaper similar test will be the standard procedure and you will not hear of the one that is better. I know these things because I have lived where they do rationing, some by scheduling and some by secrecy of the better procedure.
The true test of whether the new “free insurance for all” is good enough is when you see a congressman or senator in line with you, and he should be behind you so you will know that you will get faster service. Even though Obama said the new healthcare should be equivalent to congressional insurance, that has changed and the DC folks will not be joining us. That should tell you whatever you need to know.
With all that is available to help consumers at little to no cost to taxpayers why is it that congress can’t move forward on these simple measures?
Step One: allow competition across State lines.
Step Two: allow individuals the same tax credit businesses receive when they purchase health insurance.
Step Three: allow non-employer private groups to purchase group benefit health plans for their members.
Let’s start with these baby steps. It could be done tomorrow if Pelosi, Reid and Obama would agree. Let’s stop this foolishness and move forward.
Congress just doesn’t listen to the American people. They come up with this contrived PR campaign to discredit real Americans who voiced their opinions and disdain for a government takeover of our healthcare system. Ok no Public Healthcare Option, then No Public Health Insurance Option, change the wording. Then pass a healthcare bill out of committee, wait a couple of months, then throw the Public Option back into the fold.
2010 vote everyone of the bums out of Washington DC. They do not represent the people!
The Public Option would take potential revenues and profits away from health insurers and put it in the pockets of consumers. If, as is happening already, insurance is unaffordable (much less unavailable) to individuals and small business, what is so bad about that, espaecially compared to the alternative-having tens of millions of Americans with no health insurance option all all?
OK, now I’m starting to get ticked off. I watched for 8 years while the Republicans were in charge, ignoring major problems as they grew out of control while creating new major problems. So the bums were tossed out and the Dems put in charge. The Democrats presented much more well reasoned arguments and less pigheaded philosophies. Bait and switch. We should control healthcare costs and make it easier for people to buy insurance if they want it (and they SHOULD be able to buy it at a subsidized price if they are sick). Get ready for yet another generation of cynics.
Really? Revenues too? What then is the Government going to use to pay Healthcare providers, cheese?
Can you name one industry the Government has run more efficiently than the private sector?
It was a great Democratic sales job. Just like now – we believe in transparency only to have behind closed doors meetings.
Control healthcare costs is the operative words for democratics with a socialistic mentality. We are going to change the entire healthcare system for less than 17% of the population. Of that 17%, 12-15 million are illegals approximately 5%. So, the government takes over 1/6 of the economy. Yet another government takeover of the private sector.
Why not expand the Medicare system to the citizens that are in need of healthcare? As a start. Health Insurance is not a constitutional right. Hey but who cares anymore what’s constitutional?
Yes, the public option would take revenues away from health insurers and probably run some out of business. Competition would deminish and the unemployment rate would rise.
In addition, taxes would increase to pay for this beast, taxes paid by you and I, people who work hard for what we have.
Before anyone here makes an arguement, please be aware that any course of action has a consequence. You need to look at the end product, not just the short term gains.
Also, look at the gov’t’s track record w/ programs it controls. There is a lot to be worried about w/ a public option as well. Just food for thought.
Insurers will cease to do business in those locations where the public option is available. When every medical provider (in states where the public option is available) is forced to accept payment that doesn’t cover the cost (like Medicare and Medicaid are right now), they will take up practice in another state or retire. Rationing will come very quickly in states that don’t opt out and the ruse of a public option competing with private insurers will be obvious. Why, when we were all being gouged by the oil companies, wasn’t there an outcry about having a public option gas station that carved out the profits of those oil companies? Now those were obscene profits!
Please list all “major problems” that the republicans ingnored over the past 8 years.
Just to play devil’s advocate here… the Bush administration’s main goal was to protect the U.S. from further terrorist attacks. After 9/11, we went to war and increased our security measures and there hasn’t been another terrorist attack on our soil since. What did this cost us, billions (but not trillions), thousands of American soldier’s lives (but better than 10’s or 100’s of thousands of lives).
If in the process of saving thousands, some problems were neglected, I am okay with that…as for the economic crisis, if you continue to believe it was the previous administration’s fault, you need to do a little research.
Yes, the war cost us money, but the collapse was due to the housing market… there was a democratic policy enacted during the Carter years that required banks to provide sub prime mortgages… witht the premise…”hey let’s give loans to people who can’t pay them back.” When people can’t pay their mortgages, they go bankrupt and foreclose… all of the companies in the financial sector who had large amounts of mortgage backed securities lost billions… and it was a downward cycle from there.
But then, a new president came in and decided to give those companies hard earned tax payer dollars… I could go on…
Give me one reason why I should trust Obama and his democratic congress when they have yet to prove their worth?
I will support the president if he starts addressing the real issue…the cost of medical treatment…
How can he do this… easy, restrict the outrageous payouts for medical malpractice claims.. this will relieve pressure on dr.s so they won’t have to run unnessecary tests on patients due to fear of litigation.
A majority of the population is covered and is happy w/ their health care… if we are worried about providing for the uninsured… then reduce that number by getting rid of illegal immigrants who take jobs and receive free health care. Some choose not to receive health care and some, unfortunately have no choice (we need to focus on this minority of people).
Sorry it was long! Let me know your thoughts
I couldn’t agree more. Also, what is the rush? Why must the decision be made by year end. Is there something that I am missing?
Yeah… re-election and security of for a democratic legacy (the hiddened agenda).
This president is trying to portray himself as someone who gets things done. I admire his spirit and willingness to act, but he is too ristricted by lobbyists, his party, and the political game (as is every other politician). There is too much celebrity and not enough leadership and in depth thought.
A complete overhaul of our nation’s leadership might be nice…but, of course, too many non educated on the issue voters out there. We should vote based on our stances on various policies. WOuldn’t that be nice?
The housing meltdown was caused by deregulation in the financial sector. The number of poor people who were foreclosed upon is not that large, that is just propaganda that you believed.
And as far as the war on Iraq, that did not make us safer, it was just a waste of money.
Terrorists could still attack us whenever they want. What about the sleeper cells the Bush admin would have u beleive in?
Its all lies, and you just believe everything you hear, and then call other people ignorant?????
Truth, really, come on. Why is that any leftist response has to quote fox news? Fox news is far right, CNN/NBC is far left; it is best for Americans that neither of these networks be watched.
You are correct that more regulation is needed in the financial sector, but that is a small fraction of the problem. I have yet to find anything proving your point; please send me the link so I may investigate.
We have to be careful with regulation… America was founded on freedom and the desire for less gov’t involvement (there has to be a balance). Gov’t regulation forced these sub prime loans in the first place.
Who is the one believing everything they hear? Conservatives have been bashed for almost a decade… only hearing from the left… I didn’t even like the previous administration, but in the end, they did what they set out to do whether we like it or not. Bush was an idiot, but we haven’t been attacked since (do you know how many terrorist plots have been foiled since the gov’t stepped up security?)
Was Iraq a bad idea, I definitly agree w/ you on that… however, I can’t argue that I would rather have people dying down the street as opposed to over there.
Your response seemed a bit novice, lacking in substance or backing of ideas but I appreciate your view.
correction… “I can’t argue that I would rather have people dying over there as opposed to down the street”
This was a funny read. It is nice to see the blamers blaming everyone but the guilty party. Admittedly Bush and his “compassionate conservatism” was problematic so he let the housing crisis go on instead of letting himself be declared “mean spirited”. Lets face it, Bush was a nice guy but not the best president we ever had. He did keep the war located somewhere else, which is not all bad.
Bush 3, as I refer to Obama is in a hurry to take over everything. Realize that when the govenment handles a bag of cash, it is always lighter than when they received it, ostensibly so that the people who redistribute the wealth can be paid. However, government is the bulk of the new jobs created.
Politicians just keep shoveling the healthcare stuff around trying to make it stick; they back off and stick it in later. Some earlier enlightened commenter pointed that out.
Scott, the first guy to comment said it best with his three steps to make healthcare better without spending a ton of money. However, the ton of money being handled by the government is the objective. When you cannot push taxes any higher, come up with a new government program to “make things better” that involve lots of cash being handled.
This brings to mind the supposed other crisis, global cooling (or is it global warming) since it will involve a lot of cash being handled with no way to verify that there has been any result. They are in a hurry to pass that legislation, too. If the healthcare bunk passes, remember what you read here and prepare for the worst. *sigh*
Americans are dying because they can’t afford to seek medical care. People that worked hard all their lives end up laid off and uninsured. I told my spouse last night, if we get real sick we’ll just have to weather it out here at home. Or else lose our home. There are 300,000 people ahead of us on a waiting list for affordable health care from the State of PA. One missed colonoscopy or mammogram can mean stage four cancer detected next time.
I think I read from “Scooged” that there were 300,000 in front of him on a waiting list for affordable health care from the State of PA. If we have everyone in the U.S. waiting on “affordable health care” (aka Universal Healthcare, aka Public Option), the waiting list will be much longer and it will be routine to miss a colonoscopy or mammogram.
However, I think this letter writer might be going for the sympathy vote, because around here mammograms are free and have been since I can remember. If you have insurance, the insurance pays, if you don’t have insurance then the mammogram is free.
As to colonoscopy procedures, those are required later in life and only two are recommended which Medicare pays for until the new free health care comes out and guts the insurance that we have all been paying for all of our lives to use the money for the new free insurance. Colonoscopy is relatively new procedure and not widely enjoyed due to its um, well, un-coolness. There are other ways to get a similar result, perhaps not as good, but certainly much cheaper. If the “free healthcare for all” comes to be, then this cheaper similar test will be the standard procedure and you will not hear of the one that is better. I know these things because I have lived where they do rationing, some by scheduling and some by secrecy of the better procedure.
The true test of whether the new “free insurance for all” is good enough is when you see a congressman or senator in line with you, and he should be behind you so you will know that you will get faster service. Even though Obama said the new healthcare should be equivalent to congressional insurance, that has changed and the DC folks will not be joining us. That should tell you whatever you need to know.