Real Health Care Solutions – Letting O Know
by John M. O'Hara
In his State of the Union Address Wednesday night, President Obama called on folks to let him know if there are better health care solutions he and congress should be considering:
As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we’ve proposed…
…But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know.
He echoed this sentiment at today’s House GOP retreat. Some might say he was being sarcastic, reminding us of how hard it is to govern (especially in light of all he has inherited from you-know-who.) But that would be cynical, particularly in this post-partisan era.
Just before Christmas my colleague Peter Fotos and I penned a “wish list” of simple policy proposals that constitute substantive health care reform – and it didn’t even take 1,000 pages! The health care snitch line was disabled, so we’ll give the President the benefit of the doubt that it ended up in his spam folder.
President Obama and his Congressional allies talk a lot about the need to control health care costs and avoid pressure from special interests. Unfortunately, neither the House nor the Senate versions of “ObamaCare” that he called upon congress to reconsider withstand either litmus test.
Health care industry lobbyists have enjoyed unprecedented access to this White House during the crafting of both the House and Senate bills. Contrary to the President’s claim of upholding a standard of ultimate transparency, his White House fought tooth and nail to conceal the visitor logs that list these very guests. Despite his anti-industry rhetoric, President Obama has actually raked in record numbers of campaign contributions from the health care sector.
As a recent WellPoint study indicates, costs are expected to increase, not decrease, for most individuals and families well beyond forecast increases under the status quo. What’s more, there’s no shortage of political giveaways in the Senate bill—bribes for “on the fence” legislators to bring cloture to the bill, such as Ben Nelson’s “Cornhusker Kickback” and Mary Landrieu’s “Louisiana Purchase.”
Here’s a short wish list of three things not in any ObamaCare proposal that are absolutely essential for real health care reform:
Cross-State Purchasing
Obama and others have touted a “public option,” government health insurance, as a competitor that would “keep insurance companies honest.” One additional player in the market will do nothing, however, unless of course it has a competitive advantage, a claim these proponents adamantly dismiss as “fear-mongering.” In any case, the new player is unnecessary.
A loose interpretation of the Interstate Commerce Clause currently prevents the purchase of health insurance across state lines. Virtually all other forms of insurance—car, life, home—can be purchased by customers in a national, wide-open marketplace. If health care consumers were afforded the same freedom, individuals and families who reside in one state would be able to purchase more affordable health insurance domiciled or licensed in another state. Americans would no longer be restricted to the anti-competitive, counterproductive regulations and mandates governing the health insurance markets in many states.
This simple fix would multiply the markets consumers could access by a factor of fifty, allowing consumers to choose policies that fit their needs and budgets.
Tax Reform
It’s time to spread the health around. The federal tax code creates a bias favoring third-party payers of health insurance and puts individual purchasers at a disadvantage. This results in health care being owned by the federal government and employers instead of by individuals. Our health care system should empower people to make their own health care decisions, not subjugate them to HR managers and government bureaucrats. A system of refundable tax credits would remove third-party payers from the equation, leaving health insurance and health care decisions to individual consumers.
Tort Reform
Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean famously admitted medical malpractice reform was left out of the health care reform debate because the authors “did not want to take on the trial lawyers.” But medical malpractice abuse is a primary driver of our nation’s skyrocketing health care costs. There isn’t a single provision in Democrat’s health care bills to address this.
Malpractice insurance and the need for “defensive medicine” make the practice of medicine unappealing and costly, reducing the number of primary care physicians and increasing costs to consumers. According to the American Medical Association, defensive medicine costs our health care system between $84 and $151 billion every year. In another AMA report, 45 percent of hospitals reported concerns over liability resulted in the loss of physicians or reduced coverage in emergency departments.
The regulatory and spending proposals currently on the table will at best avoid (though more likely exacerbate) the underlying problems of our current health care system. No amount of bureaucratic shell games or grandstanding against special interests will change that.
It needn’t take thousands of words and bitter, partisan battles to enact significant change that will help millions of Americans get affordable health insurance. If the President and his allies in Congress are serious about health care reform, they should start from scratch and consider serious solutions.
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116 Comments
" I want everyone to take another look at the plan we’ve proposed…"
Fruitcake is fruitcake, you can look at it again all you want, it's not going to change the taste.
Put it in different giftwrap but it's still fruitcake.
After several months of debate(and of course, after listening to the SOTU), I am willing to give give this healthscare thingy some consideration, with a caveot. We set up a "test model" of what this grand scheme would look like in 4 years time(though the test will be current time). Nancy and Harry will be the patients and we'll select a team of four Social Medicine brain surgeons(base salary, $60,000 p/y) Conduct partial lobotomies on Piggy and Dingy. If successful, consider bipartisan talks about just how we could really make this work.
By the time this happens, it should be October, 2010 and we can go to the polls knowing that "hope and change" is really gonna happen.
The People have rejected Obama's health care plan outright.
The monstrosities we see from Pelosi and Reid just piss off the electorate. The back door deals for Louisiana Florida and Indiana churn our stomach. The Union exemptions are an affront to the senses. Yet they will continue to try and force anything just to save face.
Obama, in his "Meeting with the Republican House Members" today rejected their ideas.
He said Tort Reform would only reduce costs by 2% or so. He said buying insurance over state lines would lead to sick people being isolated from healthy people or some kind of drivel like that.
He said that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scored the Republican's plan and the numbers looked bad.
He said their plan would leave millions uninsured.
What he failed to do was acknowledge the Dem's plan leaves millions uninsured, comes with 15 new tax structures, cuts Medicare by 500 billion dollars to create completely new entitlements and will cut jobs while increasing the debt burden for generations to come not to mention reduction in care and quality of care for us all.
Why would either side agree to any current proposals by the other side?
I believe its time to scrap the current plans and start over from scratch.
If Tort reform decreases costs 2%, then pass a Tort Reform bill and save 2%, thats a start.
Then find something that will cut costs all by itself and pass that.
Take small steps but move in the right direction and we end up with bills that could get 80% or greater agreement in either house.
But if Obama wants to burn down the system, then the path he is on now will accomplish that in short order.
Our Demand
We, the American People
American Patriots All
Allegiance To Our Flag, in Accordance With Our Constitution,
For Love Of Our Country, One Nation Under God
are being portrayed as right-wing extremists,
a lunatic fringe element, and astroturf
we are everyday Americans
We, are the American People
In regards to this administration's lobbyist-generated
back-room, closed-door, Healthcare Reform Bill,
to say Americans are ANGRY is the
"understatement of the year"
Enough already
Stop the insanity
Keep your politics out of our Healthcare
Healthcare reform done right utilizes the K.I.S.S. philosophy
and first focuses on four primary cost factors
Fraud, Tort, Billing, and Drug Prices
Healthcare fraud is said to cost taxpayers
hundreds of billions of dollars a year
With an intelligent database
there would not be this cost
Only idiots would add trillions of dollars
to a healthcare system that is leaking money like a sieve
without fixing the system first
Tort Insurance is quoted as between 4-6%
of the overall Healthcare cost
an estimated 120 Billion Dollars per year
Seems quite logical that to reduce costs
to take lawyers out of our healthcare
Billing hassle is quoted as 8%
of the overall Healthcare cost
With an intelligent database
there would not be this cost
Drug Price Reform
Americans demand the right
to obtain our prescription drugs
from the least expensive legitimate
pharmaceutical source on the planet
this is not subject to discussion
E-Verifying recipients for unemployment benefits
will save substantial amounts of money
and E-Verifying Driver's License recipients
will help secure our country
and E-Verifying all workers will generate 8.3 million jobs
currently held by known illegals
all recipients, of any entitlement
federal, or state
must be E-Verified to eliminate most fraud
and preferably Bio-ID'd to eliminate all fraud
Need we remind Congress, and this administration
that Entitlements cost taxpayers 50% of our Federal Budget
Fraud in Entitlements alone
costs Americans more, each year, than both wars
and arguably, fraud costs Americans, more, in a single year
than both wars, in total, over the last ten years
FIX THE FRAUD FIRST before doing anything else
and we'll save 1 Trillion Dollars a year
actually even more
in the meantime we will solicit
the input of all healthcare workers,
caring doctors, nurses, technicians,
and maintenance workers, et al
so they can tell us how to improve healthcare
and reduce the cost
in these very trying times
that are very likely to last for far longer
than any of us want them to.
they will help save healthcare for us
Do not disregard, We, the American People
by continuing to act, deaf, dumb, and blind
to the overwhelming consensus
of the very people you profess to represent
First Fix Fraud, Tort, Billing, and Drug Prices
process the ideas of the healthcare people
and we can have a one page bill
for We, the American People
sometime after we back away from the abyss
and are back on our feet again.
to say now is not the time
is another of those
"understatements of the year"
Terrorists should always be
the responsibility of our Military and our CIA
Keep Gitmo open
it's the perfect out of the way place
to keep terrorists, who would do harm to our citizens,
imprisoned by our military
and last, but not at all least
FREE OUR NAVY SEALS
punishing our Seals for punching a known terrorist
isn't any consolation for the deaths of innocent Americans
and it doesn't at all present the image of who we Americans are
Americans stand riveted behind our Military and our Intelligence Community
they must be encouraged to keep us safe
not deterred for petty offenses in the exercising of their duties
Heaven forbid if we, Americans, ever got our hands on terrorists
there would be no need for a trial
A Contract Of, For, and With, Americans
Patriots, it is our duty to educate all Americans
http://bit.ly/5Y15h8
Poor, poor Barry……………..he imagined that being president, all he had to do is say something and it would instantly become true/a fact.
He never really understood nor wanted the job……………………just the perks and title. He's easily bored, hasn't EVER wanted to do the work any job entails, and now, there is no higher position he can aspire to. He's even worse than the fisherman's wife, in the fairy tale of the same name.
WHO in God's name are these 30,000,000 people this health care will help? that is only 10 damn % of the population. if the bill is 2 trillion for 30 million is that not 6 million per. maybe my math is off, give me the money hussein.
The worst part of it is that the Republicans also have a proposal for federal control over health insurance. They can't give up the control of that big segment of the economy either.
Just lip service to get some political clout back with the "COMMON MAN" after Massachuetts…….
IF SCOTT BROWN HADN'T WON IN MASSACHUETTS………
GUESS WHAT?……………YEAH……….
DEMOCRATS WOULD STILL BE JAMMING OBAMACARE DOWN YOUR THROAT OR UP ANOTHER PLACE…….
If DEMOCRATS call the Republicans the "Party of No"…….
THEN MAYBE THE DEMOCRATS SHOULD BE "THE PARTY OF KNOW IT ALLS"…….
AMERICANS NEED JOBS……BUT DEMOCRATS KNOW THAT THEIR OBAMACARE IS MORE IMPORTANT.
AMERICANS DON'T WANT OBAMACARE……BUT DEMOCRATS KNOW THAT WE HAVEN'T UNDERSTOOD HOW GREAT IT'LL BE.
AND ON AND ON.
In Sept. of 2009, in an address to Congress, Obama said: "“[W]e’ve estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system — a system that is currently full of waste and abuse”.
OK , no need to get your health care bill passed before cutting out that waste and abuse. Start right now and put as much effort into it as you have in getting your bill passed.
If you can get 25% of it cut out in one year, we might start to take your words seriously.
Government take over of health care is simply a weapon to control us. It has been on the drawing board of the Progressives WISH LIST for generations. I think it is time to make a list of the DINOS WHO ARE ACTUALLY PROGRESSIVES. Lets start with –
HILLERY CLINTON
MAXINE WATERS
HENRY WAXMAN
BARNIE FRANK
add your own suspects
How about sending a posse out to catch the crooks that are bleeding Medicare white? Read somewhere if they could stop the FRAUD it would pay for healthcare. Don't see much about anyone chasing them. Are they just ignoring this? The idiots were bragging about how easy it was to set up dummy addresses and rake in the money. After they received their huge checks, they would close that address and move on to a new one. Making millions.
400 plus speeches,150 plus interviews and we just don't understand what is in our best interest. I would be much happier if the President was not so worried about my happiness.
Running 4 miles in about 30 minutes (33 maybe 34) you think would help lower the rate. I'm TRYING TO PULL MY WEIGHT for America.
Now here is what this Administration doesn't want to know. And perhaps I should keep the lights on at night. They CAN cut health care costs now w/o any bill.
Let me give you a (non)hypothetical. Patient goes into Kaiser to get tested for everything under the sun. Clean bill of health. Doctor feels impressed that she delivered it all and the cost of $600 for the array of tests was covered but that coverage was coming to an end. Again. Clean bill of health.
Now friend goes into clinic (last week) and they do the same tests as would be normal. But if paid in cash the same tests actually cost $70. I kid you not. They were so desperate for cash. Tourism sucks right now.
Can't get affordable health insurance unless you think getting your teeth cleaned and a box of lenses are worth $4,500++ a year. That's over $45,000 for the last decade. Add a girlfriend and now we are getting dangerously close to $100,000 for a decade for teeth cleaning and some contact lenses.
Crazy? For people who go out of their way not to use healthcare why should they be sucked into this crap. The numbers are real folks. I can prove it.
So. President Obama. Your pledge to fight for health care? DO YOU Mr. President need a BILL to cut the excessive waste in healthcare? Why do you need a Bill to do it?
Why WAIT. DO IT! Cut the cost that you think is obvious. And I can prove on paper where to start. WHY DO U NEED A BILL TO CUT COST RAHM!?
Goldman Sachs owns this DNC and RNC but no one is to blame but ourselves?
Blankfein rigged the system. But it started w/ Rubin under Bubba.
This is what happens, when someone (Obama) is in such a hurry to sit in the White House…Someone with NO experience, someone with NO compassion for the 'average' working American, someone with NO knowledge of HOW the government runs…
After a year of trying to 'convince' the American people that he, and congress, 'know what is best' for us…and our rejecting that stupid notion, you would think he would give it a rest…but NO, he is going to shove it through anyway!!
I know that the Progressive movement thinks that their time has come…but their off by about 100 years! WE ARE NOT going to allow these idiots to destroy our country..this is NOT GERMANY!!
He has done NOTHING to insure the safety of this country..he has done NOTHING to help small businesses, his only interest being 'big business', as they are the ones with money..and he thinks that big business is just going to lie down and take him throwing THEM under the bus???
Well since BHO and his buddies want to control how much CEO's make how about a cap on lawyers..costs plus 2% the plaintiff gets the rest,loser pays,etc… would never happen
Please refrain from suggesting anything that does not aid the federal gov in its need to take control of at least 15% or more of the economy. Those plans that make sense and might help just are not needed, Hence the reason we in the fed have not utilized them. We know what they are but honestly do not believe you the cattle actually understand just how well they would work. We know it would not aid in our plan to make this a hand our society which is contrary to our overall goals. If it does not help destroy America keep your ideas to yourself please.
The list might be shorter if you only listed non-progressives. Unfortunately, we also have quite a few RINO progressives including McCain and Graham.
We can not in any way shape or form allow them to pass any health care bill at all, if we do the provisions slipped into the Stimulus plan will kick in>> National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446) These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”
There is plenty more in the stimulus bill that most have forgotten ( By Democrat design ) or never knew about..
Read this article to see what was slipped into the stimulus bill and will kick in once they pass any form of health care.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&a...
In 1983, I was invited to the very first government run health care town hall meetings. I subsequently was involved in all the PACs that were fighting government takeover of healthcare at that time. In 1983 we were saying the same three things that are mentioned at the end of this article. According to Alinsky's rules for radicals, you isolate the enemy, then ridicule him. Obama and his House did this to the Republicans by isolating them from the process, then accusing them of being the 'party of no'. Yesterday, Obama was confronted with this directly from the House Republicans. Mike Pense gave Obama a list of the legislation that has been submitted by House Republicans, and ignored, in the last year (found at GOP.GOV.) Yesterday Obama was confronted with, but did not admit to the Alinsky lie that he and his house visited upon the House Republicans. At the end of the meeting, during Republican final comments, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner commented on 'no'. He said that when he says No to Obama's health care bill, he and others like him mean 'no' because they are opposed to the government takeover of one seventh of Americas economy. In spirit, everyone agrees that healthcare reform is necessary. We were saying the same things in 1983 that House Republicans are saying now. In fact, some of the House Republicans of now were saying it then. So it is disingenuous of Obama to accuse the House Republicans of being the 'party of no'. It is an Alinsky trick that has hopefully been brought to light enough that it is now ineffective and will make way for at least some partial dialogue between Obama and the House Republicans.
A bill that would give the IRS the power to own all our medical and financial records is just EVIL!
Whats to stop the global governance then when the records are linked the world health organization
and the money goes completely electronic?
Can we trust the republicans if there is a bunch of them that are progressives?
All the crap talk about whats in the bill does not matter if they quietly slip the IRS all the personal info and power!
We need to watch out for this!
He (Obama) has systematically SHUT the door on the Republicans, and NOW he acts like it's THEIR fault they are not involved??? This man is seriously deranged!
Yeti-
Well stated. The followers of Alinsky as well as Cloward and Piven are determined to nudge our country closer and closer to socialism. With a super majority (until Brown is seated) in the senate and house, the battle lines are no longer drawn between democrats and republicans. It is a battle between progressives and non-progressives.
The Republican "Health Care Plan" is no plan at all. 1) It calls for tort reform. The Republicans sold us this limit lawsuit plan to reduce health care costs in the 1990's almost every state already has tort reform. What has it saved us in health care premiums? Nothing. Premuims have sky-rocketed. So, they limited the amount of money that people can collect for bad care so that insurance companies could pocket the extra cash.
2) Republicans want insurance companies to be able to sell insurance across state lines. Why? So insurance companies can shop for the state with the least regulations and put their headquarters there. Then, the insurance companies will sell cheap policies to people in other states. But, the policies won't really cover anything. At first, people will be happy — I got a cheap policy. Then, when they go to get things covered, it won't be covered. People will say, why didn't you disclose that you would not cover this? The insurance company will say, because there are no regulations on our practices in the state where we are headquartered. And the other states cannot do anything about it because the insurance companies are all headquartered in another state. So, we are all sorry out of luck with cheap policies that cover nothing. Insurance companies are businesses. The fewer payouts, the more money they make. They are always looking for ways not to pay out on policies and the Republicans are trying to make it easier for them.
The Republicans already sold us the "Tort Reform" bill of goods in the 1990's. If you would do your research, you would know that almost every state already passed the Republican tort reform. The problem is that the Republicans said that it would save us money on our premiums. Where are the savings? Premuims have sky-rocketed since tort reform. Did the insurance companies pass the savings to us in lower premuims? No they pocketed the cash. So, now people are restricted in what they can recover for medical malpractice and we have seen zero savings. Republicans prey on the misinformed. Why don't you check on the tort reforms passed in almost every state and ask the Republicans why we got no savings.
Funny how the Republicans have sold all of you on the idea that you do not want to regulate business because that hurts jobs. Right, because if you do not regulate business, they will run out and create jobs because that is all they do with extra profits and money they get. Right? Wrong, a lot of times they just pay themselves higher salaries and bonuses and give their shareholders big dividend payouts. Just like the Republican bill of goods with tort reform in the 1990's. We need to limit the amount of money that you recover for bad doctors so that your insurance premiums will go down. So almost every state passed tort reform limiting the amount that people can collect for bad doctors. Where were the savings? Insurance premuims skyrocketed and the insurance companies pocketed the savings from tort reform. The Republican plans are all to benefit business at our expense.
If you were actually informed, you would know who the real villians are. Who passed the deregulation of the banks that caused this mess? Congress creates that laws. Who was in control of Congress at the time? The Republican party. Who authored the Bill deregulating the banks? Republican Phil Gramm of Texas. Although Clinton was President, the Republicans controlled Congress at the time and it was them who deregulated the banks. Check your facts. Who pushed the crazy housing practices? The Republicans controlled Congress from 1995-2006. After Bush took office, he had the brilliant idea to stimulate housing to stimulate the economy. He came up with the "Ownership Society" plan. Remember? To was dedicated to make more home owners than ever in history.
PLEASE! Try REALLY hard to focus, Rachel. Tort costs translate into BILLIONS of unnecessary tests just so doctors and hospitals can practice "defensive medicine" in an effort to reduce their POTENTIAL tort liability. Millions of people and tens of thousands of attorneys see doctors and hospitals as some sort of cash cows from which they can extract BILLIONS for supposedly "bad medicine." It's time you faced reality. No matter WHAT a doctor or hospital can possibly do, health problems are going to sometimes have "bad" outcomes. People are going to get sick and die and babies are going to be born with spina biffida or other deformities that SIMPLY CANNOT BE PREVENTED. We need to QUIT blaming the doctors for our loved ones dying after living lives of excesses–smoking, drinking, overeating and sitting on the couch watching TV instead of exercising sensibly. I personally know of a great doctor who MUST pay $40K per year in tort insurance just in case she might be sued by one of these legal predators.
If you want to reduce health-care costs, get the government the hell OUT of the system altogether.
Bush came up with "America's Homeownership Challenge" where he asked the banks to come up with more creative financing and to loosen credit standards to allow more people home ownership. The banks got the green light to use any financing scheme without regulation. Then, the Republican Congress passed "America's Dream Downpayment Act" to give downpayments to buy homes to people will bad credit and no downpayment. Finally, Bush threatened to not renew the charters of Fannie and Freddie if they did not offer the same crazy mortgage products as the private sector: zero down, interest only, and adjustible arms. Bush caused the mess with Fannie and Freddie. I can show you the speeches and letters. Why did the Republicans do this? To stimulate the economy and allow the banking industry to make record profits. You can google this all and check the facts from White House documents and news reports. Feel lied to by the Republicans as who caused this mess? You should.
There is not now–nor has there EVER been–"deregulation of the banks," Rachel. Where do you GET this nonsense? Banks are just as "regulated" today as they've ever been since the Great Depression. Your "facts" are as phony as Clinton's, "I did not have sex with that woman…Ms Lewinsky."
Look back on history. The key date is 1963! With the advent of Medicare and later Medicaid, health-care costs began to skyrocket. It's no coincidence that rising health-care costs can be tired DIRECTLY to the federal government meddling in the system. Want health care insurance premiums to go down? Easy. Quit relying on your "health care" to pay when you have the sniffles or you've cut your finger. Save it for severe injuries or illnesses only and otherwise, pay your own way.
[...] Real Health Care Solutions – Letting O Know [...]
Rachel
They could try an old maxim–read before you sign (buy).
Insurance companies used to send out booklets with info. telling you, in detail, what each plan offered and for how much. These were written in easily understood English. This should be standard procedure.
With more competition in each state, people would have real choice, and could decide for themselves, what best suited their needs. When competition is strong the public wins, because all business is after the same thing. The largest share of the market possible!
Just remember one thing. Business is in business for one main purpose 'to make money', if they don't, they won't be in business for long.
Everyone who screams about big business making a profit (how awful) should try stating a business where the purpose is –to break even, or lose money–how long will that last?
There is an opportunity however. How about they begin to get rid of “Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.” Weren’t we told through Barry’s mystical magic deathcare they would be able to find 500 Billion in “FWA?” You don’t need a bill for that, get started Washington…we’re watching!
Warof2010
You have some very good points here. I do not agree with everything you have written, but it has a good base.
Rachel is a bit misguided, but seems to be attempting to understand. Something she should consider is the following.
Medicare–the mandated (by the government) health care for those over 65, (without vast incomes) is not all that great. The government regulates what procedures Dr.'s may perform, if the government (through medicare) decides not to cover a procedure, and a patient still wants/needs that procedure. Guess what–you can't have it! The Dr. may not perform the procedure, even if the patient is willing to pay cash out of pocket for it. The only way the patient could receive it would be to go to another Dr. and lie.(making a criminal out of the patient)
That is just one of the problems with Medicare!
Rachel
Do a little mental exercise. Pretend you are starting a business. Lay out a list of objectives.
Is supporting yourself in that list? Does that take profit?
How about expanding your business, down the road? Does that take profit?
Is your disgust with profit, for all profit or just a certain level of profit?
Check your Premise!
In BHO's own words~"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig". The healthcare debacle is just that, a debacle, merely a front to hide more pork. More pork than has ever been seen/hidden before. The veritable
"Mother of all Pork" bills.
…………………………….Hanzo
Rachel
Do some more homework Rach, you will then find the fallacies in your statements.
The part I love is the left said there is no death panels…But Dr Ezekiel Emanuel (Rahms brother) has a priority of health care chart.They tell women not to get a mamogram until age 50. 70% of women with breasts cancer are over 50 and guess when the priority on the chart stops to drop….you got it 50…If you are detected with breast cancer at 50 and above you are not a priority…which means we can not waste money or resources on you… as BHO said sometimes its better to take a pain pill and go home….Nah not a death panel….Hey we are the stupid unwashed this is above our level
I get 66 Thousand-plus per if 30 Million uninsured is $2 Trillion — still about 3 to 4 "Cadilac" plans per illegal.
Dave Rooney
I find your example hard to swallow.
I know people with out health insurance who go to a simple Dr. visit and get charged $190.00 for a visit. They get no discount for cash. The same visit for a person with health insurance is still $190.00 but Insurance Company agreement says 'allowed amount' $95.00' of which the Insurance will cover $55.00, leaving the patient to pay 'out of pocket' $40.00.
The thing is if the Dr.s only charged $95.00 to all patients they would a) get more patients b) make the same amount of money per patient. (actually more as there would be less paper work)
Though $95.00 is still high for 15 minutes (or less) with the Dr. it would be twice as affordable for the uninsured public.
Give to the states. That'll break it down to serviceable constituencies; the many Dems. who also loathe this bill can walk away with their honor somewhat in tact; and we can get on with life.
Scary article. Thx for sharing.
The "cross state lines" idea sounds good, but state insurance department(s) control in-state insurance transactions; insurance agents are licensed by their respective states and cannot do business in other states — and, state legislators regulate what coverage must be included in policies sold in their respective states. That's one reason for the huge disparities in price (some states mandate coverage for stuff like gender reassignment surgery, etc.). In those cases, buying via out-of-state companies wouldn't alleviate mandated coverage for policies sold within that state.
(continued)
(continued)
But actually, the two biggest contributors to price inflation are (1) Practitioners' costs for both malpractice insurance and over-testing (defensive medicine), and (2) price leveraging by the insurance industry, with Medicare and Medicaid the worst offenders; practitioners have to raise overall prices because the reimbursement levels are so low from insurance, especially Medicare/Medicaid – they have to make up the shortfall by passing the losses on via price increases. Meaningful "reform" would require both tort reform and legislated prohibitions on price leveraging (those are private contracts – insurers should pay fully for whatever their policy says is covered).
More of the same, another cloud of red smoke.
Distract the population with disingenuous attention while the BHO Chicago machine continues to push thorough its marxist agenda while piously claiming that they know what is best for the uneducated masses. Give them a false sense of importance to quell their murmuring. Don't listen to the constituents that voted you in as we know that is the only thing they knew how to perform correctly. Their destruction must be completed before the machine can recreate them as seen in its noble vision.
Enjoy your moment in the sun while you can, go ahead and display your royal heritage with slitted eyes and raised noses, your arrogance will be your Achilles heel. You will soon be fleeing the peasants you pretend to rule.
Rachel, read page 33, the conclusions : The Perryman Group’s analysis of the incremental benefits of tort reform in Texas.
http://tlrfoundation.com/beta/files/Texas_Tort_Re...
The savings were big and there was an impact on jobs and quality of care and reductions in unnecessary tests.
Premiums decreased.
Insurance companies cant pocket money that is not generated from law suites.
NP share it with everyone you know and remind your reps you know what they allready set in place.. This is why they are always telling you ( The supporters of the HC bill ) "Thats not true its not in THIS bill".. Can you imagin what it would be like to have your doctor checking the Gov. web site to see what he can and can not tell you ??
I agree with the lack of the savings being passed on Rachel and in fact I had forgot about that all together, thanks for the reminder~ But do you really believe "Republicans prey on the misinformed" ?
I am pretty sure Conservatives have ALWAYS pushed higher education. Democrats and Progressives on the other hand prey on the ghetto's and the so called "black" and "hispanic" vote. Why? Is it b/c the Dems feel these 2 groups would be easy to sway to say vote for your guy?
I think so. It's pretty pathetic. Dems want the people uneducated, poor, and on government assistance. That's not the Capitalist way but that is a whole other story.
I also think he thought he would have an easy time totally discrediting all the media that opposes him in the eye of the public so then all media outlets would be towin the party rope. Then real trouble.
Re: Tort Reform:
Tort reform will save a bundle on the cost of health insurance right now and is well worth the effort by any sane person's reckoning, but let's get back to Obama's brush off of a mere two percent (2%) that tort reform would shave from his health insurance scam bill which is low-ball estimated to cost upwards of one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000.00) — two percent of a trillion dollars is twenty billion dollars ($20,000,000,000.00) — a sum that is apparently now considered a pittance, but used to considered real money.
Love it!
It scares the hell out of me that the Republicans would try to work out any type of reform with NOBAMA. He doen't give a crap about bipartisanship. The progressives have the Marxist label wrapped around their neck and they are trying to unload it on the Repubes. I hope the Repubes don't fall for it.
I have no faith in the Republicans to have the skill to not sell us out. Obama care Light? No way!
We have to get rid of all the rats(McCain, Feingold, Durbin, etc) before we can have meaningful reform from legislators that are patriotic and give a crap about the future of this country.
And the DEMOCRATS CUT BACKROOM DEALS WITH………..
THE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES,
DRUG COMPANIES,
DOCTOR'S UNIONS,
OTHER UNIONS,
AND INDIVIDUAL SENATORS FOR THEIR VOTE………
AND YOU REALLY HAVE THE GALL TO THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS WERE LOOKING OUT FOR THE
AVERAGE CITIZEN………..YOU MUST BE REALLY STUPID.
you are right about how Obama's tap dance has changed since Massachusetts.
Banks, Profit, Bonuses, Corporations, Investments…. when did all these become evil.
If these are to be construed as "CHAINS", shackle me up.
We all want health care reform, within the confines which O'Hara outlined in his 3 points.
In other words all we want is to improve the ballpark
Obamacare is government health care "reform" takeover.
In other words, not only does Obama want to play in a different ballpark, he wants to play a different game.
I'm afraid you are right on. Let's just hope the Tea Party movement can change this.
Why are we arguing the intricacies of health care reform while overlooking the real problem. Health care reform as it has been proposed by Obama is nothing more than a socialist govt power grab. As proposed it will destroy our system, not improve it. This is a war of ideologies. Our president is a progressive. He believes in Elitism, that most people are idiots, and the best way to "social justice" is centralized rule. He believes that the Constitution is flawed and that he knows how to do it better. He will continue to ignore the wishes of the people and our constitution in an effort to increase the size and scope of the federal govt until we have no more individual liberties except those granted by the govt…………As Government expands…Liberties contract.
So what you're suggesting is that they are continuing to rewrap the re-gifted fruitcake that nobody wanted to begin with in the first "gift" giving place? What were you thinking? <sarc>
That was my biggest complaint too….There's fraud and waste going on right now!
Sounded to me that Nancy Pelosi said that she is going to pass health care anyway, even if the blue-dog democrats are against it!
This isn't about health care, it's about control of health care insurance.
Amazing that someone running America that is a half black mixed breed has so many things in common with HITLER.
I thought the real issue was the 10th Amendment…US Govt can not force us to buy goods or services, and also fine or tax us, if we don't comply.
Exactly – that's what makes HSA's so powerful. I have one and I love it. $128/month covers catastrophic illness/injury. Everything else I pay for out of my HSA.
That's very cute, but at no point did you address one of the most important aspects to health care reform, that advocates have been trying to shoot for for the past 50+ years:
"cover the uninsured"
You can dick around with the free market all you want, but at the end of the day, unless you allow for some government intervention, there is absolutely no way that you can give coverage to everyone.
yes, I know that to people like the Lt. Governor of South Carolina, the people who couldn't afford insurance are similar to stray animals, but for a lot of us, we- believe it or not- see poor people as our human equals, and believe that they ought to have the same access to basic medical care as more-wealthy people do.
Insurance across state lines is a tricky issue.
Auto insurance premiums vary by state, depending on risk, cost of services, etc. Obama requires (!) fixed premiums regardless of regional health risk factors, and would have us ignore geographic differences in service cost and availability.
Insurance companies must be allowed to derive their own actuarial tables so as to adjust for their risks. .gov simply can't do this.
Until fraud prevention, tort reform, cross state availabilty, and health care is for legal residents only, are in place, don't bother me. Without all of these conditions there is no reform.
Your three-part reform points should have been expressed in an animated way by the GOP when Barry visited them at the retreat on Friday. Of course, and predictably, they missed their chance, merely referring to the booklet they had with their ideas. They had the chance to put it over the air with the president right there to stumble over a response and they were silent. I am willing to wager that, if there had been tea partiers on that dias with the prez, they would not have been so bashful. I am afraid that the GOP is going to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the 2010 mid-terms.
Are you saying that Seals, should be allowed to torture?If so, I would strongly disagree with you! What would separate us from them, if we were to use this practice? What information could possibly be provided? It is VERY well known and documented, that torture provides false information, torture gets information that the torturer is looking for, not the information the tortured has to offer!! TONES of information to support my view!!! I suppose you would be OK with an American being tortured, now that you consider it a useful practice?
It has nothing to do with poor people…There is not a right to health insurance..if so then you have to eat to stay healthy so a right to food..got to have clothes or freeze to death a right to clothes..also have to have water a right to water..on and on and on…I am tired of the lie that people are passing away because they do not have health insurance…ohhh people with health insurance never die….we are surrounded by idiots.
You're probably right, tx; the man child doesn't live in the real world. If he can imagine it, it must be so, he thinks. Well, reality just keeps smacking him in the face and he can't handle it.
Maddow, is that you?
Hey Rachel, what you actual facts know about history and business can be inscribed on the head of a pin………………WITH LOTS OF ROOM LEFT OVER!
No Rachel, most states haven't made any tort reform laws; there should be national tort reform, but there is none.
There should also be a free and open market in health insurance; but there isn't and the Dems aren't going to give us that.
Rachel, Rachel, Rachel……………………Carter began the push to give loans and mortages to people who wouldn't ever pay them back.
Clinton entered the fray and made it even broarder and far worse!
Obama, when he held no elected office at all, but was just a Chicago thug trainer and racist lawyer, taught ACORN thugs how to intimidate, threaten, and harass bank officials IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN HOMES and in front of banks. He was also one of their lawyers who sued the banks, in Chicago, to make them hand out these mortgages to penniless people with rotten credit.
And you're blaming President Bush for this mess, when he tried and tried to get something done about Freddie and Fannie, but was called a racist and worse and stymied, by the likes of Dodd, Rangle, Frank, and yes, Obama, when he asked Congress to do something ?
You notice they never say the uncared-fors, only the uninsureds.
Low income people or people on public assistance (welfare and other programs) already have a very expensive earlier version of ObamaCare. It's called Medicaid. They also get food stamps in the form of a credit card magically refilled with funds every month by you and me. Those not eligible for Medicaid get free medical care. In fact, they cannot be turned away from hospitals. The rest of us already pay their costs.
Many people with good incomes choose not to buy health insurance. They pay for their own health care out of their pockets. Why should this be anyone's business?
The rush to pass health insurance legislation has only one goal and that is to provide lots more union jobs for the public service union, SEIU.
It has nothing whatever to do with providing more and better care for anybody.
It is a scam worthy of P.T. Barnum.
Be carefull what you ask for, to the progressives Waste would be getting a hip replacement at age 80 or with only a few years left in life, and abuse would be the doctor that did it reguardless of what the National Coordinator of Health Information told the doctor to do..
[...] Continue reading this story HERE [...]
[...] Continue reading this story HERE [...]
So now punching and armed terrorist while capturing him is torture?? First off this is claimed by the terrorist with NO physical proof, secondly they could have blown his head off during capture and nothing would have been said..
As to your torture claim you are partly correct as torture at the same time as you are interrogating a person will often lead to false information.. The so called torture like Water boarding is done to every AMERICAN soldier that enters the SERE program ( Pilots and such ).. The waterboarding of KSM was not done at the same time as the questioning, it was done to get him to start talking.. To insure he was being coorprative they started with questions they allready knew the answers to and throughtout the questioning they would ask questions they allready knew the answer to.. This is why we GOT so much possitve Intell from him which stopped more attacks on the US plus lead to the capture of other terrorist..
I sugest you read this book http://www.amazon.com/Courting-Disaster-America-B...
Michelle…err I mean Rachel, the Dem's controlled congress for the last 2 years that Bush was in office and Barney Frank's boy friend was in charge of Freddie! Could it be there was a conflict of interest there????
That is why the simple answer to this whole mess, is to rip up everything to date, and start with a simple bill, only a few pages long that says, Medicare for everyone, if you want Medicare you can buy it at 10% above cost, this would cover administration, and have enough left over to subsidize people who can not afford it, if you want to keep your private insurance you can keep it, how can anyone disagree.
And you Randy, would not have to eat any fruitcake!
con game: mix and match health care reform w/ health ins reform terminology. Can't get collision ins after a car wreck nor homeowners after a fire. you need to be in the ins pool prior to getting sick. there's only about 12M that want ins and can't afford or qualify, fix them up and end game. we already have medicare/medicaid, expand on that.
I guess there aren't any Christians commenting here. I can't see how anybody cannot care about someone being denied coverage from a health insurance co. – so they either loose everything, or end up living on the streets. can't see how anybody cannot care about unemployed people getting care in a hospital, not paying, and think that those of us with health insurance are not paying for that person. Besides all the tragic horror stories I read about with the current US Health Care System, here are 3 I personally stories I encountered (not read about) in the last 30 days: a senior commented about my arm in a sling (I have health insurance which covered it), after we talked a while, she told me how her health insurance would not pay for her physical therapy, so she did not complete her treatment. Was talking to a 23 year old kid in the gym who showed me his recent appendectomy scar saying that he had to go $10,000 more in debt atop his already high education debt. Talking to another guy in that same gym, he told me how he could not afford health insurance, but only afford dental insurance "…so if a machine smashed his face, he would be able to fix his teeth" – (I was thinking what about your face!). How can this not bother any americans???? Obama's Health care was originally allot better, but after being torn apart by politicians, it's not quite what he wanted. I'm glad he is not excepting some inferior, watered down version.
"President Obama called on folks to let him know if there are better health care solutions he and congress should be considering:"
He had had his phone off the hook and cotton in his ears since he got elected. No reason to think he would change now.
Thank You! When my husband and I got our current insurance we researched different companies and what they covered, and different plans within those companies. We read the information and picked the least expensive plan with the most coverage. It does take some effort to read the info, but they don't write it in some weird code. And questions can be asked (and we did ask them) and they will be answered.
There are a large number of people that don't want to have to make any effort at all in their life and are content with having no choice and everything just given to them, but I am not one of them and I think most Americans aren't like that either. Make the lazy people put forth some effort for themselves and maybe their lives will be better for it. Lets stop pandering to them.
CHICAGO RALPH
I shake my head in wonder at the sheer number of people who do not seem to understand the concept of business for profit. The multitudes that apparently think all business should be non-profit. What are the schools and collages teaching, to turn out so many clueless souls?
Our world would be vastly different if we were bereft of business, and it would not be to the betterment of mankind.
If these same people were to be told that they could not have a cell phone, until every person on earth first had a computer, they would be incensed. Yelling and shouting would go on. ' I worked hard for my money, I should be able to buy what I want.', would be heard from every corner. Yet when a business grows and prospers, they believe 'they' have the right to tell them how much the business can make and how the business should spend it.
People have a say in how a business prospers, it is through the purchase power of each and every individual. If you don't like the manner in which a business is run….don't purchase their products.
Unpopular products don't sell and are canceled — this is the public having their say. Unpopular business's go bankrupt…..it is the way things work.
"There should be little doubt from American history that we consider that as torture otherwise we wouldn't have tried and convicted Japanese for doing that same thing to Americans.
Do some serious research on KSM, and the supposed intell received, the word is that over 90% of what he offered was false
The Miami Herald "Alleged 9/11 mastermind: `I make up stories' ".
In the story, the Herald notes:
Accused al Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed complained that interrogators tortured lies out of him…
''I make up stories,'' Mohammed said …
In broken English, he described an interrogation in which he was asked the location of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
''Where is he? I don't know,'' Mohammed said. 'Then he torture me. Then I said, 'Yes, he is in this area or this is al Qaeda which I don't know him.' I said no, they torture me.''
This is not new. It has already been documented that Mohammed confessed to crimes which he could not have committed, and that he said that he gave the interrogators a lot of false information – telling them what he thought they wanted to hear – in an attempt to stop the torture.
What a week and faithless ignorant bow down to the beast all ready Christian you are! If even you are one.
And I resent the fact that you are judging me and others by saying "aren't any Christians commenting here".
Just like being in the trenches of real war I would NOT want to fight along side somebody like you that is( totaly ignorant and oblivious to the realities and also being ill and unprepared) for war. So goes it in Spiritual warfare now and the very near future. There are different levels of Christianity and if you are one, it seems to be such a low level it would be hard to consider.
I say this all because the arguments of ideology when taken to deeper levels will lead to theology and spirituality. And its the beast power that is using its cleverly created systematic financial crisis and its falsified health crisis to bring about its control on us all!
I don't have health insurance and I don't want it, never did. My beliefs about health and preventive medicine are quite different then others which I wont get into on here.
And let me tell you something else you hard to consider christian! There is no rapture!
Like the bible says in EZk 13, God is againts those that teach his children to fly to save their souls. Its a false theory teaching and the word rapture is not in the bible nor is it in the manuscripts!
Why would Christ return to gather a bunch of weak and faithless hard to consider Christians to fly them to heaven for a thousand years? He wouldn't . He has a plan to save all his children and it requires that the ones ment to be tested in the end days be tested. And God sends the Anti-Christ first, the devil himself disguised, fashioned as a angel of light to test his children. Many will fail but will learn serious lessons from it.
And while I'm at it, A word about compassion, consider that Christ growled an tore after the money changers in the temple. That is also compassion because he is seriously making them aware of what they were doing.
And also consider that Christ told his disciples to turn the other cheek.It was Not told to the crowd or people to turn the other cheek..
It was a message to bible teachers or preachers that if they go to far preaching and offend someone and that someone offends back, that they are to turn the other cheek.
Christians are Not second class citizens! We are not a welcome mat ! We don't give ground we take it!
The beast power and its deceptions have been involved with religion for a long time. We have been warned that false Christs and false prophets and false preachers are all around us. Turning us into weak and faithless, ignorant, pansy ass, Christians!
John the baptist was ment to prepare the way for Christ which he did. He did this by Not mincing words, He said it like it was! ( Think, what is the sword of the lord? HIS WORD! and it slays both ways.
So don't give some of us your crap T Melee. Wake Up!
The only one "dicking around" is a misguided group of people who think "they know best". Bottom line is "best for whom?"
I guess your vision of " Serious Research" is the Miami Herald, But you could follow your own advise and Read "Courting Disaster" to find the truth..
I guess there aren't any Christians commenting here. I can't see how anybody cannot care about someone being denied coverage from a health insurance co. – so they either loose everything, or end up living on the streets. can't see how anybody cannot care about unemployed people getting care in a hospital, not paying, and think that those of us with health insurance are not paying for that person. Besides all the tragic horror stories I read about with the current US Health Care System, here are 3 I personally stories I encountered (not read about) in the last 30 days: a senior commented about my arm in a sling (I have health insurance which covered it), after we talked a while, she told me how her health insurance would not pay for her physical therapy, so she did not complete her treatment. Was talking to a 23 year old kid in the gym who showed me his recent appendectomy scar saying that he had to go $10,000 more in debt atop his already high education debt. Talking to another guy in that same gym, he told me how he could not afford health insurance, but only afford dental insurance "…so if a machine smashed his face, he would be able to fix his teeth" – (I was thinking what about your face!). How can this not bother any americans???? Obama's Health care was originally allot better, but after being torn apart by politicians, it's not quite what he wanted. I'm glad he is not excepting some inferior, watered down version.
The root of the problem started when the Community Reinvestment Act passed in 1977 and signed into law by none other than Jimmah Carter. An excerpt from an article from Oct. 2009 shows what the current administration has in mind.
"Expanding the Community Reinvestment Act.
As we try to shake off the financial crisis, here's a bright idea. Take a law that has led to the writing of an enormous amount of bad mortgages and expand it. Then take enforcement away from bank examiners and give it to housing activists.
Sound like a poisonous cocktail? Well, it is what the Obama administration and Democrats are currently stirring up on Capitol Hill.
The White House and Congress want to expand a 30-year-old law–the Community Reinvestment Act–that helped to fuel the mortgage meltdown.
What the CRA does, in effect, is compel banks to seek the permission of community activists to get regulatory approval for bank expansions and mergers. Often this means striking a deal with activist groups such as ACORN or unions like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and agreeing to allocate credit to poor and minority areas that are underserved."
There were mistakes made by all administrations involved, but allowing the likes of Acorn and SEIU to have any say are at best, absurd and probably insane.
Now you know the real story.
Charity comes the people not from "The State"..The rights we enjoy come from God not from government..The administration tells us its the evil insurance companies yet the same government makes them cover sex change operations and abortion…But I'm sure T Melee you vote Dem every chance you get…I go not want to pay for people to have elective procedures at my cost that I am morally opposed to.
Capitalism in its well guarded innocent form intended by our for-fathers is awesome!
And it is what built and made this country great.
The one that You are talking about is today's version which is being sabotaged by the global elitists
and by all the corporations that are the major players of the one world system. And by bad policy and regulation that is influenced and bought by the same elitist!
They have ruined it first then convinced many now that its Bad!
You have been programed and you have taken the programming well!
Your name suggests that you are a researcher, a researcher of What? mans knowledge but not Gods wisdom,
a bunch brainwashing material, slanted opinionated crap. c'mon dude, don't be a retread! And don't be
ill-informed! Be well-informed.
Read about the quigley formula for one.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970454/...
And how Government replaces family, school, welfare, drawing the people into an increasingly dependent way of thinking about themselves. Government replaces God is their intent.
And I resent what you say "the interesting part many on this blog pretend to be christians."
Your judging people in the first place and you do NOT know what a christian is!
You should read my response to T Melee above.
Your whole comment is filled with ego and opinion and bias!
Anybody in here that thinks with biased opinion from the left like…
T MELEE and RESEARCHER
I encourage you to read about the Quigley Formula.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970454/...
So lets answer your questions
There are 38 industrialized nations in the world 27 have health care for all.
The last in health care is….TADA #190 Myanmar (taken from the WHO website).the US is #37..followed by I'm sure some of your commie favorites Cuba #39 (no cant be..hollywood said its a utopia) Venezuela #54..come on chavie get with it..China #144 a human rights utopia, Vietnam #160, North korea #167
Hint to the lefties..Stop with the "what would Jesus do" thing…I'm sure he is not in favor of having me pay for sex change operations or abortion..You should be saying "What would Stalin or Mao do"
check my reply to "Researcher"…he forgot to actually do any research
… and you believe a story about a terrorist lunatic in a mass media publication like the Miami Herald why?
What you say is absolutely true and those responsible for the economic meltdown, Democrats in congress and their cohorts in Fannie and Freddie and Wall St., are still in charge and are keeping on keeping on with their co-conspirators in the media their cheering section.
the only industiralized country without health insurance for all is who?
the country that ranks last in health care by the world health care org is who"
the only country where hundreds or thousands are filing bankruptcy over medical costs is who?
no need to go on this group of selfish people care little for others needs?
capitalism by its very nature creates a society with a mentality of survival of the fittest.
most will not understand a word i have stated.
that is the power of the ego.
the interesting part many on this blog pretend to be christians.
go figure.
Beautiful Randy! But you know, if you peek underneath all that "O" verbiage, what he actually does seem to be saying is, "Let them eat fruitcake!"
if his nose gets any further up in the air he is going to drown in the next rainstorm……
More lefty propaganda. Survival of the fittest is Darwinism, not capitalism. The Obamarama health insurance scam the left is trying desperately to push through congress has nothing to do with health and everything to do with grabbing more power away from the people and into the hands of Chicago-style thugs currently in control.
People who choose not purchase health insurance are left vulnerable if hit by a catastrophic medical problem.
Low/no income people have Medicaid or just plain charity at ER's all over the country.
All of the above courtesy of the few of us still working and paying taxes.
Kool-Aid drinkers like you should go to one those countries that have better health care than we. Be quite an eye-opener. Think the DVM or the PO for a glimpse at the kind of care people get at nationalized health care clinics in other industrialized countries.
Rachel, Rachel, Rachel…
Speeches and letters mean nothing (What purpose do these 'letters' serve anyway – they are not bills or laws).
What matters is what got passed into law and what executive orders (if any) were issued to either implement or deny the intent of congress. Also any Supreme Court decisions that rendered all or port of the law invalid.
If all you have is letters and speeches, you've got nothing (except maybe some posturing or grandstanding that was later made irrelevant by events).
Nice attempt at a troll, though. You just get no credibility from me.
Gingersnapper,
I find your naivete quite amusing.
Doctor sees patient, incurring a cost of $120.00 for supplies, secretarial staff, utilities, office space, his time, etc.
If that patient is on Medicare, the government will pay 60% of the bill – the rest of the bill the doctor must 'eat'.
Therefore, he must bill other patients more.
If that patient has a major medical plan, it might have an 'allowed amount' of $95.00 – the rest of the bill, the doctor must 'eat'.
It is only when that patient is self-insured that the doctor can recoup his costs by charging $190.00 to make up for the payment shortfalls of Medicare and HMOs/Large insurance companies.
The same situation exists for hospitals.
There has never been evidence presented that doctors routinely charge for the purpose of making obscene profits, but I DO believe that they charge those that they can more than they incur in costs in order to make up for the patients they see and care for that have insurance that does not pay the full bill.
I believe this also why medicaid gets charged $4000 for powered wheelchairs – because the vendors know that they are only going to get 80% or less of their bill actually paid – and then paid very late which negatively impacts their cash flow and their ability to pay their people so there are 'penalties' for late payments by the government 'built into' the up-front cost as well as padding to insure the company is not put out of business by the medicaid practice of paying only 80% or less of presented bills.
Obama's going to fix this though by publicly announcing that he's going to decrease the percentage of a doctor's/hospital's/medical-device-manufacturer's bill. All he will accomplish is to increase the 'purchase' price to the government (and to prevent being sued for double-standard) individual consumers as well since the cost of making the wheelchair/providing the care hast not changed – only the percentage of the bill the government will pay.
Actually I have read the entire confession, and the above was only a small sampling of the supposed confession, that also includes, confessing to Martin Luther King, and JFK, among others, he also tells of having to witness, children, and family members being tortured, and told that they would stop if he told them what they wanted.
I do not know his involvement, and you don't either, so do not pretend that you do, what I do know is the credibility of the information that he gave is tainted, and unreliable based on the methods used to obtain their info.
TickedInOhio
—-Did you notice I was responding to (Dave)?
Glad I was able to give you a smile. Haven't been called naive for awhile, but admit to occasional wistful thinking.
I am not in the camp of Dr. haters. Nor am I in the Insurance hater camp. Everyone needs to support themselves. People are entitled to profit from the value of the service they perform.
It has become quite a quagmire, patient, Dr., Insurance Co. and now the government. Everyone wants a piece of the pie.
I agree with you, when Medicare entered the picture things changed (in my mind Not for the better). Medicaid made things even worse.
The best way is for the Dr. to be able to say. I charge $65.00 for a simple visit, $85.00 for an extended visit. Here is the bill, pay me. The patient then files for insurance reimbursement from his/her insurance co., if they have it.
The best way is not the way things work however. The Dr. office has to file for your insurance to pay, raising the office overhead. Get the government involved and you have a real circus act. It has become a very complicated, going for a simple check up.
I am with Thoreau on this, simplify.
If the government wants to help people pay for their medical care,do it with tax reimbursements or some other method, just get out of the Dr.'s office.
The deeper the government becomes involved with Our Health the more bloated and mismanaged things become.
http://biggovernment.com/2010/01/01/mayo-clinic-t...
nuttygirl
Welcome.
Just saying what I believe.
Ever notice trolls all use the same words and phrases, tell the same old lies, etc. while we on our side have lots of different points of view, come at issues from different angles, use different words, etc. In other words, we're all individuals, while they're all mind numbed robots spewing the same old tired party line.
Proper Deployment of HIT Solutions and Training will Increased Productivity, Efficiency, and Provide this Nation with a Cost Savings of around 20-30% of our Annual National HEALTHCARE EXPENDITURES (2008, $2.3 Trillions).
Please See: http://www.gkquoquoi.blogspot.com for NHIN Summary Deployment Plan.
Gadema Korboi Quoquoi
President & CEO
COMPULINE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Your absolutely right about charity coming from people & not the state! So why the heck is so much of my Federal Taxes going towards a war (that I am morally opposed to) started by Baby Bush (who's lies to the American Public such as the existence of WMD got us in that war). And what about 70% of my local taxes here in Texas going to Public Schools – I don't have any kids, I don't wanna keep giving all that $$$ of mine to that charity, let the folks with kids pay for each of their dumb ass off spring's education, not me – would LOVE to have my taxes dropped 70%
This fool make me want to puke. I'm so sick of this fools retoric . It's not the state of the union it's the state of obama speech he's shoving down are throats. I hate this fool.
Wide awake here. How about you? Still hitting that snooze button are ya?
Ah, ya got me – agnostic here. Just figured most folks here are Republicans / Christians. I usually vote Dem (not always), but lets see… those last 8 republican years cost me personally a little over $30k (not as bad as some seniors who lost everything, now can't afford health care – or some cases, can't even afford their home) in the recession they got us in, of the 4300+ US Casualties there is 1 acquaintance (saw him a few times around town) of mine killed in the Baby Bush Wars, did squat for the environment & National Parks. Dems aren't doing that great now either. Seriously thinking voting independent.
Replied to this a while ago and go the following message: "Your comment must be approved by the site admins before it will appear publicly.". After 3 posts on this site they are now censoring me or I've been banned? I admitted to be being biased (but stated that there practically aren't any open minded opinions on this site) I didn't cures, don't think it was offensive – I actually stated how I was impressed & surprised that you listed a link that was criticizing both reps & dems, even more so it was criticizing Gorge W.
Anyway, just posting this message to see if this reply of mine gets banned.
Not being sarcastic – nice link Truth Seeker
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