Obama and the Spineless Republicans

[Anmar]

Out here in the bay area, this kind of thing happens a lot.  I've lost a friend and a young girl i used to coach to cancer.  Both had insurance, both were denied treatment by their insurance companies that could have saved their lives.

Billy, it can't be taken to the courts because first, it's not illegal, and second, usually the plaintiff is dead by the time anything would get going.  The government should be protecting the people, which is what health care reform is all about.  This bill isn't about death panels, the bill isn't about the government taking over health care.  Those things do not exist, they are propaganda tools that have been fed to you by the sellouts.  The bill is about getting insurance companies and the health care indsutry to do whats right for the patient.

[pamsback]

 Been at the doctor this mornin for my annual visit.................just for all yall who worry bout havin to pay for people like me with no insurance I paid cash  so rest easy......so I asked him what doctors think of the healthcare bill and he said most of them don't like it but THEN he said somthing DOES need to be done because there are TOO many people who fall in the group of not being POOR enough to get medicaid....... and not being RICH enough to afford the high premiums on their own......THEN he said he thought we should all get the same healthcare plan that our CONGRESSMEN get....full coverage..no premiums...no deductible.....after all WE pay for it and it's good enough for THEM it ought to be good enough for the rest of us. 

[pamsback]

  That's the reason I asked him because I figured whatever a doctor thought was worth thinkin about.

[Jo McDonald]

Thanks, Pam !

[Varmit]

I have asked it once, and I will ask it again...how can the gov't provide health coverage for all without rationing?  It has been tried, and they can't do it. 

The bill is about getting insurance companies and the health care indsutry to do whats right for the patient.

That is propaganda being fed to you by those who want this bill to pass.  If the gov't wasn't trying to take over there wouldn't be stipulations in the bill about private insurance becoming null and void is a policy changes, or private insurance compaines not being able to take on new clients after the bill is passed, or a regulatory board being set up to decide who gets what treatment.

[Varmit]

  That's the reason I asked him because I figured whatever a doctor thought was worth thinkin about.

Excellent point, and thanks for it, makes a lot of sense.

[Anmar]

I have asked it once, and I will ask it again...how can the gov't provide health coverage for all without rationing?  It has been tried, and they can't do it. 

The bill is about getting insurance companies and the health care indsutry to do whats right for the patient.

That is propaganda being fed to you by those who want this bill to pass.  If the gov't wasn't trying to take over there wouldn't be stipulations in the bill about private insurance becoming null and void is a policy changes, or private insurance compaines not being able to take on new clients after the bill is passed, or a regulatory board being set up to decide who gets what treatment.

Billy,

I have to say i'm getting slightly annoyed with you.  None of those things are in the bill.  Where are you getting your info?  Do you even know what the bill is about?  It's health care reform, not government takeover of healthcare.  The private insurance companies are not going away.  What's being proposed is a government alternative.  You can argue that the government shouldn't be in the healthcare business, thats a valid argument because that is one of the ideas being proposed.  Let me say this again, THERE IS NO PROPOSAL FOR A COMPLETE GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE.

As far as a regulatory board to decide who gets treatment, with your expert knowledge of how health care works, you should already know that an insurance adjuster currently makes those decisions, not the doctors.  Their priority is the bottom line, not your health, so thats not exactly the best thing for the patient.

[Varmit]

Oh really...
• Page 16: States that if you have insurance at the time of the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the government option!
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (example: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
From CMS at freerepublic.com
So tell me, where did I go wrong again?

Oh, one more thing, if I go in for emergency treatment that is not covered by my insurance, I will still get it, but I will be responsible for paying for it. 

[Varmit]

While I am at it let me add this little gem...

[pamsback]

  Personally I think they've lost their momentum........missed their window of opportunity.