OK, maybe just a little bit. But it was refreshing to see him school the obstructionists that want to see the health insurance industry protected while millions of Americans continue to suffer. I was only able to catch the audio clips, but it was good to hear our President calmly and professionally set the cons back on their heels. They came talking compromise, and came away dazed and confused. Lamar Alexander tried the talking point of how premiums would go up, and Obama told him he was wrong, and McCain whined about how we finally had a televised discussion on healthcare- Obama told him the campaign had ended some time ago (actually, 92% of the Congressional debates were televised on C-Span, which would make John Boehner’s comments about how “this has all been done in total secrecy”, and “all of it was behind closed doors”, well, lies).
Now, everyone knows these republicons had no intention of “compromise”, even sticking to their scripted talking points religiously: “step-by-step”, “clean sheet of paper”, “start over from scratch”, and other phrases were the same exact ones heard by every conservative, assuring us that the Republican Congressional leadership still receives faxes from Fixed News, Wellpoint, and Glaxo. Something else that the republicans showed that was very revealing: they’re scared. The quietly mentioned several times that implementing reconciliation to stop a filibuster would not be nice, and the cons are really hoping that we don’t do it. One even said it had never been done before on big, important legislation such as this. Where were these cons during the Bush years, when tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% were done via reconciliation. In fact, when they were in the majority, they gleefully used reconciliation numerous times to push unpopular agendas.
So where do we go from here? Is there any sense in hoping that the republicans will ever bring a spirit of cooperation to the table? And can America wait any longer, or are we willing to let the ultra-right continue to drag this out? Clearly Mitch McConnel and others WANT this to go on, at least until 2010. Millions continue to suffer and even die, while he suggests we “need to start over from scratch, with a clean sheet of paper”. Thankfully, we have a President who exhibited leadership, and he stood up to them. They heard him say that we have wasted enough time on this, and the public wants reform now.
I say, go with our 51. Press on for reform, for a public option that doesn’t protect the insurance industry, but gives affordable coverage to millions of Americans who DO want it, and need it now. Why wait for the obstructionist republicans who do not have our best interests at heart? The democratic process allows for reconciliation, and it is playing fair- republicans have used it before, and need to be reminded of that fact. They also need to be schooled on the fact that this is NOT a “government takeover” of healthcare- it IS a return to affordable access to medical care and treatment for every citizen. Obama hinted that he is willing to take the gloves off when dealing with the obstructionists, and now Pelosi and Reid could take a lesson on how to play the game. The time is now.
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the opening comments by Lamar Alexander shows that the republicans never had any intentions of reforming the healthcare mess. they were only interested in hoodwinking the public into believing that they care for their health needs so that they would get their votes in 2012. They would rather have the public pay higher and higher premiums and larger and larger deductibles than have any form of tax increase needed to “promote the general welfare of the public” (preamble to the constitution). By the way, Is not the added costs of health care a form of tax far more insidious than any actual tax increase?
Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 517:
Promise Broken
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Negotiate health care reform in public sessions televised on C-SPAN
To achieve health care reform, “I’m going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We’ll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies — they’ll get a seat at the table, they just won’t be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we’ll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process.”
Listed by Politifact under PROMISE BROKEN…
Obviously MOST Americans don’t want what you say they want, Drew…
You’re out of touch, as is your party…and it will show in November…wanna bet??
Oops….no confidence..I forgot…
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/feb/23/jon-kyl/polls-show-public-dubious-current-health-care-prop/
Obviously? When the public option is taken out of the senate plan the poll drops down to the 30′s, when it’s included it goes anywhere from the 50′s-to upper 60% including WA state voters.
Obama’s handling of this summit was superb. He was articulate, calm and cool. He was smarter than all the republicans combined.
Just imagine a forum of that magnitude hosted by George Bush, or John McCain or Sara Palin or ANY republican. They would never measure up.
Not only that, Ron, but this was supposed to be in the spirit of bipartisanship; a chance for everyone to find some middle ground. The cons showed up with no intention of compromise, which is what a minority party has to do. They would have sent the same message to the President and the struggling American people if they didn’t show up at all, and that message is,”we really are the obstructionist party of ‘NO’, corporate interests put us in place, and everyone else (read American citizens) can just get in line behind them and see what’s left over.”
Streeter…69% say “Start over or do nothing”
That’s simple enough for even YOU to understand.
69% include a lot of folks who think this has been watered down by the cons to protect the insurance and pharmaceutical industries and they want the original ideas to come back: Single-payer, universal coverage, eliminate the pre-existing escape clauses, etc. Wellpoint is raising the rates on their California customers by 35 to 70%, because they have so many customers that have either lost their coverage or are cancelling because they can no longer afford the rates (averaging over $780/mo for an individual), and the remaining insurance survivors must now pay more to keep the company’s profit margin level. Wellpoint was one of several insurance conglomerates that has made record mega-profits, even in a deep recession. They were able to do this by either charging the sick more, denying care and treatment (called rationing in some circles, death panels in others), or just dropping patients when they are no longer a source of easy, squeezy revenue.
Neal wants to “start over” which means leave the broken system, broken. The rest of us understand Neal, do you have Mitch McConnell’s health plan?
Drew..you and your toady are both grasping at straws..
No wonder you won’t bet on the mid- terms..
neal, like his congressional cons, is an obstructionist. He is totally OK with the fact that millions of Americans continue to suffer so the insurance companies and Big Pharma can keep their profits in the stratosphere. The only thing “healthy” about America’s health care system is the profits of the republican-protected industry.
Mainstreeter is not my toady, lest we would think alike on every issue. Those who can read and comprehend already know that. But neal is a toady, as evidenced by his undying love for the health care “system” that allows for death and suffering to make a few people mega-profits. As one commentator very accurately put it on Friday, rich people pay the Fox people to tell the middle-class republican people (neal) to blame the poor people. But when that isn’t working, just change the subject.
Sorry, Drew…I hadn’t heard that you and streeter had broken up.
Is your middle name “avoidance”, neal? You know that one of the primary symptoms of being a con is that you cannot stay on the topics that are of most importance to Americans.
I can’t speak for Mainstreeter, but your personal attacks don’t bother me, because they display your true character, along with the fact that you wouldn’t apologize, because that would require some degree of honor and civility from you- you have none, of either. But they also show that the issues, like the one I wrote about here, do not matter to you. Millions of your own people; neighbors, friends, relatives, suffering and dying, but you are ashamed of how you finally started to believe that the profits of a few (people who you will never know), are more important than the lives and well-being of many, many more all around you (some of them you do know, and talk to everyday).
Drew…you seem stressed since streeter left you…may I suggest some yoga and a peanut buster parfait.
And…maybe a trip to Chuckie Cheese’s
Democrats spoke for 135 minutes, President Obama spoke for 122 minutes, for a total of 257 minutes. Republicans spoke for just 111 minutes, there is no bipartisanship with this administration. Obama allowed republicans to talk for only about 30 percent of the total speaking time. Democrats were given a lot more time to put forth their ideas, there is nothing bipartisan about the way this “summit” was conducted, but in the small amount of time they had, they were able to show Americans that they DO have ideas and plans, that the dems have tried to hide from everyone. The republicans won with this “summit” it showed Americans what they have had to put up with for the past year.
And in their 111 minutes, jason, every republican said the same thing. They each said exactly the same thing, as if they were following a script (which they were- smart people are asking who might have wrote it for them). It seems you are saying that the republicans were not allowed enough time, but to say what? More of the same scripted, rehearsed talking points? There was nothing that required this summit to take place, yet it happened, and republicans had a chance to state their case, and they wasted it. You’d think these career politicians would know by now how to make more efficient use of their time. Maybe we could have given them 222 minutes, but doubling their time allotment, just to hear them say each others talking points a second time would have turned even more Americans off. Given that they obviously had nothing to say, it’s time for this President to do the right thing and push for Congress to implement comprehensive health care reform, now, before any more innocent Americans die.
I am psychic. Everybody is gassing up on the idea that the Republicans won three elections–and the thread of that issue is that Democrats have lost their compass and will fail miserably in the next election. I sense a different direction…at this Health Summit, it was clearly demonstrated that the conservative party is a blunt instrument, using it to bash every idea that was vigorous and which would establish a better health-care system. There is no conclusion, but that pharma and some of the medical industry are giving them their stage cues.
I will admit that 1,000 pages of legislation is a hard pill to swallow, but it must have some excellent portions, and so why should it be torn up and why should the Congress move back two decades and start all over. I thought that is what joint House/Senate conferences were about. Sixth graders have a better sense of Congressional duties than these “NO” goons.
Both Reid and McConnel (to be fair) were uncooperative and intractable in their comments. Their was obviously no attempt on the part of either majority leader to seek any kind of workable system, pull it through the knotholes and give the people are break. No means the people can go on paying through the nose for health care. The public be damned, there is an election coming up. I was very surprised at the zeal and determination shown by Pelosi when she rounded up the goings on and scolded several party members for stating issues about the proposed bill that were not true. Her zest was fascinating.
Meanwhile, on the home front, I helped at the protest of the No Background Check gun show at the Modern Living Building at the fairgrounds. Then I went to the gunshow, gave ‘em my six bucks and wandered around to see what sort of stuff they had. Off in the corner, there was Michele Strobel (sorry, maybe its Stroble) touting her view and informing everyone she is running against Norm Johnson. I was standing in front of her, speaking to her, when she handed me a sheet with her picture and mantra on it and turned to talk with someone else. I said, “Wait, are you just going to hand me a paper and turn away?” So that brought her back to me. I ask her what she thought of the war (Afghanistan) and we sorta agreed that being in so deep, now, we had to make some good moves and get ready to get out. Then I ask her about the war in general, “Should we be there in the first place?” She responded that there were smarter people than herself, determining that, and so she had to bow to their expertise.”
My estimation.She is a Sarah Palin spinoff, and nearly as good looking. She might unseat Johnson.
They are afraid of reconciliation, which started with 3 votes a week or 2 ago and now has 30 sponsors. it needs 20 more and Biden to break the tie.
1000 page legislation? Are kidding…it is 2700 pages, and Obama himself called it a “prop” during the “summit”. All of you must have very selective hearing…the republicans have never, ever said that we should do nothing…they have been very clear, and have stayed on point, that we need to do things that will lower the cost of health care for Americans, but the democrat party will not do anything to lower costs, they want to implement more government control over all Americans. Dems will not touch tort reform because they are owned by trial lawyers, sue happy ambulance chasers, and schiesters. You guys don’t want to open up competition (the only way to drive down prices).
To be a fair summit everyone should get the same amount of time to talk, whether they have something to say that you think is worthwhile or not. “There was nothing that required this summit to take place, yet it happened,”…are you kidding? Obama promised to have this type of thing on Cspan on seven different occasions when he was running for president. He was required to keep his word, pressure from republicans and citizens are what required Obama to put health care debate on Cspan for all of us to see.
Republicans won this round, they came prepared and knew what was in the bill, democrats could only recite sob stories about toothless women wearing their dead sister’s dentures…come on our health care is not what is the problem, it is how expensive it is for a lot of Americans, the democrats plan will not reduce the price of health care, while the republican’s plan would. When Danny Williams, the premier of the Canadian province of Newfoundland, comes to the U.S. for a heart valve surgery, you know that our health care is far superior than their own. It is a matter of money, that is why we need to open up competition, let people buy insurance across state lines etc.
I watched all 7 hours of it from start to finish. In a nutshell:
McCain: I’m old and bitter
Boehner: I’m tanned and bitter.
Obama: Thank’s for sharing. We are going to move on now.
Danny Williams ia a millionaire. He is grand standing and can go anywhere. Our health care is shit. I see private insurance lining up for gubmint handouts soon.
If our health care is “shit” why would a Canadian millionaire come here for heart surgery, do you think he would play Russian roulette with his life, and pay for surgery that he could get free in Canada, just to show everyone that he can?
In the middle of McCain’s speech Obama interrupted him and told McCain that the campaign is over and “I won” (Obama) how conceited is that? Democrats had no intention of letting republicans have a fair summit, they had been talking about reconciliation and “moving on” before the summit ever took place. Democrats took up 70% of the time talking, leaving the remaining 30% for republicans. This is why our congress has an 18% approval rating.
Well why would a cdn millionaire come here? Btw Newfies call him “Danny Millions’ up there.
Virtually all forms of cardiac surgery are looked after in Canada, and I would say extremely well,” said Dr. Chris Feindel, a cardiac surgeon at Toronto’s University Health Network. “Personally … I would have my cardiac surgery done in Canada, no matter what resources I had at my disposal.” In fact, he said, patients from the United States and other countries come to the UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre for valve repairs, a procedure developed by Toronto surgeons. Meanwhile, the death rate after bypass surgery in Ontario is among the lowest in North America, reports the province’s Cardiac Care Network.
I think he’s playing you Jason.
He did win Jason, McCain didn’t want to talk health care, just whine about his sour grapes loss. Our president is good as a school teacher slapping hands of whiny students.
So, you think the Canadian premiere chose to have heart surgery in the U.S. because he wanted to blow his money on a surgery that is more risky in the U.S. instead of staying in Canada, getting it free, and have the benefits of having a lower death rate after the surgery…all just to “play” me…O.K. that makes sense.
I said earlier and I say it again, he is grandstanding. If I pay out of pocket and money is no object, I can afford to go anywhere. There are fewer waiting periods for those with the cash. Can you go anywhere and arrange out of pocket for elective surgery whenever you want?
McCain WAS talking health care… and the need to treat ALL Americans the same…instead Obama wants to play favorites, give some states health care even though they are exempt from having to pay for it, that means WE will pay for the health care that the people of Massachusetts receives.
The Summit was supposed to be about health care and how to make it less expensive, that is not what happened, instead it was all about how awful our health care system is, and sob stories. Nothing was accomplished, democrats did not want to listen to republicans, and the health care summit was a failure…Obama’s health care summit was a failure…Obama failed! The American public does not want the reform that the democrats are pushing, that is why they are losing all their elections, the best thing for the republican party would be for the democrats to continue to push this through, continue to ignore the American public. Republicans are sure to win as long as the dems continue on the path they are on.
since when is heart surgery “elective”? You also said “Our health care is shit.” so why would he want to come HERE…he can afford to go anywhere…you said the Canadians have better health care…they “developed” the procedure, why not have the surgery in Canada?
McCain starting talking about campaign promises and doing his ‘earmarks’ spiel, which McCain has been guilty of himself and was reminded that the campaign is over and I beat your ass. Now if McCain is going to sulk over that after 25 years in the house, then he should get the hell out, right now.
You’ll have to ask Danny Millions why he got in a lear jet and did his junket to Miami. I’m guessing he can recover on the beach and Neal can wave at him, maybe carry his bags to the airport. He could of gone to TO and had the surgery in a city of 5 million which is 4 times the size of the province, but he has feuded with the federal government before.
Canadians have access, we have technology. They have it too, but not in every town. They have a guarantee of all citizens being seen. We have a stockholder based system in which they are seen before the patient.
Jason, are you aware for-profit premiums went up 21% on average this year. Inflation rate is not even a 1/3 that. My plan just dinged me for $242 for lab work after my $35 co pay, and my monthly premiums, along with the employers part. In order for me to satisfy the deductible, I would have to spend $3000 this year. How can you explain to us a health care system that is hemorrhaging yearly by passing the expenses on to the consumer while the Canadians keep it lower? Their GDP is less that 10% for health care while ours is approaching 20%?
McCain was talking about the 2400 page bill sitting in front of him and the need to treat every American the same…no-one should have more access to health care because they live in a favored state.
You are not listening, or reading…Republicans HAVE NEVER SAID “DO NOTHING” we need to get health care more affordable, by allowing competition, and the republicans have put forth their plan that would do that. The democrats have been pushing a plan that will not reduce health care costs, but transfer the costs to the government…WE WILL STILL PAY FOR IT THROUGH TAXES! Don’t you get it? Our health care system is not broken, the problem is the price tag on the health care.
I don’t have to ask “Danny Millions” why he came to the U.S. for his heart surgery, Canada’s health care is shit! He came here, even though he had to pay for it himself, to get better, faster care, and access to better technology. He must have felt our prices were worth it!
Are you aware that the profits that the insurance companies make are only about 3%? I am sorry that you do not have better insurance, but it is not the governments responsibility to take care of you, and pay your bills. If the consumer does not pay for what they consume, who do you think should pay for your consumption? There are ways to lower costs, but your party is against them, let people buy outside their state lines, this will give you more choices, and create competition (competition will drive down prices) Tort reform will also drive down prices. Why are you against lowering health care costs, and insist that we transfer the bloated costs to the federal government?
“but your party is against them,”
Utter Bullshit on your part, the republicant’s copied everything in the reform package and called it their own. Buying outside of state has been one the Democratic proposals but you’d never know it since reading one or 2 pages out of 2400 is too much for you
The “purchasing across state lines” has absolutely zero to do with consumer choices, and everything to do with the insurance companies being able to operate in states where their unethical business practices might not be well-received. Under jason’s plan, companies that like to gouge the consumer can just set up base in states that are “business friendly” (read “anti-consumer”). You may be able to purchase from them under your plan, but when they screw you on plans and rates, you will be powerless to go after them.
And your profit statement is about 35 years out of date- but it is quoted on Fox, right before they go to a commercial from Aetna. In the United States, we currently pay about 16% of our GDP towards health care, the highest of any developed nation by at least 50% (all of the other developed countries are averaging between 7 and 9% of their GDP’s). Yet our infant and post-surgical mortality rates are much higher, and our population percentages for childhood obesity, adult and juvenile diabetes, hypertension, stroke, CVA/TIA, COPD, continue to rise faster than the global averages. When you consider the obvious here, that more and more of these Americans are finding themselves without the means to pay for their care and treatment because they have been priced out of the market. So we Americans pay more, get less, and now the republicans want that type of “system” protected. Without health care reform (in other words, if we let the republicans continue to protect the insurance and pharmaceutical industries), we are forecast to be paying over 20% of our GDP in just a few years. The recession will definitely be prolonged for middle-class America, unless you’re the CEO of Phizer or Cigna.
“Tort reform”, as Greg Palast so aptly put it, is really tort deformed. We enjoy in this nation a civil courts system that allows the common citizens an opportunity to sue the corporate bastards that screw us. This would include the HMOs, insurance conglomerates, and Big Pharma when they cause more damage than competent behavior would tolerate. When the cons say that tort reform will bring costs down, they are lying, because the total number of lawsuits against the medical/insurance/pharma industry is a tiny percentage of their budget, and they do indeed budget for it. But for them, tort reform means you the consumer will lose that ability, or at least have it severely restricted. Texas passed tort reform, which has capped liability at $250,000. I’m sure that you think anyone who would demand more in a wrongful death lawsuit is a greedy bastard, but I also know you’re quietly thinking to yourself you wouldn’t want to find yourself in that situation and living in TX.
It’s not that you “don’t have to ask Danny Millions” about his medical vacation to America. But the question you avoided before, and you are facing again- if things are so bad up north, where are all the “medical refugees” from Canada that should be flooding across the border to enjoy our superior health care? Where are they?
Why a government funded health care is the only way to go.
You pay a tax that is known and shared by others in lieu of an increase in monthly premium and copay that hits only you and a select few who are deemed unacceptable for the “for profit” company’s bottom line. With universal health coverage that all other industrialized countries have there is no billing department and no health care provider deciding if you are worthy of additional health care treatment ( Palin’s death panel). The preceding obviously means lower costs for the taxpayer. And would not tort reform then become a moot question since the MD’s and the hospitals would finally be corralled under a government system?
The increase of premiums that has been in the news lately only means that the number of policyholders will become less and less which means the premium for them will also be rocketing upwards. The death watch of the “for profit health care” has started. Universal socialized medicine is the only way to go! Get with the program and write or call Doc Hastings to have him finally accomplish some thing by sponsoring the democratic health care program the first step to government health care that we should have had eons ago. By the way have you noticed that all of our woes in health care and the financial arena are always related to some form of insurance.
According to Politifact, Dick Hastings had a poll up on his website that asked his following if they were aware that, under the Democratic health care reform plan, Americans would lose their insurance plans altogether in 2013- a suggestion so disingenuous that it earned Hastings the “Pants On Fire” award for spreading lies to instill fear among his constituents. Hastings believes that, if you live a good, clean life (read “if you can afford it”), you can buy yourself some insurance. All others need not apply. I suggest we keep up the pressure on Democrats in the House and Senate, and the President as well, and get this done now, before the cons’ delay tactics cause any more Americans to suffer and die.