Tag: Health Debate

One Reason Romney Is A Dud

Daily Agitator

Although it is NOT official, Romney will be running for the GOP nomination for the 2012 election……but as with everything about this guy……the many contradictions and he is , so far, the front runner…..let’s pick a subject….health care comes to mind….why?  His health care plan when he was governor of Massachusetts……funny how it looks a lot like the dreadful Dem “Obamacare”…….

Take a look at a few of his flips……..

Back in 2006, as a Republican governor in a deep blue state, Mitt Romney signed into law a health care plan that would insure almost every resident of Massachusetts. At the time, it was praised by supporters of health care reform as a landmark achievement for the then-governor. The lynchpin of “Romneycare” was an insurance mandate that required the people of Massachusetts to get health insurance.”I think there are a number of features in the Massachusetts plan that could inform Washington on ways to improve health care for all Americans,” Romney told CNN. “The fact that we were able to get people insured without a government option is a model I think they can learn from.”

OK, five years ago Mitt-care would have been a good example for the nation….and then we have this said by Romney….

Well, it’s filled with so many defects it’s hard to know where exactly to begin. I’d say from a process standpoint the idea of rushing through a piece of legislation which will define the health care system for this country is a very bad idea. The right approach is one which includes extensive analysis, evaluation of systems that have been implemented in other countries and in other states, a bipartisan effort which includes different perspectives and views, the inputs of physicians, patients, advocacy groups, hospitals, business, and labor. This should be a very inclusive and extensive process, and President Obama, out of an apparent desire to score a victory, is not willing to give health care the deliberative process it deserves.

His justification of this flip is that tired old GOP tactic of state’s rights….Romney is suffering from the same disease as McCain had back ’08…..ideas are only good if they are his ideas….others just don’t get it….

Romney is just getting out ahead of the criticism before he has some serious contenders….this way he has addressed the issue and is trying to lessen any impact that would be coming his way from other GOPers……

But his biggest WTF moment was when he said……

“The nation already has over a thousand private insurance companies, many of the largest of which are not for profit, so his excuse for forming the public government option –that it’s necessary to give people choices — is obviously fallacious.”

1000’s of insurance companies,  many are not for profit……(pause here for some genuine surprise at a completely stupid statement)…..Romney is turning into the typical GOP candidate…..full of crap and lies…..how much is he getting from the insurance industry?  That would explain such a bogus and unthoughtful  response…..keep the donors happy and you will get your just rewards…..you think you have it bad now…then vote for this guy and learn the REAL meaning of misery!

The Sympathetic American

Daily Agitator

I am always amazed at the generosity of the American people……and they just cannot let a disaster go by without taking pity on the afflicted and trying to help when help seems to be in short supply……

When the bitch of a storm, Katrina, hit in my area….the American people to quick to come to the aid of the people of the Gulf Coast, with donations and volunteering and while the government was sitting around scratching their crotch, the American people we helping the Coastians get their lives back…..Americans are very compassionate and generous…..two qualities that have made this country great…..

The recent earthquake that destroyed Haiti, the American people once again showed their compassion and helped out whewre ever it was needed, most notably raising millions of dollars that would be spent in Haiti helping the people who have lost everything….they are very generous….once again…..

And when the health reform debate was raging they donated over a million dollars to fund a series of free health clinics across the US…..helping people that could not afford health insurance to find out about their personal health…..several people’s lives were saved because of this effort….once again the generosity of the American people knows no bounds….

And now I come to the meat of this agitation……the American people have done all that was asked of them and then some to help people in need around the world….and they have been unbelievably generous……but with all that said I would like to know why health reform is a dirty word?

We are talking about the lives of the American people and somehow the compassion was been lost on them….what did the uninsured people do to deserve this treatment by their countrymen?  Why is the people that are not so close to their hearts deserve better treatment than the people next door?

Please someone, anyone explain this to me….None of my questions are rhetorical…..I am listening!

2010 Anal-ocity #8

First, I would like to thank Quin of Quintessential Havoc (to visit a great site go to blogroll) for reminding me pf the anal-ocities……with listening to the utter bullsh*t coming out about health care as we all waited for the final vote….well….it is not the final vote but damn close….

Before I give the anal statement I would like to ask the Tea Partiers who were protesting at the House of Representatives……what did you accomplish when anti-gay slurs were hurdled at Barney Franks or spitting on the Congressmen as the walked by or calling a black representative the “N” word?  The “true” Tea Party should immediately come forward and put a stop to this….allowing this sh*t to continue does the real TP a dis-service….

Onto the anal statement—–during the hours running up to the health reform vote every Repub that could talk got to a mic somewhere and the comments were the same…it was bad, it was gonna break the country,and so on….and on…and on….but there was one talking point that almost all used…..

“it is rule of man, not law”  “and the law cannot be violated by man”

I do not know about you but what immediately came to my mind was…..HUH?  WTF does that mean (thanx Quin)?  I have heard some lame ass statements during this debate…..but this one takes the damn cake….

My problem is who in the GOP do I nominate this talking point to?   After much thought I decided to give it to the minority leader of the House, Rep. John Boehner.

Finally! It’s Done!

(cue trumpets sound)

Remember that song that never ends….health reform?  Well here it comes to the end and the last note will be played…..(probably not, but we can hope that the country can get about the business of the country now)

The vote on 21 March 2010, the health reform bill has past and awaits the signature of the Prez…….Now the Repubs will have to move on to a new “game plan”……..mostly likely it will be energy bills…..and the rest of us will sit back and watch the “death panels”, wait patiently for the government take over and observe the health companies loss their profit margin…..(btw…all that is SARCASM!)…….

I now await the Repubs trying to overturn all the stuff….the bill sucks from my point of view….but as all the others say….it is a start……

But the hours that lead up to the final nail in the coffin of the GOP was full of comments and interviews predicting this and that….my fav was the talking point of the day for Repubs…..”.it is the rule of man and it cannot overrule Law”…..we heard that piece of intellectual dribble over and over…..I just have to say that the leader of the GOP in the House, Boehner, when interviewed vowed to fight on but his face showed signs of stress….well, accurate. showed signs of panic….for he knows that the Repubs may be screwed….when the American people learn the truth about the bill then they will shoe support for it and that could mean “Waterloo” for the GOP in November…..

Anyway….the song is over (for now)…..Obama delivered on something that has been 100 years in the making….health care for all (well close) Americans…….may we move on now?

I Have A Health Care Plan

This is a re-post of one of my previous posts on Info Ink….this one is from April 2007…..

An Alternative Healthcare Proposal

For years, the most pressing problem that the US faces is that of adequate healthcare for all the American people. Leaders have toyed with the problem, the people have wanted more, presidents have given it tons of lip service, but yet no one has an idea that will work. It either would cost too much money or it would not be politically advantageous or……..and the beat goes on. To date there is still no adequate healthcare or a workable plan. My question is–how long will they debate and promise and ……?

I have had a thought on one possible path they could be taken to help the American people with adequate healthcare. And the really good part of it, it will not add much cost to the system that would needed to be funded by more taxes.

But I start I want to make it clear that this plan is for doctors and visists it will not encompass hospitalization of any kind. The easy part would be the doctor’s end of the equation, the hospital part will take a massive plan to fix it. This then is just a small part of the problem, but could be fixed with little increase to the American people.

This is a plan that I sent to my Congressman several years ago and his reply had nothing to do with what I had outlined. In other words, the pig did not read it and some low level gopher sent me a reply to my proposal. Needless to say, I have little use for my congressman, who by the way is still on my dime in Washington.

First let us start with seemingly unrelated problems; the healthcare of the American people and those who default on their student loans. Is there a connection? Well, yeah! One of the worst abusers of non-payment of student loans are those in the medical field; doctors to be more exact.

There have been many plans over the years to try an get the money out of these abusers, but most were a dismal failure. One such plan, the doctor would go where the US needed him/her and work until the loan was paid down. Not bad, but unfortunately, there were always loopholes that allowed the people to escape from this plan.

My proposal is simple, the doctor opens a clinic in Willacuchi, Ga and begins seeing patients. He would then choose a day a week that the poor would be treated. The amount of the visit, supplies and medication that he used that day would be deducted from his loan balance and this would be continued until the entire loan was paid off. NO ESCAPE CLAUSES!

The doctor, no matter what city or town, would not have to give up their private practice or their goals of riches accumulation. The Dept. of Health and Human Services would monitor the transactions, to keep them honest.

This proposal will not eliminate the need for more sweeping changes in the healthcare of Americans, but it would be a start at helping those who cannot afford to visit the doctor on regular basis. Those people who do not have insurance or money enough for doctors appointments. I realize that this is simplistic and if the government gets involved it might become a nightmare, but it is a start

It would not take DHHS long to come up with a satisfactory method of determining who is in need and who is scamming. This would not be that difficult and I say why not give it a try?  Plus it would not grow the size of the bureaucracy; it is already in place.  The only cost to the government would be to vote it in and then get the word out…there are agencies in every state that could handle that……

CHUQ

31/03/07

Obama’s Health Reform (A Continuing Saga)

Stop your grinning!  Here it comes!  The VOTE that will be heard around the country!

Like a song that will NOT end….the health reform debate has gone on and on and on and……..it is the time of a maximum of lying on both sides trying to influence a vote here and a vote there……

They say, whoever they are, that the passage of the health reform bill is close, very close…..The Repubs are still defying proper conduct in the Senate and as well as in the House…….Washington!  The town misinformation built……But if you are interested in the newest version of the reform bill then I have what you need….

The AP did a great job putting together the facts, just the facts, they felt the bullsh*t and misinformation behind…..

IMMEDIATE CHANGES:  Uninsured people with medical problems will have a workable alternative. The bill pumps $5 billion into high-risk insurance pools run by the states to provide coverage to those in frail health. Taxpayer-backed insurance won’t be free, but premiums should be much lower than what’s charged by private insurers willing to take those in poor health.

For people with private health insurance — about two-thirds of Americans — there would be some new safeguards. For example, insurers would be barred from placing lifetime dollar limits on coverage and from canceling policies except in cases of fraud. Children could stay on their parents’ coverage until age 26.

THE SELF-EMPLOYED:  Starting in 2014, self-employed people and those whose employers don’t offer coverage would be able to pick a plan through a health insurance exchange, like a supermarket. It’s modeled on the federal employee health program available to members of Congress, which offers a range of private insurance. Small businesses could also join the exchange.

More than 30 million people would buy their own coverage through state exchanges, and nearly 6 in 10 would be eligible for tax credits to help pay premiums. The aid would be generous for lower-income families, less so for those solidly in the middle class.

SENIORS:  Seniors have been understandably worried about the health care plan, since much of it is financed with Medicare cuts the government’s own experts say could be unsustainable.

On the block are subsidies to private Medicare Advantage insurance plans, which now enroll about one-quarter of seniors. The government overpays the plans when compared to the cost of care under traditional Medicare. That largesse translates to lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors in the plans, and the bill could trigger an exodus from Medicare Advantage as insurers are forced to raise their rates to stay in business.

But seniors stand to gain as well. Obama would gradually close the coverage gap in the middle of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The so-called doughnut hole would start to shrink immediately, but it wouldn’t be fully closed until 2020. In the meantime, seniors in the gap would get a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs.

The plan also improves preventive benefits for seniors in traditional Medicare.

DOCTORS:  Primary care doctors and general surgeons practicing in underserved areas such as inner cities and rural communities would get a 10 percent bonus from Medicare. But the more significant changes for doctors would unfold slowly. The goal is to start rewarding doctors for keeping patients healthy, not just treating them when they get sick.

The plan would use Medicare as a testing ground for new ways of coordinating care for patients with multiple chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems, a common combination. Primary care doctors would become care managers for such patients, keeping close tabs on medications and basic health indicators.

EMPLOYERS:  Obama’s plan wouldn’t require employers to provide insurance to their workers, but it would hit them with a stiff fine if even one of their workers gets a federally subsidized coverage. Companies with 50 or fewer workers would be exempt, and those with 25 workers or fewer could get federal assistance.

INSURANCE COMPANIES:  Health insurance companies would face unprecedented federal regulation and particularly close scrutiny of their bottom line. A fixed percentage of income from premiums would have to go to medical care, otherwise insurers would be forced to provide rebates to consumers. That share is 85 percent for large group plans, and 80 percent for plans in the small group and individual markets.

There you have the facts…..like them or not……personally, I think it is a cop out from the Progressive stance held during the campaign……Rep. Kucinich is dead set against Obama’s bill…..he is a lone voice for 300 million Americans and NO one is listening….it is NOT reform it is a tweak that will be challenged at the next change in Congress and all will be for naught and then we can start all over again….You asked for it…You got it!

UPDATE:  Kucinich was come around and will now vote yes on the bill……CBO report is in and the bill will cut budget by $394 billion in the 1st 10 yrs and $1.3 trillion in the next 10….

Oh, The Hypocrisy!

Health Reform—the song that will NOT end!  Kinda like putting “ina-da-gada-da-vida” on the turntable and go out to get laid……

I have said this for many many posts…..the GOP is full of hypocrites with NO alternatives….I know that is a bit harsh….but the major players just keep making my case for me…..they cannot help themselves…..

I will give people the reason I say this over and over and over…….

The great “Maverick” John McCain is come out of the closet against health reform of any kind, but if you go back to the 2008 campaign and his ideas on health care then you will see that it sounds similar to the Senate bill that we have now….but he cannot find any spot to compromise…..HYPOCRITE!

Now we move to Mitt Romney who has derided “Obamacare” as the lunatic Right is calling it and which by the way Mitt has jumped on that band wagon, but if you listen to the reports then the health reform bill is modeled on the Massachusetts, which was supported and passed by Mitt during his days as the governor….and oh BTW, the Mass plan covers abortions…….but there is NOTHING that he can find to support…..HYPOCRITE!

Now to my fav GOP person Sarah Palin……by now we all know what she thinks of the health reform bill…socialism, death panels, etc, etc…….she derides the health bill at every turn, trying to strengthen her position in the polls…she says that Obama’s plan will ruin American medicine…..but wait there is a bit more….the Huffington Post has found an interesting post by Sam Stein:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — who has gone to great lengths to hype the supposed dangers of a big government takeover of American health care — admitted over the weekend that she used to get her treatment in Canada’s single-payer system.

The irony, one guesses, is that Palin now views Canada’s health care system as revolting: with its government-run administration and ‘death-panel’-like rationing. Clearly, however, she and her family once found it more alluring than, at the very least, the coverage available in rural Alaska.

One thing to add……HYPOCRITE!

And finally, we have another of my favs…..the Rush-ster, on his recent radio show he said that if the health reform bill passed, that it would be disastrous for the country and that he would move to Costa Rica (a paraphrase)……thinking…….if I am not mistaken, Costa Rica has universal health care run by the government…..HYPOCRITE!

They make way too easy for me……and for that I thank them……

Just The Facts–Nothing But The Facts

Daily Agitator

There is a new buzzword flying around Washington, well it is not a new word, but one that is coming back in style…that word is RECONCILIATION………..the difference in today from say 8 years ago….it is a dirty word….something to be reviled……but why?

What does reconciliation meaning, at least politically:

Reconciliation is a legislative process in the United States Senate intended to allow consideration of a contentious budget bill without the threat of filibuster. Introduced in 1974, reconciliation limits debate and amendment, and therefore favors the majority party. Reconciliation also exists in the United States House of Representatives, but because the House regularly passes rules that constrain debate and amendment, the process has had a less significant impact on that body.

A reconciliation instruction (Budget Reconciliation) is a provision in a budget resolution directing one or more committees to submit legislation changing existing law in order to bring spending, revenues, or the debt-limit into conformity with the budget resolution. The instructions specify the committees to which they apply, indicate the appropriate dollar changes to be achieved, and usually provide a deadline by which the legislation is to be reported or submitted.

A reconciliation bill is one containing changes in law recommended pursuant to reconciliation instructions in a budget resolution. If the instructions pertain to only one committee in a chamber, that committee reports the reconciliation bill. If the instructions pertain to more than one committee, the House Budget Committee reports an omnibus reconciliation bill, but it may not make substantive changes in the recommendations of the other committees.

Actually when all is said…it simply means a normal majority (51%)…….opposition yells about it being bad to use a simple majority and not the filibuster-proof super-majority (60 votes)…..

But to conservs it is not so bad when their Prez GW used it to pass the Medicare Advantage and added trillions to an already stretched budget….but now that the Dems are going to use the tactic, ‘it will destroy American democracy’……why is that?

By using their objection to a simple majority then let us extend it include election…..where Repub or Dem needs 60% vote count to win their election….

Personally, I am ashamed of these petty childish antics from people we trust to do what is right for the country….maybe the teabaggers have it right…throw ALL the a/holes out of office and start over!

The Meeting Of Minds

We had the health summit or should we call it the “Bullsh*t At Blair House”?  It was a joke on the American people……NOTHING…I repeat….NOTHING! was accomplished with the exception of a reiteration of talking points that have been thrown around for almost a year…..NOTHING was ever to be accomplished in this massive waste of time and energy….If only the American people had cared enough to pay attention…….

Do you remember back in ’08 and the election between Obama and McCain….they both had a plan for health care….Obama’s went up in smoke in the past year and then there was McCain’s….in case you forgot…let me refresh your memory…..

OVERALL. Begin taxing employer-sponsored health benefits as income, instead providing a tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to increase incentives for insurance coverage. Contain costs through payment changes to providers and tort reform.

INSURANCE POOLS. Work with states to create a federally supported Guaranteed Access Plan for people denied coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions. Financial assistance would go to those below a certain income leve

CHANGES TO PRIVATE INSURANCE. Promote competition by allowing insurance to be sold across state lines. Encourage multiyear insurance products.

COST CONTAINMENT. Adopt malpractice reforms that limit frivolous lawsuits and excessive damages. Promote less expensive alternatives such as walk-in clinics in retail outlets. Invest in prevention and care of chronic illnesses. Increase competition by permitting the sale of nationwide insurance not regulated by states.

COST OF THE REFORMS. $1.3 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center; campaign says cost containment measures will pay for it.

Read over it……I case you missed it….McCain’s plan sounds a lot like the Senate bill….and yet he can find nothing that he can support….so was he lying during the campaign?  Or maybe he just follows others lead?  Anyway, this shows just how STUPID the whole debate thing so far…..

There is more……I have heard Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as the new face of the GOP and an economic whiz kid…I have even heard some pundits say that this is the future of the GOP and the fiscal conservatism…..is that so?  Well this piece from the American Conservative:

An alternative budget proposal submitted by Congressman Paul Ryan (Wis.), the House Budget Committee’s Republican ranking member, would increase the federal budget deficit even more than President Obama’s bloated budget — nearly $1 trillion more — according to a February 24 analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Ryan’s “alternative policy scenario” would make no serious spending cuts, but it would institute three new tax cuts. CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf explained to Ryan that “the three changes to the tax policy assumptions are estimated to increase deficits relative to the baseline projections by $9 billion in 2010 and $3.4 trillion over the 2011-2020 period, mostly from lower revenues but also from increased outlays for refundable tax credits.”

Ironically, the House Republican website boasts its “Alternative Budget” for last year’s budget (fiscal 2010) would spend less than Obama. “Under the Republican plan, deficits are $3.3 trillion lower for the 10-year budget period and fall below 3.0 percent of GDP over the 10-year period.” Ryan also postured against the recent vote to increase the national debt by $1.9 trillion, claiming:

We know irrefutably we’re going to bequeath this mountain of deficit and debt onto the next generation. Both of our parties share in the blame. No one party corners a virtue on fiscal responsibility. But we’re going to together have to come down here and fix this problem once and for all, and this doesn’t do it. This bill raises the debt limit by $1.9 trillion. It’s a fiscal cop-out so that we can talk tough in the election about how we did this and that, while we bequeathed the next generation an inferior standard of living.

Can the mental midgets now see just how moronic all this partisan bullsh*t is?  What part of the two sections above do you NOT understand?  Please let me know and I will try to make you understand those parts in doubt…..

The Summit! Theater Of The Absurd! (Again)

There was a build up to yesterday’s health summit….the Prez and Dems and Repubs were to meet and discuss the possibility of finding ways to have a bi-partisan bill on health reform….did the adults take over the health reform conversation?

HA!  Not a chance!  This was a prime opportunity for the Repubs and Dems to find common ground and they bombed badly….I am sorry to pick on the Repubs so much but in this case they deserve all the credit for looking like 4 year old on a play ground….

Americans were led to believe that the goal was finding common ground on getting health insurance to tens of millions of Americans who don’t have it and containing skyrocketing costs that threaten the nation’s fiscal well-being.

Obama dominated the conversation, barely contained his impatience with GOP statements and at times mocked them for trotting out visual effects (thick stacks of Democratic health care legislation) and talking points. Republicans complained about the time disparity and lectured the president about his policies.

Stagecraft trumped statesmanship.

Obama hoped to convince gridlock-weary voters who might be watching at home that he was sincere in seeking common ground with Republicans. He repeatedly asked GOP lawmakers to focus on fixes that both parties might agree upon.

(Thanx to the AP for above account)

The Repubs were well rehearsed they got their talking points in “start over”, was the most used….nowhere did these guys and gals ever act like a group of people concerned with the plight of the American people……sad that once again, politics triumph over the people….and you wonder why the US is the laughing stock of the world…the health summit was a prime example of the stupidity in Washington….

OKay…here is an idea….F*CK THE REPUBS!…….do whatever it takes to get American people health care…I am sorry to my conserv friends, but the people have been waiting for 70+ years for these dinks to do something constructive and so far all we have got is a playground brawl….it is time for us voters to flip off these people and replace them with apes….at least they could do NO worse…..