2. Letting families and businesses buy insurance across state lines
3. Access to coverage, regardless of preexisting conditions
4. Individuals, small businesses and other groups joining together to get health insurance at lower prices, the same way large businesses and labor unions do
5. Assistance to those who still cannot access a doctor
6. Incentives for wellness care and prevention
Here's the source, which includes links to several bills introduced by the Republicans, as well as several other primary source materials.
Educate yourself a little before you accuse others of inaction.
"If we'd put just a tiny fraction of the money we've wasted in Iraq into Medicare, we wouldn't have to worry about it going broke."
And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
And if "if's" and "but's" were candy and nuts, what a wonderful Christmas we'd have.
As unfortunate as it may be, we can't deal with what should have been; we can only deal with what is.
The reality is, thanks to TARP, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the stimulus packages, we'll be running huge deficits well into the next decade. At the rate we're going, we're looking at a $20 trillion national debt by the end of President Obama's second term.
Servicing that huge a debt (i.e. paying the interest at 4%) will amount to $800 billion per year. How are we going to pay for Medicare and Medicaid, much less any new universal health care program, when that big a chunk of the budget is going to keeping us out of hock? Either tax ourselves into oblivion, or print huge amounts of money, leading to hyperinflation.
Did the Bush years contribute to this monstrous debt? You bet they did! Are Iraq (and now Afghanistan) a big factor? Absolutely! But even if we closed down the Pentagon, leaving nothing but an answering machine that said, "We surrender," there would still be enormous problems with the economy.
Blame Bush if you want to - I blame him for a lot of the problem too. But don't tell me we can pay for socialized medicine with money we've already spent. Now that's a pipe dream!
Health insurance is too fucking expensive. And that's me using my polite language. There's no way in hell we can afford $2-3K a fucking month for our family of four. That's IF we could find coverage that would accept us, especially me...being female is a pre-existing condition, dontcha know.
And then the company can shitcan your ass whenever they feel like it anyway. And they fight every single goddamn charge. My MIL works for a pediatric eye surgeon and she frequently has to fight to get insurance to pay up. And back when we had insurance through my husband's employer, they didn't want to cover my first pregnancy, Ted! These people are fucking crooks and their apologists can kiss my ass.
Really, Ted, you're a saint for allowing whoever this guy is to constantly spew his pro-corporate bullshit here.
ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. And neither will racist,homophobic, or misogynistic comments. I do not mind if you disagree, but make your case in a decent manner.
From the excellent blog What Would Jack Do?
Hey, Ted - This is the GOP Health Care Plan:
ReplyDelete1. Medical liability reform
2. Letting families and businesses buy insurance across state lines
3. Access to coverage, regardless of preexisting conditions
4. Individuals, small businesses and other groups joining together to get health insurance at lower prices, the same way large businesses and labor unions do
5. Assistance to those who still cannot access a doctor
6. Incentives for wellness care and prevention
Here's the source, which includes links to several bills introduced by the Republicans, as well as several other primary source materials.
Educate yourself a little before you accuse others of inaction.
That sounds like little more than a giant payday for the private companies, who will weasel out of paying when you get sick, just like they do now.
ReplyDeleteTake a closer look at numbers 3 and 5.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I see with the so-called "public option" is that all you're doing is replacing private bureaucrats with public bureaucrats.
If you want the efficiency of the DMV with the compassion of the IRS, I guess the public option is the way to go.
But regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the Republican plan, please don't perpetuate the myth that the GOP advocates doing nothing.
Medicare (a government insurance plan) is MUCH more efficient that any of the private companies - just compare the overhead costs of each.
ReplyDeleteAnd the compassion of private insurance companies makes the IRS look like a bunch of bleeding hearts.
Frankly, the plan to perpetuate the control of health care by private insurance companies is just as bad as no plan at all - maybe worse.
As compassionate as Medicare is (or maybe because of its compassion), the program is projected to go bankrupt in about 10 years.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when compassionate, universal government-run health care goes bankrupt?
WOW!
ReplyDeleteThat's worthy of printing and framing.
Just to never, ever, let us forget.
Not that we would, but still...
Thanks, Ted.
:)
If we'd put just a tiny fraction of the money we've wasted in Iraq into Medicare, we wouldn't have to worry about it going broke.
ReplyDeleteIf we'd stop blowing money on Neocon pipe dreams, we'd have plenty enough to do what we need to do.
"If we'd put just a tiny fraction of the money we've wasted in Iraq into Medicare, we wouldn't have to worry about it going broke."
ReplyDeleteAnd if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
And if "if's" and "but's" were candy and nuts, what a wonderful Christmas we'd have.
As unfortunate as it may be, we can't deal with what should have been; we can only deal with what is.
The reality is, thanks to TARP, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the stimulus packages, we'll be running huge deficits well into the next decade. At the rate we're going, we're looking at a $20 trillion national debt by the end of President Obama's second term.
Servicing that huge a debt (i.e. paying the interest at 4%) will amount to $800 billion per year. How are we going to pay for Medicare and Medicaid, much less any new universal health care program, when that big a chunk of the budget is going to keeping us out of hock? Either tax ourselves into oblivion, or print huge amounts of money, leading to hyperinflation.
Did the Bush years contribute to this monstrous debt? You bet they did! Are Iraq (and now Afghanistan) a big factor? Absolutely! But even if we closed down the Pentagon, leaving nothing but an answering machine that said, "We surrender," there would still be enormous problems with the economy.
Blame Bush if you want to - I blame him for a lot of the problem too. But don't tell me we can pay for socialized medicine with money we've already spent. Now that's a pipe dream!
lmfao @ #2 "letting families buy insurance"
ReplyDeleteHealth insurance is too fucking expensive. And that's me using my polite language. There's no way in hell we can afford $2-3K a fucking month for our family of four. That's IF we could find coverage that would accept us, especially me...being female is a pre-existing condition, dontcha know.
And then the company can shitcan your ass whenever they feel like it anyway. And they fight every single goddamn charge. My MIL works for a pediatric eye surgeon and she frequently has to fight to get insurance to pay up. And back when we had insurance through my husband's employer, they didn't want to cover my first pregnancy, Ted! These people are fucking crooks and their apologists can kiss my ass.
Really, Ted, you're a saint for allowing whoever this guy is to constantly spew his pro-corporate bullshit here.