OBAMACARE: Will It Be Affordable Universal Health Care or a Government Bailout

OBAMACARE: Will It Be Affordable Universal Health Care or a Government Bailout for the Insurance Companies?



I have to ask - why are these lobbyists even given a seat at the table here? Common sense says they will not go quietly into the night. The last sentence in bold is what I fear will happen - and I think they see the train wreck coming, and don't really care.

In an interview on "the Ed Show" today.

It's something...

But you know the minute it hits the Senate Floor, it will be changed and twisted beyond recognition. The ConservaDems are going to make sure there isn't a public option, and with friends like Baucus, there won't be.

even something that meets the criteria set out by Dean and Obama, can still be worthless - and damage our chances at real reform for at least a decade.

All a public option means is that there is government administration - rather than administration by a "for-profit"

It can still charge premiums.
It doesn't have to have sliding scale/income based subsidies or premiums.

In addition, it can be structured so it will be the expensive dumping ground for everyone the insurance companies don't want to cover as long as:
Insurance companies are permitted to reject applicants based on their health status
Insurance companies are permitted to restrict access to favorable plans based on their health status
Insurance companies are permitted to price their plan based on health status

Every single feature above is consistent with Dean's and Obama's statements on public health options - and individually or combined would doom a public option to failure.

Any old public option is not enough. A public option MUST expressly require BOTH insurance companies and the public option to accept all applicants, and must forbid BOTH from basing the premium on health status. To be affordable, at least the public health option must have premiums based on income, or subsidies for those who cannot afford the premiums.

Without the above, a public option is not a significant advance over what HIPPA provided 10 or so years ago.

A public option could be the same old Medicaid that you have to be almost homeless to qualify for. I wish Ed had put her feet to the fire on this.

but you can bet the farm the insurance companies will still make out the fucking blood sucking bandits they are, and the American health care system will continue to be the most costly and unwieldy in the world, with more bureaucracy than carters has little pills.

Without a single payer universal coverage we are condemning ourselves to a third rate health delivery system that costs far more than it should and leaves the most vulnerable w/o the ability to go see a doctor when sick or buy meds when needed.

I admire Obama for taking this on, but you can't half-ass this issue and expect any kind of success.

Get rid of the motherfucking insurance companies. They don't heal, they comfort, they don't cure, they don't change the bedpans.

Your sentiment sums it up perfectly:



:thumbsup:

Actually fixing this thing means dismantling a trillion dollar profit machine. As much as I support the President, I'll believe it when I see it.

Look for your own health insurance premiums to rise sharply and, as someone up thread stated, Obama's plan to become a dumping ground for those unable to get insurance from health insurance companies. Something that hasn't been talked about very much is the effect that an expensive health problem can have on your chances of continuing to be employed by your employer. Some of them have been known to fire people if they are thought to be the cause of the company's health insurance premiums to go up.

To help stop the train wreck AND
to help get what we need ...

Citizens can now go to http://www.medicareforall.org

President Obama told us over two years ago how to get his support. He said that he must have a MANDATE from people: a massive action of citizens. As per his very specific recommendation, we must send letters via the U.S. Mail from every U.S. Congressional district. Barack Obama said 1-2 thousand at that meeting in 2007, but the health insurance industry power would justify us doing a little more than that. Participants numbering 2,299 per districts in 435 districts means that we will have a Million Letters for Health Care campaign. That campaign is exactly what is supported by the Medicare for All website, linked above.

In other words, the President of the United States asked us two years ago to participate in the democratic process by communicating to U.S. Representatives by letters in the U.S. Mail. At that time he SPECIFICALLY referred to the lobbyists for special interests, very clearly indicating that his recommendation of sending letters is required to have the power of the people become greater than the power of the lobbyists. His office staff confirmed, via multiple contacts to them, that he meant letters in the U.S. Mail.

Do it NOW! Please! And get others to sign up! Just refer them to the above website and recommend to them that they sign up.

(By the way, it is a myth that it takes any more than 5-7 days to send a letter to the U.S. Congress. I met with and then later called the managers at the U.S. Capitol mailroom; most mail arrives within 5-7 days, not the rumored 4-6 weeks or "up to 3 months" or other wrong information based apparently on something that occurred 6-7 years ago!).

(If you require details about what he said, including listening to audios and/or reading the text, go to the website.)