Donna Smith (of "SiCKO"): Well, Well... Going to Healthcare Hell

Published on Thursday, June 18, 2009 by CommonDreams.org
Well, Well... Going to Healthcare Hell

by Donna Smith


We've learned some remarkable things over the past few weeks about healthcare reform in these United States. Remarkable, tragic, sad, disgusting and unacceptable truths about what we've put up with for decades and what we are about to see written into law unless we rise up.

It was Jesus Christ who is credited with saying, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." We'll see about that really soon. Our elected officials aren't really too partial to that comment by J.C.

Here are some truths we've learned:

Those who are protecting the profit-takers in healthcare will say or do anything. You know, the old saw, "Don't let the government get between you and your healthcare," they threaten as ammunition to scare you away from progressively financed, guaranteed healthcare for all - like those scary Canadians or Scandinavians have. But do you know what the reality is in Canada and many of the nations where healthcare is actually valued as a human right? In Canada, it is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison for a government bureaucrat to interfere in any way in a patient care issue or decision. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/18

"...In the bill released by the Senate HELP committee last week, I noted that the Indian Health Service will be exempted from the new law proposed. Really? Guess we just have to make sure those lousy, sickly Native Americans don't actually end up in someone's healthcare insurance pool using benefits to get care for chronic diseases when we can just more easily keep them covered by the seriously underfunded Indian Health Service. Horrible stuff..."


And this cannot stand...

"...And in Senator Baucus' committee, Senate Finance, they'll be OK with it if insurance companies only charge up to five times as much for age-related rating of premiums. Wow. That's shocking, and I'll bet most older people don't even know that their Congressional members are considering allowing that to be done to them. Fives times as much to be paid by older people for health insurance - and no promises about denial of claims or policy rescission. Sweet deals are being made all over the place for everyone but you and me and our neighbors and friends..."

Right? I thought so.

-Hoot

:sarcasm:

:grr:

-Holler

Obama says that if we don't get health care right, the country may be going the way of GM because of the drain health care costs have on the economy.

The economy is in dire straits.

Single payer, which would arguably be the most cost effective, isn't on the table.

So, is it my imagination, or is it a fact that Congress is more concerned about keeping their little money laundering scheme going(we pay for health insurance, the money goes to Congress) than it is in saving the economy.

So, have I got this right?

preliminary cost of the Kennedy plan are over 1 Trillion, yet they will not even discuss SP.

Guess I'm not really bewildered, just pissed that the cost aspect does not get the attention it needs, because I think the cost aspect could kill the chances for any meaningful reform.

Also we are going to partially fund the public option by spending less on Medicare, but tens of millions of people will be eligible within a decade. If the recent article I read is correct they cited 79 million new enrollees, the only way to fund that is to have everyone paying into the system, in my opinion.


Do you look at the price tag before buying? Single Payer System Cost?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5875929&mesg_id=5875929