lindsey F*****g graham 'needs to go away', HE'S got FREE health care, on US

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/21/graham-open-to-dems-healt_n_218535.html



The South Carolina Republican, appearing on ABC's "This Week," set a firm line in the sand when discussing the creation of a public option for insurance, insisting that such a proposal would not pass the United States Senate.

"The reason you are not going to have a government-run health care pass the Senate is because it will be devastating for this country," he said. "The last thing in the world I think that Democrats and Republicans will do at the end of the day is create a government-run health care system."

Later in the program, however, Graham offered what his co-panelist Sen. Chris Dodd and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich (who appeared later in the show) both viewed as openness to compromise. A system of state-based co-ops -- which would be run as non-profit entities, subject to private insurance rules, and operating out of the premiums paid by its members -- could be an adequate substitute for a public plan, he said.

"I think this idea needs to go away," Graham said of a public plan, "and replace it with something maybe like Kent Conrad's proposal---------------------

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FUCK YOU lindsey graham, WE PAY YOUR FUCKING HEALTH CARE ASSHOLE, stop denying the poor, and making them scared to death to get sick in America. FUCK YOU PAL.

They are beholden only to the corrupt corporations.

This is what Americans call leadership.

Living the high life on our dime and telling us to go to hell.

Denying the people basic rights to health, education, clean air, food, water. While they live a life that is unbelievably rich.

Those who hold elected office should face life in prison
for taking any bribes and betraying the trust of the American
people.

Still think he would have a problem with 'free limos' though ;)

And we pay for part of ours.

I'm bettin he makes plenty on sweet deals with lobbyists one way or another!

I believe its a perk that comes with the job. They made sure they were taken care of.. damn the rest of us.

...and we pay for it.

Federal employees, regardless of what they do, have 67% of their premiums paid by their employer (the federal government).

Long on mythology, short on real actual fact. Thanks, I was pretty sure the chaps on the Hill and the federal employees in various agencies had the same health insurance. It's good, but not the best, and we do pay for part of it; the part paid by employer is considered part of the compensation for workers.

Some of us are spewing a lot of useless trash talk that won't do anything to convince anyone of anything other than somebody needs to step away from the keyboard for a spell.

I believe that was the point.

It's NOT free and it's NOT fantastic insurance.

it is the gold standard of health care and the envy
of all..... women have been known to marry federal employees
just to get the health care benefits.....sad to say.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The biggest benefit is that FEHBP doesn't allow exclusions for pre-existing conditions.

Aside from that, it's pretty much a collection of run-of-the-mill private plans. It's good comprehensive basic insurance, but it's definitely not anything special.

One of the biggest pluses is that ins companies tend to not yank around Federal Employees.

Claims are generally paid with no questions or hassles.

(This is from someone who works every day with insurance claims
from many sources.)

FEHBP insurers are less likely to deny reasonable claims (although it HAS happened to me).

If we don't get it, you should not as well.

Now, state your case, Senator.
Tell me why your life is worth more than mine, or my family.
Tell me, SIR?

It is subsidized by their employer (the Federal government), just like many of us get employer-subsidized insurance, though I think the government kicks in quite a bit. To wit:



http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_06/006478.php

Far be it from me to interrupt a good thrashing of Lindsey Graham, but when untruths are flung around as if they were facts, it's time to point it out. And that includes the absolutely false claim (above) that senators get free limos and housing. They do not.

If we really want to fix health insurance and health care, we can't just create bogeymen and play fast and free with the facts. That's the Republican way, not ours.

ADDENDUM: If you want to see exactly how much they pay, here are the rates for HMOs: http://opm.gov/insure/health/rates/nonpostalhmo2009.pdf

There is NO need for DUers to go about spewing the crap of RW emails as fact. Thank you for setting this straight.

And all that from of their six-figure salaries?

I'm not about to start singing the blues for a United States Senator.

My plan runs me about $370/mo for myself and my son.

That's about 33% of the premium...my employer (which, in my case, is the federal government) pays the other 67%.

It's no different than the thousands of private employers that subsidize their employees' health insurance premiums.

that certainly cover the cost of insurance premiums.

And most of us would be fired if we did our jobs
as poorly as most congress members.

Why is anyone expecting anything different?

Concentrate on Baucus, Landrieu, BOTH Nelsons and Feinstein.

don't mistate the facts: Government employees, including Senators, pay partial premiums for their care, and like many insurance plans provided by employers, the Government also pays a partial premium for him.

... who have the audacity to lecture everyone else about whether they should have it too. Mighty nice of them.

"lecture" everyone else about whether they should have good jobs too...

A federal employee's health benefits are a contractual part of their compensation package...and, in the case of health benefits, they're the same for all federal employees.

should be ended. let them BUY from the marketplace. including those with PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS.

As mentioned numerous times above, it's a collection of private health insurance plans (Blue Cross, Aetna, Kaiser, etc.).

The federal government, as their employer, pays a percentage of their premiums...just as many private companies pay a portion of their employees' health insurance premiums.