What Do You Think About Health Care Reform? Let Us Know…

Name me one thing that the Government operates efficiently other than the military, and you want to give them responsibility for health care?

Anyone but the government. Ask that Ron Paul guy. He seems to always get it right.

So President Obama are going to cut the hell out of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement to hospitals and providers by over 400 billion AND raise another 700 billion in taxes in order to put through a “public option” which will destroy our current health care system? All so only a fraction of the 15% of the uninsured population can have free health insurance. Sounds like a really great idea! To heck with the other 85% ?you”ll fall in line with socialized Obamacare when the government run crap outbids and thus drives private care out of the market entirely. Then EVERYONE will have coverage but no doctors to take care of them because without any “skin in the game” aka profit, the doctors will just leave the game.
It”ll be so great. Shortages of providers, long long waiting lists, cuts in basic care, denials of basic care, preventative care, medicines, decisions on health care made by political favoritism and who the government deems of “worth” to society. Sounds like hell to me.
A few questions ABC should be asking President Obama are:
The CBO has determined that the government option is going to result in 1 to 3 trillion dollars of extra debt yet only cover a third of the uninsured. Is this an acceptable price to pay for so little return?
Most economists are saying that the higher deficits that this plan represents will cause inflation to rise making the dollar worth half its current value. Is this ok with you?
Many are predicting that there will be a shortage of doctors available to meet the rising demands of millions of more people who would be insured under the plan and that some physicians will retire rather than receive lower compensation for their services. Is this ok with you?
Will your plan result in government rationing of health care for start of life, end of life, and chronic medical conditions? 
In that another government run health care plan, Medicaid, is causing States like New York and California to go broke, how do you plan to prevent another even bigger government health care plan from bankrupting America?
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Social Security, Medicare,Medicade are disater programs that are sucking dry every taxpayer in this country, analyst tell me not to bother collecting social security when I retire in 20 years. MORE Government control just spells more taxes and more bureaucratic red tape. Having Government option healthcare is not the answer.

I am a 57 year old Black female, currently unemployed, w/ a college degree. My annual income averages when things are great is usually less than 18,000 per year. I haven’t had insurance since 1995 or health care since my children left for college. I have not been to the dentist, got my eyes examine for new glasses, had a mammogram, pap exam. I have had extremely painful shingles 4 times in the last 18 mos for which I never sought medical attention. I don’t qualify for medicare, medicaid, because I am not old enough & I don’t have and children under the age of 18. My employers, when I had one, did not offer it. So, what about all the other people like me that has fallen through the cracks? I recently went to a Dr. through a subsidized program, but I don’t go often as needed because I can’t afford the co-pay of $16.00.
So health insurance, or even health care is important, but will people like me be able to afford it?

This government is not for the people rather it is in spite of the people. If the government wants to help those who need health care then find a way for those who need it, that are able bodied, to work for it, and leave the rest of us alone.

The only workable health care is Kucinich’s plan, which is to include all citizens and residents in the risk pool and make the Federal Government the insurer for all basic health care. Because of the size and nature of the risk pool the premiums would be small, perhaps as low as ten dollars a year per insured. That would also mean being able to get rid of Veterans’ Health as a separate item, and all other public health care plans. They would just become part of the pool. That in itself would save trillions. This is the way many industrialized countries do it, and by taking the burden off the employers and employees it would stimulate economic growth. Any plan that include private insurers will be a disaster, and just another burden on the economy.

I don’t see what the right wingers are complaining about. We already have a screwed up health care system now courtesy the GOP. So why they are so adamantly opposed to health care reform when millions go without health care and multiple hundreds of billions are wasted in corporate fraud, waste, inefficiency, etc…I guess as usual the Republicans like failure and want more of it. They don’t mind the government running the military or the FBI or Homeland Security, but suddenly they say the government can’t be trusted to create a new healthcare plan? Where is their logic? Where is their wanting the best for America?

I’d like to know if the Congress and the President and his family are going to have the same healthcare as the rest of us little people.

Why am I forced into Medicare at age 65 if I have comprehensive private insurance? Why can’t I opt out of Medicare without being penalized? Why should the taxpayers pay my medical costs instead of my private insurance plan when I reach 65?
Also, why can’t the law require coordination of benefits up to 100% of allowable charges when people are covered by two health insurance plans and are paying two full premiums? (Dental insurance allows this type of coordination of benefits).
Also, why are hospitals allowed to bill non-insured patients up to 300% more for the same procedure than what gets charged when there’s insurance coverage? That is inherently unfair.

Look at medicare, medicaid, the VA, and social security and the incompetence, waste and bureaucracy that those programs exhibit. When is the last time that the government has run any program efficiently or within budget; or has built a project on time or within budget projections? Why is this program going to be any different?

State Senator Obama in 2003 said he supported single payer but “we had to win back the White House, Senate and House before we could do it.” Well, the Democrats have won back all three and now President Obama is not considering single payer but instead is bowing to the insurance industry. Why is single payer not being considered?
Polls show the most popular health care reform among Americans is a single payer system. Why is single payer not being considered?

Why not Pass this law:
Only every United States Citizen, and legally acknowledged alien worker, along with the worker’s dependents, receive health insurance coverage. The cost is 10% of the each worker’s gross wages, matched by the worker’s employer. This amount is paid into a fund: either paid into a public HHS insurance “Health Bank” or into a private “Health Bank” providing workers’ freedom to chose. Both the private and public “Health Banks” credit this insurance coverage to workers while receiving unemployment benefits. US citizens without work who receive welfare support get insurance coverage, the costs shared by all “Health Banks” public and private, but no illegals do. The public fund determines appropriate doctor compensation and appropriate price for pharmaceuticals. The private funds can do whatever they like, that is pay more or less for service. Foreign nationals who come to the US for medical treatment work out deals with the facilities privately and pay what is agreed upon. No skin off of US citizen teeth. Not complicated, not unjust, and in my opinion, workable,

Why is single payer not being considered?
- Polls show the most popular health care reform among Americans is a single payer system. Why is single payer not being considered?.Is it because the insurance lobby so is strong and so imbeded in the media that we citizens have no voice in our democratic government anymore, what ever happened to “WE THE PEOPLE”?.President Obama has said that he would support single payer if the U.S. were starting from scratch. Well, it is looking more and more like the U.S. needs to start from scratch. The Congress is divided on key issues, the public health option looks unlikely, isn’t it time to consider single payer?.Aren’t you just going to pour hundreds of billions into a failed system Why not put single payer first

Given the recent CBO report based on an analysis of Senator Kennedy’s proposed healthcare reform bill, it is obvious that no “public option” can solve the healthcare crisis in America. As long as the private insurance industry is involved in our healthcare, it will not be affordable, will not cover everyone, and will not be equally distributed–all basic goals of President Obama’s reform campaign. Why then is single payer, the only type of reform that can fulfill all three goals, being kept off the table?

HR 676 is the way to go. It’s shameful that in the U.S. many many people are forced to have car washes and other fundraisers to help sick, financially-devastated people get the medical care they need. Healthcare not Warfare. Divert the funds being eaten up by the military industrial complex to a single payer system.

I voted for Pres. Obama because in 1993 he said he would support a SINGLE PAYER Health Insurance System. NOW is the time !
I will work to defeat any politician who stands in the way ! They all have gover45nment insurance provided by taxpayer money ! We should too.

Why single-payer option is off the table? That is the only plan that makes sense!

If you truly want to get a fair picture here, limit comments to ONE comment per commenter.You ARE aware, I take it, that people with lots of time on their hands will come here (particularly the conservative right wing crowd) and spend hours posting over and over and over the same thing resulting in the all too frequently skewed news reporting we hear from the major networks.
Learn from the best of these types of sites – such as the Change.gov type of sites where they are getting smarter about how to suss out all of that extremist detritus.

want to have the president address the single payer matter and to remind him to do his homework before addressing the american public.

Single payer system is what the majority of the people want. Health care is already rationed here because many people are unable to afford it. I believe the health industry estimate is that 60 people a day die from lack of health care in the U S. If 60 people a day were dying from swine flu this country would be in up in arms about it.
Canada has an excellent system; their people love it and the scare tactics presented here are a fraud. Canadians are healthier, spend way less than we do to run their single payer system, live longer, and are happy enough with their system to have voted the man who brought it to pass in Canada “the most admired person in Canadian history”. If you don’t believe they are happy with it, look up Canadian area codes and use that area code with your own number and call some Canadians and ask them about their health care system. They pick their own doctors, and insurance companies only sell policies on “extras” that aren’t covered by their system.
Stop listening to scare mongering and listen to people who are using single payer systems. Watch Michael Moore’s “Sicko” to see what you are missing and check out Physicians for National Health Care who support single payer. Only a third of the U S physicians belong to AMA, which is simply a social and lobbying group.
Insurance and drug company greed pays equally greedy politicians to keep us in line and keep themselves rich.

I was bankrupted by health care costs when I had very expensive private insurance coverage. Now I have medicare and have better coverage than $1,000 a month from United Healthcare Utah gave me when I was self employed contract lobor. Every test or medication change had to be weighed on the profit/loss scale by a low level bean counter working for the corporation and not my well-being or health. Medicare has never questioned my doctors orders for tests or medication or referral or a surgical procedure or an emergency. Medicare is the best system we have for providing coverage for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. All government employees have great single payer coverage like we, the poor and disabled have. There must be at least a choice for all of us. If the private sector and corporate capitalism work so well then a little competition won’t hurt them.
The private insurance companies have wormed their way into Medicare and increased the price to me the consumer and you the tax payer. Private insurance companies should have no place getting a bite out of our tax payer dollars for health coverage. Medicare works very well without the disadvantage of what is euphemistically called “Medicare Advantage”–the only advantage is to the corporation; it is the taxpayers loss and thus should be called the “Disadvantage Plan.”

Government inefficiency is such a tired conservative argument. We have police and fire departments and pulic libraries whose costs are “socialized”. These are highly efficient entities. Not to mention the FDIC which has successfully shut down 35 banks since the beginning of the year. The point is, for every tired story about government inefficiency, there is an equally tired story about private sector inefficiency (enron, worldcom, citi, etc). The private health care system we have is bases on “the market”. The market has failed because 47M Americans are left without health insurance. We need Single Payer healthcare and we need it now!

WHY IS SINGLE PAYER OFF THE TABLE WHEN VIRTUALLY EVERY POLL INDICATES TWO OUT OF THREE AMERICANS PREFERS THAT SORT OF SYSTEM?

WHY DOES OUR SOCIAL SECURITY RAISES HAVE TO BE TAKEN AWAY FOR 2 YEARS WHEN YOU GAVE BILLIONS TO WALLSTREET AND OTHERS? ALSO WHY IS SINGLE PAYER INSURANCE BEING TAKEN OFF THE TABLE WHEN WE NEED AND WANT IT.

I am a physician and I believe we should have a national health system based on single payer financing. It means everybody in and nobody out and it means that patients make medical decisions with their medical provider, not insurance administrators.
I’m wondering
1. Why does President Obama believe that it is acceptable to subsidize the purchase of private insurance when private insurers profit by denying and restricting health care?
2. Who does President Obama believe should not have health care, since he admits that his plan is not universal?

Sadly, I think they will only mESS IT UP. Leave it alone.
RT

I read this post today by a blogger who has done some homework & makes the case for single-payer as the most conservative option:
It’s too radical NOT to enact a single-payer system. It’s too radical NOT to make healthcare non-profit. It’s too radical NOT to ensure everyone is covered regardless of their life situation.
A public option added to the convoluted and unethical for-profit multi-payer mess is NOT what the uninsured and underinsured need.
President Obama, you agree that single-payer is what’s needed. Why aren’t you listening to the majority who want this and acting on behalf of all those who elected you?

Single Payer is off the table because taxpayers of the USA like to get ripped off?
It’s beyond laughable that the corporate health insurance companies are offering to reduce
their possible profits.
Oh, that’s really believable!
Over and over again, the corporate health insurer representatives say,
“Americans don’t want single payer.”
It’s the old marketing technique,
“Say it enough times for it to sink in.”
Polls show that even the majority of doctors want it, besides the rest of us who have been exploited by the heartless health insurance companies.
There have been countless studies proving single payer is the most economical system.
I don’t understand why business’s are not publicly endorsing single payer.
Workers who would like to work for a small business, could, and still have coverage.
Businesses would save money.

President Obama,If a single payer bill like H.R. 676 or Senator Sanders’ bill reached your desk,would you sign it?If Medicaid for all would cost 50% less to administer than 1400 separate insurance providers why not eliminate the middle man?Thanks for adressing this issue.

When are we going to realize that our current drug prohibition policies are a complete failure and stop wasting massive amounts of tax dollars and throwing huge numbers of people in jail, and instead try a different approach? Let’s learn from the successes in Portugal and the Netherlands.

President Obama,if a single payer health care bill like H.R.676 or Senator Sanders’ bill reached your desk would you sign it?
If Medicaid can administer health care for 46% less than 1400 private insurance entities why is single payer not the only cost effective option?If everyone participated in the same system wouldn’t costs be spread out more economically ?Thanks for adressing the health care issue.Good luck!

It’s so simple. Take the profit out of health care. Anyone who wants private insurance can still pay for it.
There’s no other way to real reform. Greed is the only real opponent of Single Payer Health Care, and we’ve seen where greed takes us, on Wall Street and in the Private Insurance business.

ALL government agencies should be held accountable! We cannot just throw up our hands and say the government cannot do anything right. We ARE the government. So many of us WITH INSURANCE have been ruined financially because insurance companies are in the business of collecting premiums and DENYING CLAIMS. It is SHAMEFUL that US citizens are DYING at the hands of the PROFIT TAKERS in the medical industry. If we cannot accomplish single payer health care, then we need public funding of all election campaigns so we can get some representation for ourselves for a change.

We have been suckered into compromising on health care when Clinton tried to reform it more than a decade ago. My father was taking pain medicine for his bone cancer. One day his insurance company called to say he had used up his allotment of medicine for the year. Nobody from the insurance company came to see what his condition was like, they just made a financial decision and didn’t care if my father was going through torturous pain. My mother had a stroke. Her private health insurance only allow her a week in the hospital and she had to move to a facility even if the doctors and nurses didn’t think she was ready to move. The building she lives in has an assisted living section, but it was not on the insurance companies list of places she could go. As a result her sister who she lives with couldn’t visit her because the place was too far away. When are these private insurance companies going to stop getting in between my family and our doctors?

WHY I VOTED FOR PREZ O BANA
Candidate Obama promised to change Washington, DC so that the corporate powers did not control policy, well on health care President Obama is doing the opposite. He is letting the corporate powers – the insurance, HMO and pharmaceutical industries — run health care. He has insurance company representatives speaking first and last at his White House health care meeting. At the same time single payer is not being considered by Obama. Why is single payer off the table? Are the corporate powers still in charge?

Question:
What stands in the way of the obviously superior sigle-payer system, used hppily on other countries, except the timidty of the congress and the President?
Howard Zinn

Health care reform can probably be achieved through applying best practices throughout all hospitals. It is a good low-cost first step.

What stands in the way of adopting the obviously superior single payer system, used happily in many countries–except the abject tmidity of Congress and the President?

I’m 77, pay for Medicare AND SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR A TOTAL OF $403.00 PER MONTH. lAST HOSPITLIZED IN 1989, i HAVE PAID FOR A LOT OF CHARITY CARE OVER THE YEARS. I DON’T KNOW WHY I SHOULD BE FORCED INTO A PROGRAM WHERE I, AT MY AGE, MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT TOO LONG FOR A DR. APPT., OR TO BE ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL IN AN EMERGENCY…WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR SENIORS LIKE ME/?????

I’ve got good coverage, with a reasonable co-pay. Something I’m hearing that most people do not have.
If putting the whole country on a “single payer” plan will reduce costs, and cut out “corporate medical” then that is what is required.
Some companies have already be shut-down by this recession, the “medical corporations” will also have to “go by the wayside” (more people out of work, but they should be able to be retrained for other occupations).
A lot of people that do medical billing paper pushing will have nothing to do (look at Canadian health care). It could save lives, trees, the environment.
Please explain why the turn around on Mr. Obama’s views on instituting single-payer health care in this country.

Why do you violate the constitution?

Why have you given in to the insurance companies by supporting a public/private option in Obama’s plan? Without a true single payer system, this option will fail and the insurance companies know it just as well as you do. Their phony grumbling and offer to save 1.5% in costs per year is disgusting, but it is even more disheartening to see good people in good organizations pretend to favor health care reform by saying they support a “public” option. A single payer plan is already in the form of a bill in Congress and has 93 co-sponsors. Have you even read HR676 and what it will do to cover everyone and save money? Shame on you good people for giving in to the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyists and shame on Gov Dean and Pres Obama.

Why are we spending this country into a hole that we can never get out of? If everyone adopted the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover plan, everyone would be giving to worthy causes, have money stashed away for an emergency, and start wealth building. It seems as if this is a smart idea to me. That is my idea.

Why can’t we have a single-payer health care system like every other civilized country on earth does? Health care should not be a for-profit venture. No one should be refused for pre-existing conditions or for lack of money or coverage.

Considering the institutionalized discrimination against gay and lesbian citizens (DOMA, dont’ ask, don’t tell), what guarantees will there be that gay and lesbian citizens will not be discriminated against in any health care system administered by the federal government?

If FedEx, UPS, and the USPS can coexist and compete, why can’t Aetna, HealthNet, Kaiser Permanente, and others coexist and be competitive with a Federal Health Insurance (FHI) that is based on a flat 4% (single) or 7% (family) income tax (premium)? The template of FHI administration exists in Medicare. An example of a plan is HealthNet High Option FEHB. Total premium, employee contribution and government contribution, for a family is about $12,000/yr. Deducting insurance company admin costs, overhead, and profit of 40% gets the cost of care down to $7,200/yr.. Health-insurance companies could continue, as before, to cherry-pick customers and keep the big accounts. (Politics is the art of the possible.) Ways to cut costs and make this possible for 7% include Government negotiation of prescription costs, the simplified billing of FHI, and FHI getting the same billing rate as insurance companies (approximately 67% discount–not 1/3rd off–2/3rds off; that’s what they really get).
Restructuring the private health-care system (still private) would enable additional cost savings. ER’s for emergencies, Urgent Care for urgent care, clinics for colds, flu, immunizations. More nurse practitioners and more physician’s assistants to free up physicians’ time for patients who really need them. This program eliminates inappropriate ER visits for colds and chronic conditions that cost Federal or State governments or force hospitals to embed those costs in the care of other patients.
Everyone, including the Senators and Congressmen in the pockets of the health-insurance industry, who is against universal health care has good-to-excellent health insurance for free or for modest premiums.

I’d like to know why isn’t single-payer universal health care on the table? It’s time for Socialized healthcare for the US.

Please tell me why Congress gets a conscious about spending whenever it concerns things that benefit American Citizen? What are people supposed to do for healthcare when they get old? I would prefer a NON-PROFIT government-run insurance plan any day! Right now you can’t even get healthcare if you have a pre-existing condition. So how does that make our system the best in the world. What a joke! If you would like to see what I mean, I challenge anyone that has healthcare right now to take a minute and find out just how much you have to pay for coverage–IF YOU CAN GET IT! I BELIEVE IT WILL BE A RUDE AWAKENING FOR ANYONE AGAINST NATIONAL HEALTHCARE!

Nobody wants the govt to manage health care. Just the insurance. Independent, state-licensed, private sector health care delivery. One single insurance company.
We already pay for everyone. If you’re really against single payer, why aren’t you also against treating people in emergency rooms if they have no insurance? Start yelling about that, I beg you!

When your plan is in operation, will it be legal for a citizen to purchase medical services with his own money if the medical bureaucracy has said that such treatment was not cost effective or otherwise refused? Will there be any consequences for the provider for engaging in this cash, out of the system, transaction?

When more than 70% of the public wants single payer healthcare, why is there even a discussion about whether to have it or not? The question should be what is the best way to transition to a single payer system.
Should part of the discussion also include public financing for our elected officials in order to give them the independence to vote for what their constituents want?

Someone has proposed a system of regional health care co-ops instead of a public health insurance option, which sounds to me just like what we’ve got now, only all chopped up into regions. How could a network of for-profit co-ops be better than having a public health insurance system?

If ‘socialized’ medicine, paid for by the taxes of US citizens is so horrible, Why do senators and congressmen continue to get it?
They don’t seem to complain about cost or rationing or beauracracy.
If it is not good enough for us, how come it’s good enough for them?
They never seem to accept anything but the best for themselves.

When will the CBO do a side-by-side cost comparison of H.R. 676, S. 703, and the public/private health insurance exchange? Until we get that, there is no way to talk rationally about the subject. I believe that
E.A. Costa had it right on June 18: “The only workable health care is Kucinich’s plan, which is to include all citizens and residents in the risk pool and make the Federal Government the insurer for all basic health care. Because of the size and nature of the risk pool the premiums would be small, perhaps as low as ten dollars a year per insured. That would also mean being able to get rid of Veterans’ Health as a separate item, and all other public health care plans. They would just become part of the pool. That in itself would save trillions. This is the way many industrialized countries do it, and by taking the burden off the employers and employees it would stimulate economic growth. Any plan that include private insurers will be a disaster, and just another burden on the economy.”

The American people are counting on this administration to deliver health care reform that will reduce costs, expand coverage, and make insurance companies more accountable. In survey after survey, Americans support inclusion of a strong government-run public insurance option to compete against private insurers by more than 70%. Even Republicans support a public option by more than 60%.
I work in health care and fight insurance companies everyday to get patients the care they need. Will President Obama insist on having a robust, public insurance option open to all on Day One in health care legislation and give the American people what they want and need?
Ultimately, the American people need help and they don’t care if a public option passes with 51% or 100%, if it passes with cloture or reconciliation. They just want it to pass. Does Congress represent the will of the people or special interests?

Why can’t medicare eligibility be gradually allowed at younger ages? Start with having Medicare at 62 in 2010, Medicare at 60 in 2011 and two years each year until all are covered. Medicare has an expense ration of 3%, private insurance
takes over 30% for profits and administration. it is disgusting that the misery of people is exploited by private health insurance companies.

Regarding Timothy’s comment. If he would look at the experience that the countries of the world have with universal coverage he would find that his concerns,straight out of the republican fear talking points,are myths. Why is our system far more expensive than anyone elses and we rank 37th.Get informed!
Leon Logan

Will Medicare remain the same when the new program is initiated?
The elderly and children need medical and medicine coverage when needed as they do not have strong immune systems to fight deseases.

Making Medicare a bit more income-based-for middle class-say up to net worth of $1 Million-or less than $2,500/month-would make sense.
Also, as another commentor said, if less money was spent on foreign occupations and military operations, more money would be freed up. Are you considering that, Mr. President?
Finally, monitoring how time is spent, by observation of neutral parties, might help eliminate inefficient use of medical money (ie spending time gossiping, backstabing, targeting, etc.). Can you do anything to increase staffing ratios in various levels of healthcare? Many aren’t staffed well enough to assure patient safety and quality of care. This could lead to lawsuits, which could be more costly than hiring more people. Even part-time, or per-diem staff.

All our democratic modern industrial nations have single-payer; most Americans, Drs. (AMA has only a
small number of Drs. and AMA was opposed to medicare when it was proposed) and RNs want Single Payer. Have you checked out the millions of insurance agencies and pharmaceutical industrial complex money (lobbyists) go to Baucus and most Congress folks who enjoy federal single-payer! Americans want to get rid of the for-profit companies that have made us one of the worst countries for lack of prevention of
deaths (why of course, it wouldn’t be profitable to serve “sick” people)!
Unemployed people would be helped and businesses and unions would do better since they wouldn’t have to include health plans.
Let’s join the world that has enjoyed single-payer
for decades!

My question is this:
Recently I was diagnosed with what insurers deem a pre-existing condition. I’ve been in great health (32 yrs old) all my life but a routine check up revealed high cholesterol and despite my healthy diet and exercise habits I’ll need drugs to keep it in check.
Presently I am paying COBRA – I was laid off but my new employer reimburses my health insurance. I pay 228.50/month plus co-pays and fees for medication that adds about $100/month extra. I am afraid once my COBRA expires I’ll be lucky to get insurance at a reasonable cost.
So now suddenly I can see the need for a public option, specifically the Progressive House Caucus’s conditions for it.
President Obama will you refuse to sign a healthcare bill that does not have a strong robust public option in it similar to the Progressive Caucus version?

What does it take to get Congress and the White House to notice that *all* the plans *they’re* pushing are more of the same stuff that’s already bankrupting us? How much more money are they going to take from the insurance companies before the corruption kills us all?
We need single-payer, because any system where the for-profit insurance companies have a say in coverage decisions will be as bad as what we have now – and that’s millions who can’t afford insurance, assuming they don’t have one of the thousands of ‘pre-existing conditions’ that the companies use to raise their profits.
Regulate insurance companies like public utilities: make them justify their rates and their salaries publicly, every year.

if the united states is this supposed democracy (which it’s intended on being in the first place) but if we’re to subscribe to that idea how in the world do we have to ask for marijuana to be legalized.. if it’s the majority opinion, isnt it governments job to carry that out? who are you to say no, if it’s what the people want? a government of the people, for the people and by the people. cheers.

Mr. President:
During the campaign, you said: “This campaign is not about me; it’s about YOU.” Well, if it is about US, and over 70% of Americans want a government-run health-care system, why is there no discussion of this? What is more important — bipartisanship, or the 20,000 Americans dying every day due to lack of health insurance?

I’d love to submit a question but have no interest in joining Digg in order to do so. But were I able to submit one, I’d ask:
Rather than dwell on combatting the fear-mongering of the health insurance industry about a ‘government take-over’ (since we have over four decades of popular and highly successful Medicare experience to offer up as an example of government competence in this area), please explain exactly what unique value the health insurance industry adds to health-care delivery that justifies its existence at our expense.
The quip “The only value that you can add to a banana is a bruise” might have been coined to comment upon the value added by private health insurance. About 1/3 of every dollar directed at privately-insured health care in this country is consumed by insurance industry overhead and profit plus the additional overhead which health-care providers incur in dealing with the varied paperwork of over 1,500 different insurers. By contrast, only about 2 cents of every dollar directed through Medicare parts A and B is consumed by overhead.
A significant majority of Americans – and a significant majority of their physicians – favor a single-payer “Medicare for all”-style approach to health care in this country. As long as providers continue to be paid fairly for their services the quality of those services will not decline (and might improve, since they don’t like dealing with insurers any more than we do).
So if voters don’t support the private insurance industry, and providers don’t support the private insurance industry, and the private insurance industry takes such a large chunk out of our health-care dollars (and overall economy), and the private insurance industry gets in the way of necessary medical care by placing profits first, and the private insurance industry won’t cover people who can’t afford its exorbitant rates, and we have a good example of a government-run single-payer system in Medicare to use as a template, why is private health insurance still at the core of (and threatening to become the entirety of) the so-called ‘reform’ that you’re proposing?

I’d like to know if all our elected persons and the President and his family are going to have the same healthcare as the rest of us.

First of all the Dems are the party of problem-solvers, ie The New Deal, GI Bill, WPA… Secondly, I feel govt does play very important roles, ie Police Dept., Fire Dept., National Parks, Libraries, infrastructure… If we can spend billions of dollars in Iraq there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t spend on health care for US citizens! Now for my questions about health care reform: Why isn’t the most economical & efficient solution favored by a majority of Americans which is the only bill with 83 co-sponsors, HR 676, be heard & scored by CBO? If many other industries can be done away with in this country the health insurance can be done away with also! If auto workers and many many other blue collar workers in this country must take pay and benefit cuts, then bankers, insurance companies, doctors, and pharmaseutical people can take pay cuts also! 60% of all health care dollars are subsidized by Fed gov’t now, and that includes employer-sponsored benefits! Do you think billions more taxpayer dollars should be transferred to insurance & pharco sectors in the name of ‘reform’?

Why is the conversation about the uninsured and not about the serious problems with our health care system? Many of us have insurance but it is next to useless. My insurance does not pay a penny until I hit a $2,000 deductible. I need a pap smear and mammagram right now but cannot afford it. There is so much abuse and evil in the present system and anyone who thinks care is not being rationed is not thinking. If you can’t afford it it is being rationed.

A few comments:
Why do people on this blog think single payer healthcare is the way to go. If we knock out all the competition, what will drive the government to ensure GOOD (adequate) coverage. They will be the only game in town. This makes absolutely no sense to get rid of any competition. It won’t control pricing – look at your utilities that have a monopoly or the US post office….
Secondly, I would like to ask President Obama what makes him qualified to create a healthcare plan? And also Why he isn’t insisting on opposing views being aired on this infomercial.

Why are “single payer” advocates being excluded from the discussion meetings. Single payer would cover the most vulnerabe members of our society.
Will longterm care allow people to stay in their own homes instead of nursing homes? If not, why?
Will the two year weighting period for Medicare finally be dissolved? Being a Missourian and a person with a disability I did not qualify for Medicaid so I was without health care for over two years and my health declined rapidly. If you’re sick does it make sense to wait two years before going to the doctor? No it doesn’t! Neither does waiting for Medicare after you file for disability.
Will you stop the insurance companies, pharmacutical companies and their lobbyists from putting profits first and people last?
How many more people have to die before we have REAL health care reform?

President Obama, my question is why dont you put your foot down and go for the Public Healthcare Option. I’m a registered Republican who fully supports the Public Option and better yet the Single Payer System. I would gladly pay more taxes for this most fundamental necessity of life. The anxiety and fear of losing one’s savings, if any, to cover medical bills, of losing one’s home, or go into bankruptcy, makes a patient almost as sick as their sickness, and that is unconscionable in a country like ours. I’ve read all the Republicans Critics, their repetitive talking points, the fear mongering tactics, and I JUST DONT BUY IT. I’ve told my US Republican Senator just as much and more. The Private Healthcare Insurance Industry needs a Real Competitor with Real Clout, otherwise they’ll continue to bask in the safety of their pick and choose monopoly and greater profits as they have done so far at our expense. Their supposedly Free-Market competition, does not exist, never did, it simply stinks. They are so scared now, it’s about time.
President Obama, no “co-ops”, no gimmicks, no tweakings/weakening of the Public Option, GO FOR THE REAL THING, GO FOR IT! The time is now.

FOR ALL YOU ANTI-OBAMAS HERE. THE GOP DOES NOTHING TO CORRECT THINGS. OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WILL ONLY GET WORSE IF NOTHING IS DONE WITH RATES GOING UP EVERY SECOND BY GREEDS OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WHO KNOCK THE SERIOUSLY ILL OFF TREATMENT AND PLANS. YOU GOP FANS CALL THAT NORMAL???????? INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE CRIMINAL COMPANIES. COMPANIES CAN’T AFFORD HEALTH INSURANCE ANYMORE. CAN YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL AFFORD $1,000.00 A MONTH FOR HEALTH INSURANCE? I CAN’T ALSO DON’T TRY AND TELL ME YOU WOULD WANT TO DO WITHOUT SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY, WORKMAN’S COMP, MEDICARE (THE SENIORS WOULD HAVE NOTHING IF IT WERE UP TO GOP), MEDICAID, SUBSIDIZED HOUSING FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABILED, ETC. AND ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS AND MORE WERE GIVEN TO US BY THE DEMOCRATS AND DON’T TELL ME YOU DON’T LIKE THESE PROGRAMS CAUSE IF YOU DO YOU ARE LYING. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ILL AND DEPEND ON THIS STUFF AS DO SENIORS SO ANY SENIOR WHO IS ANTI-OBAMA HAD BETTER THANK GOD WE HAVE DEMS BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE THE GOODIES IF WE DIDN’T. NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE 18 TO 64 YEARS OLDS TO HAVE DECENT AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE.

Whay haven’t you responded to and promoted the fiscal results expected from single-payer, the most popular idea for health care reform: job creation, lower administrative costs (3-6% compared to 33-36%, clinical controls on supplier induced demand that inflates speacialty care costs.

Mr. President,
Thank you for all of your efforts to help America back to her feet.
I have been following the HELP Senate Discussions for the AHCO, Affordable Healthy Choice Options Act, introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy, which aims to provide health care COVERAGE to everyone in America.
The AHCO Committee’s main focus on Friday, June 19th was in amending the wording to protect patients and doctors from the oversight by CMS through the use of the CER. Not one of them wanted to step up to the plate after much discussion and change the wording in the Robert’s Bill to read that doctors would not or should not be mandated to use the CER. And NO ONE wants the government to be the one to say… who can be treated, based on cost.
I don’t understand how there could even be a question about the government using costs to mandate physicians to use the CER to provide health care. Since the main purpose of the AHCO’s purpose is to provide QUALITY HEALTH CARE TO EVERYONE in America.
Those are nice words Mr. President, my question is how are we going to load an additional 43-46 million uninsured patients to the existing doctor’s rolls and still be able to provide QUALITY HEALTH CARE TO EVERYONE IN AMERICA where there is already a shortage of doctors?
My suggestions on preparing for the shortage of physicians.
- Provide grants for people wishing to become physicians. Those grants would be available to anyone with a 3.0 grade average.
- Grants would be provided with the following requirement/s:
- Following graduation and residency, their medical service would be provided in a specific area for a period of 8 years.
- If service is not provided for the 8 years then, a 1 year suspension would be leveled. The total cost of their education will be calculated. That amount will be divided by 8, thereby providing an annual cost.
- Credit will be given for each year of service. The remaining years will be due and repayable. Example, a physician completes their schooling under the grant. They provide services for 3 years. They cease to provide the promised service. They will owe a total cost for their education of 8 years and will be given credit for the 3 years service thereby leaving a balance owing for repayment of 5 years.
- That balance will be payable in as many years.
- Unemployed workers could be given grants to train in the medical professions where shortages exist or are expected to exist within the next 10 years with the same expectations as physicians.
- Community Health Centers should be erected by each County or Parish in each state. Everyone who resides in that County or Parish would be required to report for a physical and health accessment.
- Following the physical and health accessment every resident will be required to meet with a health counselor to learn how to improve their personal health.
- Exercise programs and run/walk tracks should be built/designed and maintained by each county or parish.
- Nutrition Classes should be made available to teach kids, teens, adults, and the elderly about healthy eating habits.
Grass root movements for healthy living should be encouraged for every stage of a life, thereby increasing the health of all Americans.
Secondly, there has been and continues to be much discussion about the rolls and responsibilities of private insurance companies and their policies used to control costs.
The discussions I saw last night focused on patients or their families whose policies were cancelled due to information the patient did not knowlingly provide on the private health insurance companies enrollment or application form because they were unaware that they had a certain medical problem because it had not been disclosed to them by their physician, but was merely a note the physician added to the patients medical records. That time limit is 2 years. That means that private health insurance companies have up to two years to review actual medical records for any applicate. There is no mandate or process whereby private insurance companies have to request and review medical records.
The CEO’s stated that only one half of one percent of policies are ever cancelled. Note, these policies were cancelled after a review of medical records after a claim had been filed. Although two CEO’s stated that statistics show that 98% of applicates are truthful, one stated that only 88% of their applicates are statisically truthful on their applications.
Applications are accepted and processed, and collection of premiums begins after the short application process is complete. From what I gathered, the application process consists of mailing out the application to the applicate. The applicate fills it out as truthfully as they can and returns their application. It is then reviewed by underwriters and returned to the applicate for review with requests for possible additional information. The applicate has 10 days to review their application whereby they are warned to check the accuracy and/or provide any additional information to the insurance company within 10 days. It is once again reviewed by the underwriting department a 2nd time and the policy is either denied or approved.
Once issued the applicate becomes insured and begins to pay the agreed amount for coverage.
But, a major problem exists with their policies, to wit… even the CEO’s themselves were uncertain as to what the criteria or underwriting rules are for a policy to be pulled for review.
There did not seem to be any denial that underwriting did not review or check into any insureds’ medical records unless a claim is filed for coverage of one of either 1400 or 2000 diseases, within the two years following approval of coverage. Otherwise medical records are not automatically or periodically pulled for review. Only a claim for one of the either 1400 or 2000 diseases listed would cause a claim to be sent internally to their underwriting department for further review and possible cancellation.
In the meantime, the insured have been paying their agreed premiums and copayments for services and have been insured.
The private insurance companies have as much as 1400 to 2000 different diseases that can trigger a claim to be reviewed, but not one of the CEO’s wanted to verbally list any of those triggers. Only one admitted that cancer would be one of the 1400 to 2000 diseases that would result in an automatic review of a patients application and medical records with the intention to look for any possible omissions of information or medical events left out from an application filed up to two years ago.
HIPPA under the Federal Guidelines provides wording that states coverage will continue, so there is a mandate that coverage continue even after employment as long as the insured maintains payment of their premiums. So how it is that coverage can even be cancelled? Under HIPPA it seems that coverage must continue, but at an additional cost.
It would be a simple fix to require insurance companies to review medical records within a 90 day period. Whereby they would only be required to review 12% of their clientele’s applications. Since the lowest truthfulness statistic shows 88% of applicates to be truthful, 12% is a good requirement. They could use their own critiera to choose which 12% of their insured they would pull records for. That same mysterious critiera that one of the CEO’s said his company used to determine which applications were reviewed by underwriting. My point is, their internal process should not matter to us as long as after 90 days, a policy remains in force as long as the premiums and copayments are made in a timely fashion and could not be cancelled unless FRAUD is committed.
So my question in regards to private insurance companies failure to review medical records until a claim for one of their 1400 or 2000 listed diseases that prompts a review by their underwriting department is… Shouldn’t there be a time limit for medical record review that is a better protector for the consumer?
I’d like to offer the following solutions in regards to time limits for an insurance company to review medical records.
- Application fees should be leved to allow for the additional cost of requesting and reviewing medical records;
- The cost for requesting medical records should be paid for by applicates.
- The cost of reviewing medical records should be paid for by the insurance company.
- An annual report detailing all costs associated with pulling and reviewing medical records should be sent to every applicate, insured, and be made available to the public for continued transparcey of the costs of performing medical record screening in regards to insurability.
- There shall be allowed a 90 day window in which insurance companies be allowed to review any applicates medical records in regards to approval or denial of coverage.
- If records cannot be obtained within the 90 day period BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY, then the APPLICATE will be responisble for obtaining and providing their medical records for review and once presented the insurance company will have 90 days to review those records and render a decision.
- No coverage will be provided during the 90 day review process.
- Any medical condition that should be diagnosised after the 90 days during which medical records are being requested or reviewed CANNOT BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT for purposes of denying or approving coverage. GET ER DONE~
So, Mr. Obama, what do you think of this proposal or do you have a proposal of your own? Yes, I’ll take the job… call me!
Once we become aware of a problem, we are responsible to do all within our power to fix it. If we are not personally able to fix it, we are then responsible to call someone who can and then follow up until it is corrected, doing whatever we can along the way to make it right.

Will your program change Medicare benefits? What is needed for Seniors is a better prescription program. Will your program encompass prescriptions for everyone?
Roberta Whitaker
Tega Cay, SC

3/4 of the American people want a public option. 56 to 65% support single payer – depending on how you phrase the question.
Ignore the GOP! We didn’t vote for their continued failures. We want real healthcare reform.

Aren’t the Senators who are opposed to a public plan COVERED BY A GOVERNMENT-RUN PLAN THEMSELVES? If so, how can they say such a plan would be ineffective or poorly managed? They are subsidized with 72% government funding in THEIR plan, but do not want the public to enjoy similar benefits.

Why will the U.S. government not discuss the possibility of abandoning the failed war against marijuana smokers and replacing the prohibitionist stance with a stance of legalization, taxation and regulation?

I am employed and have health insurance taken every week from my paycheck, go to the Dr only when I have to. I can’t afford to go because after paying weekly health insurance I can’t afford the co-payment required to be seen. Why when they raise the insurance the co payment also goes up in price?

When will we be getting back to work and when will small business start making ends meet and maybe a profit?!!!!

Whether to have health insurance or not, and certainly whether and how much to pay for it, are ABSOLUTE free choices of individual citizens, which supersedes governmental mandates in a free nation. Government has NO POWER whatsoever to even try to mandate it on all citizens just by virtue of their existing. It is unconstitutional, as violative of rights of privacy and equal protection, to name a few. It is not like car insurance, which you only need for the privilege of driving on public roads. Health care is private, not public. And, health care info. is personal and confidential, none of Big Brother’s business. I will never, ever report my personal health insurance info. to them, nor will they ever penalize me for it. I have a legal right to defend myself from that by all necessary means.

It’s boils down to the simple fact that the Americn people cannot trust the President and those in Congress that support the passage of a universal or national health care program that it will function as they project. The cost alone is reason enough to see it not pass. Once passed, the government will spend whatever additional tax payers’ dollars necessary to try and make it work. We’re hearing that some in Congress do not fully know what’s in the proposed legislation and exactly how it will work. The Americn people should be extremely alarmed at the prospect that the government will end up deeply involved in this aspect of our lives. The medical community and the health insurance companies need to accept the fact that reform is needed and commit to address those areas of our health care system that will bring down costs and insure that every American (not illegals) have access to affordable insurance. dlee

While we sit among ourselves and calculate the pros and cons of a new healthcare system the cash register keeps ringing and we never ask were do the profits go. We never ask “why do I pay $600 a month for insurance just in case I get sick?” We never ask “why am I still sick after the $20,000, three day, hospital stay?” We never ask “why does this $300 a month medication eventually destroy my kidney or damage my liver?” THERE IS NO PROFIT IN YOU GETTING WELL!!!!! Billions are spent annually on medical care for all of you insured people and you are sicker than the ones that do not have health care. Stop eating fast food, high fat foods, exercise, put the billions on cleaning up pollutants and 70% of your health issues go away. Then we can stop having this conversation.

With the national debt looming at 11 or 12 trillion and this year’s deficit at 1.27 trillion how and when does Obama plan to wake up and turn this freefall around?

I would ask president Obama: Please, do not borrow money to solve our health care problems.

In order to pay for healthcare. Can we cut a millon dollars off what we give Israel everyday. . or how about Puerto Rico or Africa and the many other countries. Bring it home. These are tough times.

Now people want to complain about what Obama want to do should have thought about that when you voted for him. This health care reform is going to ruin us. Im a single mother and havent had insurance in years but still would never vote on this. I never recieved any help from the goverment because I made $2.67 to much to be approved by goverment programs.

Why are you taking away my freedom and liberty? The very freedoms and liberties that were granted you and gave you the opportunity to become president.

This is such a huge deal effecting so many lives. How about putting it to a vote? Let the voting public decide.

If the goal of President Obama is to provide greater competition in the health insurance arena, why doesn’t he ask the democrats to allow insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines? His government plan will be sold across all 50 states.

I would ask him why he told me I can keep my healthcare plan if I like it.
When I read the plan it says that this is possible but with the caveat that “the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1.”
That means my policy is a lame duck policy and there is no guarantee that the issuer will continue to offer it to me.

Ask him what George asked Geithner:
“To get the economy back on track, will President Barack Obama have to break his pledge not to raise taxes on 95 percent of Americans? In a “This Week” exclusive, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told me, “We’re going to have to do what’s necessary.”
Geithner was clear that he believes a key component of economic recovery is deficit reduction. When I gave him several opportunities to rule out a middle class tax hike, he wouldn’t do it.”

There is an incredible amount of passion associated with this issue — as it should be — but the passion is based on each person’s belief of what the reform would include. No one really KNOWS what the law would include!
I would like to ask president Obama to please outline IN PLAIN ENGLISH exactly what this reform would consist of.

whats the point of having disability insurance, and when you recover and go back to work so you can get off the disability to take care of yourself and family, you are held resposible to pay back the money. I was off for six years now I’m expected to pay back money that I obviously had paid into my insurance plan. I barely live paycheck to paycheck as it is.

Jesus saves Obama spends

The comment from the 57 yr.old black
female should apply for a goverment job
she,has hands on knowledge of what needs
to be done to change the health care.

Health care (or insurance) reform isn’t a new idea. It dates back to Roosevelt (TR). The posters here seem to think President Obama hatched this scheme to ruin the country. In fact, the goal is to help millions who don’t have health care options.

I would like to know what the healthcare changes would be before I say yes or no. I am an ICU nurse and do not understand why the changes are being presented in such a covert fashion. Put the plan out there and let us decide if we like it or not.

President Obama,
Are you afraid there might be a negative backlash among your white supporters if you address the ever-important pressing and prevalent issue of racism and discrimination in America?

I’m just curious of the 15 million uninsured…how many can afford cell phones, cable and other unnecessary expenses. We had an acquaintance with a blackberry and $100/mo cell phone plan, upset that she did not know how to make her mortgage payment…While I have no right to tell her how to spend her money, I also believe the gov’t has no right in forcing me to spend for the things they believe is our ‘moral’ duty as opposed to letting me decide where I want my ‘moral’ obligation directed.

i can see where we need some helth care reform in this country . but they say wqe can pay for this by savings here and there . i think what we need to do is this all these banks and all those that got bail out money say now that they are ok and are going to give big bonuses to the top guys i say if they can do that then give back what they owe me and all other tax payers and to say to obama i had to lose my home to not being able to pay for it so they should not be given no more money and if they can give out bonuses then pay ther debt to the tax payers and if not be locked up for stealing from me and all tax payers but i suspect you cant because you all are getting money in your pockets at the expense of the tax payers i know you wont answer me because i have given you the answer to a lot of this but you cant do this it will take money from crucked politations .and crucked ceo s

First let me say that I am not in favor of establishing another arm of the government to oversee health care in the United States. That said, I am in favor of leveling the playing field for health care users in the United States. What can your reform measures do to ensure all parties in the health care debate recieve a fair shake and ensure that the objective of health care in the United States is refocused on patient health and not profits.
Alfred Aguilar
Riverside, Ca.

Why are Americans paying more for health care than every nation on the planet and we are still only number 36 on the health scale when compared to other nations? Maybe healthcare should NOT be a for profit business anymore ? Lets look at French healthcare which seems to work and not UK or Canada which seem not to work.

Mr President,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if this health care package is so good, i know we can count on you and your family as well as members of Congress to drop the Government sponsored health care insurance you currently enjoy and join the one proposed for the rest of us. You know you wont

To add to my last comment it might not seem like bumping th sales tax could generate enough money to cover health care but think about the money the government would save on medicare and medicaid between that and the sales tax it would be enough to cover.

Mr. President,
If we don’t have universal health care, who pays care for those without insurance or can’t pay their own medical bills?

I think the Gov has way too much input in all our day to day personel lives.
I think Obama should be impeached and the rest of those talking heads fired.
We are so deep in debt our Great Great Grandchrildren will be slaves to the Gov

People tend to over look the fact that currently the cost of our health care per year is rising faster than our cost of living wages. All of us are paying more for our own health care and we are also paying for those who cannot afford health care. Have you ever been to a hospital emergancy room and seen people there who want to see a doctor because they have a bad cough, or head ache, or just don’t feel good? Those are the people who don’t have health insurance that allows them to see a family doctor. While you and I are in there for real emergancies, we have to wait for those who “don’t feel good” because that’s the only way they can be seen by a doctor. If we do nothing then costs will continue to rise and those at the bottom will suffer more and tax payers will face higher and higher costs for everyone.

Talk to Kucinich. Just because you saw a UFO doesn’t mean you don’t know what you’re talking about.

did the government use money from the social security funds that never was paid back and how much was actually taken fromthe fund. was it not one of the democrat plans to prtect social security,what has gone so wrong that now we talk about cutting these benefits that we paid for all these years. they are not entitlements they are paid for.

stick to what you are hired to do, protect the country and our freedoms! Why the hell do you want to take care of us? please we have always managed, just don’t tax us to death.

AT THE END OF THE DAY ONLY ONE THING
MATTERS WHERE’S THE JOBS ???I WOULD LIKE
THE PRESIDENT TO KEEP A WEEKLY COUNT ON
1)NEW JOBS CREATED BY HIS PROGRAMS
2)LAY-OFF’S PREVENTED BY HIS PROGRAMS
3)UNEMPLOYMENT COUNT WHEN HE TOOK OFFICE
4)NEW JOB LOSS #S SINCE HE TOOK OFFICE
I WANT THESE JOB NUMBER’S NOW !!NOT
6 MONTH’S FROM NOW—SHOW ME THE RESULTS
MR.PRESIDENT AND I WILL SUPPORT YOUR
PROGRAMS.——MIKE–STORMVILLE NY

First I would say:
1. NO MORE DEBT. (period)
2. PAY OFF DEBT. (all of it)
3. SPEND ONLY WHAT YOU HAVE.
4. SAVE FOR THINGS YOU WANT.
5. SAVE ALOT OF MONEY FOR EMERGENCIES.
6. CHANGE WELFARE – DON’T WORK, DON’T EAT. MAKE SURE EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES.
7. NEVER NEVER NEVER REWARD SLOPPY, INEFFECTIVE, INEFFICIENT WORK.
8. MAJOR POLICIES – HEALTHCARE, NATIONAL DEBT, COMPANY BUYOUTS – PUT IT TO VOTE – 2/3 APPROVE – GO AHEAD

Obama -= This guy is acting like a spoiled kid. Why is he et al putting a wrecking ball to the already in place medical “system”? Rather than destroy the skeleton FIX THE DAMN THING! THEY CAN’T EVEN GET THEIR STORY STRAIGHT SO HOW CAN YOU EXPECT THEM TO MANAGE THE HEALTH “Reform”?

I am quite sure now that ANYTHING that Obama does WILL NOT WORK! I pity the idiots that voted for him making us ALL suffer for his and their own stupidity!

Congressional healthcare premiums cost about $18000 per year per family. Let’s estimate that this means about $4500 per family member.
300,000,000 X $4500 = 1 trillion, 350 billion dollars each year.
Assume that 20% of us are somewhere between well off and filthy rich (>$250,000 per year), and so we don’t need the $4500…
X 80% =
1 trillion, 80 billion dollars each year.
Over 10 years, my plan will put the US into about $10 trillion dollars in debt. Obama puts his plan a little over $9 billion. Of course, they always underestimate.
We can get the Chinese, Russians and Europeans to pay for it by lending us money!
Whee, this governing thing is easy!

I would ask him how come he is trying to ram this poorly written piece of crap down our throats.

At this point how about fixing our home modifications and leave healthcare alone and try and fix one problem and actually follow thru with one and then go to a next problem. Regardless as tax payers we still end up paying the majority for those who cant with our sweat. Does it really matter? How about save me from loosing my home? I pay taxes, my income was decreased, ccan you help me?

What will be the difference between private health care providers who ration (decide what is and what is not needed)and that of the government backed plan which will also ration health care in order to REDUCE costs? Same face on different sides of the same coin it appears…

The panicky people on this issue act as if over in Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, etc. etc. people lay dying in the streets and the average liffespan is 57 years. Quite to the contrary they have some of the longest lifespans in the world (indeed only the Japanese live longer than the Swedes), all while living in a health system that people here derisiely call socialist and believe will somehow lead to the end of civilization as we know it.

What can be done to bring the prescription coverage for recipients of
Medicare (who have paid into it all their lives), in line with MedicaAID
recipients who are getting free prescriptions and who arent paying into
the system at all?
My husband and I have worked all our
lives (as have our children) and we now
have diabetes (husband) and asthma
(myself). We reach the donut hole in
mid year and have extremely high
prescription bills.
I have been in a position, when I was
still working, to see Medicaid recipients receiving medicine that they
threw away as it wasn’t even needed or used. This made me ill to see it wasted as some of the things I saw were prescriptions that I was paying a premium price for!
All our prescriptions are much too high.
Please don’t “sell us down the river to
the drug companies”. Lets let some of
the foreign countries “help pay for
the development of new drugs” and pass
some of their savings on to us in the
USA! PLEASE!!!
Lastly, let’s make sure that the Medicaid recipients really need the
free drugs they’re given frequently!!

Mr. Obama – First of all, I completely agree with health care reform – do it now or pay a bigger price later. What will you do to better control the message going forward that will mitigate the patently false claims that are being instigated by Republicans and their wealthy insurance industry patrons?

My question to you, Mr. President is why do you feel that you and anyone who currently works for the government or retired from the government is entitled to better health care and retirement benefits? Why do you feel that you are better than the American people that put all of you into that office? If you want us all to have the same benefits, then why the separation? One day you too will become old and ill, but you wont have to worry about treatment because you have better coverage than ‘We the people’ have.

Look back to when CLINTON was in office to see hillary had her hands in the health care system then! GET her out of the kitchen now!!

President Obama, Can you promise us that no Health care bill that you sign into law will ever pay for any part of a sex change operation with federal funds?

Republicans: “Health care is not a right.”
Do you understand what you are saying?
YOU ARE SAYING THAT SOME PEOPLE WITH CANCER OR HEART ATTACK OR KIDNEY FAILURE SHOULD BE LEFT TO DIE.
The new GOP slogan: VOTE FOR THE PRO-DEATH REPUBLICAN PARTY.
What else needs to be said?

I know that President Obama has had mega tasks to acomplish as president, with that in mind my question is this if the economy is doing so well why are groceries and gas prices still so very high…I am sure many others have this question!!!!!!!

Mr. President, why are you spending the precious dollars on vacation, when you could have used it toward development? Or could you not have given that amount as a gift to some poor children who cannot afford to anything Sasha and Malia are able to? I would ask this question to any President of ours – whether black, white, GOP or Dem. All of them are selfish. They come into the Oval promising that “pie in the sky” and once they get in, they forget all about those “lovely promises.” We, the Americans are so foolish. When some politician comes around saying “this” or promising “that,” we fall for it. Now look, he is having a wonderful time in the “Vineyard,” while thousands are on unemployment roster. His wife is becoming famous as the “fashion-loving-designer-crazy” First Lady of the century.

Medicare administrative costs are 3%, for- profit insurance administrative costs are 30%……get the picture?

Why are you so intent on killing the elderly? You insist on making it hard for them to get health care. You’re already killing babies, now you want to kill off the elderly. Your version of health care is merely the film “Logan’s Run” in reality.

The US have too much citizens.
In according to minimize the world population it is not good to heal all people.
More than hundred years of medic research and we still die on flu?
Today the medicine is so far that we would be able to live 110 years.
OK, it is not really living but waiting for the last stop.

insurance companies sell policies to make money it is not a charaty operation

president said “everyone will have the same choices for medical as the senate and house and president’ now i understand they have voted to be exempt from any of the new medical options…so what is the truth

Question: Given the government’s track record for establishing unnecessary beaurocracies at enormuous cost to the taxpayers, (Department of Energy-Carter, Department of Homeland Security-Bush, and now Department of Health?-Obama) would you consider establishing this extremely controversial health plan on a temporary basis so if it doesn’t perform as you say it will, it would auto-destruct? Kind of like the tape on Mission Impossible.

This health care plan will cause layoffs of thousands of hospital workers and freeze pay levels and cause pay reductions. How can the American people afford a cut in real services.
The government seems to screw up any issue they get involved in due to a senate and congress with different agendas.
Presidnet Obama, you are failing the people that voted for you and the polls show that your rating is going south. You had many of us believing you were a conservative. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I would ask him to eliminate the penalty/tax for drawing a 401K early. This would help folks who need money now and allow some to retire early leaving new jobs for others. Also, the cash for clunkers… sad to see good cars/trucks distroyed when some who don’t qualify for a loan drive around in real clunkers. Allow low income to trade a real clunker in for a better one.

Politicians with ample health insurance are not listening to or truly empathizing with Americans who have little or no coverage. I did not understand the problems with health insurance until I lost mine. Now I know first hand how unfair our country’s system is. A complete overhaul is needed, not a bandaid! Why not require all our legislators to give up their own health insurance and try to get it privately? They’ll be making much different choices, then, and I’ll bet we’d quickly have universal health care.

America has become a country of dishonesty. We wouldn’t have any of these problems if there was not so much greed by people who are from Physicians to CEO.s who work in finance. Why even allow medicate to have a 15% leeway to charge patients over the norm. Do you think they will not always use that way to bill the system? I did a study for medicare waste twenty years ago and the waste was staggering then. I can imagine what it is now. This came from overbilling mostly or charging for items the patient never uses. Even in the hospital, the project what you will need and if you don’t use it, the charge stays unless the patient reviews the bill and requests it removed.

I agree , but the Post Office is not a good example,
I prefer the armed forces.
Private enterprise has had plenty of time to show us if
they can make it work.
I for one am more than happy to let the government
run health care, in England we had Government health control since the end of WW2.
It happened seamlessly and we only noticed that there were no more medical bills.

Will you eventually take our Bible’s out of our homes?

Socialized health care works great for the rest of the world. Health care is a basic human right, but not in the USA.
We are drive by greed and a negative economic model. All the negative health care issues that the conservatives are raving about are what we have now, thats what needs to change. Conservatives are literally killing America through greed and cowardice. Wake up, you fools, before the whole country you claim to love comes crashing down on your conservative heads.

Why doesn’t – or didn’t! – Obama have intensive public hearings.. discussions…conferences…TV programs…reports.. et al, to inform the American public:
1. what is the present state of health care?
2. what needs to be improved?
3. why?
4. what do other countries have for their health care?
5. what can we learn from other countries?
After all this public discourse, appoint a bipartisan committee to devise and discuss systems that can be considered and implimented.
We then need to devise a health system that considers everybody, a non political, well researched system that helps, not hurts health care needs, free from politics and favoritism.

when is the economy going to get better ‘
things are not looking good the gas prices
are different everywhere you go and the food prices are up and work is slow my husband just got layed off and i am the one who is stuck paying the bills

Two Easy Steps to Reform Healthcare:
(1) Speed up the Production of Healthworkers (efficiency of production: supply)
Revamp the educational licensing practices by enabling
-2 year associate degrees in healthcare
-4 year BS degrees in healthcare
-6 year Graduate level Masters Degrees in Health care
-8 year Ph.Ds. in health care (specialists)
Let expert decide what service each category can perform
(2) Step 2:
Govt sets up and funds a Healthcare bank account. The Govt. adds $5000 to the health care bank account of Americans each year with medical cards that enable us to pay Physician directly for health services or purchase insurance for major medical. WE are now responsible. If, at the end of the year, our primary physician designates us as up to date on medical check ups and meeting or exceeding general health goals, we can transfer any remaining money left in the account to our normal bank account or carry it over to pay for insurance. If we fail to meet our goals or are chronically ill, remaining account funds revert back to the government for that year. Physicians and insurance companies must publish itemized costs of service in some public website or their own website. The government enables interstate competition for insurance.
The key is wise, consumer driven use of health care dollars.

Why is the health insurance good enough for me but not good enough for your family and Congress.
I am on a very fixed income since my husband passed away about 5 weeks ago and then I find out I don’t get a cost of living expense.
Please explain. I am very dissappointed in you and your other people in charge.
God Bless you all, you are prayed for everyday.
Ruth Proctor
803 Vanderford Street
Burlington, NC 27215
336-226-0264

I am concerned about the public option for health care. If poorly thought out, it can take a perilous turn. The public option, if it is cheaper and limited, may allow all employers to forsake their current options and defer to the public option, thus largely reducing for many. Here are my questions:
Would you support a public health care option that is limited to those who do not have private health care?
Would you support a public option that is as generous as the one congress and president now receive from the public?

Mr. President why did you sell the mother of a great nation into slavery to the highest bidder. Don’t side step the issue by blaming anyone other than yourself, Sir. You took over a nation with a $1.9T deficit and now owe $9T. You, Sir, have spent more than any other man in your position in the history of this nation and should be charged with treasonous acts fr doing such. How plead you, Traitor?

My wife and I took care of her mother,Lillie for 12 Years with Althiemers. She just passed away last year on 13 June 2008. I would like to know the reasoning behind keeping the ss check and not pro rating it. The family needs every dime just to bury the person. Her mother earned that 13 days of money. The least the ss system could do is give that portion to the family instead of keeping it for themselves. Lillie Wester sure earned it.

Why do you suppose people separate themselves from government? We are the US government – by the people and for the people. Why do you think we forgot that? The Health Care Plan is supposed to represent us taking better care of us. This was in line with your message in the beginning. We wanted change and we should accept change. It won’t hurt to give it a try. It can’t be worse than it already is. Do we have to be so dramatic? Anyway, thank you for your efforts.

Wash out your mouth with soap and try telling people the truth, or just resign from office before any more damage is done.

Jim W wrote: Name me one thing that the Government operates efficiently other than the military…
$1200 hammers, $800 toilet seats. This is efficiency?
Obama, show me your long form…

Why is the single payer system off the table?
$787 billion TARP.
$700 million Stimulus.
Now ~$1 trillion for health care? the machine can not print the money that fast without breaking. That is why.

2 questions:
1) How can we add 27 million patients to the system without adding more facilities, doctors and nurses? What is he doing to incent the AMA to stop artificially limiting the number of doctors.
2) The single payer approach looks like it works in the UK and Canada because the UK still has a private system and Canada has the US system to ease the rationing of care that has resulted. What will be our saving option, Mexico?

Republican are so afraid, of Obama, you can see the jealousy, COME IN MCCAIN, O REALLY, health benefits is suck, he is doing something for all the American people, and no just the rich > stop been a liar, for the elderly, they believe anything,that is why you talk to them,

this country is falling a part and Washington is playing games. Steel mills
closing , refinery work has shut down, any good jobs left are leaving daily, oil company and related industry pay good wages and they are shutdown all work since election. Sad news, the real problem was the banks and stock brokers sell the same oil over and over for high profits. One dollars of $4 plus gas going to bankers that we bailed out, we made are worst enemies rich, traitors is what i would call it, but our government is giving money to wrong people , stop jobs leaving this nation before it is too late. Natural gas is next , our enemies will flood our market with cheap gas and break or domestic companies, and our fertilizer conpany, when they get it done, then we will pay, wake up America, every time we become less dependant on the Mid-East
they and or stupid politicians break our companies, we must rebuild or refinery and chemical plants and steel industies and every thing that made us great. With out good jobs NO ECONOMY CAN GROW AND OUR COUNTRY WILL DIE If you build out of the country charge them extra to sell, the crap comimg out of China TOOLS ARE WORTHLESS JUNK
SAFETY HAZARDS FOR SURE

My Question:
If billions of letters normally received by the U.S. Postal service are being replaced by the use of e-Mail, then why not have e-Mail users pay a fee (like postage stamps for postal mail) for each out going e-Mail?
Naturally the United States cannot control (or charge for) incoming e-Mail from outside the country; however, it would be simple for incoming and outgoing U.S generated e-Mails to be monitored by the owners of Internet servers, and they could prompt the receivers and senders of e-Mail to pay their e-Mail postage prior to allowing the e-Mail user to send or receive any e-Mails. The fee could also be added to the normal monthly billing statement, or large users could pre-pay for a certain number of e-Mail
transactions.
Surely the think tanks can figure out the detials.
What do you say Mr. President. The postal service is in dire straights, and all these additional funds just might pull them back into the black without having to raise normal postal service rates.
May God continue to bless you and all of yours,
Don D. Morrison

How is Obama’s boys going to bring down the cost of an aspirin from $5.00 in the hospital, or the cost of an MRI, or reduce a physical therapy treatment that requires no use of ANY equipment from over $400.00 per hour (not to mention the “account set-up” o $100.00). I like my doctor, but it’s at least $100.00 to talk to him MAYBE three minutes.
Can government do anything about this. (It’s rhetorical, kids!)
The BOTTOM LINE IS:
GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY LIFE.
They are incompetent…just look at Joe Biden.
But ,alas, I’m writing this to a state controlled news service.

Do any of you see the Marxism, the government-centered tactics, and the ever increasing output of Hussein’s friends that are coming , literally out of the woodwork, to head up these “czar jobs”.
Did any of you attend school? Do any of you remember what a “czar” was?
What part of a government-run state do you not recognize here.
WAKE UP…this is not the country you grew up in any more.

The people who do not have insurance cannot be refused medical treatment at any hospital (by law). So why do you want the government to control all of those who do have insurance? Is it because your science Czar is an avowed “population control, forced abortion” supporter? Is it because you are trying to take people who work for a living to have medical benefits down a few notches by limiting their healthcare that they or the company they work for pay for? Is it because you want the power to control our lives from pre-birth to death? If those are not the reasons, then why try to ram it through Congress with no debate? If you are not trying to control everything, then why are you trying to take over all aspects of corporate America, of Medical America, of Banking America? Why? Because you personally think you can tell us how to live our lives better than we can possibly know how to? Or because you are seeking revenge for supposed wrongs done to? Why else would you have your thugs beat up a conservative black man for not agreeing with you?

Congratulations Mr. Obama!! I’m so proud of you.
All I want to ask is “how does it feel at the top”?
Eric -
Ohio State Buckeyes

I would ask President Obama, and I quote myself….”Dude, we’ve been in Afghanistan for 8 years, and we still have troops in Iraq. The cost of these wars is 864 billion in fiscal year 2008.
\ It seems to me, President Obama, that
ENDING THE WARS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ
would provide the FUNDING to provide new health care options for the American People.
WITHOUT INCREASING THE BUDGET DEFICIT.
I figured this out without going to
Harvard like you.

Officially there are almost 50 million poor people in america who cannot afford health insurance. It is believe the actual figures are much higher due to the recent layoffs. Poverty breeds crime. Crime breeds huge cost to the society, that is why we need to take care of the poor people in America. But the right approach is to start with training and jobs skills, and we know good paying jobs give health insurance. This direct approach will cut the deficits and burden on the tax payer.

When are you going to stop being so “FULL OF YOURSELF”, AND sit down to the matters at hand and do one thing at a time and complete it before starting into the next PROBLEM this nation is facing?? Stop being on TV every single day of your presidency. Even on your vacation, you couldn’t stay away. And the next question is “Your not planning on running again when your term is up, are you?”

Responding to Linda:
Do they charge 300% more so that they can claim that unpaid bill from some insurance they have, or if when they take the person to court, whatever is settled, they more or less receive full payment for services rendered, even if they only receive 1/3 of original bill? I heard that when they treat people who do not have insurance that somehow we, with insurance, end up paying those bills.
I finally joined a local supermarket pharmacy that offers $4 copay for prescriptions. In the beginning that is what I paid, but it has been a long time since I last paid $4…all copays have been more, even though I use generics. No explanation that makes sense, just plain and simply, “sorry, that is what it is”.

i think the health care reform, is a good thing especially for the poorer class of people in the country,and we all should support it just do n’t change the one you have and we should keep the medicaid.
thank you

Mr. President
We had great expectations from your new
guidance and administration.
The great joy in seeing your success from the campaign is tempered by the absolute
mess left by the former president and the congress.
How do you overcome such a deep & wide valley of problems to see the mountain top again?
May the force be with you.

I am 56 yrs.old…Am I gonna have all the social sequrity that I have paid into all these years of work? Will there be any left? enought to live on?

Why aren’t all insurance companies being allowed to operate across state lines? We should be able to improve our health care without reinventing the entire system. Help those that really need the help. Leave us alone that want to keep what we have. This is a REPUBLIC – not a socialist nation. As president your are responsible for doing what is best for the entire nation, not just your party.

Where is the long form birth certificate? Where is a sample of his writing while in Harvard Law School?
Where?

We respect the office of the president and the authority that he has been given not just by the American people but most of all the authority given by the most holy God Jesus Christ.We pray that God would give our president wisdom and guidence to make the best decisions to lead our country. We pray for conviction and guidence and protection for him and his family. We belive for salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for our president and his family. We love our president and thank him for being willing to take this office. God bless our president and his family. Let us be slow to criticize our president and quick to pray for him.

Question for Pesident Obama:
Would you be willing to accept a Tax Reform though Healthcare to allow more choice through tax-attrition in regards to time-line restrictions on Medicare in place of a private insurance option and at the same time allow everyone else full tax credits along with Tort Reform,the Federal Mandate which supports more competition for private health insurers along with Reforms that will give Equal access regardless of health status in place of the Public Option ?

All it will take to set these people who are apposed to the plan is to suggest that all plans be cut off, such as medicare etc. I personnaly depend on them as do millions of others. I suspect the ones who don’t like the plan haven’t even bothered to really check it out. Also I’m sure as the sun will rise tomarrow the insurance companys are fighting this with all the lawyers they have ….All we need is a little compasion for others.

The health bill would probably pass if the public could be assured as to the cost of the program. We read where cost could be 1-3 trillion. We all know that politicians give a low estimate of cost and when the programs are passed they increase tremendously.
Why can’t you give a reasonable cost of the health care bill and stick with that cost?

Since no Congressman or Senator complains about their health Coverage, What is the problem with offering this, end the debate and get on with other business.
Thanks,
Tom & Joan

why would you make a healthcare plan that you yourself wouldnt use?

Would you consider leaving office early because of leading this country to ruin?

Obama has always hated people who has money especially a lot of money.Now he has a plan to take a lot of it and give to GE the UNIONS and POOR PEOPLE and some not yet mentioned!THe socialist
communist wants us to buy in on this outragious heathcare plan that only the ones that wrote knows what is in it?It is BS from the get-go he knows it so do we.NO VOTE now NO VOTE Tomorrow!!

OH! I left out something important all
or should I tell you Obamacare is NOT Free like WELFARE it comes with a cost that the socialist is not telling you!!
But if you do not buy into it you might
wind-up loosing you house and everythin
in it!The last time I saw it $3858 fine
because every body shall have heathins
or get the shaft!!

why in the world would anyone think that the government can run anything well?name one?they only want control of more money,they are spending too fast to keep up.all at the cost of medicare.

Obama, why are you putting in so many zars into our government officies? We the people did not vote for them. Why are you such a socialist, don’t you know that socialism has been proven not to work. Why do you have such anger against poor people, you act just like the Bush people, no difference between you and him. Why do you send so many troops into battle in Afghanistan. You are not anti-war, you are just like Bush. You lied to us.

Leave us alone !!
We do not need a major health care overhaul. Fix the parts that are broken and get people back to work !!
I would ask Obama when he is going to retire ??

Why, Mr. Obama are you attempting to usurp the constitution through the appointment of so many so called “czars” who have so many extreme leftist views? It is awfully hard to reach to the middle from that far to the left. Cass Sunstein and Van Jones are prime examples.

I’m in the healthcare field. I like President Obama’s view of the healthcare reform. He also said No pulling the plug on Grandma and No illegals. That cinches it for me.

The Congressional plan call for 500 billion in savings from Medicare & Medicaid. Why don’t you do that 1st? I think the answer is obvious, the savings are all wishful thinking & LIES!

President Obama, Please bring home the industry. Without “Made In USA” we will never get out of this terrible predicament.
thank you,
the little guy

That is, one layoff away from being withOUT health insurance…

In a few yrs there will be no medicaid. Medicare will be better than now. Its really bad. I’m hoping that the time it takes to get into specialist won’t take as long. My husband had to wait 2 months for radiation. Due to all the tests, my specialists Dr’s. take 3 months now. It will cover the doughnut hole for medicare. Now we pay up to the cap of 2500.00. After that your on your own. up to 5,000.00. my husbands meds. He has lung disease and in remission with lung cancer. No generic meds. So, the pharmacal comp. are getting rich off low income.And middle class.Bushdid reform he made sure they got there part.Due to lobbyist. Now was that a social program or is it because Bush and his Congress did it. Try paying for HMO 160.00 month in healthcare.And 98.00 off the top for medicare.For 2. include the 15.00 for co pays and co pays on generics.Do this on 2100.00 a month in income. I will pay my share for reform. It has to be better.And what I read from my congressman it just what I need. And my children 3 out of 6 don’t have it.And there jobs offer it. But, can’t afford it.

Why are you spending our money helter skelter?
How much are you using the Presidential air craft compared to other presidents?

Many Americans wuold like the health care process slowed down and taken one step at the time. Why not have Congress and the American citizens look at Medicare alone–apart from any other program–and determine just what changes can be made without causing harm? I have sent three excellent suggestions to
two Conressmen, the President, and Ms. Pelosi. My only responses were a form letter from my congressman and form emails from the White House. If a suggestion from an ordinary citizen can cut Medicare expenses by millions, why not at least acknowledge the suggestion?
Too much too soon as a doctrine will never inspire confidence in any politician or any institution. Let’s work on Medicare first. If the government, with the help of the populace,can repair the bulk of Medicare’s problems within , say, the next year,I suggest that the citizenry will embrace the next change. What say you, Mr. President?

how can obama exspect the people of this country to trust the government with our health care, when our veterans,who have fought the fight and protected this country can’t get decent care.we have heros that are being turned away because paper work isn’t done,appointment are months away, or miles away. if obama can’t treat and take care of our many heros (one or two million) how is he going take care of the rest of us (260 million)

Reading the other comments, the thing that strikes me most is how many of those commentors have obviously not read the proposed legislation. Most of the fears expressed about reform don’t exist in the document.

why doesn’t president Obama go on Rush or HAnnity for a face to face?

Why he is beeing meek in the face of a clearly orchestrated effort to make him look bad. 83 million Americans have federal health care and incur less overhead than private care. Why not discuss this?

I would like to read your college thesis. Why won’t you relase your paper?

Our federal representatives always seem to side with big business and private interests instead of with their constituents, resulting in the great health care debacle. I have written them on numerous occasions regarding the banning of prescription-only pharmaceutical drug ads, which cost millions to air, passing on, of course, those costs to those who need them, and everyone else. This onslaught and barrage of garbage is creating a new generation of hypochondriacs which, in turn, will lead to increased health care costs as people will flock to their doctors wondering if they have every illness touted on television and elsewhere. It is disgusting and should be banned. Millions upon millions of dollars could be slashed without this daily, 24/7 tirade of abuse. This practice is banned in Canada. When are we going to follow suit?
The same applies to the predatory and abusive health insurance companies. Both pharmaceutical companies and health insurance companies have extremely well-paid lobbyists who pander to our representatives as if we, their constituents, didn’t even exist. This is unacceptable. Lobbying should be criminalized along with banning these predatory pharmaceutical ads. In the end, we all end up being forced to pay to be abused. An entirely repugnant situation and is why health care reform is being so staunchly opposed.

We need reform first. This is to expensive and ambitious during this bad economy. Take time and get it right. Look at what other countries with good healthcare are doing and slowly phase in new ways of providing healthcare. We need to get Americans back to work first. We must stop any incentives for american executives to outsource our jobs from this country. With more americans working, with good paying jobs, there will be more tax revenue for our government to spend.
Why not end insurance companies for profit. What about healthcare that is not tied to a job. Most people do not work for the same company for many years any more. If you change jobs you might have to change insurance and doctors. If you lose your job you may likely lose your health insurance also because cobra is expensive for may. Also we would no longer have employers reducing the hours of employees so they do not qualify for benefits.

Stimulus spending dept. Auto Bailouts dept. Bank Bailouts dept. I have heard Freddy and Fanny May are overspent by 80 percent more dept. The government is printing new money like craze. Today we have a health care announcement for over 800 billion more dollars.
My Question is we can not afford any more spending! Why now!? I have a major Merrel Lynch financial adviser who just the other night was saying the US is quickly becoming a 3rd world county as far as dept vs. income.
All this can only lead to inflation and new taxes. Sad way to run things!

Obama is a shill for NWO. Wanna know why is really going on?
Google “Ron Paul”. Google “The Money Masters”.

Mr. President, can you please tell me why there is no consideration of the impact of the cost of a medical education on the ultimate cost to the healthcare consumer, i.e., doctors, lawyers, dentists, etc. have such absurd, abusive educational costs they can’t afford to work for reasonable fees; they can’t afford to provide pro bono service; they can’t afford to work for government or non-profit health care agencies. In addition to substantial health care reform–please do something to create meaningful reform and opportunities for doctors, lawyers, dentists, etc. For example, why not give professionals across ALL DISCIPLINES a credit sufficient to permit someone with $100,000 in student loans to be debt free in 7 years, provided that they work for any single, or combination of, local, state, or federal government or non-profit agency during that time? This type of program, coupled with meaningful changes in health care, would open the doors of health care to hundreds of thousands of needy Americans, and would give doctors the opportunity to give back while reducing their debt.

In regards to your health plan, I will go along with any plan you put into effect as long as you , the Senate & Congress are also covered by it. I also think they should be on Social Security, I’m sure there would be a fix.

If it is acknowledged that insurance companies and drug companies are overpriced and in some cases fraudulent, why not focus on forcing the health care providers to alter their criteria and make them become more competitive with each other. Just as ACORN has abused funds and has criminal elements among them, so do the insurance providers. CLEAN THAT UP, AND IT WILL HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Healthcare is not a God given right, it is something that must be worked for and paid for – but not at the cost of every tax paying American having to provide for the 3rd generation Welfare recipients and illegals!!!!

Asking Obama: When did you first realize that you are a pathological liar?

Lets stop the debates.The american people are out to lunch.Will you and our leaders (sic)accept the same health plan as you are feeding us sideways.
Same cost,same coverage,if so i will accept.

I would like him to explain to the people why he is for abortion. I know that he is a christian and we believe that killing is wrong. I am not for abortions, but I know that the rich will continue to get them and the knifer under the table will do them if they are not legal. I more important that people take preventive care. I hope his bill will include free care for college student, they are usually i the general population and don’t eat well. I also want to make sure that the hospitals and doctor stop using health care as a gold mine by reducing the payment they get for just participating in a plan. The Dr’s and hospitals have a duty to provide services .

We really need a serious breakdown that it will cost each U.S. taxpayer to invest in reformed health care services. Everything is so undefined, and everyone is busy yelling at one another. If we have to pay any tax at all, My husband is a retired state CO, and we still pay too much for medical and dental. I have to add my benefits just to keep up with the dental services.

Single-payer universal healthcare is the best way to go. I am American who lived for 7 years in the UK where everyone has healthcare guaranteed by the government. And they never have to worry about ever going bankrupt due to medical bills. I’m back in the US now and think we must have a similar system as the other industrialized countries do. I understand the American tradition of do-it-yourself, but on the issue of healthcare I’m all for a government takeover, while permitting people to get private insurance if they so desire.

Sat on a plane next to a Canadian couple who gave me a good 1/2 hr+ of why we don’t want government run health care like Canadians have – need they say more ?

I am a nurse and half the doctors I work with have stated that they’ll retire before taking what the government will offer them if we end up with a government run system. Which leaves us with coverage, but no doctors to care for us. They say it’s not worth it after paying their nurses, other staff, student loans and malpractice insurance. One stated he’d be better off retiring and working for minimum wage, then MAYBE he’d get free or cheaper healthcare. It’s not hard to see that the if the public option happens the government will outbid all other companies and put them out of business, leading to a monopoly where the government makes all the decisions. I thought this was a free country?

Where is the war on cancer that Tricky Dickie Nixon promised in 1974. When you talk about heathcare millions go into bogus cancer treatmens by doctors and hospials all over the country. If we could find a cure and more tolerable treatmsnts THAT WORK then we will have rid the world of this scorge. Personally I think plastics in the enviroment have a lot to do with the disease,they are EVERYWHERE.

What Reform? Fine the poor for not having insurance? lol, that is just business as usual. How about some tort reform, some common sense would go a long way towards making medical care more affordiable. It’s never going to happen though, Washington will not have the nerve to require common sense from their fellow lawyers, or from themselvs.

Why do we have to pattern everything after the Europeans? They may be a great bunch of people but we are not them. We are Americans and as such should look within our own country for the answers to our problems. Government control is not the answer to health care. Sometimes I wish a “housewife” would be able to look at the federal budget and balance it just like we have to do at home. The government is supposed to be held accountable to the people who put them in charge but with the llies, inuendoes, posturing and backstabbing we get from those in office how can we believe they have an answer for anything, much less healthcare. How about they quit cutting the programs for the poor and working poor, the handicapped and mentally challenged and start cutting back on their own benefits and wages? That would save trillions each year and maybe force the “leaders” of this nation to start doing whats good for the country and stop doing for themselves. Insurance companies are just as bad. They are taking a risk for that is their business but they also need to quit looking at profits so much and start doing what they claim they do, i.e. care for their clients. Do I have an answer? Not without the figures in front of me but I venture to say that anyone with good common sense could figure it out just fine. Maybe that’s the problem—our government doesn’t have any common sense!!

I want to know why we handed the President a mandate for change and he’s handed us a government which only moves in reverse. Health Care Reform has become the designer puppy of this administration – all promises, no shelter. And we still have zero health coverage – though it looks as if we may get penalized for not being able to afford it. Not the change I voted for.

Why not FREE health care? Like Canada, The UK, etc? Works for them. Why hammer the poor with thousands of dollars in medical debts? Insurance companies are run for profit Mr.Obama, and not to the benefit of Americans. Much like Social Security and Free Education, we need to socialize medicine. So, why not?

Why don’t you run a story about ABC’s present employee health insurance plans? You can then provide an in-depth analysis of the future impact of any projected changes that may be made by the Obama Administration.

What would I ask Obama??
“What would it take for you to just walk away? Resign? Throw in your PERSONAL white towel instead of the country’s towel? Give up?”
“Are you REALLY going to stick around and make us THROW you out on your arse in 2012?”
I have a few more questions, but these are the most effective…

I really think that if there was a referendum on healthcare, and it was on a national ballot where every voter could vote, it would pass overwhelmingly. I’m for a public option. It’s time – The current system is corrupt and it’s not working for most people. My premiums are staggering and I have a huge deductible.

why have you spent almost $2m fighting the release of your documents?…school transcripts, birth records, school papers, etc? what are you hiding & why?

I voted for Obama. I admire what he’s trying to do: every American with health insurance coverage. It’s a noble cause. However, I can’t support a health care plan that does not fix the problem of health care costs rising faster than inflation. We have insurance companies that are still legally able to discriminate when it goes against the numbers in their actuary tables. We have pharmaceutical companies charging $3500 a month and more for cancer treatment medication. These companies are charging exhorbitant costs while their CEO’s have multi-million dollar salaries. I’m all for free enterprise, but if these companies aren’t reigned in from their greed, the American people will continue to pay for it with their hard earned dollars.
I have a friend who recently looked into the Indiana HIP program for health care coverage. She’s was a casualty of the mortgage industry fall; she’s looking at having to file bankruptcy; she’s commission only right now and doesn’t have health care coverage; but because she is working even the HIP program wanted nearly $290 a month to cover her. Granted, it is cheaper than insurance company quotes, but how does she afford coverage? I can only imagine that requiring everyone to have health insurance couldn’t bring premiums much lower than that.
My vote goes for tighter regulation of insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

Under what authority does the government have to mandate healthcare. Why is noone arguing the constitutionality of these 2 bills. How can these bills be legal? Do we no longer use the Constitution? I just don’t get it.

ABC Wants to Know: What Would You Ask President Obama?
How ’bout…. “What would it take for you to just resign, and maybe go back to community organizing with the likes of ACORN?”

My husband and I have to pay $6000. out of pocket before we can have any insurance help!This is our reward for paying ourselves for putting our kids through college (no government assistance!) and buying our food (no food stamps) and medical insurance?? What can you do to reward the middle class for being responsible??? I’ve got nothing against helping poor innocent kids but we are tired of helping lazy irresponsible people who seem to be taking advantage of the system!

While I can’t say that this bill is going to fix everything, keeping the status quo would be ten times worse. Those without health insurance live everyday in fear that one serious illness will wipe them out.
This bill is a huge step in the right direction. Now, all we need to do is fix our education system and institute immigration reform. No Child Left Behind is a joke – teachers are dumbing down our students b/c they are only teaching to the test. I could go on, but this is off topic.
Our polital system is so flawed it’s pathetic. Obama only has 9 more months to pass any legislation, I say this b/c after the midterm elections both the Senate and the House are going to be controlled by Republicans and there is no way that they are going to let anything with Obama’s name connected to it pass. I wish our politicians would stop all the bittering and just do their jobs.