Conrad: Democrats Alone Can’t Pass Health Care

They could if they wanted to.
On the other hand, my feeling is that it is probably just as well. If this bandaid fails and people are continued to be denied payment for health care and doctor choice by the insurance companies, anger will increase and hopefully we may be able to pass single payer/universal healthcare.

I live in Indiana where 65-70% of insurance is controlled by one private company. There is very little compeition in the system, that company controlling rates and the others following suit. The cost of my wife’s insurance has gone up by about 60% in the last 3-4 years, which is highway robbery. She works for a small business which does not have an employer plan and we can not afford to get the type of plan we would really like until I finish getting my doctorate. The fact is that anymore insurance companies control which doctors you see (PPO), just as employers pick out the plan for you if you have employee health care. Of course the insurer also will not give coverage for preexisting condtions, or if their doctors say that a procedure isn’t a common treatment or anything like that, no matter what your doctor’s suggestions are. So where is the doctor/patient direct relationship that Repubs say we have? Health reform and a gov’t plan will help regulate prices and give more competition. As long as you do not taxpayer subsidize the plan private industry will be able to stay competitive, especially with Repubs talking points like government efficiency. But not for profit govt plan will help regulate prices better than government oversight of private industry.

The Republicans don’t care if 50 million Americans don’t have health coverage. They only care about the health of their big buddies in the insurance industry, where there is no competition, ripping your pay with ridiculous premiums. Republicans could not care less about the welfare of the average American.

Welcome to the new America.

obama is not working for the people of this country he is working againest the people of this country
where the jobs
his health care is a joke
he has not helped the peopleof this contry
the only ones he helped out is big business
he is a criminal just like hillary clinton dont need people like that in the white house running this country

Just lovely comments from LongT and Rambow99. Very informative and not just random name calling at all. The fact is that across the US insurance premiums have risen by 70-80% on average since 2001 and insurance companies are reaping huge profit margins at the moment. In many states 60% or more of insurance is controlled by a single company, leading to a monopolization of the market and rate setting. The cost of health care is a growing problem, one that if not taken care of soon will cause another blow to the economy in the future, if it is not already. Private industry has no reason at the moment to deal with the problem as they are making money. Gov’t intervention may be all we have left.

Both sides of the aisle are greased with money from private insurers…nothing will come out of it but a slap on the wrist…for the special interest by the special interest

The democrats better hang together on this one. The people have had 30 years of the economics of poop and the results are in. The voters are throwing the republicans out of office as fast as the election process will allow. There will be 18 more republican senate seats on the ballot in 2010. Any democrat that stands in the way of fixing health care will not be forgotten and will be sent packing to.

President Obama Democrat
Congress Speaker Pelosi Democrat (Majority)
Senate Harry Reid. Democrat (Super Majority)…
Who’s fault is it that Health Coverage is not going to be passed? Republicans…. Gotta love it…

Why all the fuss about a national plan?
The Dem’s have the public version;
while DeMint et al propose a private version
How about both of them instead?

No. You know who’s out of control? Fox “News”, and the GOP’s who are in a frenzy that they may lose a few of their p-r-e-c-i-o-u-s dollars in taxes to help people who are hurting.

Mike Jones; You are so uninformed!

Immigration reform, tort reform, Best Practices reform, coverage reform. Government should do what government should do – write laws that level the playing field. And none of that will need to be paid by a single tax dollar. Once written the consuming public will create its own laws that push insurance and healthcare providers into calmer waters. NOW insurance rules – my coverage was lowered by my company and I don’t get the care I need this year because the new company doesn’t “cover that” even though the DR says I NEED it. ObamaCare (Yes, I have read the entire bill, personally) does nothing to stop that. It simply gives favored status to companies that “help” the government run the HealthCare system. If the government – by way of the favored companies – decides they don’t “cover that” oh, well. (Madoff could have written this thing!) Laws should be written that allow the consumer to control who wins this game and who is the loser. NOTE: GM down 22% – Ford made a profit this month – money is the power of the people.
Do the poor need government insurance – NO the poor need better education and better jobs so that insurance and healthcare are not an issue. These voting plantations of people living off the government dollar is the biggest form of social and racial injustice that we have. They come with their own overseers, and pimps, and gangs for policing. These people get paid by the government to do one thing – vote in a certain way so a certain group can make more money. They never see real help that would move them into the main stream of life.
At the end of the day; do you want to pay for the insurance of an obese person who refuses to take care of his/her health. They will take your tax dollars to the bank and eat more and cost more in healhcare costs – diabetes, high blood pressure, miscarriages, going blind, kidney failure and the list rolls on? You see it is about more than poor and rich, fat and skinny. It is about taking from your children and giving to others that may not be trying as much as you are. Are you willing?

President Obama says the time for talk is over. He assures us we can keep our current health plan if we like it, with no apparent consideration for how the current insurance companies will survive once Congress imposes its regulations on employer-provided insurance. Obama can’t answer questions about his plan because he doesn’t know what’s in the bill.
He just knows he wants to ram it down our throats before Congress gets an earful from the American people when they’re home on break.
How does ObamaCare plan to cover millions of illegals already here, and those that continue to pour into our country, with no additional doctors, nurses or hospitals? What else but ration care, long lines, long waits and lots of people dying waiting for the care they previously took for granted in what used to be the best healthcare system in the world.
Does anyone expect Congress or any of the Obama family to use this healthcare plan? Or do we all know they will have their own special healthcare, far superior to what they are forcing on us.
And what will become of all the people from all over the world who previously came to the USA for the most excellent care in the world? I guess they will have to go to Cuba with Michael Moore ..

sevresblue (12:03 PM); Actually, you can mail an extra check to the IRS if you feel it’s the right thing to do. They’ll accept it, I’ll vouce for it.

They tell the auto companies what cars to make, they tell the banks who to give loans to and even how much money they can make, they tell every other company how much they can pollute, they regulate every single business in this country, EVERY SINGLE ONE and yet they can’t regulate the insurance and pharmaceutical companies to force them to spend some of their profits on fixing health care while still being able to keep it in the private sector and not burdening the taxpayers and employers with this. The biggest lie I have ever seen.
You have to ask why, there is no sane person that shouldn’t be asking why.
There is no sane person that shouldn’t be questioning the motives behind this massive govt. take over.

Posted by: try the truth
And the govt. doesn’t have a bottom line, what do you propose, gold plated care for everyone with deficits through the roof?
The govt. has a bottom line too and it’s called your pocket.

I cannot agree with Krugman that the adminstration’s plans for cutting costs are out there. I cannot see, nor does the CBOnumbers add up?
Saying we are cutting costs since young people pay into the system and not use will make it solvent. Saying that preventive care is going to cut long term costs, does not make it so. People who have the ability to get low costs or free preventive care today, now; do not take advantage of it.
Our nation is eating ourselves to where national obesity is the norm?
To fix health care, first get Medicare and medicaid, fixed. try the grand cost control plans with medicare and medicaid first.
Maybe I missed this in my accounting classes in college, but I cannot see how the costs and “savings” are adding up? Maybe its new math and I misssed it?

Insurancegirl, what you said is correct. (I have a friend in the business) If people don’t open their minds up they’re going to get burned. They need to open their mind to socialism when it comes to insurance companies, (and banks as well). Those industries failed after all. ________ All I’m seeing so far is radical left and right ideas. The problem is there is no real debating going on. I mean congressional speeches are fine ordinarily, – these are NOT ordinary times, – we need some Aggressive 1 on 1 debates, Lincoln Douglas style, 4+ hours long. Put them LIVE on cspan since our media is so partisan. Every person in government running their mouth about healthcare should have to debate it!

You’ll notice that democrats discuss specifics and issues whereas republicans make vague idiotic baseless attacks on Obama: “duh, it’s only a matter of time before Obama’s cover is uncovered.”
Republicans are afraid that people who aren’t rich might actually get some medical care when they are sick and injured. The real question is whether the American people are finally going to be smart enough to demand health care as a right. The U.S. ranks 37th in health care, that’s behind Dominica and Costa Rica! Did Americans get permanently trained to accept being treated like passive cattle under the Bush regime?

Why is the blame being passed to the repub party? Its the democrats in Obama’s own party who stand in the way.Blaming the right for this not passing makes some of you look like idiots.

NoMoreMr.NiceGuy – Gold plated health care, the new talking point and buzz word I guess. Sorry, I actually believe we as a country can do this better than the many other countries that have some sort of Govt. health care! I pay a fortune for my health care and my employees. I’m tired of them and me having to have to pay for tests out of pocket because somebody with an accounting degree doesn’t think it’s important! When a woman has a mammogram, then 6 months later feels a lump, she shouldn’t be told by her insurer that they won’t pay because she only needs a yearly one! In case you wondered she recovered nicely from her mastectomy and is doing as well as can be expected with the radiation. Oh, did I mention the insurance company dropped her and her children. I know about it because there are fundraisers at least every two weeks for her! The insurance companies won’t change, unless forced to and I think this will give them the push they need. For profit I understand, but that doesn’t mean they have to be PRO DEATH!

75% of all healthcare costs are directly because of obesity and obesity complications (Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes). Interestingly enough, the primary demographic for obesity is poor people, of color, who also don’t buy insurance.
I can see not reason, as a progressive democrat, with taxing cigarrette smokers, to pay their healthcare costs.
I can see no reason, as a progressive democrat, not to put a ‘fat tax’ on junk food, to pay the cost of medical care, either. Tax pork rinds out of existence. Put no tax on vegetables and healthy food.
End of problem.

To Truth: Healthcare has been a right since laws were passed ordering hospitals to treat people with empty pockets. It worked for a time when people, even poor people, would eventually pay. Now we have people who have no intentions of ever paying the bill. The tax payers are going to pay these bills, one way or the other.

Keith said”health care for profit is evil.” When Merck or Pfizer invest billions to find drug treatments for disease I guess they and their investors are entitled to nothing in return. If health care for profit is evil, what about food production for profit? housing for profit? These are certainly as important to people as their health care.
One other thing about rising costs. When service providers and consumers are separated by a third party payer a disconnect develops that leads to increased prices. In veterinary medicine most costs are out of pocket. people make decisions about which vet to go to, often based on cost. Vets find themselves in competition.With the development of health benefits during WWII fewer people saw out of pocket cost
so cost competition decreased to the vanishing point, except in areas like cosmetic surgery. Any health coverage (not health care) plan must take this fact into consideration.

Want a glimpse of your future? Read this morning’s London Telegraph on how the NHS bureaucracy is crippling the UK’s ability to handle the H1V1 flu outbreak.
And while all of these posters decry the “evil” of private insurance, wait until the government starts putting a monetary cost on each one of us, deciding who lives and who dies based on “cost analysis.” Wait until you have to look mom in the eye and tell her the government has decided it’s time for her to die.

Does anyone comment on this besides insurance lobbyists? I would have liked George to ask Senator DeMint how much bribe money he had been paid so far by insurance companies to maintain the status quo.
Someone commented regarding government takeover that the insurance companies had failed. To the contrary, they have succeeded during a Bush presidency and years of Republican majority in the Congress to throw out or ignore all the anti-trust laws passed to protect the American people from Public Trusts and their politician lackeys.
When I was campaigning (so to speak) for Ronald Reagan while I was young and foolish, I remember an “old geezer” I worked with warning me that “if those people (Republicans) ever got into power, our quality of life would disappear.” I thought at the time, that he was simply an old, misguided liberal. I had not lived through the Great Depression as he had, but as I grew older and had my own life experiences to draw on, I came to the conclusion that the old geezer was RIGHT!
Senator DeMint epitomizes the corruption and selling one’s country out for bucks, which is why I rarely vote for a Republican now.

Does Conrad not have a mind of his own? Why doesn’t he vote for what he thinks is good legislation? Why does he have to ask the GOP whether it’s okay to do so? His argument is profoundly disingenuous.

Those of you who think you are going to be able to keep your current health care plan are sadly mistaken…If you read how it’s worded it says in 5 years your plan will have to conform to the government plan….translation you can keep your plan for up to 5 years or less

Sorry guys this is not a left against right issue any more. If it was this would have been passed weeks ago. This reform has gone from it will pay for itself to one trillion dollars, then to 1.6 trillion and climbing. Thats why BO has been shoving this crap down our throats with the Cheney style scare tactics. He knew once the facts got out about its true cost their wouldn’t be a snowballs chance of it passing.Thats one of the few things he has been right about.

I cant believe how nuts some of you people are…..
Every single problem you have with private insurance will be double and tripled by a government take over. Prices??? Try tax increases that will never stop– no country has been able to fund government health care. Services??? Try waiting months to see a doctor or years for a procedure. Choices??? Try NONE— if you dont like the decision some Washington bureaucrat makes for you….TOO BAD– no other choice. Health insurance should be like car insurance not like the DMV.
There is no sane argument for the government taking over health care.
Duty to DIE??? are you kidding??? Rationing medicine and access to doctors??? That is a solution???
What is the matter with you people– Seriously. The only people who want this are radically uninformed and tragically bound to their ideology.
Health care reform is necessary but its not a crisis worthy of complete overhaul. 300 million American…..10-12 million who are in serious situations (dont give me that made up 47 million…its fiction) and we should destroy the whole system…..
Go tell you grandma she is giving up her health care for some illegal immigrant….now thats sick.

The Health Care Bill also states that
in order to receive federal funds all
hospitals will have to perform
abortions.including catholic hospitals
which make up 20% of all hospitals.Some
of these are located in the poorest area
of large cities….without federal funding most would have to close

Health care for profit is not evil. American society has been built on individuals seeking life liberty & pursuit of happiness with as little government infringement as possible. The profit incentive delivers us our standard of living. Does Starbucks give its coffee away at cost? Does Apple develop the IPOD & IPHONE out of altruism? The profit incentive is what has delivered most of the medical care advances of the last century. Research and government grants may help develop some new drugs & treatments etc but only the private sector can produce and distribute on the scale required to make our wonderful technology a routine expectation of consumers in the USA. Where do Canada and Britain get all of their health technology and innovation from? That is right, you guessed it. They adopt technology developed by the private sector in America. Yes, take all of the profit incentive out of medicine and health care delivery. Then the job become a form of civil service and that is the caliber of employee and care you will encounter. Look into the NHS in England – there is a new horror story emanating from there every day. Do you want your doctor to be a civil servant making$50,000 a year or a Harvard graduate who owns their own practice?
The health care system can be reformed without the government taking it over.
If public insurance is such a great idea, why don’t the Democrats just pass it themselves? Because they know it is political suicide because the public does not want it.

It was Sen. Kennedy himself who brought HMOs into existence by pressuring Nixon. Go read it for yourself. Before that, in the early 70s and before, everyone could afford to pay their doctors on their own for visits and simple treatments. Then there was ‘catastrophic’ coverage for accidents and major illnesses. It WORKED.
Dems were the ones who screwed it up by creating HMOs and suddenly having insurance companies regulate everything from prices to treatments. We are now seeing that system fall apart.
Another reason insurance coverage is so high? GOVERNMENT-interference. Telling companies what they HAVE to cover in their plans, whether their customers want that coverage or not…chiropractic visits, alternative ‘medicine,’ etc.
Go back to EVERYONE paying on their own for simple things like infections or blood tests. Then open up competion across states for catastrophic coverage and rates would plummet. Doctors would be in control of their patients and treatment.
It’s so friggin’ easy to fix, but the insurance companies and the unions are in the BACK POCKETS OF BOTH PARTIES.

“Treatment that is approved is determined by their willingness to pay.”
Of course it is! If you want a cadillac plan, pay for the cadillac. I bet you are not a very good broker. How much is your commission % on each contract you sell?
“The fact is that anymore insurance companies control which doctors you see (PPO),”
Only if you want to access the in network discounts. PPOs allow you to go out of network, but it costs more. Also, read the contract before you buy it. If you want rich benefits, then pay for them. What kind of a doctor are you going to be? BTW, if you are going to be working for a university, their costs are climbing higher than medical costs on an annual basis.
“The fact is that across the US insurance premiums have risen by 70-80% on average since 2001 and insurance companies are reaping huge profit margins at the moment”
Define huge profit margins. Also, this works out to about 7% per year. When you consider the Medicare cutbacks that contibute to the cost shifting, real costs are probably about 5%.
“Who’s fault is it that Health Coverage is not going to be passed? Republicans…. Gotta love it…”
Hey stupid, the dems have fillibuster proff majority in the Senate and own the House. Only a moron like you would bblame this on the republicans. No free lunch for you again.
R

There are many plans out there but your not going to hear about them. There are many in the private sector that are successfully giving great care while cutting costs (by cutting out the middle man completely) but your not going to hear about them either. There is no reason that the govt. can’t heavily regulate insurance companies to do what is necessary. There is not reason they can’t just mandate insurance like they do with auto insurance and force everyone to buy it and subsidize the poor. They could even enforce price controls if they wanted.
This plan is for bottom line basic care, it is not even close to what your insurance company is offering. What is going to happen when you don’t like govt. care and there is no other game in town? I have news for you, in Europe they offer supplemental insurance for those who don’t want to wait or don’t like the govt. care that is provided. Seniors were promised that they would be able to buy supplemental insurance if they didn’t like Medicare, ask any of them if they can get it.
Are you happy with the roads, are you happy with our antiquated infrastructure, our failing electrical grid, are you happy with the projects, are you happy that our soldiers have to buy their own boots, body armor and GPS systems out of their own pocket, are you happy with our govt. inspectors inspecting your food and water, if so then I guess the govt. solution is the one for you but some of us realize that if they can’t even get the basics right there is no way they are not going to screw this up either.

The president is honesty fighting for the sake of all Americans to have safe and affordable health insurance.At the moment, no one seems to understand his effort. But wait and see,you will soon laugh with joy. It really was the same with he started with the stimulus business. People didn’t understand at first,and there were so many oppositions out there. But little by little, one can see that things are minutely improving.

Obama is a racist who is completely out of control. The surprise to me is he is a racist. I didnt expect that. Out of control was proved when he came into office and blew a bunch of moeny that solved nothing. In the Health care is just another racist part that is going to give out grant money based on RACE. ENOUGH. If we dont stand up NOW when will. I thought we are supposed to be color blind. Obama and his CRONNIES are ALL INTO COLOR AND SEPERATION? And From Gates to the health care bil there are racist provisions in there.

What the Republicans really want to protect is their “right” to continue to fleece the American people. And the “stampede” Obama is leading is of the American people who have had ENOUGH!
Lead on President Obama. Let’s get the job done NOW!

Stop making this a Republican or Democratic issue…There are many things in this bill that would ENRAGE the American public if they took the time to read it instead o of tuning into Michael Jackon. Rationed care, the government having the ability to go into YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS, Boards that will decide if you get care… Monthly payments to community organizers like ACORN…Acorn members possibly being on boards to determine your care or lack of, elderly citizens denied procedures and mediations , ALL ILLEGALS will BE INSURED AT 100 PERCENT…… do you want a bill like this ? You must be a fool if you do.,..

Jim DeMint is an idiot. We need a plan and a public option. Many republicans refuse to listen to what is being said.
?????? Thats a complete LIE OVER 50% are now against this OBAMA DRIBBLE. Its garbage.

Congress makes way too much money for their salaries, and they get free health care. Threfore, we need congress to take salary cuts, and pay for their own health care costs. They need to live in Washington DC instead of flying back and forth to their districts and states. If their children are in school, they need to relocate just like anyone’s parent who has to relocate to do the job. Take mistresses off the payroll, and if congressmen and women have enough monies to pay for a mistress, they are making way too much salary. In addition, congressmen and women need to be more aware of costs savings to America people. When health care, pharmaceutical, and insurance companies pay kickbacks to congressmen and women to compensate for their votes, congress needs to give those monies back to the American people. They are getting rich and richer off of taking from the American people. We’ve had enough of DeMint and his whining, and we need just basis health care that offers safety in hospital care, short term care, long term care, home health care, dental, eye, ear, and primary care. When we have a very basic care package for America, then congress can use the same plan. The problem is congress doesn’t want to give up their “perks”. They want to continue living their lives both Republicans and Democrats on the backs of the American people. Until America decides to change, it may be way too late. Republicans believe in if you have the money to pay for living expenses, then good. If not, too bad. Democrats provide care for more people, but Republicans don’t care for others besides themselves. So the divide is who wins at caring for “you and your neighbor”? I’ll go on a limb and say Republicans are antichrist in that they aren’t like Christ. So, they don’t need to tout religion onto everyone since they don’t have any beliefs. They just want to control everyone, just like Stalin, just like Hitler. They want everything, and leave nothing for everyone else. Very scary! Democrats want to give more than affordable. So, just keep health care simple stupid!

Thats nice editing. Demint gets 10 words and the democrats get the rest of the time. Selective editing.

Where’s the local doc as in “Gunsmoke”. We don’t have real physicians anymore. They all want to live in the best house, drive the best cars, have the best clothes, go on the best vacations, own the biggest yacht, eat the best foods, attend the most conferences with families. If you can’t afford to go to med school and get training without large school loans, then maybe physician care isn’t the profession to go into. Otherwise, do like most Americans, get a job that pays and during high school, go to school, work for money, work during college, work during residence and internship, and get through college that way. We are tired of paying high health care for the pipe dreams you can’t afford in the first place. For the rich, don’t use tax payer funds or America will come after your family fortune just like Medicare and Medicaid signed by Bush in 2007 did. You pay it back to the American people without increasing your health care fees. Stop r@ping the American people for things you cannot afford.

DeMint is out of touch. The baby-boomers are reaching retirement age. Something needs to be done about the ridiculous costs of health care, before it’s too late.

Fox News — Unfair and imbalanced.

And so nothing will happen. Same old Washington rubbish. They won’t get together even after the whole country goes belly-up. They need to follow Obama’s lead on this. Medical insurance companies need to fall. They’re what’s out of control.

Is there a beginning to the Democrats intelligence? The Republicans want reform not the status quo! Tort reform is were it should begin. Obama voted against reform when he was a junior senator. Nobody likes what has happened with the insurance companies, but a total government takeover is a bad idea. Maybe if you watched or visited another source of news besides ABC, you would get both sides of the argument. The Republicans can’t get their ideas heard because most news sources are in bed the the socialist marxist dictator in charge!!!

And the “stampede” Obama is leading is of the American people who have had ENOUGH!>>>>>> You are being suckered thinking Obama is FOR YOU. This bill is not for the people.

The Republican politicians are being paid with your tax dollars, and aren’t griping about that are they? They are as useless as tits on a boar, and have done nothing for this country at all. Rid this scourge, and save America.

So, if you think DeMint is all about caring for you, the patient, the USA citizen. No, he cares about profits for his Republican run health care sectors and industries. He cares about what will happen to his additional income in kickback pay and how he pays for his lifestyle if he doesn’t receive paybacks from insurance, pharmaceutical, device treatments, on and on and on, just to set up one more hospital or clinic to bring in profits for him and his needy Republican peers. Pathetic to use patients like that Republicans. Shame on you.

So, if you think DeMint is all about caring for you, the patient, the USA citizen >>>> You think Obama’s BILL he has NO READ is his best effort for you?
Thats a JOKE.

I wish the Repubicans, would quit being such ninnies, sch as Bush and others,

Who cares if more individuals become unemployed. It makes sense to have healthy citizens, doesn’t it. Prevention and wellness would knock out a huge amount of employees, and they want to keep dependent patients who are needy and dependent on heatlh care in America that is like a leech to their personal assets. That’s theft and fraud. Do you want to be a responsible citizen and have well checks every year, and do things in life to keep yourself as healthy as possible, or keep the system that is complete abused and broken and add burdens to your adult children, children and grandchildren. How selfish is that of the Republican party and irresponsible individuals who think heatlh care is free. It isn’t free, and there should be a reward system for those who are in good health, and help communities become healthy so only minor emergencies are treated, with cardio being scheduled day procedures and fees. The cost of health care is broken and fraudulant. Make health care industries accountable, and make individuals accountable if they aren’t being responsible for their health. The resolving door needs to be locked, stopped, and fixed before allowing anyone else to go through without incident. Stop health care fraud now.

Keith, we don’t care what DeMint said. He is unwise, foolish, and only self serving to his own financial needs.

Why do people think the government is going to get this healthcare right, when the price of Medicare, Social Security, Veterans, and the Post Office are astronomical, and they are still in the red. At a VA hospital, you have to wait for months for non emergency procedures. When the money runs out, you have to wait for ANYTHING non life threatening until Congress can find more money. What happens when it is EVERYONE (Oh, yeah, except Congress and the President. They have their own SPECIAL insurance)? The President’s dismissal of capping malpractice (has to have the lawyer’s votes) shows he is not really trying to save money, he just wants more CONTROL of ours.

Jim DeMint should be brought up on charges of acting against the country, he allegedly serves,and asked to step down from public office.
Being critical and name calling w/o offering a comprehensive alternative plan is low rent behavior, put more succinctly, pure manure.
DeMint should visit one of the many psychiatrists he has available to him on his GOLDEN, affordable health plan.
DeMint is behaving less like a rational, paid off politician, and acting like a closet country hater on roids.
Politicians, particularly Senators, have almost no conscience voting for their CORPORATE sponsors, against the better interests of WE THE PEOPLE.
SECREG_756

When are Americans going to stop paying health care industries with their hard earned monies — stop the addiction. Realize they will keep taking your assets from your estate as long as you keep going to them and using their services. When will America realize the horrid addiction, and Republicans and their health care buddies are laughing as you leave your assets at the “pay” window. They don’t care about you although they say nice things to your face on your nickel. Afterwards, do you really think they care about you. The answer is “NO” they really don’t.

Elle >>>WOW I never thought anyone was this blind. You getting paid for spewing this garbage?

Republicans are the antichrist, meaning unlike Christ. They are to be feared.

Republicans are the antichrist, meaning unlike Christ. Elle >>>>>> Really you are for Blago in IL who was strong arming a childrens Cancer Hospital for MONEY for his campaign? Thats your idea of a great party. WOW you are cruel taking money from a Kids Cancer hospitals.

Elle is more PAYOLA and MONEY in the freezer like his other democratic congressmen. Thats what Elle is for. And guess what Democrats are all for BAGS of cash handed under the table to get things done. Democrats are all about coruption to the CORE.

Pfizer CEO and President are Republicans and they make huge profits from the backs of ignorant patients and their families. But it’s free enterprise, must be forget, touted by Republicans. No, it’s taking from ill informed patients, families with hopes of their loved ones being cared for by gross inflated profits and salaries of corporations who really don’t care if patients make it or die. They have plenty more to prsent the illuision. So, don’t worry about giving your money to health care industries for profits. They don’t care about you the individual, just bottom line profits. They know Americans are addicted to prescribed medications, and physicians keep giving out for kickbacks. Just like lollipop factories — it’s candy. Yeah, with major costs.

Elle Please explain how it’s the repubs fault that Obama’s own democratic party is not supporting this reform bill.I’m waiting

With Obama at the helm, the U.S. will be borrowing money from the Chinese for decades. He IS all over the map–I’m liberal enough, but he is an IDEOLOGUE who is so “up in his head” with “progressive” ideology that he is stampeding all kinds of initiatives that are not the most pragmatic solutions. Look at his foreign policy as well in this–bludgeoning/bullying Israelis while Iran and North Korea go “FULL SPEED AHEAD CAPTAIN” to develop their nuclear capability. North Korea is a thug regime that already has exported nuclear technology to anti-western states. You think Islamic terror is a myth? They can’t WAIT to get a radiological device to blow up in London, Madrid OR AMERCICA. Obama is so egotistically out to “change” America that he doesn’t understand that “change” can ALSO GO DRAMATICALLY to disaster. Then, when sensing public mood, he backtracks a bit, issues apologies and statements that he is “rethinking” his policy. He has no rudder.

sevresblue said “And BTW – we ALREADY have national healthcare – for our seniors, eh?”
And it is such a bureaucratic, bloated mess, that it screams why we shouldn’t have national healthcare for everyone. The creation of Medicare is why we are in the state we are now. Expanding it, is NOT the answer.

DE said “The Republicans don’t care if 50 million Americans don’t have health coverage.”
The is an extremely sweeping generalization. By the way, what is the REAL number of CITIZENS who WANT health cover and can’t get it… subtract out the criminal aliens and citizens who choose NOT to take advantage of coverage.

Thank you God for answering our prayers for the betterment of all peoples, not just the rich Jesus talked about on the Sermon on the Mount. Remember the Rich King and what he did — he couldn’t give up everything he had in exchange for the kingdom of God. Please help us help them see what they are doing to your people. Thank you God. Amen and Amen!

Thank you God for answering our prayers >>>>>> And STOPPING OBAMA.

Ozarkess said “They need to open their mind to socialism ” I will NEVER open my mind to socialism in any way, shape or form. That is NOT what this country was founded on and we should NEVER go there.

Republicans are just like the rich king Jesus warned us about — he couldn’t give all of his possessions up in exchange for his place in the Kingdom of God, which is now, not just when we die. Place in the Kingdom of God is now, not later.

Ozarkess — you betcha. Wink! Wink! We do pay for poor now and we will pay for them tomorrow since Republicans want them to be poor and without. They are no better than Somalian government rulers. They are really very bad politicians who only care for their self serving needs.

There are many options available to make health care more affordable to Americans, without transforming the system into a Socialist government run program. Socialist health care systems have been proven to be a big failure wherever they emerge. I can’t even trust the government to process my Auto registration and go to AAA to renew it! The last time I mailed my registration renewal into the DMV, it went into a proverbial black hole! Why aren’t the Congressmen & Senators who support this Socialist Bill including themselves under the exact same coverage? I think you know the answer to that question! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out!!! If you enjoy waiting three weeks to be examined in a clinic or waiting six moths to obtain government approval to receive chemotherapy treatments or if you are 70+ years old and enjoy being told that you are too old to receive a hip transplant, then you will just love Obamacare! Just do Google web searches on health care delays in Great Britain & Canada and you will see these real life scenarios over and over again. 80 per cent of Americans currently have some form of health insurance. We need to pass laws that will ultimately provide better coverage at lower costs. We don’t need a Socialist Health Care System in America. The Obamacare Health Bill is doomed to never get off the ground, just like the Hillary Clinton Health Care Bill never got off the ground years ago!

What happened to the Republican slate of free enterprise, which means competition? Where is that? Oh, right, public health care might put them out of business from, what you say, oh, free enterprise of competition. What a bunch of Republican hypocrites. Stop playing games Republicans with your mixed up slates of words. All of you are a bunch of individuals Jesus warned us about. Guys like you placed Jesus on the cross. The blood is on your hands.

Why wait untill you become a senior to offer end of life services. Let’s give end of life services to any idiot who wants this sorry group of a governent in charge of any aspect of our lives!!! They are all corrupt you lemmings! Republicans and democrats are selling all of us down the river. You think universal healthcare is compassionate? What planet do you live on? Right now you can not be refused service. After this sickining Heath care reform is passed they can refuse you service if they feel like it. You have diabetes well dumb a$$ it’s because you fat. Don’t come back untill you list the weight. You have cancer? Sorry about that pal here a end of life pill. Read the bill you fools. This is not compassion. This is a takeover of the American wa of life. Shifting power from one group to a new group. To be frank this new group that wants power is very scary and I an afraid that nothing short of a revolution can stop where we are headed. Collectivism never works!! Each man for himself first. If you don’t understand that then stand in the eye of the storm and wait for your governent to save you. The weak perish the strong survive. It’s a simple law of nature!!!

we the people need to start making headway with the formation of alternative parties to represent us. if this healthcare reform does not get passed and the dems and repubs both end up with the deaths of the uninsured on their hands we the people need to revolutionize ourselves into forming a new breed of representation.

Guys like Democrats placed Jesus on the cross. The blood is on your hands. Elle >>> Because they are only for cheap words and actions that HELP NO ONE. They are not about bringing people UP. Democrats are like the mob screaming whatever they are induced to scream. They dont even read the BILLS or know whats in them. Thats BEEN proven again and again. It makes them one in the crowd yelling, “Crucify him” withouth knowing why.

Who are out of control are the Republicans who are threatened by a health care plan that works, and takes away their additional income. Stop paying Republicans and Blue Dogs. When you stop feeding, they will stop coming or die. So stop paying Republicans and Blue Dogs. Maybe they will get the message and leave.

for the people >>>> Can we find people that support a federal government that wont be involved in social issues. WHY? Because we are a large country and social issues should be local not federal. Fiscally conservative and respect for our language, borders and country.

There is no way this can be successfully accomplished because our broken government has not been fixed yet. Agencies such as FDA, FEMA, SSA, etc have been failing left and right for years. It is impossible to believe that our government so broken and overloaded already can possibly take on such a huge new task! Its not just about money to fund it but that the current responsibilities are failure after failure already. You just can’t overload the camel to the point you broken its back and then think it will carry 20 extra bales of straw!

Obama’s racist statement about the Gates incident is quite telling and surprised me. I didnt think that was part of his DNA.

“lets get some general purpose cathestrphic care policies which would cost less than 150Billion to cover these people” – Good starting point, but catastrophic insurance is not enough, particulary with our nations low infant survival rates. They correlate with lack of good pre-natal care. Primary care would help prevent many catastrophic conditions through detection and treatment before they become catastrophic.

Why don’t some of you actually what’s in this wonderful piece of legislation? Here’s two you might not know about: (1) Granny and Grandpa are not going to get the treatment they need because they are cutting Medicare and that savings will be going to cover illegal aliens! (2)Granny and Grandpa will get consultations on how they want to die because it is too expensive to keep them alive.
Are all you do-gooders on board with that?

Good starting point, but catastrophic insurance is not enough, particulary with our nations low infant survival rates. >>>> Mark if we can fix the issues rather than make a new system everyone would be happier. The Fed’s can craft legislation to eliminate pre existing condition issues as well. If the FEDS were serious things can be done to truely make the system better.
Of course you know this attempt not about helping you or me.

Another thing the feds can do is Do serious TORT reform and find ways to address the high insurance for doctors. And by the way they should also pay tutition for Doctors pass medical school. We NEED A LOT more doctors.

The Repubs are too smart to go for this one. They want to be re elected into office in 2010—all the Dems will be gone. Typical Dem strategy, get the Repubs in then if it fails, we can always blame them, like we blame Bush for the problems O owns!

Dear Elle,
Every hospital in this country accepts donations for charity care. How much have you given if this pains you so much? I give 10% of my income and I don’t need Obama knocking on my door and telling me to do it.

Democrats may cave in and pass some watered dow, insurance corporation-backed legislation so they can say they “did something.” The Republicans may kill reform so they can do a political victory dance. Meanwhile, millions of Americans cant get basic healthcare for their medical conditions. Many will die because of it. A pox on both political parties.

agnosticsocialist >>> Fact is they have. And voting for a bad program that doesnt fix anything doesnt help. You have to be careful when put your support behind a bill even the President has not read

How much will it cost for each person or family per month? I have not seen or heard the answer yet, nor the question.
Sam>>>>> The CBO said it will be 1.7 TRILLION dollar deficit. That is over 3000 per every man woman and child. Have a family of 5? Its 15K or over 1000 a month and it will have rationed care. This is better??

ChicagoBob, you had it going until your politics kicked in. SECREG_756>>> Look to be honest I am not democratic or republican. I am conservative and believe that a well guided free market is the answer. That isnt a libretarian or any current party I know of. Competition is what drives us in the USA and we have used this to drive us beyond everyones expectation… So there you have it. PS this Obama BILL is NOT the answer. We need another way.

Why the hell would I want to pay that much for a plan that is worse than I have. I pay $65. per month now. It would be STUPID for me to switch and pay more.

Rather consider a govt health insurance plan that covers those that currently do not have health insurance LuiJ >>> I think thats Medicade but I dont know because I have always paid for health care and got it. Problem is as soon as the gov offers health care they are in that business and it will start small businesses to say GET yours form the fed and that will really mess things up.

Chicagobob – I’m with you on tuition wavers for docs, but only if they go into needed areas such as primary care. There are no other regulating bodies other than the medical associations and they pretty much cover their own.
Mark from atlanta >>>> Mark you are really interested in fixing this and I know it can be done. You and I can see 10 to 15 problems and ways to address them SO WHY is Obama and the genius team not doing these things? I am sure they know the list as well. This is why I get angry. Its not about fixing the problems is it?

It appears that ABCNews.com has a republican mole who censors and removes anything a Republican might not like.

Sam >>> Yep makes no sense does it.

“? The whole point is: obstruct, obstruct, obstruct! That is all the Repubs know (and have in their arsenal). The Repubs only care about the big corporations – in this case, the insurance companies – and the wealthy. It does not matter if most people don’t have adequate health care, it does not matter if corporations sell tainted products – the public be damned! All that matters are the privilaged Repubs, their portfolios and their wealthy friends. So when is the national rebellion to remove these individuals from power going to begin??

I agree Mark from Atlanta but the problem is that they are not refining or fixing them! Just trying to pile on another and another while their refusal to fix the existing problems already is destroying huge numbers of Americans lives. They have destroyed mine and the thousands of hours I have invested in learning a new occupation which has the capability of supporting me even though I am trapped in a bed has been undermined by endless cutbacks at the state & federal level and now not only do I not get proper care, I am robbed of being able to benefit at all! And there is no legitimate excuse for President Obama and our do nothing Congress for denying justice in cases where the Constitution has been violated and yet that is what they are doing in order to try to push this agenda. I get so little assistance now on SSI that it does not even cover the bare necessities of rent, utilities & food! I have so few clothes left that I have to wear them for days because can only squeeze a couple of loads of laundry a month into my budget. I am sitting here in hundred degree heat unable to run my swamp cooler so that I can have my computer on in order to exercise my first amendment right and speak out.
Trust me, I understand the problems in health care, I’m condemned to Medi-Cal rather than Medicaid as disabled citizens in every other state other than California get. Because of everything when I moved in here four years ago I have never been able to afford safety handles for my shower to a fall a year ago which tore open my abdomen and have lived with a major hernia now on top of everything else. I’m lucky if I get to shower once every six months!!!!!

I guess the Dems that are against the health bill are repubs undercover? I guess NO Dems are involved with health companies? Sen. Dodd’s wife is on the board of 6 health org’s. Whats not in it for them to get this crap passed?

“If you are against ANYTHING about Obama. You MUST be a Republican! Nowhere near the truth!!” – I’m with you on that buddy. I’m not a Democrat, but I support his healthcare reform and think his education proposal stink. The problem, Sam is that no one is looking at the proposals on their merits, but through some political lens depending on who proposed the idea. Unfortunately its the children, who are the most un-political of all people, who suffer.

- the public be damned! Sentinel >>> Yes thats why the democrats made sure they dont have to be in the public health care system. When they are all in the same system as we are then maybe we they got something. Remember they are all excluding themselves. So again this BILL is a joke. Fix whats broken. You can address the issues quickly because you wont find anyone against fixing the major issues.

“Yes thats why the democrats made sure they dont have to be in the public health care system. ” – And neither do you if you like your private insurance. Its about giving folks who have had bad experiences with private carriers (and there are lots of those folks) an alternative other than no insurance.

I’m not against changing health care to make it more affordable. I’m against someone who wants it done in a rush and cram it down our throats. Let insurers go across state lines and compete! As far as fixing the economy. He should put some of that stimulis money into the hands of the people who will spend it instead of in the hands of people who run programs that don’t work and are just trying to figure a way to line thier own pockets. When people can afford to buy things. It will help us recover more than just talk about it. As for foreclosures? How can people afford to keep paying on their home when so many are still losing their jobs? PUT people back to work should have been the FIRST priority! Then all the other stuff! How can anyone even afford health insurance if they don’t even have a job? Are they gonna force you to get it even then?

Burned enough hours on this subject on the internet. NOTHING here helps anything but it does allow me to voice my 2 cents and I hope someone somewhere who maters actually reads this blog and might actually help. Obama’s current advisors or maybe even Obama himself is moving into the wrong direction. On purpose or by accident he is not helping the country get something it needs. A way to get us the best health care at an affordable price.
I will put my last crazy idea online.
We should pay for a doctors complete schooling as long as they work for 2 years at free clinics around the country. These can be placed in abandoned military bases which we have a lot of to start.
Under privledged college kids can work their part time to earn money for college. So we might have a way to get more people involved in the system and used to giving care.
There are other problems but we need more doctors. We need more nurses and we need healthcare. We dont need rationed care, we dont need, federal take over of health care. IT doesnt help. It doesnt create a better enviornment that we to give us better care.

ChicagoBob – it has made no difference which side has been in power, the issue has been evaded for a decade in my case. The corruption is both Democrat and Republican and we the people loose year after year after year. My elected officials are all Democrat, Condit now Cardoza in the House, Boxer & Feinstein in the Senate and they all refused to investigate violations of the Constitution by the Disability division of Social Security, admitted to in an investigative report Jan. 2008 and still cannot even get them to acknowledge the problem. How are the Dems fighting for us??????? I grew up Republican and they too evade the issue and they too claim they will fight for people like us. Neither are fighting for us, just PR that doesn’t come to be!!! And Americans continue to suffer as they play their endless bickering game. They waste so much time and money the problems could have been fixed it that time and money had been applied to the problems rather than the circus sideshow.

NoMoreMisterNiceGuy: IRS is the one to fear not Obama

redrockraven
Myth 11. A broken agency can take the additional burden and succeed even though it is failing in other responsibilities even now.
Myth 12. It is ethical to do health care reform even though there are existing victims of other failed agencies whose lives have already been destroyed and are at an even greater disadvantage than those who the reform is for.
Myth 13 You can break the camel’s back and double its load, the beast will still carry it if you just whip it enough and push the button.
Anyone can play the spin game Red! I have multiple times acknowledged the need for health care reform but many of you keep trying to talk only what you consider makes your case and evade the negative issues. Spin just makes us trust less which is why Obama has lost the support of many who like myself once supported him. Words and promises are no longer enough! He will have to earn my trust if he wants my support and I suspect more and more will take that view.

The republicans aren’t the people out there having babies every 9-10 months, and getting a raise in the welfare check. I have 2 chldren, and my private insurance paid for both. If you can’t pay for them, don’t get pregnant! I am against abortion, but the way some people have babies, maybe it’s not such a bad idea~

I am a small business owner. I don’t have health insurance but I do have health care. I don’t want socialized health care. Some of you have called health care for profit “evil”. Are you crazy? Do you work? Do you get paid for what you do or are you another one of those free loading, long haired hippie types that thinks someone should provide for your sustenance just because you are alive? I seriously don’t understand the logic of burdening our nation with this take over of another huge part of our lives.
“The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other peoples money.” -Margret Thatcher.
For you pin heads who don’t understand…someday, even YOU will have to pay the piper.

Why won’t these journalists ask 2 simple questions to repubs when they talk about their proposal? Today, on this show, we heard Demint say multiple times about his proposals. I would have loved to hear 2 things. How many uninsured people would it cover? How much would it cost?
Why won’t George ask these questions?

DeMint and several other prominent Republicans belong to something called the Fellowship which is a pseudo Christian organization that believes in the “David” model. Basically God does not want you to do good works for the poor and disadvantaged, but rather that the monied and powerful should be given special treatment because they are best able to further the cause of Christian totalitarianism. Just google C Street Family or DC Fellowship and you are in for the shock of your life. These influential Repu;icans live in a Church in DC and pay almost no rent in an aea with sky high rents. They are supposed to be furthering the agenda. Talk about scary.

These democrats better grow a spine. They’ll probably be 10 less republican senators around after the 2010 elections. They better not compromise this bill just to get a couple of republicans on board. The public option better be there and it better bring the pricing into check.

Is Obama really for private insurers?
To push so hard so fast to get 46 million uninsured enrolled in insurance plans of which many will end up being forced to pay into private plans which will ultimate drive up the cost of premiums because demand for the product will increase.

Why should working Americans pay for the health care of aliens pouring across our borders to take our jobs? 12 – 20 million of them aren’t even here legally!

With all due respect I must disagree with Sen. Kent Conrad’s inaccurate position that the democrats alone can’t pass the health care bill. If all democrats voted for it, it would pass! It just proves that there are some democrats who do have a measure of common sense left.

If they do not want to pass this law then I say they should pass a law that would allow everyone to go to whatever doctor they needed to go to and let them (the government) pick up the bill.
No this doesn’t sound right but neither does this merry-go-around of excuses for not putting the ‘Greatest Nation on Earth’ in a position where its citizens have to decide on putting Food on the table or Medicine in the cabinet for a possible life saving condition.
As Obama stated he has great Healthcare. Thats because he can afford it (so can all the other politicians that don’t want to pass this bill). I think they just believe that we will take away from what they have been getting (Healthcare period!) the entire time.

“End of Life Services” is a euphemism for: “Don’t care how much you’ve paid into this system or how well you’ve watched your health – you’re over 60 so the chemo’s denied.”

The Dems could pass this if they wanted to, at least in the Senate. What Conrad really means, is the Senate Democrats are too gutless to pass a nationalized health care bill that will destroy the health care system in this country without GOP votes because when the system fails, they want to be able to say that the bill was bipartisan. Well, it didn’t work when the Democrats tried to do it with the economic stimulus bill (which was a total waste of 800 billion dollars) and it’s not going to work now. The irony is if the Democrats didn’t prove how incompetent they are by passing the stimulus bill and wasting all that money they wouldn’t be having trouble passing a health care bill. Let the whole bill die. It’s a piece of garbage anyway, and passing nothing would be better. When we get some leaders who actually understand health care and have some commnon sense and open minds they can try again. Assuming that ever happens.

For anyone who has someone with a severe illness like cancer, you can understand the real costs of health care. The insurance companies are in it as a business not because they care. I believe the republicans who are opposing a plan and criticizing President Obama should be ashamed of themselves. It is easy to sit back and condemn but they had 8 years to work out a health plan and did nothing. I know they don’t want to hear this and hope the people forget this but we cannot. Health care costs are continuing to rise and soon small businesses will not be able to cover anyone. Many have absorbed the costs by not giving raises which kind of white washes the coverage. The president has said he will not tax small business’ who make under 500,000. The republicans know this but still say he will kill small business. Health costs will kill small business not the president. I hope we can get away from party politics and act as Americans and help pass a bill for all.

If you live in a state where 60-70% of insurance is held by one company…it is the fault of your state governance, and your state commissioner of insurance. I live in NJ, and we have various insurers to choose from, and no my premiums have not gone up 70% since 2001. More than inflation on average, yes, but maybe 10%-15% in total.
We have a very large structural demographic issue in this country which has caused govt spending on HC to skyrocket, and its called expanding life expectancy. When Medicare was passed under Johnson the average life expectancy was about 72. Now it’s 90 if you haven’t had cancer by age 50. Life expectancy has expanded by nearly 2 decades. Which means medicare must provide for a much longer period of time. We live in a different world in terms of medical technology…open heart bypass surgery was brand new in 1960. Why do 30-35% of our countries doctors refuse medicare and medicaid patients? They can’t survive on the payments.
There are approximately 1 million physicians in this country. The AMA represents about 250,000. 17 different groups within the AMA have split from the AMA over their support of this plan, and doctors not with the AMA are opposed.

Dear AARP, Please cancel my membership.

With all these people out of work and no health care it will soon be a revolution in this country- These are American citizens without health care-we are always helping out other countries and thowing millions of dollars their way-what about helping our own. It will not be a free plan-but it will be affordable and fair. Not welfare. What’s wrong with helping Americans for a change? The Republicans are shaking in their shoes, because health care reform will pass and the Blue dogs can go chew on a bone.

when you get sick and your insurance company drops you like a smelly uncle, you’ll understand why most people in the middle class, especially those of us who are self-employed, do NOT trust insurance companies. I know, you have a government job or your spouse has one, you think you are safe. You are not safe.

Why does Conrad’s co-op plan have to have state afiliation?