House Dems’ Health Care Chaos
EmailABC News’ Jonathan Karl reports: Just a day after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said there is “no question” she has the votes to pass health care, it looks now like Democrats in the House have also given up on having a health care vote by the August recess.On the House floor, Democratic leader Steny Hoyer just noted the difficulty Democrats have had getting the bill out of the Energy and Commerce Committee and said that, as a result, “the probability of doing that bill by the 31st is very small.”He said it is possible, however, that Democrats could delay August recess and have a vote in early August. He said this, however, was only a possibility, not the current plan.Meanwhile, blue dog Democrat Mike Ross told reporters this afternoon that talks — among Democrats and Democrats only — in the Energy and Commerce committee “pretty much fell apart” this afternoon.
Can Mitt Romney Win Conservatives Back? 
Possible Contraception Compromise in D.C.
*flush*
HAHAHAHAHA! The not-republican saviors of all humanity don’t really want to do this! Clear roads, majority vote, and pressure from Obama, and they still won’t do it. Somebody must have read the thing, naughty, naughty. The next election cycle is starting and they feared for their a-…I mean seats. Same thing.
But I’m sure the faithful will blame it all on republicans. It’s the only security blanket they have.
Well, that and arrogance.
I’m feeling much better about the world now.
Posted by: Eyes Open | July 24, 2009, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
As a country, we’re still not convinced that GREED, corporate or otherwise, is wrong. It may take the 2009 demise of of health care reform, and the inevitable follow on disaster to change that. The next act in this drama will be a populist-like hue and cry for hard and fast price controls on health and liability insurance companies, big pharma, and falsley titled non-profit providers-just like public utitlities.
Posted by: B.Bear | July 24, 2009, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
The talks should break down. You have a bunch of crazy people running the country who want to take over our health care system and not improve it at all except make sure they get all of the deadbeats out of the hospitals that Congress likes to go to. Where is the plan the Obama said he had during the campaign or was that a lie just like “you can keep your doctor and health plan if you want” even though he can’t guarantee that.
Posted by: Still Proud American | July 24, 2009, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
Republicans are lock-step scaremongers and Democrats are the Keystone cops. The poor and middle class in need of healthcare will lose out to insurance companies and drug manufacturers. Thanks a bunch you useless tossers.
Posted by: Cassandra | July 24, 2009, 7:27 pm 7:27 pm
Broken Health Care System…
What are we waiting for to fix it?
We pay more than any other Nation on Earth, yet with the least outcome among the industrialized nations.
Just compare the USA and Japan: JDP % spent on healt care is 2X, Average annual per-person spending is almost 3X…
THIS IS REALLY FRUSTRATING….
(Data most recent available as of July 2008. NPR)
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Population: 302 million
Life expectancy at birth: 78.1
Health spending as part of GDP: 15.3% (17% today)
System type: Employer-employee based (54%) and government funding (46%). Government covers all older adults and the disabled (Medicare), the poor (Medicaid), veterans, government employees and Native Americans.
Coverage: 82% of people under 65; 100% of people 65 or over.
Average annual per-person spending:
Total: $6,402.
Breakdown: $2,884 by government; $2,676 for private insurance, with 52% paid by employers, 48% paid by employees; $842 by consumer out-of-pocket*
JAPAN
Population: 127.7 million
Life expectancy at birth: 82.1
Health spending as part of GDP: 8%
System type: Universal coverage. Compulsory employer-employee financed national health insurance (52%); government-paid program for people over 70, the poor and small businesses.
Coverage: 100 % — all citizens and legal residents.
Average annual per-person spending:
Total: $2,358
Breakdown: $1,927 by government; $71 on private insurance; $360 consumer out-of-pocket*
GREAT BRITAIN
Population: 61 million
Life expectancy at birth: 79
Health spending as part of GDP: 8.3%
System type: Tax-funded, government-run.
Coverage: Universal coverage. All citizens and legal residents (100%)
Average annual per-person spending:
Total: $2,723.
Breakdown: $2,371 by government; $352 on supplemental private insurance, OTC drugs, direct payments to doctors.
Posted by: HealthCare4ALL | July 24, 2009, 8:03 pm 8:03 pm
Have any of you who are for this healthcare bill they are trying to pass even read any of it? It is nothing but 1,000 plus pages of a shell, there are no specifics. The bill allows 18 months after its passage for the specifics of the plan to be generated. There is nothing which details the amount of coverage, do-pay, deductable, premiums, etc which one would expect to find in anything dealing with a healthcare proposal. There is nothing which details what payments will be allowed to healthcare providers or what providers would be participating in the plan. The only thing in there is fines if you don’t participate and additional taxes to hopefully fund this empty bill. Congress and Obama are trying to sell us the taxpayer a blank piece of paper which contains no details so that we can make an informed decision as to whether this is good or bad legislation. For something this expensive and important to the American people they should not pass any legislation until all of the details are known. Would you buy a house in a city you had never been to just because someone you didn’t know said it was a good house?, a car? Like normal Congress has the cart before the horse and without the details the taxpayers could be sold a bill of goods that will not do what many think it will do.
Posted by: Sandcrab1612 | July 24, 2009, 9:24 pm 9:24 pm
Thank goodness they are stopping the railroading of America! Obama wants the goverment in EVERYTHING! Why do you think he has appointed all the czars? Keep up the good work and stop this dictator wanna be!
Posted by: Ben | July 24, 2009, 9:39 pm 9:39 pm
“Republicans are lock-step scaremongers”
Is that security blanket of blaming Republicans warm and toasty?
What I’m hearing is Obama yelling “If you don’t pass this, your children will DIE and America will PERISH!” Talk about scare-mongering. But if he gets his way, we “won’t have to worry” anymore. He’ll take care of us. Decide what’s best for us. Keep us in line…
Posted by: Eyes Open | July 24, 2009, 11:13 pm 11:13 pm
The two things that I do know about this bill is that on the day it becomes law the insurance co’s cannot issue any new private individual policies – outlawed. Once a participant becomes 65 they will have to meet with a Dr every 5 yrs to discuss “dying with dignity”. Retirement sure looks good now! You become a liability to the govt just by doing the natural thing of growing old. I can only imagine that with each & every new pain or sickness the fear of the “talk”. What about babies born with birth defects or when catastrophic events such as aneurisms or accidents that leave you paralyzed, disabled or brain damage? What about genetic diseases: parkinsons, cerebral palsy or ALS. The world would not have seen the bravery of Christopher Reeves or gained the knowledge from Stephen Hawkins. This is why he side stepped the question about end of life care at his new conference Wed nite. They want to get this bill passed before we know what it contains. Maybe his next Czar will be “DR Death”. Obama’s agenda keeps getting more radical & sensless everday & spending us into oblivion.
Posted by: bebbette in VA | July 24, 2009, 11:19 pm 11:19 pm
The Dem leadership desperately does not want their members going home to catch it from the voters. If the Dems thought it would help their chances of re-election to vote for this kind of health care reform they would do it tomorrow. Or if they were really principled enough to believe America would be better off with this kind of health care reform they would enact it tomorrow. They are revealing their real motives in this — power. They DON’T really believe this will help America and they KNOW the American public will punish them at the polls if they enact it. The problem for them is they have drawn a line in the sand so far to the left of the American people and many of their own party, they can’t move it without betraying the President, the Speaker and the Majority Leader. I predict Pelosi will get thrown under the bus in order to save face.
Posted by: Don | July 25, 2009, 1:58 am 1:58 am
Bebbette — I couldn’t agree more. The “compassionate” Dems are moving ever more toward being the party of Death — first abortion and euthanasia. Now “death with dignity” (whatever that’s supposed to mean). Next they will probably resurrect a “duty to die,” as a former Colorado Dem governor put it, for the handicapped, infirm or otherwise health needy in our population. This type of reform is NOT going to provide better care for more people. It will result in government control of health with federal health agents determining who is treated (and lives) and who is not (and dies). Yes, I AM that distrustful of them.
Posted by: Don | July 25, 2009, 2:08 am 2:08 am
Pelosi needs to be under the bus along with Dodd, Reid & Frank. They are trying to put the advantage in their court by extending the heath coverage to illegal immigrants, the GOP tried to put an amendment that would exclude them & was denied. This would make it easier to grant them amnesty & add about 10 million to the democratic roster. Then we are no longer “One Nation Under God” but “One Party Under Obama”. He anounced yesterday after the new minimun wage increase that he would bring it up to $10 in – guess when-2011 after the 2010 elections. He is creating a shadow govt right before our eyes, the Czars who report only to the President. Do you get the picture-its been there all along, but the media refused to report on it or down played it. We have to vote in 2010 against anyone that supports this bill.
Posted by: Bebbette - VA | July 25, 2009, 11:50 am 11:50 am
They won’t take this coverage for themselves even though BO ‘promises’ that it will improve healthcare. Enough said.
Posted by: mcrunch | July 26, 2009, 11:15 pm 11:15 pm
What government program costs less today than when it was started, improving on what it provides? Medicare? Medicaid? Social Insecurity? – all broke.
The government has so many mandates now for insurance agencies that one can’t get a policy without covering people’s crazy stuff – like viagra (if you don’t get some of that, you could die! ;)
In my city, anyone can go to many clinics and hospitals to get whatever free care they want. We pay a hefty county tax to add to the US tax for this ALREADY!
Also, there are only about 8 million US citizens who want insurance who don’t save enough to afford it – not anywhere near 50 million like the old-time media keep parroting.
Posted by: Al | July 26, 2009, 11:22 pm 11:22 pm
The government has so many mandates now for insurance agencies that one can’t get a policy without covering people’s crazy stuff – like viagra (if you don’t get some of that, you could die! ;)
hehe!
Posted by: viagra | October 17, 2009, 11:25 am 11:25 am