Obama: Mandate is Not a Tax

ABC’s Stephanopoulos-
A ‘flack’ for the present adniistration without presenting a rebutle view;
IS NOT IN THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

He is so condescending and arrogant- does he really believe the American people buy into the notion taxes will not increase…or that this idiotic plan of his wont add to the deficit? did ‘ol curious’ george have the guts to ask him about the CBO projections? why do they differ from BO? and hey, where’s that birth certificate?

Could it be that even George Stephanopoulos isn’t buying Obama’s spin now? Now THAT’S a surprise!

Obama is a liar, this plan taxes healthcare 13billion the first year and has an exise tax of 35% on individual plans called “Cadillac Plans”, Jay Rockefeller, D-W VA, said that tax hits all coalminors, not exactly making 250K a year. Obama lied, Joe Wilson was right.

“we’re not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore”..note the imperial “we”.
this guy is dilusional. he seems to think that subsidizing insurance premiums for those who dan’t afford it is somehow different than “other people carrying other peoples burdens”. the only difference is who controls the money.

Can you imagine what would have happened if all of the state-run media would have, at a minimum, asked questions like this instead of ignoring the real news?

IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK . . . .

I see . . . when this guy is challenged for raping the treasury, wasting our wealth and stealing our citizens hard earned money to pay off his parasitic constituents, he get “testy”. Well, he had better get used to the taste of “testy” because citizen dissent is going to raise it to an unimaginable level.

I agree Valerie….the people who aren’t for healthcare reform are those lucky ones who have it via their employer or they can afford a private plan.
I constantly read young people simply don’t want to spend money on insurance. Did it ever occur to anyone that perhaps they simply can’t afford it either? Gone are the days when you get a full-time job with bennies. It’s an employer’s market out there and when that happens employers feel they have the right to “abuse” employees. They get away with it because people don’t want to complain for fear of losing that job.
Young people are losing hope…no good paying jobs, hardly any with benefits, not a bright outlook for their futures.
UNLESS they might be lucky enough to get a college education that they can’t afford to pay for (and many aren’t lucky enough to have parents with deep pockets) and even then where are the jobs? Many are overseas now.
This countries’ future generations are starting to be a hopeless generation – spoiled by their parents but then when faced with adulthood they have no idea how to care for themselves. And if they try to they have a hard time finding jobs and the ones they can find are low paying and/or no bennies.
It’s easy for people to sit in their glass houses and thrown stones…

Wilson was right.

Obama is telling George that he cant just make up any language he wants. And George stated the literal meaning. Obama rejects it to make up his OWN language. And he once again believes that he is so superior to the stupid citizens that they will never figure it out. Give us a break O.

I AGREE WITH OBAMA GEORGE….HE IS RIGHT…LISTEN..WHEN WHEN IN THIS NATION ARE WE GOING LEARN ORDER? WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN THAT YOU CANT HAVE ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD FOR FREE? WHEN? WHEN IS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC GOING TO REALIZE THAT EVERYTHING IS A BALANCE? WHEN? I KEEP WAITING FOR THAT DAY AS IF IT WERE THE SECOND COMING…BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS DAY OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING WHEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE REALIZED THAT IN THIS WORLD YOU CANT HAVE ANYTHING FOR FREE!!!! SAME WITH MEDICAL CARE!!! IF YOU WANT HEALTH CARE YOU HAVE IT, BUT YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT RESPONSIBLY…SAYING I AM GOING TO TAKE MY CHANCES MEANS THAT SOMEONE HAS TO PAY FOR YOUR FAILURE!!! ITS THE SAME WITH AUTO INSURANCE!!! IN MOST STATES AUTO INSURANCE IS MANDATORY AND IT MUST BE MANDATORY BECAUSE IF YOU HIT SOMEONE AND YOU ARE NOT COVERED WHO PICKS UP THE TAB? THE STATE!!! SAME WITH HEALTH INSURANCE!!! YOU MUST BE COVERED. PERIOD..THATS RESPONSIBILITY!!! THATS WHAT PAYS FOR YOUR INSURANCE AND MINE IN THE END!!! IF YOU DONT WANT THAT, WELL THEN LETS MAKE PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE FREE…DO YOU WANT THAT? NO YOU DONT BECAUSE THAT WOULD RAISE YOUR TAXES EVEN MORE…LISTEN…EVERYTHING IS A MEASURE AND WHAT OBAMA IS SAYING HERE IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH…YOU CANT HAVE IT ALL..EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE!!! PERIOD!!! IF HE CAN COME WITH A HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION IT IS UP TO YOU TO HAVE IT!!! NO MORE MEDICAID!! NO MORE BS, NO IRRESPONSIBILITY, NO MORE CRIMINALS WITH TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS IN A FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNT FILING FOR WELFARE..WHICH HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!!! THIS IS THE SYSTEM OBAMA WANTS TO BEAT AND HE IS RIGHT IN POINTING OUT THAT YOU CANT HAVE A SYSTEM WHICH IS NOT PAID FOR…IF YOU WANT HEALTH INSURANCE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT, BUT THE IDEA IS YOU PAY LESS, YOU PAY A REASONABLE AMOUNT…REASON PREVAILS!!!

Ok, so why didn’t George flip the script? Obama said “No, but — but, George, you — you can’t just make up that language and decide that that’s called a tax increase. Any…” Fact: Webster’s Dictionary: Tax — “a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes.” So no matter what color you paint it, it is a tax. Regardless of what language the president makes up and insists it isn’t a tax…it is. If the government charges you for something, it IS a tax….doesn’t matter what it’s called. And contrary to what the president obviously believes, I do consider car insurance which is mandated by my state, a tax, just as I consider the licensing/registration fees, the licensing fees for my business, the insurance for my business etc. that is all mandated by the government is a tax. Paint it pretty call it fees, mandate or my pretty pony whatever you want, to it’s still a tax.

I couldn’t believe that he agrees with getting rid of Medicare Advantage–just another way for government to decide who will get care. Also, he is the President of this country, signed a bill that allocated a great amount of money to Acorn and he said he didn’t know that Acorn received any money and didn’t know about the recent actions regarding Acorn. That in itself, does not give me a warm fuzzy regarding Government providing any regulations over anybody. Obviously there are no regulations in politics, people get passes for not paying taxes, get all kinds of perks, but heaven help the American citizens when it comes Government take overs. By the way, people didn’t like President Bush’s policies, does that mean they didn’t like white people?

Fred, although this is logical I have to ask you WHY do people do these unhealthy behaviors? If good nutrition, access to education about health information, smoking cessation and other PRO-ACTIVE resources were assessable and readily available, it might be a different story. Obesity is a really terrible problem, America doesn’t know how to eat, but if your mama didn’t teach you who would? I feel that if we just had some accessible resources and low to no cost classes available in ALL areas in country we might see a change in health of our nation. People eat the double cheeseburger and say yeah I know it’s bad, but they don’t know HOW bad it is. Most people don’t know how to read the labels or what that means in the long run for their health and weight. I don’t think we need to bandage it, I think we need to get to the root of the problem.

Just because you don’t call it a tax, doesn’t mean it isn’t one.

fred… When you buy Auto Insurance, there are bad drivers no doubt in any pool just as there are good drivers. I really doubtful there is such a thing as Auto Insurance where every buyer in the pool is totally a good driver.
It’s the same with any health insurance you have out there. There is no doubt unhealthy people in any pool as there are healthy people.
Now with this said, I really am against making it a mandate to make every citizen buy health insurance, especially when they can not afford it.
As of now, health insurance for full coverage is largely unaffordable. Low income people just can’t afford it, and to make them force to have coverage will not work. Until it is affordable, how can anyone meet the mandate to have health insurance?
So in the end, Obama’s reasons is quite flawed due to the present-day circumstances Americans have when it comes to paying for affordable health insurance.

TruthSaves —– “IF YOU WANT HEALTH INSURANCE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT, BUT THE IDEA IS YOU PAY LESS, YOU PAY A REASONABLE AMOUNT…REASON PREVAILS!!!”—————– Since you are so convinced that this is “RIGHT”! Please explain to all of us how it is that forcing mandatory insurance on everyone will bring down the costs to a “REASONABLE AMOUNT” ?? Nothing in his plan addresses the costs of any medical procedures or expenses being reduced. Nothing in his plan addresses the costs of adding millions of uninsured to the insurance roles— with exception of charging those who have insurance an additional amount in order to cover the uninsured—this is certainly not a cost reduction. How does any of this plan reduce the cost medical care?? People will still get sick—this won’t go away! People will still become disabled—this won’t go away! People will still have accidents—this won’t go away?? People who fail to comply with the mandate will still go to the ER for care—-this won’t go away!!! Please explain—– How does any of this proposed plan make healthcare more affordable??? The great orator does a whole lot of jaw flapping and hand waving but provides not substance or details to support his claims—– then has the audacity to complain that those who question his policies are spreading lies !!!!

You raise an important point, Truthsaves. if the government is going to cover everyone, then shouldn’t the government also make everyone it covers abide by certain norms known to promote good health — no smoking, no drinking, healthy eating, regular exercise? Why should all of the country pay for those to be treated who have not taken good care of themselves? It’s simply a question that needs to be addressed.

GET OVER IT PEOPLE!! Healthcare is expensive. Instead of over $10000 a year in premiums your taxes go up $500. WHAT DON’T YOU GET?? He can’t call it a tax because America is too dumb to do arithmetic so he calls it something else. George please stop the gotcha nonsense that embarrassed you in the Pennsylvania debates.

There is no way it is not going to cost ‘us’ more. The government does give medical care. We buy insurance to help us with the high medical charges. However, the doctors & hospitals do not always get what they charge. My bill says the doctor/hospital charges $8,000 for an x-ray (whatever) and the bill says ‘the plan only authorizes X’. Sounds like horse trading already agreed to. These new charges will be passed to consumers.

After listening to the interview, I am more convinced it is a tax increase. NO matter what you want to call it. The government says you have to buy something and you have to pay for it.
I have come to the conclusion that we to reform our health care system, we are going to after to address the major sections as separate issues. true they are all inter-related, but there are discrete areas of the system that the reforms can come into place, making it easier to reform the whole.
The government needs to allow national insurance co-op and company competition to replace the 50 state rules now. The government should and could reform and obtain the cost savings needed for Medicare and Medicaid NOW. We owe to our parents and grandparents to fix it.
The government can also reform the HIPPA regulations to assist in electronic records, better outcome monitoring, etc. while protecting the privacy of the patient.
Other areas, the government has no reason, nor the capacity to act in and should allow that to the individual.

The costs imposed by this socialist government on me and my business in the so called health reform will run me twice the amount of profit of the company. I, and thousands like me, will go bankrupt, and my employees will lose theri jobs. Sounds like a great plan lefties.
What happened to the American spirit of self-responsibility? What happened to the Constitution’s limits on federal government? Throw the bums out!

The costs imposed by the plans under consideration will kill innovation, and what has made this country great for so long. While some changes are necessary, address problems in small increments. There are always uninintended consequences and wholesale change is a monumental mistake.

The problem with you Lisa is you have not read any of the proposed bills and engage is zero analysis. Ask yourself when companies are faced with astronomical increases in the costs of doing business, who do you think they will look to for payment. THE CONSUMER. All pricess will go up and you will be out of pocket. Call it what you want, it will cost you! Don’t parrot these goofs, think first.

Valerie, you have my vote! Well put.

It is all about obama’s comment to Joe the Plumber–the REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH.
You voted for someone who apologizes for America, and who wants to change the very fabric of our country. I happen to believe we had a great country. By the way, unlike Michelle Obama, I have been very proud of our country for many years.

Has anyone ever discussed funding these ideas with a National Sales Tax? Teh dems won’t discuss it because that means everyone has to contribute, not just those of us who work our butts off for a living. Fact is when people have skin in the game they are less likely to promote taxes.

I’m a healthy, single, self-employed 61 year old female who already pays 12.5% of my income for health insurance, not including co-payments. I don’t have any major health problems and I don’t take any prescription drugs. I can hardly wait to turn 65 so that I can receive medicare. Health insurance premiums are way too high! I’m so thankful that we have a president who is wise, thoughtful and intelligent, and is looking out for the average citizen. How did we get so lucky!

So, I am a young person making $45,000 and I am doing my 1040 and I come to this line that says I owe the government $3500 because I don’t have health insurance. How am I to know that this is not a tax that breaks the Obama Administration’s promise not to increase my taxes. Are they going to be able to put something into the instructions that says, “Btw, whatever Webster might have said, this is not a tax!” ?

I know a guy who has had 2 heart attacks with no insurance. He has a job, makes good money, but refuses to take his employers insurance and refuses to purchase his own. He say’s why should I pay for insurance when they have to treat me when I go to the ER, they’ll just write it off!! He smokes, he drinks, he parties hard and drive a nice new pickup!! So when you say it’s our right not to have insurance, well I sick of paying for your right to take advantage of the system!

notpolitical, your health insurance premiums are already too high, your president is taking over more of the private sector that will be necessary to pay the debt on a federal debt that is spiraling out of control, add at least a trillion dollars to the debt for his health plan that your children and grandchildren will be burdened with. If cost overruns in other federal programs are any predictor, that health debt will probably be more like three to ten trillion. Add another ten trillion this group wants to add to the debt by Obama’s second term and an ever growing list of government commitments that will cost at least 100 trillion. We have a president who told us abortion and full coverage for illegal immigrants wouldn’t happen when he knew it would. He told us he could keep costs down by making other programs more efficient without any kind of tort reform. Why would he be able to make an already bloated central government more efficient when others haven’t and when we are adding so much more to the system? The Medicare you are so anxious to receive is already being subsidized by the private sector but the private sector will shrink and no longer be able to subsidize costs at the same time hundreds of billions will be taken from Medicare. How did we get so lucky to have such wise, thoughtful, leaders so ready to look out for the average citizen? This must be heaven and we just don’t know it.

So is making people purchase car insurance a tax? So what is the
advantage of this Medicare Advantage
program and cost? Let us talk about
really issues and not the fact that
they all seem to be running for re-election already and not doing the
work they were sent to Washington to do…

Auto Insurance is responsibility that we participate in voluntarily for the privelage of driving. we are not fined for not having insurance unless we drive.—– so can we fine you if you
get sick and go to the ER? LOL

What is Medical Advantage and how did that program get implemented? My brother
is upset that his Medicare Advantage
will go away and it will cost him a
bit more out of pocket…. But don’t we
as taxpayers subsidize the insurance company?

George, you diminished your interview skills today as you interviewed President Obama. Next time, if there is a next time, be more respectful! You continued to interrupt him when he would be answering your questions. It appears that you were trying to hard, when asking what you thought were “tough” questions.

The problem with health care comes down to the fact that we have disconnected that care from the consumer. We would have the same problem if we decided to have government or our employer take responsibility for our housing, food, transportation, etc. Even though we have turned the health industry on it’s head with this upside down approach, politicians can’t seem to try to fix this problem without resorting to even more upside down ‘solutions’. Once they ‘solve’ this, how long before they make our lives better by tackling other basics that have so far been ignored? Maybe some day our country can be as thoughtful and caring as Cuba and finally let our government solve all our problems instead of just health care.

Wow! Whatever happen to the “PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY” that conservative and Republicans so preach to high heaven? But when that personal responsibility includes people actually taking responsibility for themselves in health care, well, then it’s asking too much! It’s a tax increase, it’s communism, it’s socialism, it’s racist, it’s every EXCUSE in the book NOT TO TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! What hypocrites! IT’LL cost TOO much!! Welcome to why we need health care reform!

A Tax by any other name is still a Tax.

The government MANDATES ME TO WEAR MY SEATBELT, AND HAVE CAR, HOME INSURANCE. DO YOU CALL THAT A TAX TOO? LIKE THE GOVERNMENT GIVES A HOOT WHETHER I LIVE OR DIE IN MY CAR. PLEEEEEEEEEEZE. GEORGE, YOU ARE SO STUPID.

Here is the perfect definition of the current Republican anit-Democrat campaign: “Demagogy (also demagoguery) is a strategy for gaining political power by appealing to the prejudices, emotions, fears and expectations of the public — typically via impassioned rhetoric and propaganda, and often using nationalist, populist or religious themes”. And, of course, this “strategy” is all fueled by Republican/Wingnut “lying”. Hence, this “campaign” will follow the same path as “McCarthyism”.

It it’s Democrat and an initiative by them, you can be it IS a tax. Call it what it is Obama… Stop telling us creative lawyer-speak.

And OIL DIDN’T PAY FOR THE IRAQI WAR….I AM! WHAT DID I GET…. FOR THIS WAR….. NOTHING!

The medical system is fraught with abuse. The costs in this regard are enormous. The consensus is that it is our life.. so it should cost whatever it takes.
illegal immigrants working or not are routinely helped by the system like welfare, public services to help them get medical care at enormous costs. Hundreds of thousands of dollars for procedures that would never happen in their own countries. Only for them to return there after procedures along with all the funds wired out to their families. Hey it’s a great system and if the Americans are stupid enough to do it then they deserve it. Kids are often adopted out to so called foster families in the US to help them qualify for surgeries outlawed by US law and even government agencies find ways around these laws.. WE should all get the health benefits these government people have and they help bring these rates to high levels because the government is already so involved in paying these premiums that Insurance companies know they will get their money anyway. It’s tax dollars,, that is an endless supply!!! Remember all these laws put in place… will be circumvented by public agencies. These medical procedures cost far more than many of them will make in 10 lifetimes…

This President is delusional if he really believes it isn’t a tax increase. Of course, it is. However, he is a smart man and knows it is, yet chooses to continually says one thing and does another=hypocrite.

Obama is lying when it comes to health care, either he doesn’t have a clue about what he says or its an out and out lie, his plan(s) don’t make sense. I don’t want this moron killing me or my family over his stupid policie. Americans wake up give the dems the boot in 2010 and 2012

Sometimes it seems that people are just saying – I’m ok and the hell with the rest of you. It’s embarrassing.
Please, can’t we start caring for others?
Why don’t the American people start with the notion that everyone on the planet deserves medical care without having to go bankrupt in the process.
If we start with that proposition and explore the ways to achieve that goal the whole conversation would be different.
What if one encounters a bleeding, dying person in the middle of the road and the quickest way to save the life of this person is to personally drive them to a hospital.
Using that analogy, the current conversation about helping others to get better health care goes something like this – I can’t put that bleeding dying person in my car because I just had it detailed and unless someone is willing to not only reimburse me but also pay to detail it again I’m just not willing to pay for this. After all I’m not bleeding, I’m ok right now and that’s all I care about.
How can anyone defend that way of thinking?
It’s just so selfish and myopic.

I guess that all depends on what the definition of what ‘tax’ is…is.

If you want healthcare to be a right then PUT IT IN THE CONSTITUTION or shut up about it. The reason healthcare is so expensive now is because instead of us paying directly for it we instituted 3rd party (spelled insurance companies for all you ignorant)people to negotiate and pay for it. If it were like any other part of commerce we’d know what the costs of procedures and services were and would be able to shop for better care and prices. But since we leave that to somebody else it has going through the roof by the providers who wait for payment and add on to the costs of doing business with insurance. Add to that the fact the Medicare and Medicaid never pay the actual cost of anything medical and that further inflates the charges and increases the paperwork. Anybody here actually think the Government can provide better services and not increase the waste, paperwork and reduce fraud? If you are you are delusional.

To all of you please read HR 3200 first. Its a little over 1000 pages, but it is triple spaced so it is not that long. I have read it and I can say that Obama is leaving out some of the detail that is described within and I came out with an understanding that this is a severely incomplete bill that will likely far outpace estimates in cost because it is not well thought out. As most other people I am not advocating that our current health care system operators correctly, but this bill is not the solution. Its a knee jerk reaction, take the proper time to do it right and then present it.

Milwaukee had a TEA PARTY yesterday with 10,000 people protesting Obama policies. No racism was evident, and no coverage by your mainstream LIBERAL media.

Classics of doublespeak:
War is Peace!
Freedom is Slavery!
Ignorance is Strength!
The Mandate is not a Tax!
Obama must think we’re idiots. I live in Massachusetts. Health care costs are exploding here because the state imposed a system on itself similar to what the Democrats wish to impose on the whole country. The cost of health insurance here is higher than any other state, and increases at a greater rate each year than other states. The Massachusetts system is dysfunctional, and spreading it across the nation will not improve it.

This is a perfect example of Obama’s distortion and lies. This is a tax pure and simple because it confiscates money from people at the direction of the government. I refuse to watch any network carrying Obama’s lies ever again.

I supose Stephenopoulos would have to use the Obama Dictionary in order to not be a “stretch”. When challenged and without a teleprompter, the man is just another liberal professor: nothing special.

I’m confused. We insist we want a private system of insurers as brokers between us and the actual providers of our healthcare. Reasonable enough–Germany and Switzerland have a similar model. We say we don’t want to pay for other people’s health care. Sounds fine (although technically, any insurance pool is built on the assumption that someone else’s unused premiums will be used to pay for services needed by someone less lucky or healthy. It’s why its called pooling risk.). But right now, roughly 40 million Americans do not have insurance, and unless they are very wealthy or they are denied care–turned down at the emergency room for not carrying their checkbook or insurance card–most of their major medical expenses will be paid for by “charitable” care, which is simply a nice way of saying that the cost gets shifted to individuals with the means to pay, like say, insurance holders. So we’re paying for someone else’s care. Why not just admit it and develop a more sane, orderly, and efficient way of doing what we are already doing in the most stressful (for those without insurance who can’t hope to pay a huge bill and go bankrupt with it still largely unpaid) and inefficient way possible? Call it what you like, but requiring insurance (and providing tax breaks, incentives and subsidies as needed) seems like a pretty reasonable way to be humane (not turning people away at the emergency room) and financially sane.

Not only is Obama raising taxes, he implementing new weird ones. Including targeting new taxes for tampons, condoms, wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, and others to name just a few.

Tony C
I think you are suggesting that we eliminate all regulation and insurance and simply go to a traditional fee for service. I get sick, I go to the doctor, I pay. This system is used through most of the developing world. It’s perfectly ok, but there are drawbacks. Communicable disease: If my neighbor gets tuberculosis (or any other contagious disease) and cannot pay for treatment, is that any comfort when my daughter contracts the disease and I can afford to pay for her care. Advanced care: Chances are slim that private companies will invest the billions of dollars needed to develop advanced medical treatments, if the pool of potential buyers is relatively small, ie, only the extremely wealthy individuals. Cold remedies, maybe, advanced genetically engineered cancer treatments not so likely. This is part of the reason treatments for diseases that plague only poor regions of the world lag behind treatments for relatively minor ailments that are common in wealthier parts of the world (all of which have some sort of pooled risk approach). I understand the impulse on this, but pooling risk does increase options (just like pooling buyers allows big box retailers to sell their products for less than the corner market).

Obama is so arrogant. You know, his ” I know better than everybody” attitude is really making people angry. This entire health care law is about buying more votes and power. If he buys another 30 million votes, he figures he might be elected permanently like Chavez.

If you have a car then insurance is required. No one is forcing you to buy a car. Why not allow health insurance companies compete across statelines? How about looking at Pharmaceutical companies who spend the majority of their money advertising. How about stopping hospitals charging $5.00 for an asprin? Run Medicare & Medicaid properly and possibly people could trust you with national healthcare.

Lionheart,
By your logic, and following the lead of the current healthcare system, anyone should be able to go and pick up groceries, clothes, or any other commodity and pay what they can. The store can simply shift the cost to someone else. Unless we are willing to eliminate all care until you can prove the ability to pay–even if you are brought in unconscious on a gurney–you still have the problem, that unlike other services, people will still be able to access the good (service) regardless of ability to pay. The image of accident victims waiting at the scene of a tragedy while someone locates their insurance card, or secures a commitment that someone can pay, is morally pretty reprehensible. So is the image of a 23 year old dying because their cancer treatment is way out of their reach financially. It would be easy if we simply said these people should be allowed to die, but as soon as we say that saving their life has value, we need to figure out how to pay for it. And I still believe that figuring out a way to have everyone play a part (with help for those too old, disabled, or temporarily unable to afford it due to job loss) in shouldering the cost of a system in which we all benefit makes sense. Again, call it what you like, but we are paying for care for those without insurance in grossly inefficient ways as it stands.

In the United States you have the God given right to kill yourself slowly but no one should pay for your slow suicide.

George,
I can’t believe you let the Obama steam roll over you with that ridiculous answer. This is clearly a tax and he is continuing to prove that he not a man of his word (hello Bush Sr.). Higher taxes for everyone are coming down the road – i just hope our country isn’t bankrupt in the next 8 years. Too bad all you reporters are soo goo-goo gah-gah over Obama and can’t hold up an intelligent debate with the guy. Kinda embarassing interview Stephanopoulos…my opinion only.

Joe Wilson was right. He lies constantly. He needs to have that chip on his shoulder knocked off.

Just wait a minute. You mean we have to pay for this healthcare? I thought it would be free for me. Well, just forget it!

Can’t believe that they were rushing to pass this in August before it was even written and no one knew what was in it. We still don’t know.

Jolat,
You may not own a car, but unless you are a disembodied spirit, you have a body that is subject to accidents and unforeseeable catastrophic illness. This is the point. You can choose to not drive (although I suspect many who are claiming this also have opposed funding for public transportation). You cannot simply choose not to get sick or have an accidents. Unless you are willing to say anyone who cannot afford to pay must be denied service, you are shifting the costs of the uninsured to the insured. Just because an individual takes that gamble in order to pocket an additional $200-$400 a month, doesn’t mean people who do pay should have to cover their costs. And the reality is that some individuals simply may not be able to cover the cost of insurance, and unless we are willing to let them die on the sidewalk outside a hospital, we need to figure out how to get them into a rational system of care that can help avoid exorbitant costs associated with delaying treatment. I don’t hear any clambering to repeal laws requiring hospitals to treat first, ask for payment later in life threatening situations. If you are not willing to push for that, then offer a solution to the cost shifting.

George: Be careful asking questions of Obama. You and ABC will end up like FOX and be excluded from and news features in the future. The petty attitude of this administration is another matter.

I agree with ej “Why don’t the American people start with the notion that everyone on the planet deserves medical care without having to go bankrupt in the process?”
Each one of us is so vulnerable. Those who oppose reform seem not to realize that they themselves are one pink-slip away from illness,unaffordable care and financial disaster. The greater good is to take care of one another, as ej counsels, but if people can’t stomach that, then they at least should support insurance reform for their own, personal, probable good.

I make 950.00 after taxes. Welfare counts the money I get before taxes are taken, fine. That is 1138.00 a month. My rent because I have two children and need a three bedroom house. My rent is 1130.00 a month! My electricity is about 240.00 a month, most of it beign taxes imposed by the government because apparently they are run by the government. I get charged 10.80 a month for being a customer! They call this their “customer charge”. (I won’t even get into how I thought paying for what I used and the taxes were sufficient, as I have NEVER seen a utility company do this before!)I am told by Welfare that I can afford 850.00 dollars of my own medical bills, because I make too much money to get medical, I can afford my own medical bills?!? I make 7.1125 an hour!That is less than minimum wage! I am considered “medically needy” and have been told to go on Disability to get medical as I have a condition, and CANNOT get medical through an insurance company (( I remind you that I bring HOME after taxes LESS than my RENT), let alone electricity, things like TOILET PAPER, SHAMPOO, SOAP, and school supplies for my kids,clothes for them to wear- I cannot afford even at the thrift shops!))because I cannot afford it! I was told I make too much money at 7.1125 an hour to get medicaid even though I have no other options and I NEED it! I pay taxes like everyone else, on everything I buy. Uncle Sam takes my tax money from my checks just like everybody else. I don’t get free money from the government such as TANF. I had to sleep on a sidewalk two days ina row to get help with my electricity, and it was first come first served. All the while there were people sitting there dripping with gold jewelry and teeth, 2,000.00 dollar laptops they couldv’e PAWNED, here I am with NO jewelry and no medicine while they get their bills payed for sitting on their butts! And not to mention the fact that AUTO INSURANCE is something you have to purchase to enjoy the privelage to DRIVE. NOw people have to pay for mandated health insurance to enjoy the privelage to LIVE? Are we going to have to start applying to have babies like in CHINA?!? Will we start being TAXED if we have an unnapproved/illegal baby? And learn some Godblessed ENGLISH people! When the first immigrants such as my grandparents, came to America, they knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but they LEARNED the customs and language of the country they came to to find freedom and a chance at a better life, all the while they kept their family traditions and ethics alive and brought something to this land. And while I am on tirade the darned rebel flag STANDS for a part of our history as a COUNTRY and a nation. To the trials and tribulations, and the tiems that we slipped and fell, brushed ourselves and each other and carried on. If we gripe and whine about our history and sweep it under the rug, we are doomed to repeat it. We don’t sweep the memories of the Holocaust under the rug because it may offend do we? NO! WE relive it and retell it, with pictures that sends one to the coldest reaches of our souls, so as to NOT doom ourselves and others to the atrocities of our past!!!It is called HUMANITY people and if EVERYONE would let go of the Lilith we call the DOLLAR, and go back to spending time with our children, our neighbors, our families, we wouldn’t BE in this mess!

George,
Good try with the dictionary but you did not make a dent. His ACORN answer was also right out there.
Obama said, “it’s not really something I’ve followed closely” and “This is not the biggest issue facing the country. It’s not something I’m paying a lot of attention to.”
But the inner workings of the Cambridge Police Department are a national issue. He must think the American people are stupid, because the reverse is really troubling.
Jon

I love reading the comments in this room because you have people who might hate the presidents policies because they are his own. The truth for me is that healthcare is needed for all and for all to be covered. It will be polarized because of the fact that some will always believe they can take their money to the grave. In truth God did not design it that way. Nobody I know is against the plan, I don’t claim to know the world of course but I am glad to see some people with some sense. To touch on one topic they spoke of about racism. The country is worse off than ever and I really believe that this could go in a destructive direction. With people on the right trying to fire up their base with segregation talk and the using of racial name calling, they don’t realize they are firing up a lot of cultures ready fight (literally). The show dealt with subject in a politically correct day but the people won’t.

If someone is given subsidies, someone else is paying for it, that’s a tax.

If it looks like a duck…. Just a couple of notes on this mess..
a. If govt run healthcare is so good then why is Mass finding it necessary to cut benefits, increase taxes, lower provider payments and generally “insist” their citizens pay more for less and less? And HOW exactly can you possibly say the feds can do it better???
b. If socialized healthcare is such a good deal for the citizens then PLEASE explain how prostate cancer, for example, of the type and stage of Sen Dodds is virtually 100% curable in the US, 85% curable in Canada, and a whopping 77% curable in England–and this isn’t the only example, it’s virtually across the board and DOES include people with little/no insurance in the US. (WHO 5-year survival rates.) And, if it is SO GOOD, why aren’t our representatives and senators and the rest of big government putting themselves on it?
c. Illegals not being covered? Of course not–OB is going to give all of them amnesty so they are all suddenly “LEGAL”. (Just came out Thursday or Friday)
d. How much are you NOW paying for social security and medicaid taxes vs 5 years ago? How about 10 years ago? How about the percentage rate of your taxes and the maximum amount of your wages subject to such taxes…increased or decreased? ANYBODY who says socialized healthcare will be even on the same continent as “revenue neutral” or “paid for from other savings” is a bald-faced liar, especially the “paid for by other savings” lie because all that means is they are going to cut benefits/services in those areas. HOW can there NOT be massive tax increases to pay for this boondoggle??
ANY political who treats a 6% win–53-47%– as a “Mandate to blah blah” is seriously working to remove themselves from power in the next election. Dems are fast discarding the notion that people tend to vote with their pocketbooks in mind and enough concerns have been raised that a lot more people than OB and his henchmen will believe–across party lines even–are beginning to wonder about who they voted for. It happened strongly in ’66, and in ’96 when seemingly invincible Dem majorities in both houses unexpectedly evaporated overnight. They are incapable of recognizing the link between their tax and big government policies and voter displeasure. The only bad thing about the situation is we have to wait until next year to see if they have, once again, blown both feet off at the neck.

There’s quite a bit of misinformation here as well as spin. Semantics aside, most seniors are taking meds now that they’ll be taking for the rest of their lives. I’m wondering what financial impact Obama’s plan will have long term to pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs everyone takes today, plus all the new ones for diseases that have no cure yet. If their profits decline, their stock prices will drop, and they may choose to not seek out new drugs to combat and perhaps cure deadly diseases.

Sorry Mr. President you are WRONG on this one. The phrase “EXCISE TAX” is actually part of the wording in the Baucus Bill on page 29, of the Chairmans Mark, sentence one.
“the consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an EXCISE TAX”

Typical Obama.
He wasn’t even man enough to admit that the Baucus bill clearly states the 35% fee on cadillac plans is CALLED and EXCISE TAX.
It’s written into the very plan Obama is supporting.
What a bamboozler this President is.

If I earn some money and the government takes it call it what you like, I call it gone.

If everything worked as described by Obama, I think the mandate (although I’m not usually one to date men) would be a necessary evil.
Unfortunately, this is a scenario where this and that is done, resulting in Insurance companies that SHOULD lower their overall rates – but it would be like leading horses to water. A whole lotta changes can be made, with the end result being the insurers (in cahoots) making token (if any) reductions – after having a cattle drive of new enrolees.
Gimme a Public Option any day. At least we’ll have some control over that. Otherwise it’ll be like getting cats to line-dance in a broadway production… real ones.

He can call it whatever he likes, but
the bottom line is that it is a tax
increase.How he can have that fake
smile and turn on the charm while
scamming people is downright scary.
He does not listen, he only talks.

Does Georgie Boy really belive the Big Zero’s explanation of ‘it’s not a tax’??
I always thought that Stephanolopolis
appeared to be an intelligent human being. Guess I was wrong. The Big Zero is a consummate liar and what an embarrassment to have our first black president be a LIAR!I will never be foolish agin to vote for this poor excuse for a human being, much less our president. (small p) No respect for the man.

I don’t think Obama made a strong case for his position.
Had he had some conservative democrats in his circle, he might have already addressed this issue and been ready with a defense better than, “No, it isn’t.”
It seems that Obama’s positions get vetted by the public or in this case by the media (which is an exception).
Obama’s claims about reducing costs were also vetted by everyone but himself and his circle of advisors in the White House. After all, it’s not like they don’t have a former CBO official there.
Obama needs to bring new blood into his policy-making circle.

“It depends on the what the definition of is is” WHAT A RIOT.. Talk about not being honest. Here is what he should say. IF You want everyone’s premium to go down then EVERYONE has to pay the same AMOUNT. Call it a tax call it the desire for health insurance. Call it the desire for a FREE lunch and there is no such thing. The more Obama lies and obfuscates the worse it gets.

No it is not a tax. However, it is an indisputable reduction in freedom of choice, and personal discretion.
That is government taking control of people’s lives. Like it or not, it is socialist, and not democratic……so it would appear the “Democratic Party” doesn’t know the definition of their own party name.

My quest for information led me to tape “This Week with George” yesterday morning. Upon viewing the tape, I can only conclude we have much to fear! Our President seemed to object that George Stephanopoulus would use traditional definitions for words in the rhetoric. It appears that the norm is to redefine words, so the American People really don’t know the intent of legislation.
When I couple text of this program with what I have read, I can only conclude that what started as spin has deviated so far from traditional meanings, that now the “spinners” actually believe what they are saying. But to those of us using traditional meanings, these comments seem a series of lies.
I urge our congressmen to do several things which I believe will serve well our nation:
1. Stop the spin. Tell it like it is.
2. Include points from the Hippocratic Oath as you go about your work: Do No Harm.
3. Don’t do for the people what the people can and should do for themselves. Government entrance in numerous areas is discouraging volunteerism, and creating bureaucracies that cannot be sustained.
4. Do not rush to support a health bill. Carefully think through the impact of the changes. When congressmen don’t do their job before voting for or against a measure, they should not be able to hide with the excuse, “Unfortunately, that was an unintended consequence.”

Mr Obama is a SMOOTH talker, he knows how to use those words to sound sooo intelligent he even makes the news media look so stupid, he is a crafty sly cunning conning man, He is a professional lier, Oh I forgot he is the people Messiah, he is to be put up on a pedestal, and he is using the Main media to do this, oh to look so stupid is a honor, Thanks for letting him look so good on your part.

Look (that’s the usual snake oil introduction) Taxes are IRS stuff. Why not just send BHO the rest of your money so he can make sure it is redistributed wisely. But then, what will you sheep do when you run out of my money?

So if it’s not a tax increase what is it?
Oh, it’s like auto insurance everyone has to have it. Okay, then make it mandatory that we all have to have life insurance, personal liabilty insurance, mortgage insurance just in case you can’t make mortgage payments etc. But one question still remains, who is going to pay for everbody who can’t afford it?

Lol, it’s funny watching people trying to defend the president’s rejection of reality. PEOPLE!!!!! It’s a govt. mandated expense!!!! A fine if you don’t comply!!!…….IT IS A TAX!!!! Regardless of whether you think it’s reasonable or not, call it what it is. A tax.

It is completely appropriate that uninsured folks pay some sort of fine or tax to cover the fact that they do not carry insurance. The overall amount should be fairly low, since these are mostly young people whose health is good overall. They should only pay enough to cover their overall cost to the system. As I recall, when I was in college full time it was mandatory to carry some form of insurance (or the college automatically made you enroll in the student plan). As for separating pools of people out who are in very good health, that could easily include family history and many other factors. Should women pay more because of likely childbirth? Even if you are healthy you could pay more if your family, racial group, etc. is more likely to have certain health problems. This could be an ugly slippery slope that would greatly benefit the insurance carriers, but would not help consumers significantly.

I assume that the proponents of this plan will use individuals’ federal income tax returns to determine whether or not the individuals have health care coverage and if not, impose the fine, fee, mandate (whatever you want to call it)? If so, then it is a tax.

All of these arguments is evidence why single-payer makes so much more sense. Medicare for all, if one wishes to have a private plan instead – so be it.
But everyone’s taxes go toward paying for universal coverage just like everyon’es taxes go toward the common defense whether one agrees with it or not.
It may be a fundamental change in how one views health care for some, but for me, like voting, health care should be a right not a privilege. A country and its people are largely measured by how they care for the less advantaged in their society. People accept the notion of medicare for those over 65 and social security, but there was a time when neither existed.
Now it’s the notion of universal health care coverage that some people just can’t get their mind around but it will happen and it will happen because it needs to happen and because it is the right thing.
All this arguing only serves to divide us more and to delay the inevitable. Like I tried to say earlier, if we change the conversation to the idea that people need help and how are we, as a society, going to make that happen, the nature of the debate/conversation/argument will change significantly.

Posted by: TexBork009 – “Obama is goofy to compare health insurance to car insurance. Yeah, we are forced to have auto insurance, because we might damage someone’s property and not have the money to afford to fix the other person’s property you damaged.”
Tex, yes people are forced to obtain at least minimal coverage for their motor vehicles, however there is nothing and no one that checks to make sure they continue to carry that insurance. That’s why we still have problems with people not having it and why our premiums for auto insurance go up all the time. People only have to have auto insurance long enough to register the vehicle in their county/state at their local DMV/DOT. After it’s registered, those people are able to drop their coverage completely and no one comes after them for it. The insurance companies should be reporting it to the DMV/DOT when the coverage is dropped, and they should then be required to inform the police as well.
Do you think it’s right for there not to be checks and balances in place to make sure people do not drop their coverage and continue to drive uninsured?

My question is, how are they going to fine people who don’t buy health insurance if they don’t pay taxes? Because we all know that 50% of the people in this country don’t pay taxes. Just another way that people that don’t contribute to the country but get to vote on how much of my money should be taken by the government for the “well being of our citizens”. And quit whining how many people are going broke “because of heath costs. Yes it is sad, but it’s probably about .001% of the people. So lets help them out without screwing up the entire system.

Doug said,
“My question is, how are they going to fine people who don’t buy health insurance if they don’t pay taxes? Because we all know that 50% of the people in this country don’t pay taxes. Just another way that people that don’t contribute to the country but get to vote on how much of my money should be taken by the government for the “well being of our citizens”. And quit whining how many people are going broke “because of heath costs. Yes it is sad, but it’s probably about .001% of the people. So lets help them out without screwing up the entire system.”
Well, first of all the number of people who refuse to pay taxes is around 16% and I would imagine there’s legal doings surrounding that.
Roughly 38% of workers in America don’t make enough money to pay taxes. Now that seems like morality and minimum wage and the value of labor issues. These are the working poor.
This is the group I’m newly a member of as the way I’ve made a living for the last 30 years has all but been done away with as the power elite have pretty much destroyed the buying power of the middle and upper middle classes through there unholy sense of entitlement to make more and more wealth at the expense of the less powerful.
Here’s the interesting number concerning income tax – 2/3rds of American corporations do not pay US federal income tax.
Why is that? Affirmative action. The type we’ve had from the beginning of this country and that’s the advantage the rich and powerful have always had over everyone else. They have always manipulated the system to their advantage and to everyone else’s detriment from the beginning to now.
Reagan tried to exploit this by mischaracterizing the nature of this advantage by trying to sell us on the notion of “voodoo – tricle down – economics,” that somehow all these individuals and entities benefitting from their “affirmative action” will turn around and pass the benefits to everyone else. Bogus!
The insurance companies running roughshod over society is just the latest installment of this “affirmative action.” People are starting to push back and the powers that be don’t like it. That’s understandable, but it is a losing battle.
The powers that be have riuned the middle class, want to extriminate the poor class and the problem with that is that where will the workers and consumers come from.
It’s a short-sighted vision that will ultimately be all our undoings.
Blaming the victims is such an old and immoral ploy to simply keep one’s power. It must come to an end for the survival of the species here on earth, and because it’s just wrong.
In this particular argument over health insurance/care reform almost everyone needs to take a hit of sorts as we rearrange our thinking and actions surrounding this. As always, those with the most at stake are going to have to take the biggest hits. But all of this is necessary.
It’s obscene if even one person has to go bankrupt because they get sick and its immoral for a society to allow someone to die for lack of money when there is plenty of money to take care of everyone if we just look at txes and money differently.
It’s callous to state that just because its a few people who are suffering the most over this system we shouldn’t trouble ourselves over it. If you were one of those people, or if someone close to you was one of those people your tune would be different.
I’m always shocked at those who think they are not part of the human race and think that they can separate their humanity from their lives and still live a meaningful existense. The moral backruptcy is astounishing.

If we can save $500 billion reducing fraud in Medicare, what are we waiting for. C’mon Obama, get a team together and go after those cheats. Eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the current system, then reform it.

I like Obama’s dumb response about calling it a tax. I swear, it was very Clintonesque… It depends on what your definition of “tax” is. He actually said that if one looks at the truth of the definition of a tax, one is engaged in a tactic of “reaching”? How is the truth somehow “reaching”? This is one more point of proof that Obama’s reality is not based in fact. He makes it up to fit his radical leftist agenda. Once he starts spouting off and disagreeing the the dictionary about the definition of “tax” it’s easy to see that he really simply wants to reject reality. There is no comparison between forced health care insurance and auto insurance. If you don’t drive, you don’t need auto insurance and you buy it in case you damage or injure someone else. With Obama, just being alive is reason to extort income from you. If it were like auto insurance as Obama made the comparison, one would be forced to purchase the insurance in order to pay someone else when you pass on a cold or a flu. Obama should stick to reality, but that appears more and more less likely from him. When he said that he didn’t knwo that ACORN took tax money? Come on. One after the other… Multiple lies per day now. One cannot honestly believe that man anymore. This was supposed to be better once Bush was gone. “It couldn’t be worse.”, we were told. Wow, was that seriously wrong.

Obama is always right…just ask him!

Just imagine what would have been rammed through, earlier this year. Maybe this issue is is one that wakes up Americans to voting, reading, and voicing collective strength. Let’s hope.

We’re being forced to have healthcare by the government. That’s what President Obama and his buds are pushing. Agree with it or not/like it or not. Taxes will go up to pay for it no matter what he or one of his followers that live on Fantasy Island say. You can call me what you want but he’s mandating that we have health insurance. It’s forced health insurance. We’d cut far more in healthcare by placing limits on how much insurance companies and pharmacies charge, not financing coverage for illegal aliens, not financing girls and women’s multiple illegitimate births that for which taxpayers have to pay, stopping government mismanagment of funds and waste, and putting watchdogs on the watchdogs that montior healthcare now so that the so called watchdogs have stay honest and act like people. Some of the republicans have developed a plan to cut healthcare costs which is not forced healthcare. I pray that President Obama and citezens bent on socialism would see the inappropriateness of there plan.

Glad to see abcnews reporting on the facts. Going to the dictionary is called researching the facts.
I did note through the discussion there are still no facts. I downloaded this thing and read it (took me an hour to find it last night). Its huge! Its going to be very expensive.. and you have no right to opt in or opt out.
Best of luck to us all if it passes. Glad ABC news is finally doing some research, I may have to start watching again.

==========================
MR. PRESIDENT – YOU LIE
==========================
The bill says on page 29, sentence one of the bill introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) says: “The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax.”

When the Gov makes you pay them it’s a tax. If you get some type of permit for your money then it would be a fee. This is a tax no matter how much lipstick you apply.

The big difference between an auto insurance mandate and a health insurance mandate is that you can choose not to own a car.
With a health insurance mandate, I can’t choose not to have health insurance unless I want to be penalized. I can’t afford health insurance. Forcing me to pay for it isn’t going to make me be able to afford it. I haven’t been to the doctor in four years. I haven’t needed to. The last time I went, I made small payments until the bill was paid off. I wasn’t a burden to anyone

George, you touched a nerve when you gave a concise and precise definition of TAX. Mr Obama’s response recalled to mind a previous president when he gave his non-answer: “It depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is.” Keep pressing the hot buttons; eventually the truth will out.

He is laughing at you George please don’t ask any hard questions.

Auto Insurance is responsibility that we participate in voluntarily for the privelage of driving. We are not fined for not having insurance unless we drive. —- no kidding. So you can go without a car or go without driving but
can you divest yourself from your body?
When you can do that you will have a case….you can probably say if I am
not driving I will not cause an accident
with my car..Can you say your body will nnever need healthcare attention? NOPE
and I am sick of paying for those that
have money for a policy but do not take oon the responsibility of getting one.

Well obviously a tax is not a tax, it is a penalty according to the Pres… I guess Obama still hasn’t read the HCR bill. Gosh that is sad.

A mandate on individuals is not a tax? I could understand if it were a mandate on industry standards, requirements for open bidding, restrictions against monopoly or product dumping. But a mandate on individuals IS a tax — just because you never see the money in the first place doesn’t mean you aren’t taxed. When they take your freedom away in the name of your good, it’s time to start running or fighting. But don’t just stand there and take it!

Fact check says it is a TAX President Obama. so what part of TAX do you not understand. Memo to President Barack Obama: It’s a tax. Obama insisted this weekend on national television that requiring people to carry health insurance — and fining them if they don’t — isn’t the same thing as a tax increase. But the language of Democratic bills to revamp the nation’s health care system doesn’t quibble. Both the House bill and the Senate Finance Committee proposal clearly state that the fines would be a tax.
And the reason the fines are in the legislation is to enforce the coverage requirement.
“If you put something in the Internal Revenue Code, and you tell the IRS to collect it, I think that’s a tax,” said Clint Stretch, head of the tax policy group for Deloitte, a major accounting firm. “If you don’t pay, the person who’s going to come and get it is going to be from the IRS.”

We pay for auto insurance only if we drive, and we pay that to private insurance companies…correct me if I’m wrong BHO. That system works, so maybe, just maybe, you should look at the Dr’s and hospitals and find out why they charge so much for procedures. Then, look at the pharma companies and find out why prescriprion drug prices are so high….or are you in their pocket, and that’s why you don’t do it. Seems like the insurance company is a great scapegoat. By the way Valerie, 25% of medicare benificiaries are on advantage plans, and they love them. Quit spouting your liberal lies.

In the words a recent patriot,
YOU LIE

Hey Truth Saves….
I agree nothing is free. Everything has a cost. However, you made no mention of reforms to the current system, just adding healthcare for everyone. Your auto insurance comparison does not hold water because how do you address the people who take the bus or train to work and do not have a car. Is it fair to make them have to pay for auto insurance when they don’t have a car?

So every one has to have automobile insurance, and it isn’t considered a tax. Is that a fair or reasonable comparison?
Apples and oranges, the mandated auto insurance is liability insurance. It protects those in your path, not you. It pays those law suits by others.
One can opt out of auto liability insurance by not owning a car or not having a driver’s license, but not so for health insurance.
Government run healthcare proponents make claim that government-run health care has lower administrative costs than private care, is that true or just clever mathematics? At a glance it would seem that Medicare only spends 3% of its total outlays on administrative costs compared to 14-22% for private care, but is it legitimate to measure administrative efficiency as a percentage of total costs. By that technique cash for clunkers could be made to appear efficient.
Administrative costs are more accurately represented when expressed on a per-patient basis, where government-run health care’s administrative costs are shown to be routinely higher than private care. In fact, Medicare’s administrative costs per beneficiary from 2000 to 2005 vary from 5 to 48 percent higher than the private sector even though the private sector has additional costs in the form of state health insurance premium taxes which average about 2%.

The point never made in the healthcare debate is that in order for the government to give a single dollar to one man, he must first take it from another who has earned and saved it. But in 2009 there is no ‘second man’. He’s unemployed or had his hours cut back to nothing. The second point is our country is BROKE. Absolutely tapped out. Obama doesn’t have a nickel to pay for anyone’s healthcare and certainly not the hundreds of billions this fiasco will cost. We are trillions upon trillions in the hole. Their great idea to simply print the money from thin air will lead to hyperinflation, destruction of the dollar, and the bankruptcy of our entire country. How many hospitals will be open then? The answer to healthcare insurance is NO insurance for ‘care’, but for unexpected, catastrophic illness ONLY. Work on a cash basis for everything else. Overhead would plummet, and doctors could offer discounted or pro bono care for the poor. That’s what one of the few medical doctors in Congress, Ron Paul, has suggested. Would this common sense approach be so hard? It is after all the way it was done for over 100 years before the insurance companies took over Washington.

I am absolutely terrified that they were going to pass this healthcare blunder of a bill in August, before we knew anything about it. It’s -pass this and we will work out the details later. It will add over 50 more government agencies and is suppose to save money. Does anyone believe that?

You can disagree over what the definition of “tax increase” is, but what Obama is saying, as far as everyone paying for those who receive care but don’t pay for insurance, is true.
How about this: we allow anyone to go without insurance, no problem, as long as they sign a paper saying they will never accept any medical care that they cannot pay for with cash. Even emergency room care. And yes, we will let them bleed out in the gutter.
Would these “healthy” uninsureds be willing to sign that? If so, then fine – no mandate. If not, then they’re admitting that the plan is to leech off of those who do pay premiums and taxes.

Best comment I’ve seen posted – Great job Rick! (Posted by: Rick | Sep 22, 2009 2:22:34 PM)

George came across as very professional and able, more than can be said for the other guy. 2010 get here! and then, oh boy!, we’re on to 2012!!

Look….it seems to me that the baby boomers are getting old and the only thing that they have left to spend their money on is health care and the government wants to be sure to get their cut of the action…There is your PUBLIC OPTION!

This is an Excise Tax; Here is the exact text from the Baucus Bill page 29
Excise Tax.
The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax. If a taxpayer‘s MAGI is between 100-300 percent of FPL, the excise tax for failing to obtain coverage for an individual in a taxpayer unit (either as a taxpayer or an individual claimed as a dependent) is $750 per year. However, the maximum penalty for the taxpayer unit is $1,500. If a taxpayer
‘s MAGI is above 300 percent of FPL the penalty for failing to obtain coverage for an individual in a taxpayer unit (either as a taxpayer or as an individual claimed as a dependent) is $950 year. However, the maximum penalty amount a family above 300 percent of FPL would pay is $3,800.
ABC do your job! By the way the bill also states that employeees who have employer based healthcare will pay taxes on the employees portion of the benefits and will not be deducted from Gross Income–Tax. (page 31) If an employee is offered health insurance coverage by his or her employer and chooses to enroll in the coverage, the exclusion from gross income would apply to the employer provided portion of the coverage.
For those of you who have Flex Spending Accounts the max deduction pre-tax will be $2000.00 so if you typically claim more than that–no more–tax increase!
America is watching!

All these so called non taxes seem to be very taxing on my bank account. They can call it by another name but it’s all the same to me.

So arrogant..It’s a tax…you can call it whatever you wish but it’s a tax. The American people are not dumb. Whenever he doesn’t like the question his lips pucker up which is a signal to reporter, informing them that he doesn’t like the direction the interview is heading.

For once I agree with Obama. It’s not a tax. Do you have car insurance? Hopefully. The authorities can now take your vehicle and put you in jail if you don’t and have a wreck. Even if you’re not at fault. That is not called a tax is it. So it’s the same thing. I have insurance. I pay for it myself. Therefore just like car insurance everyone who drives must have it. The problem is some people want things for free. They think they deserve it. Well guess what people. You don’t.

Sorry George, keep trying to tell you.
Now, Health Care Reform used to be about trying to make sure everyone could afford health care. The Public or government option puts a whole different light on the subject. It is a government takeover of health care. Public option means the government will pay all those big medical bills, insurance companies used to pay. We’ll pay higher premiums and eventually have rationing.

Bad Compareson with Automobile Insurance, You don’t need a car, and if you own the car the minimum insurance is for collision to be on the road, and if it’s off the road you don’t need to insure it at all.

I see both sides on this issue. My response is that although this may be beneficial over the long haul, it is not the smartest thing to add yet another social tax on the country at this point. Let the country recover before considering attempting this.
This is just my opinion.

All of you whom are complaining about the spurious claim that the government is taking on too much and that we are all becoming socialists are probably the same people whom didn’t raise one complaint when the Bush Administration grew the National Debt from 4 TRILLION to 10 TRILLION over the past 8 years. Hypocrits – all of you. It’s all about me, me, me instead of what is in the best interests of all. You all would probably have complained about Roosevelt creating Social Security and Johnson creating Medicare and now complain that there won’t be any social security and that Medicare is going to be gutted. Hypocrits and fear mongerers.

After Californians passed laws prohibiting new taxes politicians began imposing “fees”. When confronted by a voter about the difference between a tax and a fee, a local politician let the cat out of the bag: “when you pay a tax you get something in return; when you pay a fee you don’t get anything”!!

George, I enjoy watching you, even as a conservative voter. I was so happy to see you actually question the president on this very important issue. Thank you for having the guts to ask the tough questions. I’ve totally lost faith in all news networks but ABC and Fox. Please keep up the good work and report with honesty and integrity and I will continue watching your show!

Both sides of the arguement forget or are not even aware that we had free health care in the 50s and early 60s. Ask anyone over 60 about the free clinics spread across the USA. The difference today in the MANDATE is that the insurance comanies get the money and the ones providing the health care (doctors, nurses, etc) get the trickle down money after the insurance companies get theirs and the federal government gets their share-It is nothing more than EXTORTION and a tax levied on us-Ron Noonan (Health care NOT health Care Insurance) You have been “programmed” on insurance-Health care is supposed to be funded by taxes and in no way did I include Insurance-It is not needed if Health care is provided-See my campaign platform for tn govnr.

By the time the health care overhaul really kicks into effect, nothing in health care today will be recognizable. The 4 years of manipulation, scheming & marketing by insurers & the government will have eliminated virtually EVERY health care insurance plan that exists now.
As we have seen so often, Obama was literally lying through his teeth when he said, repeatedly, “if you like your health care, you can keep it.” Whatever it is you think you like NOW or liked 4 months ago won’t even exist 4 years from now. Your employer is less likely to even offer ANY health care insurance to you by then, and what they offer to you will be defined by health insurance companies, and it won’t be anything like what you have now.
The 4-year delay in implemention of the main health care provisions was a blatant calculation to permit health insurance companies, employers & health care providers to reconstruct the heatlh care system.
And when the tens of millions of currently uninsured get into the system, you simply won’t believe the impact that will have. And when the Democrats get back to what they really want, which is free health care for illegal aliens, that will be the end of it.
American has better use these 4 years to make their own self-protecting adjustments & decisions: like leaving the United States.
And with the vast powers of the IRS provided by Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid, it will become even more the American KGB. This is NOT America. The people behind this are not Americans. They are power-hungry madmen.
In the coming 4 years health are in America will collapse.

You have to remember folks, unless we are lucky enough to find him guilty of lying and being an illegal and an illegal President, he and hs family will have health coverage for the rest of their lives at out costs. Even if he and his wife go to jail for their lies, they will get health care from the public trough. What the hell does he care what it is going to do to our bottom line or our lives in general.

We will now have a tax rate of infinity on some people.
Even if you have no income, you will have to file a tax return to show you pay for an Obama approved health plan. And if the plan is not acceptable to Obama (inexpensive catastrophic only), you will need to pay taxes (a fine) on $0 of income. That is a tax rate of infinity.

De Facto government.

ABC News Sept. 2009 – Obama: Mandate is Not a Tax
NY Times* July 2010 – Changing Stance, Administration Now Defends Insurance Mandate as a Tax
* Reference NY Times article 16 July 2010

Question: How do you know Obama is full of it?
Answer: When his mouth moves, of course.

So… now it’s a tax.

I’m tired of the auto-insurance comparison. If I don’t want to pay auto insurance, I won’t drive. It’s my choice. Under this new bill if I’m to continue to be alive and a productive member of society, I have to buy health-care or or pay a fine for not doing so. Of course if I chose to be a bum and contribute nothing to society, Uncle Obama and his fellow socialists will take care of me.

When the wicked rule, the people mourn. Pray for the judgment of Almighty God upon the destroyers of America and nations around the world. Pray that their own evil deeds will return upon them as their judgment. The international bankster gangsters (murderers, war mongers, liars, thieves, global organized criminals) must be overthrown as quickly as possible!

Contracts inside of size were definitily: 43% involving loan companies; 40% between a bank account together with fund director or perhaps nonbank commercial lender; and lastly to actually 17% between a bank and credit union along with non-financial but also people who create a savings fund stands for the money institutions