Happy 90-Day Anniversary, Health Care Bill: Obama Touts Progress

“Thank you Pres. Obama, I tried to make an appt. with a DR. today in my neighorhood, none will take new Medicare patients. So I will have to go to the emergency room to get treatment.”
What did you do on MediCare for a doctor before the bill was signed 3 months ago?
Oh yeah, the fake scenario had not occurred to you yet.

Happy 90 days…don’t get too comfortable cause you aren’t stayin….

Sorry Ryan C, but 3 month ago I did not need a DR.

yay! 90 days ago I had a $20 co-pay can could take my kids to the dr. Today I have no co-pay and a $10,000 a year deductable. Had to take my son to the dr. today $93.00 for a sick visit. Wonder how much a mandatory well visit will cost. You know w/ all the shots they are required to have. 3 kids 2 parents. Yeah, thanks alot Obummer. Now I can’t afford to take my kids to the dr. but the bum down the street who does nothing but smoke and drink beer all day can go when he wants. This people, is the Obama way!

Thank you, Pres. Obama! I have incredible employer based coverage and my service has not changed a bit, but now those less fortunate will have affordable coverage!

“Posted by: Mary | Jun 22, 2010 4:32:24 PM”
So insurance companies gouging individual consumers versus those buying group plans is somehow Obama’s fault?
The fealty right wingers have to Big Business really is astounding.

Ryan C: “So insurance companies gouging individual consumers versus those buying group plans is somehow Obama’s fault?”
Obamacare is law. Premiums are rising. And premiums are directly tied to the cost of healthcare, which is rising and will continue to rise. If you have proof of gouging, then present it.

Medicare payments CUT. Insurance rates RISE. And YOU get fined er, TAXED if you don’t take the inadequate and expensive insurance!
Yup, that’s “Mission Accomplished”, Obama, for ya!

“The CEOs here today need to know that they’re going to be required to publicly justify unreasonable premium increases — on your websites, as well as the law’s new website, healthcare.gov. As we set up the exchanges, we’ll be watching closely, and we’ll fully support states if they exercise their review authority to keep excessively expensive plans out of their insurance exchanges.”
I wonder when Congress will be required to publicly justify all unreasonable spending bills? Funny how the private industry world is going to be “held accountable” for everything they say, do, write, talk about, blog about, etc. YET the government is STILL allowed to do, well, whatever they want to. The hope and change is all over, huh?

He is certainly correct. Since he signed the forced insurance legislation, my company has revised benefits twice and warned in a company email that substantial changes are expected in 2011. Two of the doctors we know who used to handle Medicare patients have stopped the program. Insurance companies have announced rate hikes for existing coverage in preparation of having to cover pre-existing conditions. But you know what, not a single additional person of the alleged 34 million people who didn’t receive health care (a lie in that the majority did receive health care, they just didn’t have insurance) the same 34 million are in the same position. At least 5 million are expected to refuse to take out insurance and pay the $1,000 penalty instead resulting in a tax increase on the middle class. But hey, other than that, not much has been done.

You folks understand that the Medicare cuts that we are seeing the impact of now are part of a law that was passed year ago and Congress is still squabling over how to fix? Everyone agreed that the heathcar system was broken two years ago. Heathcare costs were rising by 12% a year before Obama was elected. The fact that you are complaining about what is happening not, years befor the laws go into effect should tell you something

So insurance companies gouging individual consumers versus those buying group plans is somehow Obama’s fault?
The fealty right wingers have to Big Business really is astounding.
Posted by: Ryan C | Jun 22, 2010 5:26:24 PM
So true. I agree with the president: “Insurance companies should see this reform as an opportunity to improve care and increase competition. They shouldn’t see it as an opportunity to enact unjustifiable rate increases that don’t boost care and inflate their bottom line.”
That doesn’t mean they will, of course, which is why justifying rate increases publicly makes sense.
Meanwhile, the June issue of Health Affairs has a nice analysis and commentary by David Cutler on “How Health Care Reform Must Bend The Cost Curve” noting that “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has several features designed to modernize the delivery of services and thus ensure a more efficient, more effective, and less expensive health care system. ” Worth a read for those who don’t understand those features or remain obtuse in regards to them.

progressive mama: “I agree with the president.”
Well, there’s your first mistake. Premiums are going up and the quality of healthcare is going down. It’s simple supply and demand. There’s no amount of soaring rhetoric from Obama or ridiculous Kool Aid-inspired “analyses” from wacko left-wing propaganda sites that will change those facts. Sorry.

pam, listen to your logic. You said it was Obama’s plan all along for everyone to be looking for insurance? Huh? Why would he do that?
And the insurance companies fought the health insurance reform bill tooth and nail because… they would make more money from it’s passing?
The American Medical Assoc., most hospitals, AARP for heaven’s sake all vetted the bill and endorsed it because it would be bad for folks?
The only way the bill could be better is if it had Medicare for all to buy into, as they run a low 4% overhead compared to the high overhead of private insurance companies, sometimes as high as 35%. That’s a lot of money not being spent on medical care.

Lydia,the AMA endorsed it to preserve its billing code system, which is its major source of revenue since most physicians aren’t members and aren’t paying dues.Its relationship with most practicing physicians is essentially nil.

“Premiums are going up and the quality of healthcare is going down”
That was happening anyway, before the passage of The Bill.
Posted by: Skip | Jun 22, 2010 10:33:35 PM
Exactly… and premiums were projected to double every seven years.
Meanwhile, in addition to the piece in the June issue of Health Affairs I mentioned (related to bending the cost curve) Peter R. Orszag, Ph.D., and Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D. make their case regarding cost control (and cost-control elements of the ACA) in the June 16th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (“Health Care Reform and Cost Control”)
(gnashing of teeth by the usual suspects fully expected due to the authors… no need to bore us with full exhibits… read the article first!)

I don’t know one person that was helped by the so-called health care reform. Not one.
On the other hand, a lot of seniors won’t be able to get health care because doctors will no longer accept any new medicare patients because the government has cut the already ridiculously low payments they receive.

“I don’t know one person that was helped by the so-called health care reform. Not one”
I know several people who were being denied coverage and care because of pre-existing conditions.

No difference for me, and I can’t wait ’til my elderly parents have their Medicare benefits cut. Thanks for nothing, BO. All talk, no do (except spend spend spend), that would be you.

Why is anyone celebrating this? My mom just had a medication she had been taking for YEARS denied as unnecessary. It’s only going to get worse.

According to recent Gallup poll results (and Jon Chait’s headline at TNR) “Non-old people love Obama Care”
(or more accurately the majority of Americans, particularly non-oldsters see passage of ARA as a good thing.)

When they get over 90 they start taking a whole lot of care.. it’s hard to know when to pull the plug on the plus 90′s.

“progressive mama said “(or more accurately the majority of Americans, particularly non-oldsters see passage of ARA as a good thing.)”
That’s because they don’t know any better and are uneducated in the subject.”
So the folks over 65 who are on MediCare know best and that the GOVERNMENT run healthcare system should not be reformed?
Or are you saying that folks under the age of 65 don’t know any better and are uneducated?

I’M PROUD OF YOU LABOR!. Keep standing up. The lives and health of all the American people and the World are in serious jeopardy.
Further, unemployment healthcare benefits are critically needed. But they should be provided through the Medicare program at cost, less the 65% government premium subsidy provided now to private for profit health insurance.
Congress should stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on private for profit health insurance subsidies. Subsidies that cost the taxpayer 10x as much or more than Medicare does. Private for profit health insurance plans cost more. But provide dangerous and poorer quality patient care.
It’s over. Tell congress to get the healthcare Merchants of death and injury out of the American peoples lives for good. 2010 is about THE PUBLIC OPTION!
And that CORRUPT! UNDEMOCRATIC! filibuster must GO! NOW!
Alan Grayson Honors The Dead http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV9TRoYMtjs&feature=player_embedded
Alan Grayson on Healthcare http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPpQ2MNaSDo&feature=player_embedded
Ron Sparks HealthCareReform http://youtu.be/kqlBFRJh4Cw
John Garamendi – The Public Option http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyBTEke68aQ&feature=player_embedded
I want to commend all of you for working so hard and being so strong at helping the whitehouse and congress begin to address our U.S. and Global healthcare crisis. You have been AWESOME! my fellow Americans and peoples of the World. America and the World is better and safer for it. My greatest pride is the knowledge that I am one of you. And that you really get it. You really understand the importance of it all.
There are some potentially very good things in the healthcare legislation. Especially with the reconciliation fix’s. The Democrats, Bernie Sanders and the Whitehouse did a GREAT! job of fighting to produce the best healthcare legislation that they could. They have earned all our strong support. And we should give it to them.
But it was your relentless pressure and hard work that made the difference. Whatever good comes from this healthcare legislation, America and the peoples of the World will have each of you to thank. You were smart, creative, courageous and relentless. You fought together for the best legislation possible. And when you had to, you fought alone. No matter who stumbled and fell you continued to push and forge ahead. Fighting for the lives and health of the American people and the World. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOUR-SELVES :-)
It may come to pass that future generations will look back on us and say that we were ALL Americas Greatest Generations. And that healthcare reform was our finest hour. You should be proud of our leaders President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the many other Democratic and independent fighters for the people in congress. They proved them-self worthy of the leadership of a GREAT! PEOPLE.
But we are not done yet. This was just the beginning of healthcare reform, not the end. WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, ARE NOT! divided on healthcare legislation. The vast majority of you have been consistently crystal clear that this legislation does not go far enough. You want a strong Government-run Public Option CHOICE!! available to everyone on day one. And you want it NOW!
YOU MUST NOT ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE TO STAND WITHOUT A STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
WE THE PEOPLE have been crystal clear that we want an end to dependence on for-profit healthcare and the for-profit proxies called private for non-profit healthcare. The American people want the CHOICE! of a strong Government-run Public Option to replace their need or dependence on healthcare providers whose primary motivation is profit. Rather than providing the highest quality, easiest accessible and most affordable medically necessary healthcare possible. This is what the rest of the developed World has. And the American people want it too. They want healthcare ASSURANCE! Not, for-profit health insurance. And they want it NOW!
Now is the time to continue the push for a strong Government-run Public Option CHOICE! available to everyone that wants it on day one. Rationally it’s clear what we have to do to get this done. SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATS that supported you with a Public Option choice, and REMOVE as many republicans as you can. Not one republican in congress was willing to step across the isle to support a strong Government-run Public Option CHOICE!! available to everyone on day one. NOT ONE! Let no candidate prevail this November that does not support a Strong Government-run Public Option.
47,000 AMERICANS die each year from lack of healthcare. 120,000 die from treatable illness that don’t die in other developed countries. Hundreds of thousands of you are dieing from medical accidents in a rush to profit. And Millions of you are injured. Millions more are driven into bankruptcy. All for the privilege of paying two to three times as much as any other people in the developed world for healthcare. HOGWASH!
Additionally, tens of thousands of you and your children were killed and millions sickened and injured from a terror attack with H1N1 (swine flu). Released on the American people and the World by the for-profit healthcare industry. All in an attempt to panic and frighten you into accepting the oxymoronic criminal enterprise of private for-profit healthcare (The most costly, deadly, dangerous, and disgraceful product sold in America). H1N1 is still sickening people and killing them. Especially children, the young and the middle aged. And there will be a third wave. These are the terrorist you need to worry about the most. Even the so-called international terrorist would not do something so INSANE! But greed driven medical profiteers would and did.
Apparently as far as republicans in GOVERNMENT are concerned, YOU! my fellow Americans – CAN JUST DROP DEAD! Including their own family members. Fools!… Hundreds of thousands of you, and possibly millions of you will die from the long-term effects of your infection and poisoning with H1N1.
So my fellow Human Beings. Rest-up, Take good care of the basics (Balanced nutrition, hydration, exercise, rest and POSITIVE emotional supports). Then wade back into the FIGHT! for a strong Government-run Public Option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one. Drug re-importation, Abolishment or strong restrictions on patents for biologic and prescription drugs. And government controlled and negotiated drug and medical cost. You must take back control of your healthcare system from the Medical Industrial Complex. You MUST do it NOW! This is a matter of National and Global security. There can be NO MORE EXCUSES.
God Bless You My Fellow Human Beings. I’m glad to know of you. And proud to be one of you.
See you on the battle field.
Sincerely
jacksmith – WorkingClass :-)

The Government Option is a disaster reserved for Socialistic Loser Countries.
Keep the Government Option off our shores.
Stay vigilant America