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To underscore the point President Obama made this weekend, Sam Stein at the Huffington Post has been given a copy of a internal RNC strategy memo on health care reform. Their strategy? Slow it down and kill it in any way possible. In fact, their exact words are:
"The Republican National Committee will engage in every activity we can to slow down this mad rush while promoting sensible alternatives that address health care costs and preserve quality."
Now, remember, there is no Republican plan for health care, not to mention one that addresses either health care costs or quality. So their line about proposing a sensible alternative is pure fiction. Their opposition to health care reform has nothing to do with saving you or your family money, helping small businesses being crushed by health care costs, or stopping rising premiums from wrecking our economy. Instead, the strategy here is to make sure health care is President Obama’s "Waterloo," so Republicans can win back at least a shred of the power in Congress they squandered passing President Bush’s policies that destroyed our economy in the first place.
And anybody on either side of the aisle who talks about slowing down or killing health reform (and make no mistake, slowing down reform is killing it), is playing into Republican hands.
(also posted at the NOW! blog)
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About The Seminal
Yes, I thought the whole ’sensible alternative’ thing was just hilarious. They’ve got NOTHING. The whole strategy is to crush Obama, and thereby eviscerate the entire term of his presidency.
Republicans like to play political games with people’s lives. Michael Steele wants to protect the “sanctity of the patient insurer,” relationship. Yeah, Michael it is really divine when they deny care and rescind policies.
It is morally repugnant to profit off the misery or ill health of Americans. It’s criminal that medical bills to the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX make up 62% of all bankruptcies filed in the U.S. each year. Americans spend 2.5 Trillion Dollars a year on Health care. The overhead at the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX is upwards of 35% of the health care dollar spent each year in the U.S. That is approximately $900 Billion a year the MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX uses for BRIBING CONGRESS and their lavish lifestyles, huge salaries plus perks and bonuses. All the while milking the hard-working men/women of this great nation of their hard earned money.
On the other hand Medicare has an overhead of 2%, Canada’s system is 1.5%, Europe’s 2.5% on average. The money that could be saved by eliminating the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX is estimated at $900 Billion a year. Enough money to help pay for putting all Americans on MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER TYPE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
We have to fight back and call, write e-mails, letters-to-editors, Congress and to the White House to let them know how Americans feel about the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX that currently provides the health care in this country.
Here are some Senators and blue dog(dems) who are on the wrong side of Health Care reform. Give them a call and demand,
“MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER TYPE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL NOW!”
Thanks to Dateline_Molly for this chart that shows how much money was paid to Senators by the MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX to OBSTRUCT health care refrom. Link Now, when I call each member I can quote to them how much money they were PAID/BRIBED by the MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX to throw their constituents under the bus and deny them SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE.
(blue dogs)
Ross D-AR, Boucher D-VA, Kind D-WI, Pomeroy D-ND, Tanner D-TN
Polis (CO), Titus (NV) and Altmire (PA)
These are the problem Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee: John Barrow (GA-12), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Bart Gordon (TN-04), Baron Hill (IN-09), Jay Inslee (WA-01), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Charlie Melancon LA-03, Zack Space (OH-18) and Bart Stupak (MI-01).
Joe Lieberman I-CT, Chuck Grassley R-IA, Lindsey Graham R-SC,
Susan Collins R-ME, Olympia Snowe R-ME, David Vitter R-LA,
Saxby Chambliss R-GA, Tom Coburn R-OK, Jon Kyl R-AZ,
John Thune R-SD, Richard Lugar R-IN, Jim DeMint R-SC
Jeff Sessions R-AL, Richard Shelby R-AL, Mel Martinez R-FL,
John McCain R-AZ, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Jim Inhofe R-OK,
Lamar Alexander R-TN, Dick Burr R-NC, John Cornyn R-TX
Mark Pryor D-AR, Thomas Carper D-DE, Mary Landrieu D-LA,
Max Baucus D-MT, Kent Conrad D-ND, Ben Nelson D-NE,
Maria Cantwell D-WA, Kay Hagan D-NC, Blanche Lincoln D-AR,
Ron Wyden D-OR, Evan Bayh D-IN, Diane Feinstein D-CA,
Arlen Specter D-PA
Here are the toll-free numbers for the Capitol Hill Switchboard:
(House and Senate)
1-800-828-0498
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-800-473-6711
Also give the President a call or write an e-mail:
White House Comments Line:
1-202-456-1111 M-F 9:00-5:00 est. (NOT A TOLL-FREE #)
President Obama’s e-mail: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Nothing rattles the Congress and White House more than informed CITIZEN/VOTERS ringing the phones off the hook for real health care reform. Call the House, Senate and the White House and demand,
“MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER TYPE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL NOW!”
SEMPER FI!
The obstructionism has been all the wingers had to offer since before the election, no reputable candidate would even raise his head and run for the party’s nomination. The only points they are making now are blatant lies. After their racist revival by Southern Strategy, this is a benefit, not a loss, to the country.
But it’s all the worst of politics, so it’s all OK, right??
Rethugs don’t think they need an alternative plan. They sincerely believe that it is acceptable for 46 million Americans not to have access to healthcare, and for the rest to bear increasingly exorbitant costs. They think that healthcare is a privilege and an incentive to be earned (or inherited) instead of a right and an essential service.
Yes, there is a R health care plan. Eliminate liability cases and expanding medical savings accounts. Q.E.D., problem solved.
I think their plan is to kill off the rest of us.
And if you need actual treatment, well it’s just a short ride to the emergency room.
That’s one way of creating a permanent R majority.
Thanks. I forgot that one.
NavyDoc wrote, “It is morally repugnant to profit off the misery or ill health of Americans.”
Come on, let’s not get carried away here. Profit pays the salaries of nurses and millions of other hospital workers and suppliers. It also allows for the advancement of science; without somebody making a profit, there is no way MRIs, for example, would be around.
So let’s keep an even keel, swabbie.
Bingo.
How Very True Betsy!! Actions Speak lots louder that all their lies!!
Profits do not pay salaries. Profits are what’s left over after salaries and other costs are paid.
Case for profits and innovation in medical industry has not been proved. For example, in big pharma, 80% of research goes into “me-too” drugs, i.e., those that are a patentable difference from existing blockbusters. You can just as likely argue that with lower profits, the squeeze might lead to real innovation.
Under the “public option” the government cannot be sued for malpractice. It’s called Sovereign Immunity. SO why couldn’t we have tort reform and health savings account? That fits the American Way far so much better.
Actually no. Revenue pays the salaries. The salaries are then classed as expenses which can be cut as far back as possible.
Profit is what goes into the owner and management pockets after they’ve squeezed and squeezed those workers, making them work long hours, classifying them as “management/exempt” whenever possible in order to avoid paying overtime, lowering expenses and thus increase the profits
Depends on how the public option works. If the govt pays but the doc malpractices, the doc can be sued. That’s my understanding of what they’re talking about.
If there is no meaningful healthcare reform, blame the Clinton democrats and Reid, no one else on the assumption of expecting nothing from politicians called republicans.
This should have all been organized by democrats prior to reporting out any proposed legislation. Never have “democrats” displayed their big business and wall street stripes more than in the last weeks.
“The whole strategy is to crush Obama, and thereby eviscerate the entire term of his presidency.”
And so it is with the “stimulus” crap. Krugman, etal said that the original program would not be nearly enough and that when it failed, the right-wingers would be saying, “See? We told you it wouldn’t work. More tax cuts etc…”
Well, it’s failing and the right-wingers are doing just exactly what was predicted.
When are the Demo party brass going to wake the fuck up?
The rethugs have the same plan they have had for the last fifteen years.
Who in right mind would want to change the excellent and envy of the world American healthcare system?
A system fully hinged on private,for profit gatekeepers who we all know do the best job of keeping the costs down and the quality up.
What is wrong with Americans? Why do over 70% of Americans want to change this superb,well managed and balanced access and delivery system?
Clearly the Republicans fully understand the mission they must fulfi!!
Stop Americans from changing the best access and best choices in healthcare because clearly the American people just don’t know how good it is. Besides look how much money the current system moves to the top and how that money finds it’s way to WashingtonDC to do good things there too?
Thankfully the Republicans want American healthcare reform slowed and killed. The Republicans know reform will wreck the superb current setup for American healthcare allocation based on how much money you have or how lucky you are to work for employers who furnish better health insurance. Of course if you are just poor or have run out of money or luck or are not employed by an employer who offers health insurance you can afford that is your fault. You must be a loser American.
Republicans can’t help you are a loser! Buck up a little. Geezz.
What a great party!! Lets hope Jeb Bush is elected in 2012!! GOP!! GOP!!
Okay, I can see your point. All I’m saying is that profit is a good thing. Companies that aren’t making profits aren’t hiring people. And I believe that overall, having jobs is much more vital to America than having health insurance.
As for moral repugnance, having food is also more important than having health care, but it’s not morally repugnant to charge for food.
Yes they do and I fear that it is going to be effective, particularly as regards the 2012 election cycle.
I think you are making a straw man argument there. I’ll agree that profit is generally a good thing, but not when the profit comes at the expense of denying people health care, which is the situation we are in with the current health care insurance systems.
And I don’t see anyone making any arguments against charging for food.
You are speaking about a market in which there is geniune competition, which is definitely not the case in the medical industry. The knowledge gap between the buyer and seller, and the customer’s vulnerablity (sick) give the seller much more economic power than Adam Smith ever contemplated in his atomistic buyer and seller model of perfect competition, which also requires symmetical knowledge for both buyer and seller.
Profit, per se, is not the issue. Price-fixing (for starters) is. How about we introduce another choice (and another buying pool) into the mix? Sounds almost like a “free market” solution to me.
Insurance companies are invested in denying coverage. That’s how they feed their bottom lines. To suggest that the current program works in any other way is (to put it nicely) simply delusional.
Yeah, okay. I was just trying to stir up a little debate because I’m bored at the moment, but my examples are getting trounced pretty good here. I’ll try again some other time. No hard feelings, NavyDoc.
“You are speaking about a market in which there is geniune competition, which is definitely not the case in the medical industry.”
Bingo!
Insurance is the ultimate moral hazard industry. As soon as you file a claim, your “insurer’s” incentive is to deny it. Which is the main reason why regulation is required.
My goodness, when you are polite and informed, trolls seem to melt away.
Unless and until congress and the president accept that the central health care problem in the U.S. IS the health insurance industry, no good will come from any health care legislation.
That is, unless you like Medicare Part D.
“Tort reform” is insurance company code for not ever having to pay for anything. They are trying to protect their malpractice insurance policies by capping awards for malpractice by tying it to health insurance reform. Well, they call it “healthcare reform.” The government will never be sued for paying for insurance. Neither will the insurance companies that provide health care coverage. That is a specious argument. If BCBS provides your coverage, and the doctor that they pay commits malpractice, would you sue the insurance company? Of course not. Parse EVERYTHING that they say very carefully. Especially before you believe it.
Yes. Dwindling resources require that.
Profit doesn’t pay anybody’s anything. Salaries, benefits etc are operating expenses. Profit emerges after all operating expenses are paid. Health care profits go to health care executives and shareholders.
I don’t know about NavyDoc but after 14 years in the Navy I never did like being called a swabbie.
The public option is health insurance. The government won’t be providing health care, so they wouldn’t be sued for malpractice anyway. And besides, the people can sue the government, it happens all the time.