The great irony of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which overcame a fillibuster attempt on Saturday night, is that it will make health care more expensive, rather than affordable, for patients. This seems by design. How does $60 billion in new taxes on health insurance companies reduce the cost of health care? Is anybody naive enough to believe that levying $22 billion in new taxes upon pharmaceutical companies will make prescription drugs cheaper for those who rely on them? Ditto for the $19 billion in taxes proposed for the manufacturers of medical devices. It is consumers, not companies, who will pay these taxes. Remember: this bill proposes that the government compete with private insurance companies through a public option. It's easy to put the competition out of business when you are both competitor and referee. This bill, then, is more means then end. It masquerades as legislation to reduce the cost of health care. Instead, it intentionally boosts the cost of health care, which is done in part through higher taxes. The motive here is to burden the private health insurance industry so heavily that the single-payer (i.e., government-run health care) plan will be more politically palatable a few years down the road.
This bill is good for private health insurers because it mandates the purchasing of for-profit insurance. Those who do not have insurance through their employer who cannot afford private insurance will be given some type of public option. The slippery-slope logical fallacy is that this will lead to "government-run" health care in the future. This prediction relies on induction, and if any inductive principle can be used to make government predictions it would be "Those who make money will never make less money. That cannot be allowed." Also, the stock prices of AHIP and PHRMA companies has soared since the release of the details of the bill.
"...the stock prices of AHIP and PHRMA have risen since the release of the details of the bill." I'm assuming these are private health insureres. If so, this shows that the investors are complete idiots or they do not plan to hold the stocks for very long. In any event this bill will put them out of business, lower the quality of health care, and place new taxes on the consumer which will increase the cost of health care. If an institutional investor plans to hold these stocks, they are complete numbskulls. Now if they can bait the investing public to buy in, they might make some money before the companies go under which is the inevitable result of Obamacare.
Urgent!! Robert Reich on your healthcare http://bit.ly/SAQ7a
Why A Strong Public Option Is Essential - By jacksmith - Working Class
Robert Reich explains the pubic option: http://bit.ly/dDYSJ
Hollywood Supports The Public Option :-) http://bit.ly/3XLwPi
Beautiful HEATHER GRAHAM http://bit.ly/12sRYD :-)
It's not just because more than two thirds of the American people want a single payer health care system. And if they cant have a single payer system 77% of all Americans want a strong government-run public option on day one (86% of democrats, 75% of independents, and 72% republicans). Basically everyone.
It's not just because according to a new AARP POLL: 86 percent of seniors want universal healthcare security for All, including 93% of Democrats, 87% of Independents, and 78% of Republicans. With 79% of seniors supporting creating a new strong Government-run public option plan, available immediately. Including 89% of Democrats, 80% of Independents, and 61% of Republicans, STUNNING!!
It's not just because it will lower cost. Because a strong public option will dramatically lower cost for everyone. And dramatically improved the quality of care everyone receives in America and around the World. Rich, middle class, and poor a like.
It's not just because it will save trillions of dollars and prevent the needless deaths of millions more of YOU, caused by a rush to profit by the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!
It's not just because every expert in every field, including economist, and Nobel laureates all agree that free market based healthcare systems don't work. Never have and never will. The US has the only truly free market based healthcare system in the World. And as you all know now, IT IS A DISASTER!
It's not just because providing or denying medically necessary care for profit motivations is wrong. Because it is WRONG! It's professionally, ethically, and morally REPUGNANT!, Animalistic, VILE and EVIL.
THE REASON THE PUBLIC OPTION IS ESSENTIAL:
The public option is ESSENTIAL because over 200 million of you are trapped in the forest of the wolves. Which is the forest of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! With no way out except through needless inhumane suffering, and DEATH. While the wolves tear at your flesh, and rip you limb from lib. Then feast on your lifeless bodies like a dead carcase for transplant parts.
At the most vulnerable times of your lives (when you were sick and hurting), millions of you have had to fight and loose cruel, but heroic battles. Fighting against the big guns of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! in the forest of the wolves. All because you have no place else to go. You have no other CHOICE!
But the PUBLIC OPTION will give you someplace safe to go. And it will give us someplace safe to take you. The public option will be your refugium (your refuge). Where the wolves cannot get at you when your down, hurting, and vulnerable. Where everyone who needs it can find rest, security, comfort and the care they need. Protected by the BIG GUNS of We The People Of The United States. THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE AND COUNTRY ON EARTH.
This is why it is so critical that we do not lead another 50 million vulnerable, uninsured Americans into the forest of the wolves, without the protections of a Strong Government-run MEDICARE like public option. We The People Of The United States MUST NOT LET THAT HAPPEN to any more of our fellow Americans. If healthcare reform does not contain a strong MEDICARE like public option on day one. YOU MUST! KILL IT. Or you will do far more harm than good. And millions more will die needlessly. Rich, middle class, and poor a like.
To those who would continue to obstruct good and true healthcare reform for the American people, and who seek to trap millions more vulnerable Americans in the forest of the wolves. We will continue to fight you. We are prepared to wage all out war against you, and will eagerly DESTROY! you. Time...is...UP! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! No Co-op's! No Triggers! NO INDIVIDUAL MANDATES! without a Strong MEDICARE like public option on day one.
Healthcare reform can be the GREATEST! Accomplishment of our time and century. A time when future generations may say of us, that we were all, AMERICAS GREATEST GENERATIONS.
BUT WE MUST ACT!
I therefore call on all my fellow Americans and the peoples of the World. To join us in this fight so that we may finish becoming the better America that we aspire to be for everyone.
SPREAD THE WORD!
I have been privileged to be witness as many of you fought, and struggled to take your first breath, and your last breath on this earth. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Life is precious.
Whatever the cost. WE! MUST SUCCEED.
God Bless You My Fellow Human Beings
jacksmith - Working Class
ATTENTION!! Congress Has The Votes Needed To Pass A Public Option - TODAY http://bit.ly/TCq7O
Things You Can Do To Help NOW! http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2009/09/tired_of_watching_people_die_n.html
A majority of voters would rather have a Democrats only bill with a Public Option. Than a bipartisan bill without a Public Option.
A state based insurance plan is NOT!! a Public Option. Nor is it a Strong, National, Medicare like Public Option.
No Triggers! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-rosenbaum/a-trigger-for-the-public_b_277910.html
Triggers http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/weve-seen-these-triggers_b_283583.html
Krugman on heathcare (http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/why-markets-cant-cure-healthcare/)
Senator Bernie Sanders on healthcare (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSM8t_cLZgk&feature=player_embedded)
John Garamendi on the Public Option and the Grassroots: http://bit.ly/TJMty
Howard Dean on the Public Option http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SKfW2dUnow&feature=player_embedded
We're Number 37! in quality of health care http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgOl3cETb4&feature=player_embedded
Twitter search (#welovethenhs #NHS #hc09 #hcr #healthcar #obama #p2 #topprog #) Check it out.
Everything written here is right on the money. This legislation is an abomination and will cripple the economy not only directly through onerous taxes and assaulting (again) private industries and businesses but by the mismanagement of 1/6th of our economy by a bunch of incompetent bureaucrats, most of whom having never managed anything but an election campaign. This spells complete and utter disaster.
I'm extremely disappointed that those in our government who opposed this but didn't stand up to Chicago and Nevada styled thuggery.
And there's a reason why the costs to consumers for this will kick in immediately but the alleged "services" for this horror will not start until 2013 - after the next major election cycle.
What we're looking at here is the late great United States.
On a side note, ANYBODY who can look at this fiasco and come away in support of this legislation (PMA) has to either really not be paying attention or is very dumb because this government takeover will end very badly for us and our country.
So how is that Hope and Change working out for everybody? Just “Hope” we make it through the next three years without too much more “Change” as the health of our country won’t be able to much more of it.
I don't support the bill, particularly the for-profit mandates. I support universal single-payer. One of the best explanations for opposing the bill was written by Dennis Kucinich, which can be read here.
Sorry, you REALLY lost me at Dennis Kucinich. Not that I haven't before, but I'm really wondering about you PMA.
Bernie Sanders opposes it, too, so PMA is far from the only anarcho-commie opposing this bill from the left.
Contra the jacksmith fantasy land, here is where ObamaCare and its many derivatives stand with the American public:
Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% now oppose the plan.
Half the survey was conducted before the Senate voted late Saturday to begin debate on its version of the legislation. Support for the plan was slightly lower in the half of the survey conducted after the Senate vote.
Prior to this, support for the plan had never fallen below 41%. Last week, support for the plan was at 47%. Two weeks ago, the effort was supported by 45% of voters.
Intensity remains stronger among those who oppose the push to change the nation’s health care system: 21% Strongly Favor the plan while 43% are Strongly Opposed.
How about Leiberman puffing up to filibuster saying that the legislation stinks then voting for it under the cover of Saturday night and then going on Sunday television saying that the legislation stinks?
Now that's committment!!!
