Congress Won't Take the Medicine They Prescribe
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Harrison
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corruption Democrats democrats exempt ed morrissey hotair.com hypocrites investor's business daily John Fleming Liberals obamakare socialized medicine Ted Kennedy
Democratic coffee cup.
Oh it just gets better and better regarding Obamakare. Check out this from Investor’s Business Daily (do you smell a rat?):
Health Reform: If Democrats in Washington think their health care reform with a public option is a good thing, why have they exempted themselves from it? Why isn’t what’s good for their constituents good for them?
During ABC’s June 24 infomercial for government-run health care broadcast from the White House, President Obama was asked if he and his family would abide by the restrictions and limitations that came with his proposed reforms.
In what Ed Morrissey at HotAir.com called “Obama’s Michael Dukakis moment,” President Obama refused to make such a pledge and confessed that if “it’s my family member, if it’s my wife, if it’s my children, if it’s my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.”
There was no commentary about evil insurance companies making excessive profits or greedy physicians and hospitals doing unnecessary tests and procedures to run up your bill.
There was only a dutiful husband and father wanting the best care for his wife and children, as do we all.
Yet here was the president arguing for the need for 50 million new patients officially in the system while adding no new doctors, a plan that inevitably leads to rationing.
Add to this situation doctors who will retire in droves and doctors who never will be, all to avoid a clone of Britain’s draconian National Health Service.
Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center who asked Obama that question, says elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it’s not provided by insurance.
Congress is no exception.
As World Net Daily points out, on Page 114 of the Orwellian-titled Affordable Health Care Choices Act authored by Sen. Ted Kennedy’s staff and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), there is a provision that specifically exempts members of Congress from the public plan.
At a news conference June 23, President Obama said people would be able to choose their insurance “the same way that federal employees do, same way that members of Congress do.”
That statement was false.
Rep. John Fleming, R-La., a physician, told Fox News: “All these health care bills that are coming out on the Democrats’ side — the ‘reform’ bills — basically say that Congress is exempt for at least the first five years, and perhaps longer.
“I’ve issued H. Res. 615 that simply says, look, if you vote for this, then you should choose it.”
House Resolution 615, which is nonbinding, says “members who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, federal government run health insurance option are urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree to enroll under that public option.”
On July 16, Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., went further and offered an amendment to the House version during the Ways and Means Committee markup that would require members of Congress to enroll in its own government-run health care program.
Democrats defeated the amendment, 23 to 18.
The irony here is that under the health reform he is sponsoring, it is unlikely that Sen. Ted Kennedy would have gotten the treatment he needed for his brain tumor if his case had to be reviewed by some cost-effectiveness board.
The likelihood is that if Ted Kennedy were British and subject to the tender mercies of that nation’s National Health System, he’d be dead by now.
As Fleming says, his resolution offers “members of Congress an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is.”
Congressmen, heal thyselves.
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10:44 AM
Harrison, Harrison, Harrison,
It’s always one excuse or another to complain about health care reform, isn’t it? Who really cares about the coverage received by a couple thousand congressmen and their families? What about the 37 million Americans who don’t have health care coverage? Republicans would love to make the debate about Obama (like calling this his Waterloo). One of the reasons why Republicans got whipped so bad in the last election was the perception they don’t care about the middle class, just about the special interests.
.-= askcherlock´s last blog ..I was a UFO and… Other Conspiracies =-.
10:51 AM
I find it very interesting you see no issue with the fact that Congress has exempted themselves from the very same healthcare they feel all Americans (but them) should “enjoy” as that was the purpose of the entire story.
11:09 AM
Some liberal caller on one of the local radio talk shows commented that this whole issue of Republicans complaining against congress exempting itself from the public plan health care plan was a “red herring.” The talk show host, a liberal, didn’t challenge him. Since it is a fact that Congress has indeed inserted language to exempt themselves from a public plan, I failed to see how any objection counts as a “red herring.” It seems to me that advocates for this public scheme are willing to dismiss any shortcomings by crying “red herring,” even though it doesn’t apply, or by claiming that conservatives don’t want any health care reform. Both patently untrue.
.-= vulcanhammer´s last blog ..Obama The Bully =-.
11:30 AM
Exactly. Key part of the article:
“[E]lites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available.”
2:33 PM
Some animals are more equal than others.
.-= burro´s last blog ..Gary Locke has got a lock on stupidity =-.
3:07 PM
LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Thomas Paine)
We have the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed world. Conservative estimates are that over 120,000 of you dies each year in America from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Insured and uninsured. Men, women, children, and babies. This is what being 37th in quality of healthcare means.
I know that many of you are angry and frustrated that REPUBLICANS! In congress are dragging their feet and trying to block TRUE healthcare reform. What republicans want is just a taxpayer bailout of the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry, and the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare industry. A trillion dollar taxpayer funded private health insurance bailout is all you really get without a robust government-run public option available on day one.
YOU CANT HAVE AN INSURANCE MANDATE WITHOUT A ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION. MANDATEING PRIVATE FOR PROFIT HEALTH INSURANCE AS YOUR ONLY CHOICE WOULD BE UNETHICAL, CORRUPT, AND MORALLY REPUGNANT. AND PROBABLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AS WELL.
These industries have been slaughtering you and your loved ones like cattle for decades for profit. Including members of congress and their families. These REPUBLICANS are FOOLS!
Republicans and their traitorous allies have been trying to make it look like it’s President Obama’s fault for the delays, and foot dragging. But I think you all know better than that. President Obama inherited one of the worst government catastrophes in American history from these REPUBLICANS! And President Obama has done a brilliant job of turning things around, and working his heart out for all of us.
But Republicans think you are just a bunch of stupid, idiot, cash cows with short memories. Just like they did under the Bush administration when they helped Bush and Cheney rape America and the rest of the World.
But you don’t have to put up with that. And this is what you can do. The Republicans below will be up for reelection on November 2, 2010. Just a little over 13 months from now. And many of you will be able to vote early. So pick some names and tell their voters that their representatives (by name) are obstructing TRUE healthcare reform. And are sellouts to the insurance and medical lobbyist.
Ask them to contact their representatives and tell them that they are going to work to throw them out of office on November 2, 2010, if not before by impeachment, or recall elections. Doing this will give you something more to do to make things better in America. And it will help you feel better too.
There are many resources on the internet that can help you find people to call and contact. For example, many social networking sites can be searched by state, city, or University. Be inventive and creative. I can think of many ways to do this. But be nice. These are your neighbors. And most will want to help.
I know there are a few democrats that have been trying to obstruct TRUE healthcare reform too. But the main problem is the Bush Republicans. Removing them is the best thing tactically to do. On the other hand. If you can easily replace a democrat obstructionist with a supportive democrat, DO IT!
You have been AMAZING!!! my people. Don’t loose heart. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy saving the World.
God Bless You
jacksmith — Working Class
Republican Senators up for re-election in 2010.
* Richard Shelby of Alabama
* Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
* John McCain of Arizona
* Mel Martinez of Florida
* Johnny Isakson of Georgia
* Mike Crapo of Idaho
* Chuck Grassley of Iowa
* Sam Brownback of Kansas
* Jim Bunning of Kentucky
* David Vitter of Louisiana
* Kit Bond of Missouri
* Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
* Richard Burr of North Carolina
* George Voinovich of Ohio
* Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
* Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* John Thune of South Dakota
* Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
* Bob Bennett of Utah
6:56 PM
In summary, therefore, the WHO ranking system has minimal objectivity in its “ranking” of world health. It more accurately can be described as a ranking system inherently biased to reward the uniformity of “government” delivered (i.e. “socialized”) health care, independent of the care actually delivered. In that regard the relatively low ranking of the US in the WHO system can be viewed as a “positive” testament to at least some residual “free market” influence (also read “personal freedom”) in the American Health Care system. The American health care consumer needs to understand what the WHO ranking does and does not say about American health. Don’t be fooled by “big government” politicians and the liberal media who are attempting to use this statistic to push for socialized medicine in the United States. It says essentially nothing about the delivery of health care or the quality of that delivery in the US. It does say that, so far, the American health care consumer has at least some personal freedom to seek the best health care available, and is not yet relegated to the “one size fits all” philosophy of government sponsored health care systems.
http://smartgirlnation.com/2009/06/01/popular-ranking-unfairly-misrepresents-the-us-health-care-system/
7:13 PM
I always chuckle when someone quotes the WHO or the OECD stats on how “terrible” the U.S. health care system stacks up to “superior” universal health care schemes. My favorite stat to debunk is the infant mortality rate. The U.S. ranks poorly. The main issue with the infant mortality rate is how the OECD comes up with its data. In this case, the problem is the definition of “Live Birth.” The U.S. includes in its infant mortality rate extremely low-birth-weight infants (including those that will not survive) while many nations (many who score very high on the OECD list) do not include these infants. Even the WHO has gone on record and noted that across 23 European countries there are vast differences in recording and reporting live birth and fetal death within the European region. Essentially, the U.S. lands a lower ranking because it includes doomed low-birth-weight infants while many in the ranking do not. Now I ask you, how is this ranking fair and accurate? And how can anybody tie the quality of a country’s health care on this skewered ranking? Obviously, if you are a universal health care zealot, such nuances won’t matter a bit.
.-= vulcanhammer´s last blog ..Obama The Bully =-.
9:05 PM
I am surprised that akisment didn’t filter out jack smith’s pre-recorded comment spam. I am almost tempted to think that Harrison posted the comment under an alias in an effort to spur contrived debate. In that case, Harrison, I have to give you props for your fine ability at role-playing. You pull off the I’m-going-to-sink-with-the-ship, liberal, Obama-worshipper with aplomb.
.-= burro´s last blog ..Gary Locke has got a lock on stupidity =-.
9:24 PM
I don’t use Akisment. Maybe I should. You have caught on to me… I am a closet Democrat/Obama supporter. Thanks for exposing me to the world.
I’m too busy to make up that stuff… only a Liberal mind could produce it.
10:26 PM
It is nice to see that your pseudo-alter-ego recognizes that mandating health care would be unconstitutional. It was a nice touch to still support the idea anyway. I also love the call to action. Jack Smith thinks the listed Republican Senators need to worry about being voted out of office if they don’t vote for this. If I am understanding the news correctly, I thought Republicans were pretty united in opposing this health care quackery. It is democrats that were elected by the good graces of independent voters, that are fearful of getting booted if they vote for it. Hence the huge divisions among democrats about what to do.
.-= burro´s last blog ..Gary Locke has got a lock on stupidity =-.
10:39 PM
When Clinton took office he attempted to pass a BTU tax and “reform” healthcare. His party got killed in the mid-terms. I think Obama had better read up on that.
10:40 PM
To Cherlock, the 37 million people who don’t have health care coverage should go get it from one of the many fine private insurers that we have here in America. If they can’t afford it, then I hear that Obama passed some stimulus package that was supposed to create a bunch of jobs. They can go get one of those jobs and pay for it. If they get rejected by the private insurers, they can get a lawyer. If all of these ideas fail, we can at least be grateful that the human species evolved with a pretty robust immune system. I have yet to hear a good argument that provides a good reason as to why 37 million people should have a right to claim a percentage of my income or the revenues of my small business to pay for their health care.
.-= burro´s last blog ..Gary Locke has got a lock on stupidity =-.
10:50 PM
On another note, after reading Jack Smith’s comment one more time, I do think we need to be more aware of our insurance companies slaughtering us like cattle. I mean, who hasn’t had an insurance broker try and chase them down with a pneumatic stun gun a la No Country for Old Men.
.-= burro´s last blog ..Gary Locke has got a lock on stupidity =-.
8:10 AM
As long as I’m not asked to “call it” by my insurance company I’m okay!
9:59 AM
Why can’t the govt. just give the uninsured some sort of healthcare welfare? Would be cheaper, and less complicated, than revamping the whole system. Then they can concentrate on how we can create more jobs that have good pay & healthcare benifits.
11:05 AM
Marie-I like the idea of granting vouchers for those families or individuals that really can not afford private health care; the vouchers should be based on a means tested formula so that wealthy individuals (that are part of the “47 million uninsured” that government option advocates always use as a reason for a government plan) don’t get vouchers; illegal immigrants shouldn’t get vouchers either.
.-= vulcanhammer´s last blog ..Health Care – Canadian Style =-.
12:58 PM
Harrison, that was brilliant.
.-= Burro´s last blog ..Gary Locke has got a lock on stupidity =-.
10:53 AM
Good point Vulcanhammer, we definatley don’t want to provide anything to illegal immigrants.. even though we already are, errrr!
But these “wealthy ones who are not insured” whom you referred to.. I don’t get it?
I mean, if they are wealthy then we would wonder how come they don’t want to get health insurance? Maybe they just don’t like going to see doctors? lol.. hey, that’s their right. But, I would think most who have the $$ would want health insurance.