Wednesday, July 22, 2009

President Obama on Health Insurance Reform, Passing the Bill This Year!

Polls show that most Americans believe there is a need to improve our Healthcare system. Today, our Healthcare system is among the costliest and least effective in the world. Premiums have doubled over the last 10 years. More and more families are losing their health care; it is taking a bigger bite out of their salaries and there are more costs to employees. Though most Americans agree reform is needed, Republicans are utilizing their usual scare tactics to attempt to frighten the American people.

President Obama spoke to Americans tonight. He said, "I realize that with all the charges and criticisms being thrown around in Washington, many Americans may be wondering, 'What's in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from health insurance reform?'" Specifically, he promised Americans will benefit from a system that provides "more security and more stability." He pledged insurance market changes that will enable Americans to obtain coverage and suggested that everyone would be guaranteed preventive care, such as checkups and mammograms.

Meaningful reform must tackle the twin challenges of covering the uninsured and containing skyrocketing medical costs. "I think that it's important to do both," he said. "I think it's important for us to make sure that 46 million people who don't have health insurance get it. And I think it's important for us to bend the cost curve, separate and apart from coverage issues."

President Obama suggested the legislation will reduce overall health costs by eliminating expensive and unnecessary duplication and arming doctors and patients with information "about what works and what doesn't." He said that with these savings, two thirds of the costs for his plan will be covered and Congress is currently working on how the other third will be covered. He pledged this third WILL NOT come from middle class tax increases. He said he would not sign a bill like that. His recommendation is that only those with million dollar plus annual incomes will see increased tax rates.

Obama has pressed for quick action on legislation that extends health insurance to the vast majority of Americans, raises the quality of care nationwide and clamps down on cost increases that he has described as "unsustainable." He has demanded votes on the House and Senate floor before the August recess.

32 comments:

sweets said...

Hi man are you worried about health care bill?????????????????

ultima said...

As a measure of the government’s ability to finance and manage the programs it enacts, the following facts about Social Security and Medicare are revealing and prophetic. The nation’s capital stock would have to be $106.4 trillion larger today to generate enough income to pay all of the Social Security and Medicare
benefits that have been promised, over and above future payroll taxes. But according to the Federal Reserve, the nation’s total private net worth is only $51.5 trillion. An 81% increase in income taxes would be needed to cover this problem.
Now a new trillion dollar health care program is being rushed through Congress without adequate study. The 1000 page House version, on p. 16, would prohibit any new purchases of private insurance and any changes from one carrier to another. Sections 242, 1702 and 1714 would allow illegal aliens to participate at taxpayer expense.

Tell Congress to eliminate these features, reduce the scope of the program, and s-l-o-w d-o-w-n.
Already mortgaged to the hilt, America’s future is headed toward another underfunded program we cannot afford.

Good cost estimates get overruled by political appointees if they don’t support their favorite programs. I know. I was a government cost analyst.

ultima said...

Obama said, "Health care reform is not about me. My family and the Congress have an excellent plan."

And indeed they do with little co-pay and lifetime coverage exempt from the reform provisions. How much fun is that?

ultima said...

There is only one way he can be considered sincere about health care reform and that would be if he asked to congress to remove their exemptions from the bill's provisions even though it would be unlikely that eithe the president or the congress would ever be denied whatever treatment they want unlike all of us other dumb yokels.

ultima said...

Taxing millionaires has never worked in this country because there are not enough of them to cover the tab. This type of thing ultimately dips down into the middle class. In fact if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire everyone will see a tax increase.

ultima said...

It's an oxymoron to suggest that you can add 30 million uninsured and those with expensive pre-existing conditions and reduce the cost of health care in America. The CBO has already stated the plan will increase the national debt. Health care reform will do us little good if the country is bankrupt by a new entitlement on top of the unfunded obligations of social security and medicare.

If he wants to tax the rich why doesn't he remove the cap on taxable income for social security while freezing the maximum benefit at the present level as adjusted for inflation?

What he is proposing is a three tier system: (1) the Administration and Congress,(2) pre-seniors, and (3) seniors. Guess who is sucking hind teat in this plan!

ultima said...

This is all snake oil. Obama will say anything to get this bill passed because he knows his prestige and future is locked up in it even though it will have no effect on his family.

ultima said...

Someone asked him the other day whether he was prepared to participate in this program. He didn't answer the question. What does that tell you about the kind of care the rest of us will get as compared to the perks of the president and the congress for a lifetime.

ultima said...

Obama said, "So let me be clear: This isn't about me. I have great health insurance, and so does every member of Congress."

. said...

"President Obama suggested the legislation will reduce overall health costs by eliminating expensive and unnecessary duplication and arming doctors and patients with information "about what works and what doesn't."

Ok, so eliminate second opinions and restrict information that provide choices?

"He pledged this third WILL NOT come from middle class tax increases."

Well, from reading the bill, it might. The bill says that "those individuals not enrolled in an affordable health care plan will be taxed 2.5%".
Notice it makes no distinction.

"Obama has pressed for quick action on legislation that extends health insurance to the vast majority of Americans,"

Um..... 46 million uninsured (the bulk of which don't care about insurance) out of 340+ million means that the vast majority is already insured.

This bill, after actually reading it as opposed to going off of headlines and pretty little sound bites, will cause much more harm than good.

This is the medical equivalent of the 'Carbon Bill'.

Defensores de Democracia said...

Dee :

Thanks for illustrating us - I am not a good student of this subject of Health Care. But I know two important things :

1) Some Republicans Hate Obama with a great ingredient of Racism, Bastardy and Irrationality in the Mix. The Radio and TV Witch Doctors. And some others in politics.

2) The same guys hate any bill that may help Minorities in their struggle to improve their lot. Hate for Minorities is spices for the damp flour mass before cooking in the oven.

Continue the Illustration please !

*******************
*******************

Video Larry King : James Carville tells a very hard Truth to Liz Cheney - She wants to encourage foolishness and false beliefs in Obama's Birth Certificate

These Republicans are so mentally limited ( pathetic and goofy as James Carville says ) that they need to spread lies as a companion to all the Racism and Hate against Obama.

Democrat James Carville defends Obama and Reason, and he tells Liz Cheney that she is encouraging the Foolishness and Lies.

The only merit of this Lady is to be the daughter of a guy that has done so much damage to America and the World.

July 22, 2009

James Carville VS Liz Cheney: GOP Birtherism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEOtiT3GCWo

Raciality.com

Vicente Duque

Dee said...

Vicente,
What most Republicans and ANTIs refuse to admit is that our Health Care programs are severely broken today. Our programs grow more and more costly while providing fewer and fewer services. Multi millions of citizens continue to go uncovered; Multi millions go under-covered.

Let's look at those Americans that are under covered: Consider the countless millions who believe their insurance covers them, most don't have a clue of this. It is only when a catastrophic disease occurs, they find their insurance does not cover their massive costs. Then they go bankrupt and lose everything.

Let's look at the individual costs of healthcare today:
I worked for a large corporation. Yes all employees were covered; retirees too. However co-pays continue to increase and increase while coverages are reduced. Again, if catastrophic disease occurs we are only covered to a certain degree and could go bankrupt and lose everything.

As a nation, we have one of the poorest insurance coverages in the world, covering the fewest citizens, yet we have the highest costing policy.

The President's Healthcare plan may not be perfect, but it is a vast improvement over what we have today and what we will have in the future if we continue status quo.

Yet, the Republicans, with all of their naysaying about the President's plans, will never tell you this.

Another thing. Republicans continue to demonize Canadian's Healthcare. Yet you talk to most Canadians and they applaud their national healthcare policies.

There is a segment in the Republican party and within the ANTI groups that Hate our President Obama. They are hoping and praying he fails in everything.

Today, Wall Street has climbed to over 9,000, the highest numbers since Bush ruined the economy. The Republicans are mad. They want the economy to FAIL. Limbaugh rants he wants Al Qaeda to attack again. The Birthers are insanely ranting about Obama's birth certificate. These Haters are INSANE and RACIST. They are Foaming at the mouth nutcases who say they are patriotic, but in reality are worse than terrorists. They rant about Guns and Abortion and Christianity and Reverse Racism and Obama's Birth Certificate, and HATE and HATE and HATE.

I say to them, "Learn to Love our Country! Learn to Respect our President! Learn to Treat ALL People as Equals! and perhaps you will be deserving enough to call yourselves Patriotic!"

ultima said...

OBAMA: "We already have rough agreement" on some aspects of what a health care overhaul should involve, and one is: "It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it."
THE FACTS: In House legislation, a commission appointed by the government would determine what is and isn't covered by insurance plans offered in a new purchasing pool, including a plan sponsored by the government. The bill also holds out the possibility that, over time, those standards could be imposed on all private insurance plans, not just the ones in the pool.
Indeed, Obama went on to lay out other principles of reform that plainly show the government making key decisions in health care. He said insurance companies would be barred from dropping coverage when someone gets too sick, limits would be set on out-of-pocket expenses, and preventive care such as checkups and mammograms would be covered.
It's true that people would not be forced to give up a private plan and go with a public one. The question is whether all of those private plans would still be in place if the government entered the marketplace in a bigger way.
He addressed some of the nuances under questioning. "Can I guarantee that there are going to be no changes in the health care delivery system?" he said. "No. The whole point of this is to try to encourage changes that work for the American people and make them healthier."
He acknowledged then that the "government already is making some of these decisions."

ultima said...

OBAMA: "I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade, and I mean it."
THE FACTS: The president has said repeatedly that he wants "deficit-neutral" health care legislation, meaning that every dollar increase in cost is met with a dollar of new revenue or a dollar of savings. But some things are more neutral than others. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told reporters this week that the promise does not apply to proposed spending of about $245 billion over the next decade to increase fees for doctors serving Medicare patients. Democrats and the Obama administration argue that the extra payment, designed to prevent a scheduled cut of about 21 percent in doctor fees, already was part of the administration's policy, with or without a health care overhaul.
Beyond that, budget experts have warned about various accounting gimmicks that can mask true burdens on the deficit. The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget lists a variety of them, including back-loading the heaviest costs at the end of the 10-year period and beyond.

ultima said...

OBAMA: "You haven't seen me out there blaming the Republicans."
THE FACTS: Obama did so in his opening statement, saying, "I've heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise, it's better politics to 'go for the kill.' Another Republican senator said that defeating health reform is about 'breaking' me."

ultima said...

OBAMA: "If we had done nothing, if you had the same old budget as opposed to the changes we made in our budget, you'd have a $9.3 trillion deficit over the next 10 years. Because of the changes we've made, it's going to be $7.1 trillion."
THE FACTS: Obama's numbers are based on figures compiled by his own budget office. But they rely on assumptions about economic growth that some economists find too optimistic. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, in its own analysis of the president's budget numbers, concluded that the cumulative deficit over the next decade would be $9.1 trillion.

ultima said...

Sweets: Yes, I am worried about health care, worried that I or one of my loved ones will be denied treatment that might save their lives because it is not on the bureaucrat list of approved treatment. This is the same thing we see from the insurance companies today -- the denial of reimbursement for needed treatment, especially if it is last ditch experimental therapy. Neither is much fun but one is likely to have more success putting the heat on private insurance companies than he will trying the same tactic with the government because in the latter case it will be the law.

Only an idiot is not worried about the health care bill coming due with ObamaCare. Let me help you with the spelling of the key word:
b as in baby; a as in alpha; n as in Nancy; k as kilometer; r as in rupture; u as in united; p as in peter; t as in tadpole; c as in charlie; y as in yosemite. Bankruptcy! How much health care will that buy us?

Defensores de Democracia said...

Thursday - Big Rally in Wall Street : Dow recaptures 9,000 - Dow ends at at 9,069.29 - Nasdaq finishes at 1,973.60. - Standard and Poor's at 976.29

Usually, it is Wall Street that announces the End of a Recession by means of Rallies ... Stocks increase in price because investors see profits and Recovery ahead.

Reuters.com
Dow hits 8-month high as Wall St. jumps

Dow recaptures 9,000 4:03pm ET
July 23, 2009

Dow hits 8-month high as Wall St. jumps

Some excerpts :

The Dow industrials rally above the key 9,000 mark for the first time since January, as strong Q2 earnings and improving home sales fuel recovery hopes.

Dow hits 8-month high as Wall St. jumpsNEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks advanced on Thursday, sending the Dow industrials above the key 9,000 mark for the first time since January, as strong corporate profits and rebounding home sales spurred optimism about the economy.


In MILENIALS.COM I have always said that Obama is going to be a Great President and that he saves the Economy :

How Obama saves the Economy - The Making of a Great President - The Best Economists Opine - Links

Vicente Duque

ultima said...

Actually I am in favor of health care reform, just not this reform. I would like the president to seek commitments from drug companies, doctors, nurses and hospitals for a rigid schedule of cost reductions. The result won't be much different from the reforms being proposed but our country will be a little farther away from insolvency.

If the government has any role in this, it should be to see to it that doctors are adequately compensated for their arduous courses of study and their skills,that drug companies have enough money to pursue vigorous research on drugs we need to combat super bugs and other medical problems, and that hospitals can survive without foisting the cost of illegal aliens and indigents off on private insurance holders. If anyone believes Obama and the Congress can conjure up a program that will be fully funded indefinitely, study social security and medicare. It won't give you a warm fuzzy feeling!

. said...

Has everything become a race issue for you guys now? Seriously?

Opposing "health care reform" is now a racist stance? WTF?

The people got the government they deserve (which isn't good), and all you can do is bicker over white this, hispanic that instead of focusing on real issues that EFFECT US ALL.

Grow TFU.

Dee said...

Az,

uhhhhh......
It was Republicans and Teabaggers that made this a racist issue. Look at their witchdoctor cartoons. WTF is wrong with them. Are they that stuuuupid??? Why on earth are they that blatant to post this racist stuff on the internet?
Why don't THEY speak to the issues?

Please reprimand THEM!!!!

We are in the middle of a financial crisis. We are in the middle of a healthcare breakdown.
All of this created by George W. Bush!
Our valiant and great President is doing all he can to resolve these problems.

Now all the Republicans and Teabaggers can do to thwart progress is to send out these Very Racist email cartoons.

They ought to be ashamed!

. said...

"Resolving" by limiting real coverage, taxing those of us that have it, and limiting of medical choices?

Sorry, I choose freedom. Freedom to make my own medical decisions. Freedom to decide whether or not I want health insurance. Freedom to decide what is best for me.

His 'Health care' plan would remove those freedoms.

Also, it severely short changes anyone over 57 in regards to health care choices. Then there is the rationing of care, whether those choices are reasonable and affordable, etc.

But then so many fall into the trap set forth collectively by BOTH sides to keep the public bickering over 'race' instead of the dam issue at hand. It's a shell game, and the house always wins in the end.

I never supported those racist idiots, but I condem those (you and others) that focus on something so trivial, buying into the distraction, while they go for your wallet.

When a thief has has one hand on your throat, and the other on your wallet, does it matter which is the left or right?

ultima said...

Dee wrote, "Why don't THEY speak to the issues?"

This is good advice for all. Why don't we all speak to the issues rather than irrelevancies like "bastardy", "idiocy", "racism" and all those other favorite expressions of El Duque? How is that helpful?

One thing is certain: harping on racism will keep it alive and well. Focusing on the issues framed in a nonracial way offers a much more positive way forward.

ultima said...

Dee wrote, "Yet you talk to most Canadians and they applaud their national healthcare policies."

How many is most? I spent a few winters in Arizona and many Canadians also are snowbirds. I heard just the contrary -- that those who could afford to do so come across the border to get the care they need. Of course, those who can't have to opt for a taxpayers subsidized system.

If Obama wants as public option, let's fully cost it without any government subsidies and see how well that stacks up against private plans. If he offered to provide the same subsidies to private plans for the indigent, that would level the playing field instead of stacking the deck.

We understand there are some deficiencies in the present health care system but making health care a free good will merely encourage more waste and run up the cost. Let him cure social security and medicare and then we can talk about broader reform. Otherwise, odds are he has no idea how to deal with the unfunded obligations of those program but yet is forging ahead to add another multi-trillion Dollar program which is certain to suffer from the same defects.

The Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats are right about a lot of the proposals. Let's hope reason prevails.

It shouldn't be called health care reform; it should be called an increase in welfare because that is what it is. Let's tell it like it is. That provides a better basis for compromise. At least everyone will know how much they are paying for more welfare. They might also spend some time on understanding the European model welfare state and socio-democracies about to go bankrupt because they can't pay for the benefits that are on the books.

ultima said...

Bastardy: the act of begetting a bastard; illegitimacy.

I guess almost half of the American electorate doesn't agree with El Duque on this.

Perhaps he could consult his thesaurus and come up with another more fitting word to fits his biases.

右脳左脳チェッカー said...

パーティーや合コンでも使える右脳左脳チェッカー!あなたの頭脳を分析して直観的な右脳派か、理詰めな左脳派か診断出来ます。診断結果には思いがけない発見があるかも!みんなで診断して盛り上がろう

友達 said...

早い時期に結婚してしまって、少し後悔しているんです。私は、今の夫しか経験が無くって、このままでいいのかなって…。思うようになってきてしまって…冒険はしたいんですけど、やっぱりばれたりしたら怖いので…割り切りで会える方って居ませんでしょうか?連絡お待ちしてますね♪最初に年齢を教えてくれるとうれしいです。pop-music-lo-ve@docomo.ne.jp

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素人 said...

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安田記念 said...

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