Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have 407,000 members! Join today to learn, network, laugh, and share with nurses.
| No. 50 | 
Aug 17, 2009, 04:09 PM
 Re: Has Obama gone too far? Originally Posted by geekgolightly  http://www.thomhartmann.com/2009/08/...esident-obama/
Dear President Obama,
I understand you’re thinking of dumping your “public option” because of all the demagoguery by Sarah Palin and Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich and their crowd on right-wing radio and Fox. Fine. Good idea, in fact.
Instead, let’s make it simple. Please let us buy into Medicare.
It would be so easy. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with this so-called “public option” that’s a whole new program from the ground up. Medicare already exists. It works. Some people will like it, others won’t – just like the Post Office versus FedEx analogy you’re so comfortable with.
Just pass a simple bill – it could probably be just a few lines, like when Medicare was expanded to include disabled people – that says that any American citizen can buy into the program at a rate to be set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which reflects the actual cost for us to buy into it.
So it’s revenue neutral!
To make it available to people of low income, raise the rates slightly for all currently non-eligible people (like me - under 65) to cover the cost of below-200%-of-poverty people. Revenue neutral again.
Most of us will do damn near anything to get out from under the thumbs of the multi-millionaire CEOs who are running our current insurance programs. Sign me up!
This lets you blow up all the rumors about death panels and grandma and everything else: everybody knows what Medicare is. Those who scorn it can go with Blue Cross. Those who like it can buy into it. Simplicity itself.
Of course, we’d like a few fixes, like letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and filling some of the holes Republicans and AARP and the big insurance lobbyists have drilled into Medicare so people have to buy “supplemental” insurance, but that can wait for the second round. Let’s get this done first.
Simple stuff. Medicare for anybody who wants it. Private health insurance for those who don’t. Easy message. Even Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley can understand it. Sarah Palin can buy into it, or ignore it. No death panels, no granny plugs, nothing. Just a few sentences.
Replace the “you must be disabled or 65” with “here’s what it’ll cost if you want to buy in, and here’s the sliding scale of subsidies we’ll give you if you’re poor, paid for by everybody else who’s buying in.” (You could roll back the Reagan tax cuts and make it all free, but that’s another rant.)
We elected you because we expected you to have the courage of your convictions. Here’s how. Not the “single payer Medicare for all” that many of us would prefer, but a simple, “Medicare for anybody who wants to buy in.”
Respectfully,
Thom Hartmann
That's probably the best idea and not thought of by a politician.
 | | No. 52 |
Aug 17, 2009, 05:22 PM
Re: Has Obama gone too far?
Wow, how scary is this getting? I can't believe so many people are really going against their own best interests, (senior citizens on medicare who scream about socialism). It looks like the public option is dead, which makes me very sad. The stock market today had huge jumps in HMO stocks because they are no longer nervous about competition from a public option. I'm dissapointed in those we voted for, I'm dissapointed for the mothers and fathers who are working, but don't have health care. I remember not to long ago, my daughter had a stomach ache, I didn't have insurance. I sent her to school, she was a senior in high school, turns out she had to have an emergency appendectomy. I'll never forgive myself, but we didn't have health insurance, even though I had a full time job and I was scared to make a doctor's appointment. Also, I made "too" much money for the state CHIPS program.
When are we going to wake up and realize this is a horrible problem that needs people to put aside their racism (yes people, it's there against President Obama), and their campaign contributions and do something really needed for this country?
I'm just really discouraged today.
Roxann  | | No. 54 |
Aug 17, 2009, 06:48 PM
Re: Has Obama gone too far? Originally Posted by TurnLeftSide Yeah, I know who runs it. It's not being run very well.
Based on what?
Since you seem to know a lot, do you know that it would be difficult for ANY 'insurance' policy to be run correctly when it exclusively covers elderly and sick people? I'm sure you also know that if you opened it up to us younger folks who just need insurance in case of a disaster that it would balance things out quite a bit.
Medicare is downright miraculous for working as well as it does, given the circumstances.
The government CAN do some things better than private enterprise (police, military, fire, health care) and only idiotic sycophants can't see it.
note: I'm not saying you or anyone here is suggesting this, but it darn sure is being suggested by a lot of people in the media, and the moronic talking heads.
| | No. 55 |
Aug 17, 2009, 06:57 PM
Re: Has Obama gone too far? Originally Posted by blondy2061h Now you've got me curious. All I can find with google is "mobile number portability"
NMP = Not My President.
President Obama does not have a single idea I support. My family, our professional skills and our tax dollars are actively researching opportunities in Central and South America.
| | No. 56 |
Aug 17, 2009, 11:30 PM
Re: Has Obama gone too far?
WOW moving to Central or South America because of what Obama has done?? Do you mean the stimulis package that about 8-10 economist believed was absolutly needed? Or are you referring to the cap and trade or emmission regulation bills that he got passed? I understand that many people who are on the "Right" do not agree with those new laws however it seems kinda extreme to up and move to South America, you know with all the kidnappings/extortion/drug cartels/poverty/government coruption/and poor education but "to each his own".
All of us in the healthcare field have a responsibility to become educated on Healthcare Reform, no matter if we are Dems or Rep. The fact is that without massive change our system will colapse on itself, more people will become uninsured, hospitals and docs will have to charge more or go out of buisness and the insurance companies will raise rates and provide less coverage every year. Instead of all this silly talk about "Dealth Panels" which is really just medicare paying a doctor to sit and talk extensively with a pt about DNRs and Living wills if the pt wants to talk to a doc if not they dont have to!! (that ammendment was put into the bill by a republican congressman) The Public Option is ment to function as a good barometer for insurance, it is not ment to be the end all be all, it gives buisnesses and people something to compare the price and benifits of their current plan to. So if you want to you can switch and pay into the Public Option for your coverage, now most of us will not choose to do this because our insurance will provide better coverage but will be more expensive atleast that is the idea. But having to compete with the public option will make the private insur comp. keep prices down and coverage up. I know the issue is much more complex but these seem to be the two major sticking points.
The problem I see with people like our friend who is choosing to head south of the boarder is instead of arguing over the valid points of this issue they say they are moving to another country or they call The President a Nazi. That keeps us as a country from discussing the real problems with the Bill. Such as how do we pay for it in the short term? How do we make sure the public option helps and does not hurt small buisness? What should be done so that people who are able boddied but do not work pay something into the system for the healthcare provided to them? These are the issues we should be hearing about on TV not the sillyness that plays out on the news everynight. I did see one older man on TV who said He loved America so much that he no longer could live here because of everything that was happening. I laughed out loud and then days later when I read some of the post here from people in the field of Health care and they say prety much the samething I cannt laugh, I just sit here in shock and disbelief. I am just holding onto the hope that the earlier poster is either related to or is the same guy i saw on TV.
| | No. 57 |
Aug 17, 2009, 11:41 PM
Re: Has Obama gone too far? 
I wasn't going to post, but here's my 2 cents for what its worth.
I don't support a public option, but I don't propose one either.
I DO think that this bill is being rushed however, and something of this magnitude CAN NOT be moving this fast. The state of Massachusetts already tried something similar. It dang near bankrupted the state. I think the economy is still too fragile for this! Lets bring this up in another year? Like everything, there are Pro's and Con's everywhere.
We DO have the best healthcare in the world (IMHO)... The "swine" flu is currently hitting europe and the wait for vaccination is 4 months! By the time they GET the vaccine, it will be obsolete. I have family in Sweden, and a dear friend waited in a hospital bed for 6 weeks waiting for a bypass. Here we do them in hours!
Before you all jump on me and call it "Socialized" I'm NOT saying that. I just think that not enough thought has been put into this as of yet.
| | No. 58 |
Aug 18, 2009, 05:01 AM
 Re: Has Obama gone too far?
I doubt it very seriously. Who would have time to keep track if students are going to the school they are supposed to if that were the case? Even if this were true, heck it would take years to put into effect and Obama can only do 2 terms at most, so say.
| | No. 59 |
Aug 18, 2009, 05:29 AM
Re: Has Obama gone too far? Originally Posted by geekgolightly You're incredibly naive if you believe that INSANE VICIOUS PREPOSTEROUS RUMORS have nothing to do with how congress and senate choose to vote. Sway the public and you sway the vote. The public responds to fear mongering, be it truth or lies.
Exactly: look at the support Bush had to invade Iraq, 92% in polls at the time....congress went with it. Then 3 years later it was not popular and many of those who voted for stood up against in order to keep their seats.
If Intrest groups really wanted to control this country they would find a way to target youth. They are more impressionable and will be old enough to vote in the near future.
|
| 270 members
2,537 guests 2,807
|
As a conservative I can tell you that this post was the first time I have heard this nonsense. Idiots exist on both sides of the political spectrum. :chuckle
World News & Politics