Health Care Reform Reality Check!!!
There are many LIES and MYTHS being spread around about Health Care Reform. Orchestrated disruptions at Townhome meetings designed to confuse the issues and deny civil discourse. Don't be mislead or misinformed by the OLD politics as usual crowd, who use scare tactics to keep Americans from an honest debate over Health Care Reform. Get a reality check!
To learn more about the TRUTH and FACTS in the Health Care Reform Debate, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
Left of Center
The two myths that Biden and Rahm Emanuel address here are not the main arguments against health care reform. The main argument against health care reform as proposed by this congress is the government run health care option. As taxpayers we know that once the government competes against private insurance there will eventually be no private insurance. We also know that you can’t setup a new government program without the cost to run that program ballooning overtime (see Social Security and Medicare for example.) This will eventually lead to ever increasing deficits. Even though Obama states that he will not sign a bill that increases the deficit. It is great for this Congress, but what about the next? The Supreme Court has ruled that no Congress can bind the activities of a future Congress. In other words it won’t be deficit neutral after 2010. For anyone else out there who would like the government to manage your healthcare please watch Spike Lee’s four part series on Hurricane Katrina. HBO has been airing it recently. Pay close attention to how well all levels of government managed that disaster and delivered aid to the people of New Orleans. Then ask yourself, “Do I want these guys managing my healthcare?”
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What's most interesting to me is that Republicans only use the word "government" in a negative light when their not in power. When in power Republicans propose bills and legislation that affect all American citizens through "government" run programs, but when Republicans do it, "..we're here to help.."
Related to Health Care, the goal is to insure the "uninsured', reduce cost, and provide preventative health care for most, if not all Americans. To suggest that nothing be done and allow status quo to continue, is to allow insurance companies to continue to inflate health care cost 3-4 times faster than inflation, denied health care coverage due to a pre-existing condition, allow American citizens to die unnecessarily because of poor, or no, health care, see employers discontinue, or not offer, health care to "working" Americans, are stand idly by while thousands of Americans lose their jobs, and health care, daily. Competition has always been good forAmerica
Let's not be so quick to bash "government". As tax payers we know that "government" is an important element in a civilized nation. Try telling Americans who benefited fron a government run program such as; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, No Child Left Behind, Unemployment Benefits, HUD Initiatives, FHA Loans, GI Bill, Head Start, National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), FDIC, SEC, that government doesn’t work. They’ll tell you like the Republican constituent at a recent town hall meeting said, “keep your hands off my Medicare!”
We all enjoy and live amongst an infrastructure paid by our tax dollars. We enjoy our freedom and liberty as a nation by have a strong military, paid by our tax dollars. A nation as wealthy as ours should have access and affordable health care its citizens, not as a privilege, but a right. To solely depend only on the private sector to provide health care to Americans, is like totally relying on a sail to guide a ship without a rudder.
Where was the concern for the "deficit" when we head down the path toward a $2 Trillion deficit under the previous administration? President Obama is not in favor of passing a bill that increases deficit spending because he knows there's enough waste and abuse in the current health care systems that once reduced, can help pay for Health Care Reform. In addition, a tax on those making $250K, or more, would further fund the reform. I would contend that most people making $250K, or more, have already discovered many tax sheltering vehicles to substantially reduce their tax burden, so rolling back their tax burden back to their beloved Reagan area is a fair proposal.
As far as Katrina, that was more about "race" and the de-valuing of human beings than a government blunder. If Katrina had hitMartha's Vineyard , stranding people for more than 24 hours, we would not be having this conversation. Folks would be cheering the quick and efficient response of the government.
The goal is not to have "government run health care", but to provide humane, affordable, health care to uninsured American citizens, whether working poor, unemployed, or employed but no health care provided. Sixty years ago, republicans were kicking and screaming about Social Security. Forty years ago republicans were ranting and raving about Medicare. but Americans today, Democrat, Moderate and Republican alike, will say "leave my Social Security and Medicare alone!" Granted time brings about a need for some "Reform", but you don't "throw the baby out with the bath water".
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Great coverage and information on the health care reform which I think is greatly needed. We also need to focus on being more proactive with our own health care by taking on more responsibility to live healthier lives. There should be more incentives to encourage individuals to eat healthier, exercise etc. Changing our own lifestyle would also help reduce the cost of health care as well.
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Are you trying to label me? I am conservative and that does not mean I agree with every tenet of the Republican party. In fact if there was truly a party that believed in small government and the decentralization of power, I would be voting for them. Both Republicans and Democrats have been for big government. The ballooning of the deficit under Bush was inexcusable. Sooner or later we as a nation will have to pay the bills we are making. We can’t keep borrowing forever.
About healthcare, as I stated in my second response to “Health Care Public Option,” nobody is suggesting that our system is fine the way it is. We are saying we do not want a UK or Canada style system. I believe that the government’s role is to be the referee for our Capitalist system, not the replacement for it. I believe that our rights where spelled out in the Constitution. There isn’t a line in it about medical care. Since medical care is the product of someone else’s labor, I do not believe we have a right to it. Ultimately healthcare is provided by private industry (doctors and nurses) and they deserve to be compensated for their services. As for the “uninsured,” how many of those are illegal immigrants and how many just need help qualifying for Medicaid? Some of the stories that I’ve heard about the uninsured usually fall in these two camps.
About Katrina, did you know that the Obama administration had its own Katrina period?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2009_Central_Plains_and_Midwest_ice_storm
In January an ice storm hit the southern midwestern states. It knocked out power for over a week and lot of people died. What was Obama doing? He was busy pushing his stimulus package. The people dying in this case where poor and working class rural whites (probably not Obama voters.) Obama didn’t even pay these people lip service nor did the media tell their story. After all, who cares about white people? Certainly not the Federal Government. I believe the reason the Federal Government did anything about Katrina was due to the media coverage. Fortunately these people didn’t wait for help from the government, they helped themselves..
About Social Security and Medicare, I really think we need to get that system out of the hands of politicians as well. With the Baby Boomers starting to retire the system cannot support the number of people who will soon be dependent on it. I believe that politicians will raise the eligibility age to the point where those of us on the tail end of the Baby Boom will die before we collect a cent. In other words, they will begin to ration it. Just what people fear will happen if the government runs healthcare.
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