Health Groups Stick With Obama in His Call for Changes

The president's speech had one glaring omission....no mention of taxing employer subsidized health insurance premiums as income to employees just as they are for everyone else (i/e no special exemptions for organized labor. Union members are already well paid).

"The plan I'm announcing tonight would meet three basic goals: It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don't. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government."

In summary: We are going broke, just a little slower.

Great plan!!!

Every member of Congress --Democrat, RepubliKKKan or Indie, takes full advantage of their own GOVERNMENT OPTION health plan. I have never heard of any member of Congress dropping the plan, citing its need for reform or suing it. HMMMMM...maybe they're not telling us everything!

How 'bout the Post doing a series -- or even ONE interview with Congressional members about THEIR healthcare choices? THAT would be illuminating.

Great idea, bgreen2224. A good investigative report on the health care insurance provided to members of Congress and their evaluation of their own policies would make good reading and provide useful data to the public.

Interested in the insurance plans available to Congress? Find the details at:

http://www.opm.gov/insure/

As you will see if you check this site, our leaders are not on any "public plan" or "government option". No, they get to choose from the finest private health, dental, vision, etc. plans in the country -- and we get to pick up the tab!

We even pay for their ex-spouses!

There is a serious problem with Obama's speech. Personally, I caught Obama lying several times. Those lies of Obama will come to light, will come to the forefront of discussions. Obama lying not only to America but also lying to our entire world is extremely offensive and certainly deserving of having a person shout out "you lie" in anger.

I would have enjoyed being there in the chamber to throw rotten tomatoes and heads of cabbage at Obama; I do not tolerate liars.

Consensus estimates are about 6 million illegal aliens will be insured by Obama's health plan at a cost of roughly 30 billion dollars a year for American taxpayers. This is offensive. This angers me.

Obama is a habitual liar. He must be called out on his lying even if during a joint session of Congress. Obama lying to America is extremely dangerous.

What other lies is Obama telling us?

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma Politics

The support that "appears " to have been given by organizations representing interest groups to Obama's health care reform proposal is shallow.It is manufactured mostly by the likes of Axelrod.For example.Rohak of AMA has been trashed by thousands of the members of the association for selling out their interests.The support these oraganizations purportedly extend is like the noble generalities spouted by Obama in his sppeeches.For example,they all agree that health care needs reform.But when it comes to details they will fight tooth and nail with each other.The bold fron being presented by Obama about these oraganizations is false and highly misleading.

Health insurance should not be taxed for anyone, that is the glaring omission he made.

Others include the real facts of illegal alien coverage and liklihood of subsidy payments, federal subsidies for plans that cover abortions, and the facts on how the middle income, including workers will be likely paying much more of their income towards premiums and shared costs then they do now.

How does the country pay for unlimited health care for everyone forever without going bankrupt? Everyone's health care premiums or federal taxes will have to be increased to cover additional costs. Or care will have to be rationed.

And where are the additional doctors to treat 36 to 46 million new patients? People will still be going to the ER for treatment because there are not enough general medical doctors to treat this number of new patients.

One of the unique fault lines in this election cycle is a President elected with millions of "small" donations, going up against a Congress dominated by large vested interests. The winner of this health care war is still undecided. But if Obama wins this fight, it will substantially re-write presidential politics.

And I thought the Republicans were the masters of splitting and destroying their own party.

Only one word comes to mind to describe what will be the Democratic power base after 2010 elections....

Impotent

President Obama has given this country a great plan to make critical changes to our healthcare system.

It expands coverage, makes medical care more effective, cuts costs, protects patients from insurance industry abuses and even makes progress on tort reform. All that and deficit-neutrality, too.

The plan may not be perfect, but it’s a great start and can be improved later. It’s not the final word.

But despite all of the plan’s benefits (and managed costs), the GOP continues to insist it’s a bad idea and that we should scuttle the whole thing rather than pass it.

Sorry, GOP, your cynicism is showing.

The GOP had its chance to ‘get this right’ for eight years and didn’t even try.

It added hundreds of billions to our annual deficits through irresponsible tax cuts while fighting two wars abroad. It passed a $1.2 trillion prescription-drug benefit to Medicare and didn’t even look for ways to pay for it.

And now it wants to be taken seriously as deficit-hawks when we’re on the verge of bringing critical reform to a system that’s killing Americans and bankrupting the country?

The current GOP is the definition of arrogance and irresponsibility. If they won’t get serious about reform, they need to get out of the way and stop ranting about death panels, euthanasia and phantom benefits for illegal immigrants.

The adults in the reality-based community need to pass the critical and just reform this country needs.

Our Congressional Research Service (CRS) previously reports illegal aliens will be covered under HR3200. This CRS is a government agency which performs research for Congress. CRS is a highly credible source.

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) also reports the same; illegal aliens are covered by HR3200.

Two credible sources there, both contradicting Obama. Rather clear Obama did and is lying to America, as are most left liberals.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma Politics

Would someone, anyone, please show me a state where enacting tort reform has lowered the cost of insurance instead of increasing the amount of the bonuses paid to insurance industry executives?

It's worth noting that not only the AMA, but every major physicians' organization, is supporting reform this time around.

Here are the physician organizations FOR either HB 3200 or something close to it: AMA, AOA, ACP, AAFP, ACOG, ACS, AAP, ACC, AGA, ASCO, and SHM.

Squishy middle: AAO, AAOS, ACEP

Mo' money, then we'll talk: ASA, ACR.

Details and decryptions of the organizations are at this link:

http://cmhmd.blogspot.com/2009/09/organized-medicine-on-reform.html

And a quote from TR, for good measure:
"The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement."

Why is The Washington Post not covering the march taking place today (9/13) in Washington. The thousands of people on The Washington Post's backyard are actual citizens of this country...and their voices are not being covered or heard through The Washington Post. Those people are voicing their concern about health care reform and taxes. Coverage of that event could help find a common ground on health care issues between President Obama and the citizens of this country.

As a nurse practitioner, who will care for these additional 48 million newly insured patients? I see 20-25 pts. per day and patient's complain that I do not spend enought time with them or they have to wait too long to be seen. I am not saying people do not need to be treated, but wake up America-we do not have enough health-care providers. Maybe we can import them from, let;s say, China? Oops, but Obama will add a tariff to them like he just paid back the union bosses for ok'ing a tarriff on Chinese tires. I may sound cynical, however, health-care reform needs to be done, I do agree, but not the proposed brain-child of Pelosi. I am for a free-market that offers open competition, not restricted by the state you live in. I will tell you approximately 75% of patient's I see without health insurance choose not to purchase or do not take the time to inquire if they are eligible for Medicaid/Medicare. Also, it sickened and embarrassed me to see the leaders of the ANA-two obese individuals-standing with Obama last week-How do they honestly stand for health! Ridiculous.

Days after the release of hidden-camera videos led to the firing of four ACORN workers in Baltimore and Washington who assisted an independent filmmaker posing as a pimp to apply for an illegal housing loan for a brothel, a third video has surfaced showing ACORN workers offering the same kind of assistance at the organization's office in Brooklyn, N.Y.

As in their previous undercover stings, filmmaker James O'Keefe, 25, and partner Hannah Giles, 20, who posed as a prostitute, received advice from ACORN workers on how to launder their earnings and avoid detection from law enforcement officials while running a prostitution business.

"You have to find another name for it," an ACORN employee tells the pair seeking a mortgage in the Brooklyn office. "Honesty is not going to get you the house. You can't say what you do for a living."

I am perplexed why The Washington Post has not covered the demonstration of 1.7 million people opposing the health bill. The demonstration happened in Washington on September 13...where were the reporters? Those people were and actual representation of America.

By being bias, the Washington Post is no longer a newspaper, it has lost any credibility. A true reporter will cover ALL news and allow the reader to make his/her mind....