From page two of a Politico piece this morning, concerning the Mad Max Blue Cross Defense Act of 2009:
The bill requires individuals to buy insurance, or else face penalties as high as $3,800 for a family. It would not mandate businesses to provide coverage for their employees – as the House bills do – but it would require them to defray the cost of any government subsidies for which their employees would qualify.
So with the lame “co-ops” instead of the public option, meaning no way to control costs or create meaningful competition, many Americans would be forced under threat of monetary fine to hand their money over to the same robber barons who have been ripping them off all along.
Unless progressives hold firm in the House, and start doing some effective work in the Senate, then all regular Americans should stock up on tea bags.
I mean, It’s okay to ask if half of a loaf of bread is better than none, but clearly half of a turd is not a half loaf of bread, it’s just a piece of shit.
The irony is simply rich, and breathtaking. Conservatives got all freaked out by stuff that either wasn’t in legislation or was not what they claimed, and the resulting hysteria has been used to create a Frankenstein monster that has drawn absolutely zero Republican support, not even from alleged moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. Never, ever take a Democrat with you to buy a car, people, you’ll wind up paying thousands over MSRP and you’ll probably have to fill it with oil and wash it yourself.
Republicans are assailing the Baucus Turd, so forgive my non-D.C. confusion, but WTF? We’re negotiating a compromise that the other side of the aisle is rejecting so we can either play filibuster or reconciliation games?
“Never, ever take a Democrat with you to buy a car, people, you’ll wind up paying thousands over MSRP and you’ll probably have to fill it with oil and wash it yourself.”
DeVore FINALLY gets something right!
There’s no choice but to get the best bill possible through reconciliation.
And that’s not going to be easy.
The worst pssible outcome is an individual mandate with no public option: why would anyone (especially a young, healthy person) want to be forced to buy a crappy inferior product from the private insurance scams that skim 20-40% from premiums in overhead and profit?
Obama totally screwed up the debate with his zero leadership/No Plan approach…allowing the House & Senate to flounder, especially the House. Obama should have taken the lead. So-called stuff that wasn’t in the Legislation as Jon alleges actually was in the House Bill.
Obama has ineptly played a smoke-and-mirrors game resulting in mass confusion…to the detriment of his Party (that’s the good part).
Baucus HATES Obama. Obama tried to pressure him at a Town Hall and placed Baucus right behind him so Baucus looked like an idiot. Not the way to treat a Montana guy.
Jon..
Would you like some Chipolte Mustard with your half a turd?
Jon–
Despite ALL OBAMA 24/7…here is the latest:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Once this ACORN debacle becomes fully engulfed in flames in the next couple weeks (Conservatives are using the legal TORTURE METHOD of slow-dripping the ugly news so every day is a new turd for the Dems)…Obama will drop even more.
Obama has blown it. The Progressive Bowel Movement has been exposed for the Socialistic Garbage it is.
Baucus is a DINO who was not going to helpful to Obama regardless of some perceived slight. You take yourself and your state far too seriously.
Nobody else does.
The Baucus Plan–Consumers would be able to shop for and compare insurance plans in a new purchasing exchange. Medicaid would be expanded, and caps would be placed on patients’ yearly health care costs. The plan would be paid for with $507 billion in cuts to government health programs and $349 billion in new taxes and fees.
New taxes and fees…in a recession??
Oh yeah, the recession is over, right?
Max had originally promised his proposal would pay for itself..implying no new taxes.
Now this.
I suppose everyone is pissed.
I have paid for our insurance for decades.
I’m 8 years from Medicare….which will ultimately really suck.
Where is the Tort Reform?
Is the Interstate Competition in here??
I’m sure some fraud can be eliminated, but who could trust the Democrat Government to eliminate fraud when they support ACORN with Tax Dollars??
re 4: And Republicans said exactly the opposite when the Clinton Plan was put forward — that there was too much detail.
We know that the Democrats are weak sisters, but they are still better than the Republican Smigels.
6. X’ad spews:
Perhaps…but the slight sealed the deal. I have it on tape…Baucus was pissed off.
Baucus is Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. That’s a mighty powerful position…way more powerful than Patty and Maria COMBINED. It’s not about our state…it’s about the POSITION and POWER dumbass. And there are plenty of Blue Dog Dem SENATORS…especially when they look at the polls and pulse of America.
Hey Jon,
Puddy knows you don’t like me for all the exposes Puddy has done on your weak sauce posts so Puddy will say it again…
When all those weak minded young libtardos who voted for “the messiah” realize they are being taken for mandatory health care insurance deductions, all of a sudden they’ll say:
“WTF? I’m being robbed for what? I didn’t have to pay for health insurance before and now I’m being taken for $950 or more by the guvmint.”
And then what will be your party’s chances in 2010 and beyond? Did you see that on any blog when Puddy first wrote it? Nope you Dope!
@10
“Depending on how Congress requires insurers to price their policies, this group could even wind up paying disproportionately hefty premiums — effectively subsidizing coverage for their parents.”
Young Adults Likely to Pay Big Share of Reform’s Cost
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....id=topnews
Unfunded mandates? That seems to be something the Republicans have been imposing on everything in sight for years, albeit more on institutions they wanted to destroy (i. e. public schools), not individuals.
Max Fauc-us
DS,
Yep, Puddy said this before. And they can’t find it on right-minded blogs because Puddy thought it out when cnr went on his more than 47 million uninsured rant… The young will be a payin’. Butt it fell on blind HA Libtardo eyes, just like last years ACORN commentary coming home to roost now!
If Max isn’t compromising with Republicans, just who is he compromising with?
Specter: Single-payer should be ‘on the table’
Here: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-.....-the-table
ds@11–
Yup, the whole Obamunism joke will be on the young folks who voted for Obama 2-1.
Massive Deficit Spending–>Bill comes Due–>
Young folks name on the Bill!!
Obama wants to be loved…part of the Bastard Child Syndrome he is acting out at our kids expense.
Young People sucked up all the FREE STUFF promises of Obama…and were so mesmerized, they forgot to ask who will pay the Bill.
Add all Obama’s Deficit Spending to the Unfunded State Pension Funds and $59 TRILLION or so of other unfunded Government Liabilities and you get—-OBAMUNISM!
Enjoy your Guv’mint Job Komrade!!
Zotz–
Are you referring to this Arlen Specter?
He is going to lose Zotz.
So are lots of Dems in 2010 because America has seen the Socialist Agenda and Corruption Obama has brought. Specter is merely one of OBAMA’S USEFUL IDIOTS! How many times has he switched Party’s in the past?? How old is Specter?? He’s toast.
In other words, obama voted “present.”
[Deleted —see HA Comment Policy and this may help]
Epic (Klynical) Wingnut Fail (in progress):
“15 Days and We’re Not Meeting the Goal”
Here: http://www.redstate.com/erick/.....-the-goal/
They just need a bill out if that committee to reconcile, and amend on the floor.
It might end up being cheaper to pay the penalty than to buy the worthless insurance that they will be sure to sell you under this worthless plan.
I think this is the Senate consensus; enough opposition on both far-right and center (the Senate has no left) to make this a bill that can pass the Senate. It seems to me the appropriate strategy is to press the House to pass Medicare for all, and have the conference committee compromise on something actually reasonable.
@24 Naaaaaah…..that would make far too much sense.
Teabag? How classy you lefties are.
Why healthcare costs are high:
1. Third party payees (BOTH Gov’t & Private)
2. Frivolous lawsuits and outragious judgements
3. Gov’t (State & Fed) mandates
4. Those who get services and never pay a dime
5. Those who feel, for some reason, they should not have to pay full price for their healthcare.
All the rest (i.e. agonizing over profit margins and executive pay) is social engineering having little to do with really reducing the cost of healthcare.
Saying you care about people and their well being sounds all high and mighty. Now implement a process that actually does that.
Sam Adams–
right on!
Defensive medicine…unnecessary tests and procedures is the result of AMBULANCE CHASERS~!!
Cynical:
1. defensive medicine…you mean additional procedures that doctors do, because they charge fees for ordering, reading and interpreting tests and procedures, instead of for time spent just making sure you are healthy?
Right on buddy. solution would be truly socialized medicine as in UK.
Sam Adams:
Why healthcare costs are high:
1. Third party payees (BOTH Gov’t & Private)
Not true, Sam, the facts are the single payer and other socialized health systems in Europe cost WAY less than ours.
2. Frivolous lawsuits and outragious judgements
Actually, these are not common; the states with tort reform have no lower premiums than other states; and while this issue stirs emotions, there’s no evidence that insurance costs do anything but spread costs of bad doctoring in a system that has issues, but as to which no one has a better solution. If you cap damages you cap meritorious lawsuits, not just frivolous ones. The safeguard against frivlolous suits is the jury, plus the fact that those trial lawyers front tens of thousands of costs (that’s capitalism for you, they don’t tend to pursue loser cases) and the appellate review. If you like, we can go single payer so no one ever has to sue for medical costs because no one pays them, the socialistic government pays them. Would you agree to that? It would solve most of the problem.
3. Gov’t (State & Fed) mandates
you mean like we don’t turnpeople into the street to die as they try to crawl back into the hospital?
4. Those who get services and never pay a dime
that’s right, that’s why we need mandatory participation in single payer insurance, people shouldn’t be free to not pay in for 17 years from age 18 to 45.
5. Those who feel, for some reason, they should not have to pay full price for their healthcare.
When you’re in that position, believe me, you are NOT going to say, darn it! I did save up a million bucks for my cancer treatments, but it costs $1.1 million, SO I AGREE TO DIE.
You are just not going to die in that manner, I guarantee you. Nope, you will TAKE THE HEALTH CARE AND THEN NOT PAY you fool
“All the rest (i.e. agonizing over profit margins and executive pay) is social engineering having little to do with really reducing the cost of healthcare.”
Except that the social engineers over in Europe have lowered the cost of healthcare, aren’t you educated?
“Saying you care about people and their well being sounds all high and mighty.”
And knowing your system bankrupts people and makes them die makes YOU a morally banktrupt person who’s evil and cruel.
” Now implement a process that actually does that.”
There’s only about 30 nations that have done it, but in your ignorance and benighted stupidity you’re just refusing to accept facts.
@ 28 ~ for someone that claims “you will be told the truth”, you don’t have many links to sites that can verify your OPINIONS.
Therefore, you don’t have facts there, you have opinion….and you know what they say about opinions.
28. You will be told the truth now. spews:
That is a sad part of it…but also the extra CYA tests and procedures…..all mandated BECAUSE OF AMBULANCE-CHASER lawsuits.
Why does American Health Care have massively excessive testing & procedures your Socialist Kountries do not??
AMBULANCE-CHASERS and liberal, lawsuit happy TORT laws in US!
Thanks for making it crystal clear.
Health Reform without Tort Reform is not Health Reform.
ESO–
The KLOWNS source of info is his rectum
My is the Price-Waterhouse-Coopers Study–
The Price-Waterhouse-Coopers Study shows 50% waste in the current system and where it is.
Here are the key findings:
And here is the link–
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/healt.....cess.jhtml
Let me help youwillbetoldthetruthnow out…
So how can malpractice reform improve health care? Consider what Texas has experienced since its leaders enacted an array of measures to limit wasteful malpractice spending in 2003. These included limits on noneconomic damages, a higher burden of proof for claims of emergency room negligence and a requirement that lawsuits be approved by an independent body of medical experts.
The reforms have resulted in drastically lower malpractice premiums. Many doctors have left Texas through the years or chose not to practice there because of the fear of an expensive lawsuit. Since the reforms were enacted, many new and former doctors who left the state have flooded into Texas and patients have enjoyed increased access to care.
Medical licenses increased 18 percent in the past four years. Between 2003 and 2007, the Texas Medical Board licensed about 2,500 more new physicians than it did during the previous four years. In total, more than 7,000 new doctors have come to the state.
The physician population in Texas has grown twice as fast as the general population. And the state has jumped six places in the American Medical Association’s tally of doctors per capita.
One big medical malpractice insurer has dropped its premiums by 35 percent. That translates into $217 million in cost savings for doctors. Statewide, medical malpractice premiums have decreased 21.3 percent.
Lower malpractice premiums lead to lower health costs. As the savings flow through the system, patients see their insurance premiums — and their out-of-pocket expenses — decline.
Oops, my bad. That wasn’t very helpful to back up his opinions.
http://www.rasmussenreports.co.....are_reform
Rasmussen update: Now 56% of voters disapprove of Obamacare.
That’s partly because just 22% believe Congress has a good understanding of the legislation.
While some Democrats have charged that opposition to the president’s plan is based upon racism, just 12% of voters agree.