As Player and Radish and many others have asked over the last months of debate over Obamacare….What is the Republican plan?Please share a link that will show us a comprehensive idea that has been presented since Romney was Governor of Mass.Respectfully,C.
One can only wonder, Coraryan. I am on record as a vocal critic of Mr. Reid’s conduct as leader of his party and the senate. But if Republicans were on new programs quoting actual ideas to fix healthcare, and if those ideas were on Mr. Reid’s desk, he would be forced to address them.When Republican become as vocal about how to provide healthcare as they are about how we need to get rid of it, they will start reaching the independents they need for the next elections.Respectfully,C.
“And if they deny treatment, you cannot even pay for it out of your pocket, you will have to leave the country to get treatment.”
I think you are mistaken. You can get anything in this country if you have enough cash.
Just for sake of balance, I recently received a newsletter from one of the insurance companies I slave for. Under the heading “A Doctor makes the choices”, they tell me that denial-of-benefits decisions are made by a medical director. (So what? If I’m being paid to deny coverage, that’s what I’m going to do. You may say doctors wouldn’t go along with that, but you would be surprised: beats working for a living.)
I am then told that denial of payment is NOT the same thing as saying that the patient should not have the treatment, it only means that they are not going to pay for it. The next sentence tells me that it is then up to the provider (the doctor) to arrange help for the patient.
Lovely. First they tell me that although they’ve taken money from the patient in the form of premiums for some time, it may be up to me to find a way for this patient to afford not to die. Maybe the underlying message is that I can work for free, so they don’t have to.
And some people wonder why doctors are so anxious to leave the healthcare system……
No, Ansonia. I am stating that the legislature, both parties, have failed to provide a working healthcare plan that would bring down the exponentially increasing costs of providing healthcare, emergency and preventative, inflicting our nation and our citizens.As far as you statement there are R plans. Other than Mr. Romney’s Mass. plan, I’ve seen nothing. Your citations please. Otherwise, you join the folks in DC in being party first, nation second. I blame both parties. You consistently blame one. Another conservative told me there are Republican plans other than Mr. Romney’s, the one on which the plan you and your allies show contempt. No one has given me a website where I can see these plans.The plan the Democrats forced through is bad. The only thing worse, though you will disagree, is no plan at all.Respectfully,C.
You really do like to make my conclusions for me. I will admit that Obamacare, without tweaks, will be a disaster. It is not yet as much a disaster as the system it replaces. I view it the same way I view voting to increase the debt ceiling: not a cure for the problem, but a way to delay certain and irrevocable collapse of the system. We have bought some time with Obamacare, but if we do not modify it in time, that system too will disintegrate. We’ve had 5 years to modify or replace with better (single payer, single payer, single payer), but instead all we do is talk about what a disaster it is. Self-fulfilling prophecy, and those who are not helping are just as complicit. Wishing for failure of the program is wishing for failure of the country.
“What we had was better than this. Way better, even with its problems.”
I gather this means that neither you nor any close family members/friends have ever had to deal with major illness. With all due respect, if you had, you could not truly believe those words.
The disaster of the previous plan was that for-profit bureaucrats cared more for profit than for patients. The disaster that will be Obamacare is that those same insurance companies will be entrusted to do a better job, with no incentive to do so. Rewarding robber barons with more income will not make them change their ways.
Except that you have chosen to ignore that there actually ARE some things demonstrably better with Obamacare. No lifetime out-of-pocket maximums, no loss of coverage due to the need to actually USE the product, for example. I personally am happy that no more than 20% of my premium can be used for marketing and/or other non-health use. On the other hand, when you look at 20% of your yearly premiums and multiply that by all the people insured by that company, 20% starts looking excessive. Still less excessive than the up-to-100% they were allowed to use.
Every long journey begins with a single step. This is a journey we must make. We will make mis-steps, but we can hope to minimize them. A lot of this has to do with who we allow to write the rules. As long as we allow people who have never seen a patient to make health-care rules, we will make far more mis-steps.
Every president since Mr. Nixon has realized that health care in this country is abysmal and getting worse. Every president since Mr. Nixon, with the exceptions or Mr. Reagan and both Misters Bush, has tried to do something to change it and failed to even nudge it. Under the circumstances, the fact that Obamacare even survived the subcommittee stage is astounding. Give people props for finally doing SOMETHING.
Now, as I always say, we can improve Obamacare by modification, we can improve it by going to single payer, and there are probably other rational alternatives. But throwing our hands in the air, and saying it can’t be made better, so we need to return to a demonstrably failed system, is not an acceptable answer.
How many times must I blame the Democrats for being part of this problem before you and your allies hear me?I agree the ACA is deeply flawed. All I ask is what will YOU replace it with? Burning down a house is easy. Replacing it with a place that will provide shelter is harder.I have also written of my disappointment with our president. That was yesterday and last month. What are you and the other conservatives going to offer for tomorrow?Put down your gun, Molon Labe. Let’s talk about what is to come.Respectfully,C.
ConserveGov over 10 years ago
Just step on up folks and we, The Government, will decide your fate!
greyolddave over 10 years ago
Such trash. No longer can they charge big premiums for plans that cover nothing.
chazandru over 10 years ago
As Player and Radish and many others have asked over the last months of debate over Obamacare….What is the Republican plan?Please share a link that will show us a comprehensive idea that has been presented since Romney was Governor of Mass.Respectfully,C.
chazandru over 10 years ago
One can only wonder, Coraryan. I am on record as a vocal critic of Mr. Reid’s conduct as leader of his party and the senate. But if Republicans were on new programs quoting actual ideas to fix healthcare, and if those ideas were on Mr. Reid’s desk, he would be forced to address them.When Republican become as vocal about how to provide healthcare as they are about how we need to get rid of it, they will start reaching the independents they need for the next elections.Respectfully,C.
I Play One On TV over 10 years ago
“And if they deny treatment, you cannot even pay for it out of your pocket, you will have to leave the country to get treatment.”
I think you are mistaken. You can get anything in this country if you have enough cash.
Just for sake of balance, I recently received a newsletter from one of the insurance companies I slave for. Under the heading “A Doctor makes the choices”, they tell me that denial-of-benefits decisions are made by a medical director. (So what? If I’m being paid to deny coverage, that’s what I’m going to do. You may say doctors wouldn’t go along with that, but you would be surprised: beats working for a living.)
I am then told that denial of payment is NOT the same thing as saying that the patient should not have the treatment, it only means that they are not going to pay for it. The next sentence tells me that it is then up to the provider (the doctor) to arrange help for the patient.
Lovely. First they tell me that although they’ve taken money from the patient in the form of premiums for some time, it may be up to me to find a way for this patient to afford not to die. Maybe the underlying message is that I can work for free, so they don’t have to.
And some people wonder why doctors are so anxious to leave the healthcare system……
chazandru over 10 years ago
No, Ansonia. I am stating that the legislature, both parties, have failed to provide a working healthcare plan that would bring down the exponentially increasing costs of providing healthcare, emergency and preventative, inflicting our nation and our citizens.As far as you statement there are R plans. Other than Mr. Romney’s Mass. plan, I’ve seen nothing. Your citations please. Otherwise, you join the folks in DC in being party first, nation second. I blame both parties. You consistently blame one. Another conservative told me there are Republican plans other than Mr. Romney’s, the one on which the plan you and your allies show contempt. No one has given me a website where I can see these plans.The plan the Democrats forced through is bad. The only thing worse, though you will disagree, is no plan at all.Respectfully,C.
I Play One On TV over 10 years ago
“So you admit obamacare is a disaster?”
You really do like to make my conclusions for me. I will admit that Obamacare, without tweaks, will be a disaster. It is not yet as much a disaster as the system it replaces. I view it the same way I view voting to increase the debt ceiling: not a cure for the problem, but a way to delay certain and irrevocable collapse of the system. We have bought some time with Obamacare, but if we do not modify it in time, that system too will disintegrate. We’ve had 5 years to modify or replace with better (single payer, single payer, single payer), but instead all we do is talk about what a disaster it is. Self-fulfilling prophecy, and those who are not helping are just as complicit. Wishing for failure of the program is wishing for failure of the country.
“What we had was better than this. Way better, even with its problems.”
I gather this means that neither you nor any close family members/friends have ever had to deal with major illness. With all due respect, if you had, you could not truly believe those words.
The disaster of the previous plan was that for-profit bureaucrats cared more for profit than for patients. The disaster that will be Obamacare is that those same insurance companies will be entrusted to do a better job, with no incentive to do so. Rewarding robber barons with more income will not make them change their ways.
I Play One On TV over 10 years ago
Except that you have chosen to ignore that there actually ARE some things demonstrably better with Obamacare. No lifetime out-of-pocket maximums, no loss of coverage due to the need to actually USE the product, for example. I personally am happy that no more than 20% of my premium can be used for marketing and/or other non-health use. On the other hand, when you look at 20% of your yearly premiums and multiply that by all the people insured by that company, 20% starts looking excessive. Still less excessive than the up-to-100% they were allowed to use.
Every long journey begins with a single step. This is a journey we must make. We will make mis-steps, but we can hope to minimize them. A lot of this has to do with who we allow to write the rules. As long as we allow people who have never seen a patient to make health-care rules, we will make far more mis-steps.
Every president since Mr. Nixon has realized that health care in this country is abysmal and getting worse. Every president since Mr. Nixon, with the exceptions or Mr. Reagan and both Misters Bush, has tried to do something to change it and failed to even nudge it. Under the circumstances, the fact that Obamacare even survived the subcommittee stage is astounding. Give people props for finally doing SOMETHING.
Now, as I always say, we can improve Obamacare by modification, we can improve it by going to single payer, and there are probably other rational alternatives. But throwing our hands in the air, and saying it can’t be made better, so we need to return to a demonstrably failed system, is not an acceptable answer.
chazandru over 10 years ago
How many times must I blame the Democrats for being part of this problem before you and your allies hear me?I agree the ACA is deeply flawed. All I ask is what will YOU replace it with? Burning down a house is easy. Replacing it with a place that will provide shelter is harder.I have also written of my disappointment with our president. That was yesterday and last month. What are you and the other conservatives going to offer for tomorrow?Put down your gun, Molon Labe. Let’s talk about what is to come.Respectfully,C.