Helen

You are right, if the president fails, then we fail.  It is not good to render our president powerless.  Yes, Bachman gives me pause but she doesn’t represent all those on the right.  I am an independent from California so I vote both ways.  

I think what is most concerning to me about the healthcare bill is that it reminds me of the run-up to the Iraq War.  Many repubs were behind it and the atmosphere was that the govt must know something and how to protect us….. blah blah blah.  I was extremely opposed to that war and very wary of the arguments for it, and now I feel the same way about this healthcare bill.  There is this big run-up to try to get it done when it is a lousy bill.  

The crazy thing is, I honestly think if they had waited and did more about jobs and had a couple more "wins" under their belts, they could have taken the time and really gotten a better bill ready for we the people, and would not have had as much opposition to it.   As it stands today, the CBO recently graded it as only helping 2% of the uninsured and costing $1 and a half trillion.  i just don’t see how that makes any sense to vote for.  Something definitely has to be done -I am self-employed and have to pay for my own insurance, and since I have a pre-condition I can’t switch insurers.  My premiums are through the roof. The Health Insurers are where the reform must start.

Helen

Third sentence should read….. "there are NOW more democrats…".

Helen

I have enjoyed reading your conversation with Stacy and Deber, on the whole a lot of really smart ideas and it is interesting to me how much people actually agree on.  More than I thought before.  The interesting thing that has happened in the last 10 years is that there are not more democrats at the head of large corporations than there are republicans.  Jeffrey Immelt of GE is a republican, but because of GE and it’s flourescent (mercury filled) light bulbs and it’s Wind Energy program, they have sidled up to the Obama administration like there is no tomorrow. 

Another interesting turn of events is that Wall Street is more democrat as well.  Wall Street was a big backer of Obama during the election, much much more than McCain.  Obviously the power centers have changed considerably.  I believe the republicans do not have many new interesting ideas and therefore need a whole game change to make themselves sellable.  The democrats have disappointed me in so many ways and I left them a long time ago and became an independent.

I am not sure about universal healthcare - I do know that the bill they have now is the wrong bill.  They are not listening to we the people, and the CBO now says that only 2% of those over 65 will benefit from this bill and it will cost more than a trillion dollars.  As long as the CBO keeps scoring the bill so poorly, I am concerned.

Something has to be done about healthcare, but I really think they have missed the mark with the bill in it’s present form. 

Amy

Those are some great ideas.  Keep blogging those on other sites as well, maybe they will get some traction.  I just know I have to continue emailing congress people because I find no common sense approach in what they have devised.   I think they have lost their grip on reality.   WHat are they thinking?  If they had waited and got a few wins under their belt and worked with republicans and vice versa, maybe, just maybe we would not be in a partisan civil war in Washington.  Crazy.  At this time of economic crisis the last thing we need is everyone losing their heads.

Sara

You make an interesting point that I have been trying to understand  "Tying our health insurance to our jobs is ludicrous - it puts American businesses at a disadvantage when trying to compete globally and allows employers to hamstring employees."  

I am interested in how you see that playing out because I think that is part of the appeal for some for the public option.  I don’t fully understand what the plan is to help employers compete globally.  I would appreciate some insight because the bill is so convoluted and seems like an overstuffed sausage.

As to recent opinion polls as to the how we the people are receiving this plan - here is a link that gives us an idea.

 Health Care Reform - Rasmussen Reports™

I checked a few other polling institutions, but most haven’t polled it since early October.  Rasmussen polls on those most likely to vote with a good division between Independents, Democrats and Republicans. 

Amy

Yours is an interesting viewpoint.  I have often wondered of the insurance industry would have never gone into the medical arena would prices for services be lower?  Maybe competition would have kept the market more affordable and "sliding scales" would have ruled the day.  I know people that do not have insurance and they barter with their doctors and in the long run do not pay any more than me after what I pay for insurance, co-pay and deductible.  

I think congress went crazy and has lost hold of it’s senses with the way they are doing this.  Do they want it to fail?  Do they all want to be voted out?  Or do they just think that since it doesn’t come into effect until 2013 no one will notice over the next two election cycles?  What?  They create this behemoth bill that makes no sense to anyone and has some 4000+ "shalls" which means "must" as if it is the 4000 Commandments and they don’t think we are smart enough to understand what is going on?  I find that insulting.

The only thing that I remember about the Nixon proposal is that Sen Kennedy fought against it and later wished he hadn’t done that. Kind of a …now I wish we would have passed that.. 

People and systems evolve with time, it is one of the beautiful principles of life.  Right now we are having growing pains in our country.  Whenever there is adversity it moves us forward, right now -  this point in time is important, it is a teaching and growing opportunity.  Where we end up will be interesting. 

Leigh

I have heard a little about the idea of a Fair Tax but I do not know all of the particulars or how it would work.  The worst argument I heard against it was that it was not sustainable.  How much of a percentage would they have to charge to make it work?

Stacy

Yes, the OTCs should be off the air as well.  The commercials that remind the public to get sick like "We know the cold and flu season is here."  Setting everyone up to get sick.  Psycho-somia.  

Hey, I think you can have as many free pens as you want.  Look what our congress people get - ….there oughta be a law…. 

Kim, 

I just think they have screwed it up royally.  If they had waited and had a couple of "wins" under their belt, like propagated a better environment for job creation, they could have gotten healthcare passed at a later time.  People would have been more conducive.  Hillary Clinton tried right out of the gate to get it going, and it was wrong at that time as well.  They needed more wins and a better approach.

I know that the bill does not go into effect until 2013 - after the 2012 elections.  We will have to pay taxes in on it for the next 4 years for the start up so they can make it deficit neutral (which at this time is impossible), so during that time, my premiums will continue to rise while I am paying taxes for the other program so congress feels like they did something smart.

This is America, we should be able to take care of our poor and sick.  I say - show me the money, where has it all gone?  I would like to know what particulars our tax dollars are being spent on.

I like your idea if a congress person commits fraud (and any other crime I would add) they should lose all of their benefits.

I also think we the people should be the ones to vote on what benefits congress gets.  They work for us, 

Kim,

I am a lot like you, caught in the middle.  We are self-employed so pay for our own insurance and they seem to charge more and more but pay for less and less.  We also have a high deductible.  It is insanity.  

I think they must clean up Medicare.  The fraud there is astronomical.  Where has the government been?  They don’t have a big enough oversight department.  That is so stupid.  What kind of stupid government established that guideline?  OURS.

If you haven’t seen last week’s 60 Minutes segment called EAsy Money - it is a real eye opener into Medicare fraud.

 Easy Money - 60 Minutes - CBS News

What about torte reform which is considered a 54 billion dollar industry for the trial lawyers which forces doctors to over test and since they have to pay enormous malpractice premiums, they pass it on to the patient and the insurer.  The trial lawyers got a great deal from Pelosi and Reid in the new bill

Big Government » Blog Archive » Pelosi Health Care Bill Blows a Kiss to Trial Lawyers 

Insurance companies have protected Anti-Trust status, which means they get larger and larger and eat up all the competition therefore the small companies can’t compete as well.  How about removing that status and breaking up those companies?  Opening up competition across state lines.

How about congress having the same type of insurance the rest of us do?  Most of them only pay $503 per year for insurance.  I pay about $16,000 per year for my families insurance.  I have a pre-condition so cannot go without it.  

Those industries that hire illegal immigrants should co-op and set up clinics for their workers.  We all know they are here and no, many people will not do the work they do.  Let’s get honest.  Give them work status and let’s get honest about what is going on in the country. 

Get the drug commercials off the TV.  They just keep telling people they are sick.  It is like hypnosis coming into your living room every night.  I mute or turn the channel.  They are wrong wrong wrong, and people haven’t gotten better with the number of them on the air, they have gotten worse and use more drugs.  

If big Pharma has protected anti-trust status, they should be re-evaluated and let’s level the playing field.