Was this HILLARY'S MISTAKE

[luckyleftyme2]

When she said she would use a conglomerate of insurance companies for he health care plan?
isn't that inviting the devil to the table?
She lost me at this point. for health care is the driving force that is crippling our work force. we no longer can compete in the world because of the outrageous burden that is being put on our employers,our families and our country. corruption abounds in this field. price fixing is allowed and accepted. the current system has failed us miserably and their is no relief in sight.
WE need a leader that will look out for the people first!

[mainegreen]

1. You know, I actually agree with you for once.

Her health care plan really turned me off. I know too much about insurance; it was clear her plan would accomplish little and would certainly make some people suffer.

I still wish Edwards was in it.

[luckyleftyme2]

2. we're losing control

If you went to a caucus you know what I'm talking about. How many had a party geek that controlled the caucus? most I'll bet. It's time to go back to primaries. I'm tired of the yuppies screwing up things.
If we ever meet remind me to tell you of the formula delta/d x 100 =lc and the professor
who couldn't explain the derivative. or how simple the moment and shear forces are figure in
the field.
Did you ever see a law professor in a court room? How many teachers of Steven King have written best sellers?
How many political science professors have run a business,held a political office or been in charge of a government program.
you can't beat experience but you sure can impede it!

[Maine-ah]

3. she's completely in bed with the insurance companies

but, isn't Obama's plan pretty much the same?

Damn, I miss Kucinich.

[mainegreen]

4. I really don't see how his 'National Health Exchange' will help states like Maine.

We have so few players in our insurance market, and combined with the low competition, outside of the Portland market, for hospitals I just don't see how it will work.

Some positions of his I take issue with:
1) That increased IT spending will lower costs.
-Seriously, is he so unaware of how much spending insurance companies spend on IT? I write insurance software, and the gains in productivity through software over the last ten years has been amazing. Workers are carrying much higher loads and fraud has been dramatically reduced. Document imaging and storage are the norm, and cross-software package communication is rapidly becoming the norm as well. This is one industry that knows its IT. Having worked with the government on software, I feel safe saying the government won't help here.

2) That opening federal health insurance to those without access to private insurance will fix things.
-The problem is often not that people don't have access to insurance through work, but that it's too damned expensive. This is a loophole you can drive a truck through.

3) Guaranteed eligibility
-A joke. You can guarantee eligibility, doesn't mean your rates will be the same. And 'fair rates' is nice, but isn't a plan, it's a wish.

I do agree with some parts of his plan like drug re-importation. That earns a big hell yeah. In any other area, if theres a cheaper option elsewhere, the government doesn't say 'oh no, you cant buy that'. It's anti-capitalist for the government to do so.

And this 'National Health Exchange'? Without details, it seems like a big shipment of fail.

[luckyleftyme2]

5. do you know that cost for social security

DO you know that social security is far more efficient than insurance companies? that is in delivering its services.
also foreign government health care is 3 times more efficient than our insurance companies.
and their coverage covers all cheaper. and their ratings of overall health care is higher than ours.

[mainegreen]

6. Certainly. But that's not what any of the candidates are proposing.

:shrug:

[luckyleftyme2]

7. sad isn't it

yes it's sad that none of our candidates are proposing a single payer system. we as a country cannot compete and survive if we don't provide for the work force.
our jobs are leaving the country to avoid paying benefits. sure labor is cheaper but to sell the products here you have transportation costs. and in time labor costs always rise.
Perhaps if I didn't have so much contact with Canadians or contact over the years with military personnel I'd be like the average Mainer and believe that social medicine doesn't work.
do I like it no. DO I think the time has come to take the profit out of it. Yes! and the
insurance companies have no one to blame but themselves. same with the drug companies.
cross the border and see the difference in cost.

[mainegreen]

8. The thing that gets me is this:

For all purposes national health care is a behind the scenes subsidy to business. It creates an especially unfair advantage to smaller US companies, such as startups, because unlike large corporations who can leverage volume to negotiate excellent prices, small companies can't and end up eating massive costs or risking labor issues due to sickness/health reasons. Foreign competition carries this cost at a much lower rate, exercising for all purposes the leverage of an entire population to lower costs.

It's insane! Hell, to not institute national health care at this point would be to not fully understand capitalism. Seemingly counterintuitive, but nevertheless true.

[luckyleftyme2]

9. The difference between capitalism and internationalism

We had built in protections about monopolies. many of these laws were changed or weakened
to accommodate the powerful.
How many Americans know that the company that owns Hyundai and KIA can buy and sell gmc. ford and Chrysler.
How many Americans know that General electric has a huge interest in defense contracts? many of these companies dwarf the little guy already. THE ole saying the big dog hogs the food bucket is true.
It's the same right now with the insurance business. And where do you suppose these insurance companies put their investments. and every hand it passes Thur takes a bite.
Another thing is that the USA government issues grants and other incentives to develop new drugs to combat disease. there is plenty of room to reduce cost.