This HCR Bill Was Never About Us….

[Junkdrawer]

This bill was about saving the US fee-for-service healthcare system from its own internal contradictions and from calls for a single payer system.

Basically, health insurance costs skyrocketed to the point where employers are dropping coverage and health insurance plans are denying coverage AFTER hospitals had rendered services. The later not only hurts patients (which could have been tolerated) but it also hurts hospitals (which, of course, can NOT be tolerated.) What little benefit to patients this bill provides is there because the patient’s interest happens to coincide with a corporate interest. Everything in the bill that benefits patients over all corporate interests has been stripped out.

My sense is that, in the long run, this bill won’t work. Most people will not see much benefit, healthcare costs will continue to skyrocket, and more and more people will be underinsured if not uninsured. The difference will be that you will not have to sell your house after your cancer operation because the insurance company rescinded coverage – you will simply never get that operation in the first place. I think the bill’s authors also realize this and that is why most everything in the bill doesn’t take effect until after 2013 – stalling calls for a single payer system.

[Donnachaidh]

1. it's a brand new way to pay back corporate campaign contributions

Another class war, but this time the government is used as a collection agency for the corporations. Less cost to the corporations - MORE campaign contributions to the party in power.

Welcome to 21st century feudalism! The middle class better get comfy in their serf outfits. And they better learn to genuflect when the elites drive by in their limos...

[Junkdrawer]

2. "Make them buy cake!" Marie Antoinette, eat your heart out. n/t

[chimpymustgo]

8. Oh my. You have summed up this scam perfectly.

[Junkdrawer]

10. I can see it now.... (scene fades to Oval Office...)

Aide: Sir, the problem is that fee-for-service health care has become so expensive that soon almost no one will be able to afford it.

President: No problem. We'll simply mandate everyone buy it. Now, about Afghanistan..

[old mark]

3. The real good thing I see in this is that the government FINALLY asserted

itself into the US health insurance racket. It gives some future president/congress the justification to add some REAL POSITIVE CHANGES someday, which we didn't have till now - insurance was just a business.
Of course, this should have been done in the 19th century, but it's a start....I am certain I won't be alive to see the real improvements, and neither will most of you, but this does pave the way to reform....sometime.

mark

[Donnachaidh]

5. "but this does pave the way to reform....sometime"

No offense, but I really want to que "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" after reading your post.

It took how many years after the failure to work on healthcare again? And now they are claiming a victory (the only victory is for the insurance industry IMO) -- do you REALLY think these corporate whores in Washington are EVER going to go back and do something to take away the welfare they plugged the insurance industry in for?

Hell, I'll bet what will actually happen is Rahm and his boys are looking for ways to *reform* other industries with deep campaign contribution pockets. It's going to be the fastest way to raise money for those pesky seats they haven't *bought* yet.

[old mark]

9. I do, too - it is about the saddest piece of legislation I have seen in

over 45 years as a voter. But it is about the best they are going to do, and they seem to think they have done wonderful things.
Evidently Obama is serious when he says it's a good bill.
Evidently Reid actually deserves great accolades for this achievement according to other Dems in the Senate.
Evidently things have got so far away from reality they actually believe we should like this shitpile and be grateful for it.

This should have been done in the Roosevelt administration (Teddy). It may take another 40 or 50 years to actually get this out of the grip of the corporations, but this is THE first baby step and I guess there is something to be said for the administration not being TOTALLY lame and cynical.

Not much, but something.

mark

[madokie]

6. Its a start

I remember when you could buy a new car and have the exhaust system fall off before the payments were all made and back then the average financing was for 24 months. Then the government got involved told the auto companies to start cleaning up their act with smog control and making them guarantee the stuff would work for 50 thousand miles to where we are today where the average car goes to its grave still wearing its original exhaust system. yes government can be and sometimes is good.

As it stands now I see this bill as a plus, something to work on.

[ljm2002]

12. I seem to remember the government got involved...

...with automobile quality and safety issues mostly because of an activist / advocate by the name of Ralph Nader, not due to the evolution of some half-assed 1000-page-plus piece of legislation that catered to the whims of the auto industry.

I don't think your parallel works here.

[KrR]

4. So you trust the Insurance company studies over the CBO?

REALLY?

[HillbillyBob]

7. 2013 by which time how many more will die?

and the rpigs will have managed to cheat the voters once more (with their rigged computers voting machines once again like 2000 and 2004 and they will make things worse. They could not hide that many votes with Obama got in insted of the percentage we got him in by it was really a total landslide.
I KNOW they cheated 2000 as I saw the jebbie bush blackwater boys(I assume since the black uniforms they were wearing as they shredded the ballots from our precinct looked like what I now realize are blackwater uniforms.)

[Political Heretic]

11. I agree with you. And fear that this bill will not work, and be remembered as a historic failure

[Junkdrawer]

13. Kick

:kick:

[Junkdrawer]

14. .