Those looking to find enemies re: HCR, add Wendell Potter to your list, he wants the bill signed!

[wndycty]

Why I'm Not Joining the Call to "Kill the Bill"

Wendell Potter

Posted: December 24, 2009 01:47 PM

Like many people who hoped the stars had finally aligned for a fundamental overhaul of our health care system, I have been going through all of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' stages of grief and loss -- denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance -- as I've watched what has been happening in the Senate. I moved toward acceptance this morning as I watched the Senate pass its bill, but -- being an incurable optimist -- I'm still hopeful that the legislation can be improved when Senate and House conferees meet to determine what the final bill will look like.

But even if all the problems of the Senate bill can't be fixed in conference, Congress must send the president a bill to sign -- and soon. My position on this puts me at odds with many of the wonderful reform advocates I have met in the six months that have passed since I switched sides in this national debate -- going from being a spokesman for the health insurance industry to being a vocal critic of it -- in testimony before Senator Jay Rockefeller's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last June.
-snip-

I understand their frustration, but I believe that when they stop and think about the real consequences of what they demanding, they will realize that for all its disappointing compromises and flaws, even the Senate-passed bill should be viewed as a foundation that can be built upon in years to come. Ted Kennedy, who advocated for a "Medicare for All" type system before many of today's activists were born, would truly have been proud of this beginning. He would not have liked everything about the bill, that's for sure, but he understood what it means to live in a political world and that compromises -- even big ones -- almost always have to be made on the journey toward an ultimate destination.

We will not be arriving at that final destination with the bill that reaches the president, but we have started the journey. Progressives must keep in mind that even leaving the station has not been a possibility for 15 years. We must not forget what happened in 1994 -- the last time we thought the stars had aligned -- when opponents of reform prevailed. We must also not forget that many of the reforms in the Senate and House bills are critically important. Yes, insurance companies likely will try to game the system in their relentless quests to meet Wall Street's expectations, but many of the practices they have used for decades to do that will become illegal. We also must not forget the importance to lawmakers of the future of having a foundation to build upon. They will not have to start from scratch as current and past lawmakers have always had to do. And future lawmakers will be able to fix problems not addressed by this legislation as well as the unintended consequences that inevitably will arise.
-snip-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendell-potter/why-im-not-joining-the-ca_b_403176.html

[Lerkfish]

1. yeah, our only purpose is to find enemies.

you found us out -- progressives are only interested in finding enemies.

:rolleyes:

[wndycty]

3. Progressives are not exclusively in the kill the bill crowd. . .

. . .many of us understand why it should move forward despite its flaws.

[Lerkfish]

7. you were the one trying to create a schism

with your OP... the classic "you're looking for enemies" crap

[RainDog]

2. yes. he agrees this bill is a piece of shit disappointment

but, like some of us, he accepts that the democrats are such corporate whores that this is the best they could do while maintaining their allegiance to their corporate pimps rather than the American people.

he's really saying what many here are saying... that the problem is the government we have. that the govt we have is so dysfunctional we cannot achieve basic health care legislation.

the U.S. govt is a shameful example of the failure of democracy. the U.S. has failed its citizens.

if you want to use this to "beat up on" those who oppose the bill... good luck.

[Raineyb]

4. The only people who seems to have an enemies list are those who insist on

ridiculing anyone who dare not take this shit sandwich and smile while they eat it.

Projection isn't really helpful in this situation.

[Bicoastal]

5. Holy shit! Mr. Potter says don't kill the bill?

[donco6]

6. Enemy list is full, sorry.

And it's Christmas Eve - I can't add enemies NOW. Jeez. . . fucking pagans . . .

[ipaint]

8. I'll stick with pnhp.org

Pro-single-payer physicians call for defeat of Senate health bill
Posted by Mark Almberg on Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009

Legislation ‘would bring more harm than good,’ group says

For Immediate Release

Dec. 22, 2009

Contact:
David Himmelstein, M.D.
Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H.
Oliver Fein, M.D.
Mark Almberg, PNHP, [phone], [e-mail]

A national organization of 17,000 physicians who favor a single-payer health care system called on the U.S. Senate today to defeat the health care legislation presently before it and to immediately consider the adoption of an expanded and improved Medicare-for-All program.

While noting that the Senate bill includes some “salutary provisions” like an expansion of Medicaid, increased funding for community clinics and the curbing of some of the worst practices of the private insurance industry, the group says the negatives in the bill outweigh the positives.

The negatives, the group says, include the individual mandate requiring that people buy private insurance policies, large government subsidies to private insurers, new restrictions on abortion, the unfair taxing of high-cost health plans, and cuts of $43 billion in Medicare payments to safety-net hospitals. Moreover, at least 23 million people will remain uninsured when the plan finally takes effect, they said.

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/12/22/pro-single-payer-physicians-call-for-defeat-of-senate-health-bill/

The mandate as it is set up in the reform is pure poison.

[laughingliberal]

9. "...we need to turn our attention to the leaders in the House..."

Whereas he may not advocate killing the bill he is not ready to break the party hats out, either at this point. Need to pressure the progressives in the House in any way we have at our disposal now. Strengthen the regulations, close the loopholes. Also want them to keep their tax on wealthier Americans and dump the tax on "Cadillac Plans" which is a slap to our Union supporters. Probably won't get any PO back in due to Senate sellout but won't hurt to show there is wide support, even now. We do not have a final bill. Fight to get it improved any way we can BEFORE it is signed. Change will be much harder once its law.


<snip>So instead of sending more "Kill the Bill" emails, we need to turn our attention now to leaders in the House, insisting they stick to their guns on important elements of their bill and improve on what the Senate has passed. It will not be easy to merge the two bills to the satisfaction of reform advocates, but at the very least the House should add language to strengthen the regulation of insurance companies and close the loopholes that would allow them to circumvent the intent of the legislation.<snip>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendell-potter/why-im-not-joining-the-ca_b_403176.html

added link on edit

[Larkspur]

10. I look at the HCR bill as a "work in progress" bill

I don't see it as a victory since it subsidizes the health insurance industry with trillions of our tax dollars, but a small step forward. I'm wary of the so called regulations on the health insurance industry since they are wizards at finding every loophole in them or can just overpower state governments with an army of lawyers.

The next step for progressives is to keep advocating for single-payer by first pressuring Dems to pass a robust public option in a couple years. To do that we need to get more progressive Democrats or Bernie Sanders type independents elected.

[cutlassmama]

11. It is a work in progress, you are right. And as to Mr. Potter

he was talking about preventing business as usual for insurance companies..."many of the practices they have used for decades to do that will become illegal." That part will take care of the loopholes they have gused in the past.

[wndycty]

12. Saturday morning kick

:kick:

[treestar]

13. Who is Wendell?

Reading his googled biography would seem to give ammunition to the insurance-industry-is-all-evil shills.