Obama has fixed healthcare and finally insured all Americans!

[DutchLiberal]

At least that's how Dutch media are reporting the story. Apparently, explaining how watered-down the final bill is, is too hard. And explaining why many on the left are against it, is too complicated, too. They just film some teabaggers, say Obama insured all Americans, ignore the corporate blowjob this bill is, pack up and go home.

No wonder Obama and the Democrats are way more popular in The Netherlands than they are at home.

[Oregone]

1. I see a ton of that in Canadian media here

Basically, since after the day he was elected, when talking to people they think everything is "fixed"

And they also think Harper is as bad as Bush too. So you know, everything is relative and you gotta peel back the blinds to get perspective sometimes.

[Donnachaidh]

2. k&r n/t

[Skinner]

3. Or, the other possible explanation...

...is that the Dutch media see this as the historic event it really is.

[goclark]

4. +1000

[Political Heretic]

5. Or, another possible explanation...

Is the Dutch don't have quite the insightful understanding of the complexities of our legislative process, but sure do read a lot of political spin being delivered by our current national leadership, and a globally popular president.

[Oregone]

18. Ouch

Places where health care is a right abhor the US status quo. Anything that they see as altering it is probably percieved as a huge master stroke, without even understanding exactly what is changing.

[Toasterlad]

19. Far More Likely.

[DutchLiberal]

21. Incidentally, there was an excellent article this week about the US political system...

...in a very good Dutch current events magazine. (Not very widely read, unfortunately, because, you know, it's considered "elitist".) Now I thought I knew everything there is to know about the workings of the American political system, but this article blew me away and now I think your system is even crazier than I ever thought.

Basically, it was about the disproportionate power minorities in the American system hold. Like, Senators from tiny, thinly populated states have as much influence as Senators from big, densely populated states. And then how the districts are organized.. And the 'super majority', which no other Senate in the world requires... I don't even remember it all, and wouldn't know how to explain it in three sentences to a common Dutchman.

But that's no reason for the media to simplify it all. Seriously, they *never* say the bill mandates 30 million Americans to buy private insurance. The Dutch public thinks Obama has given each and every single American citizen state-provided health care.

[ColesCountyDem]

7. Thank you! n/t

:thumbsup:

[laughingliberal]

9. It's historic. But I don't think even the most ardent supporters think we insured all Americans with

this.

[Oregone]

11. Exaggeration never served anyone too long

I am glad you are pleased it passed, but I would reckon that while the majority support "reform" in America, a majority of the supporters of *this* reform see it as the lesser of two evils rather than some momentous achievement.

This entire issues is very nuanced, and while some may have cause for joy, and other's for concern, a measured approach to the bill will serve everyone's interests over a longer period of time

[DietCoke111]

6. What exactly is in this bill?

How watered down is it? I'm pretty excited, but not exactly sure what got taken out/got put in

[truedelphi]

17. It will definitely help anyone who has college aged children, a job, and

A decent health plan. This bill allows them to keep their kids on their policy until the kids are 26.

For the rest of us, it offers a mandated guarantee to the Big Insurers that all of us will have to be insured or face penalties. And the insurance premiums have already gone up to astronomical levels in terms of inflated prices.

And those prices have not been rolled back.

From what I am reading, if you have a pre-existing condition in three or four years you can relax and know that then you will be covered. But I think your premiums can be double what they normally would be for your age group.

Those of us in the 49 to 62 year old category can see our premiums three times what others pay - but hey, at least we have insurance.

However none of this guarantees that there will be any level of decent service. Health Insurance is not the same as health care. So if you are a Kaiser HMO subscriber, you can expect the same crappy care of the doctors stalling treatment, or the doctors there advising you to have a procedure that won't help you any way, but which costs them very little.

It is still America, after all.

[NJmaverick]

8. Why would the Dutch report on the 3% of liberals that oppose the historic and great bill?

[laughingliberal]

10. I don't think our polling numbers was what they were reporting

They reported that Obama insured all Americans. I don't know anyone who believes that.

[Oregone]

12. Isn't every bill "historic", just about? I mean, you can look em all up.

But if you keep repeating it, people might start believing this is something actually super duper more historic

[laughingliberal]

14. Lol! 'super duper more historic' nt

[leftstreet]

13. Why aren't OUR media saying this?

:shrug:

[laughingliberal]

15. They read the bill. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

16. Let's just hope....

we get half the regulation of the insurance industry the Dutch enjoy.

[Lagomorph]

20. For those opposed to capitalism...

...capitalism has just been permanently welded to the government. The insurance companies get their premiums, the government gets it's taxes. Permanent recession proof revenue source for both, that's what this is about.