I Wear Pants wrote:
derek bomar wrote:
Watching Morning Joe this morning Joe basically said there were 3 things right now 80% of congressman and senators would support without a fight:
1) end the anti-trust exemption for the health insurance industry
2) tort reform (I'm not sold on this, but not really that opposed to it)
3) allow people to buy across state lines
You really don't think we need tort reform?
In regards to Tort Reform,
1. Most of Tort law has traditionally been handled in the judicial systems of our Sovereign States and many of those States, such as Texas and Ohio have already enacted tort reform. Hence, a Federal intervention in Tort law would be just a different kind of federal intrusion into state sovereignty. If you say are against big government it would absolutely and unequivocally be against all of your principles to advocate for federal tort reforms in the mold being argued by republicans.
2. The problem with Med Mal torts, isn't the action for damages in and of itself...it is the costs associated with defensive medicine as a reaction to any potential tort action. IMHO, the defensive medicine you see is largely like an irrational fear of spiders...the fear is irrational in comparison to the potential harm..very few doctor's are sued and even less people who are injured and have a case, sue.
The unjustifiably high med mal insurance premiums are also like an irrational fear of spiders...and it's just another way for insurance companies to improve their bottom line and rather than reveal the true reason, that they just want to make more money, a facade is created that suing doctor's who fall below the standard of care is wrong.
What is wrong is that when an insurance company insures a doctor who gets sued, successfully, the insurance companies are not eating their losses and having to be held accountable for making a bad choice as to who they insure because they will raise the rates on everyone they insure to cover their loss. This is not just because they doctor's they insure, who've done the right thing, are in an unfair bargaining position with their insurers, because they are colluding together.
3. The current bill includes a proposal for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to oversee and examine defensive medicine practices in hopes of improving them and reducing costs...this was a republican idea and a good one.
In regards to buying insurance across state lines.
1. This is a good idea...And, I think this idea will somewhat be accomplished by the current bills with the national, federally regulated insurance "exchanges." People will be able to buy insurance from any company in the U.S. in these exchanges except that the market will be federally regulated. Perhaps not good enough for the capitalists with a Capital "C", but perhaps satisfying for capitalists with a lower-case "c"
In regards to this Bill that got through the Senate so far;
1. You have to be impressed by the lack of balls that the liberal senators have and the PR job being done by the right.
Republicans can pass the 1.2 trillion dollar Medicare Modernization Act in 2003 on the credit card, while massively cutting taxes....the most fiscally irresponsible bill and largest expansion of the welfare state since the 1960's, and are still getting away with calling themselves "conservative" and grandstanding about how this current bill will add to the deficit (even though the CBO says this bill will not...It probably will but the point is, the R's didn't give a crap about deficits 6 years ago and there was no debate the socialist bill they passed was going to add to it).
AND, the republicans are actually swaying public opinion! I have no idea how they're pulling this off given the aforementioned.
The progressive democrats have zero testicular fortitude and cannot even get their precious public option with a near supermajority and 100 years of trying to get this issue passed. The republicans can pass twice the social welfare legislation and still get away with being the party of small government. Hat off to the Republicans and their brilliant smoke and mirrors.
2. How's about Joe Lieberman sticking it to the Democrats for trying to run him out of the Senate a couple years back? There's a guy with stones. So funny that he stuck it to them after the shit they pulled on him.
3. Oh, and how about the Republicans COMPLAINING about cuts to medicare!?!?! What!??! A Social program that they wailed against in the 60's!??! I thought you wanted to keep your own money in your pocket and not have to work so others can take your money...old people included! This is unreal! The basic foundation of the conservative's beliefs are supposed to be that cutting social programs are good because, that means we're less socialist and that means we are more free.
Every single person who calls themself a conservative, according to the modern definition and the catch phrases I see on all of their bumper stickers should be applauding this bill for cutting medicare...They should justifiably hate all of the new spending...but they should applaud the cuts to medicare...But again, as evidenced by the MMA of 2003, the Republicans have about as much principle as the Democrats have back bone.
4. I wish people would stop calling it "government run health care" because at this point the thing is nothing close to "government run health care" and actually cuts more money from a government social program than it creates...
5. Hats off to clumps of embrionic cells that experience no pain or have any sentience or experience of the world as they still prove to have more sway over politics than any other constituency.
And, isn't this ironic...if Conservatives and Ben Nelson had their way, and abortion was illegal...there'd probably be enough little poor, abortion-surviving socialists running around to have voted in a couple more democratic senators and then there'd be a public option, etc. for the dems. Oh the Irony.
6. I'm tired of hearing about how "most of the nation doesn't want this bill." For one, most of the public doesn't want us in Iraq or Afghanistan any more (not me, just sayin), but you will never hear republicans give two shits about the people's opinion in that area. Now, I"m not saying that means it's a good bill...I just want them to get off their high horse...you don't care what the people want either...you will just yell as loud as you can about any point that you think has relevance. r
This is really the best the "progressives" can do with their charismatic, "Change we can believe in" leader, a massive Republican, laissez-faire and Bush hangover, and both houses well entact?
President Obama's going to sign this bill and say he did what he came to Washington to do and he's gonna say it with a straight face and he's going to be a bigger fraud than Tiger Woods.
