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Answers missing on health care proposals
Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.
The first question that should be raised about the proposed legislation to reform our health care system is not “Who has read it?” but “Who wrote it?”
If the authors can be identified, they should be brought before congressional committees to explain the rationale, justify the costs and project the future effects of every aspect of the proposal(s).
Some of the important questions that need to be answered:
Why isn’t tort reform to curb lawsuit lotteries, and the defensive medicine and administrative burdens they create, included in the reform?
Why isn’t stopping and reversing the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders and into hospital emergency rooms a first priority?
Why would the best and the brightest of future generations put forth the effort to become doctors or medical researchers in order to serve as technicians in the medical wing of the welfare state bureaucracy?
Why are issues related to spending tax dollars to fund abortions, sexual reassignment surgery, euthanasia, etc., not discussed in honest layman terminology?
These and many other issues deserved full investigation long before they became the topic of town-hall meetings where politicians with lousy records for honesty faced citizens armed with sketchy facts. Those who think of themselves as members of a better class of political, academic and media leaders have failed us again.
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Allen-
An excellant post. These are questions
that should be answered. My question is...Why
are they NOT answered?
Keep asking your questions !
hey allen...
your letter is a complete and total joke...
nothing but distraction, arrogance and fear mongering...
listen up skippy...
tort reform won't do crap...
illegal immigrants are not covered...
there will be no welfare state...
no funds will be used for abortions...
there will be no euthanasia...
and sexual reassignment surgery...
it never ceases to amaze me with how low you clowns will stoop...
congratulations...
you sir...
take the cake!!!
These are qyestions that have been answered over and over again. Either you don't get your news from a competent source or you refuse to accept the answers.
Great article. Who wrote it? Follow the money.
Another edition of simple answers to easy questions...
Q. Why isn't tort reform to curb lawsuit lotteries, and the defensive medicine and administrative burdens they create, included in the reform?
A. Because this is medical insurance reform, that would be a different bill.
Q. Why isn't stopping and reversing the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders and into hospital emergency rooms a first priority?
A. Same as above, this isn't an immigration reform bill.
Q. Why would the best and the brightest of future generations put forth the effort to become doctors or medical researchers in order to serve as technicians in the medical wing of the welfare state bureaucracy?
A. How is this question related to the bill before Congress?
Q. Why are issues related to spending tax dollars to fund abortions, sexual reassignment surgery, euthanasia, etc., not discussed in honest layman terminology?
A. Abortion, while contentious, is legal. Sexual reassignment surgery is typically considered elective and hence is not covered. Euthanasia is nowhere in the bill.
My question is this:
Why? is it that we are being told that the bill has not been read when you are citing things that may or maynot be in it.
It's like you are saying that 100 senators can't take 10 pages each and summarize it, Or would that be a social meeting?
O.K. I had two questions.
Hey birdiedreamin or "skippy" if you prefer....
You may be right on tort reform but, illegals are already getting free medical care every time they go to the emergency room. No one is denied treatment. How many folks are collecting welfare and food stamps? Enough to qualify the country as a "welfare state". As far as the rest, until we get some politicians who will address these problems we will have to live with them. We need about 30 or 40 Ron Paul followers to straighten out Washington.
"sexual reassignment surgery..."
Come on now. Leave Birdie alone. His sexuality is up in the air. It's what on the floor of his cage that concerns me...
hey grumpy...
the retarded republicans were in charge for 8 years...
they could have addressed illegal immigrants...
but they did not...
why is that skippy...
hmmm...
it would have been real simple...
just fine those companies that hire them...
problem solved...
but guess what skippy...
the retarded repuiblicans are in the back pocket of big business...
and big businesses love abusing illegal aliens...
so you see...
it is really pathetic that you would try to blame this problem on us proud liberal democrats...
seems to me...
the retarded republicans are more to blame!!!
I like the birdie.
He's hit the nail on the head. Big bizz likes illegals. They work like dogs for beans. And then they threaten your US citizens that either they get with it, or they're gone!
They take 'em and treat 'em like slaves.
They are lacking decency and sense of fair play. They are breaking the law.
I like Scott Swank's question about why in the hell some smart US citizen would ever want to waste his life as a doctor or medical researcher when he could actually do better in any other field. The point is that removing the prize of self-determination, respect and some reimbursement may eliminate the group of individuals who now pursue an education in medicine.
Hey Bird Brain,
Are you getting royalties from Unilever by continually endorsing its "Skippy" peanut butter?
Remember, my friend, choosy mother ******s , unlike you ignorant ones, choose Jif!
Recently I spotted this on another website:
You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.
You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion (and counting) on said illegal war.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get mad when you saw the Abu Grahib photos.
You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city drown.
You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.
The same "loons" spout their venom on the Sun Opinion pages day in, day out? What is their beef with healthcare reform?
Death Panels ? -- The authorization for end of life consultation has been in existence for decades. Do you think end of life consultancy is different with private insurance companies? Ask your physician if he or she doesn't have the same reimbursement program provided by their private insurance contract. Do the research!
Government take over? -- ("Don't touch my Medicare! Cause I don't want no government program.") Believe it or not, government works. The CDC, the NIH, state health departments. Should we get rid of them too? Not to mention Social Security, the VA, fire departments, police departments and yes, Medicare!
We have to protect the private insurance companies so they can stay competitive !? - Really? And they will of course never raise rates, right? When have companies that can collude on pricing ever been competitive? You want insurance companies to act responsibly? Guarantee all of them a non-profit return at a fixed percentage. But not one that is 38%. It is about providing healthcare, isn't it?
Paying for abortions? - Existing law -- a law I do not agree with -- prohibits public funding of abortions -- even when some imbecile rapes his eleven year old daughter and she is forced to bring the baby to term. It's not there. Period.
Illegal immigrants get healthcare? Another -- it's not in there. But even George W. knew that anyone, ANYONE, can walk into an emergency room and get medical treatment at 4 to ten times the cost what it otherwise would be. The mad will stay mad -- but in truth, they are just that -- mad, not angry.
Other questions:
1) Will coverage and cost be the same for individuals who smoke, excessive drinking, over eating, eating unhealthy foods, drug use and no exercise?
2) What about individuals not using helmets, seat belts or other safety gear?
3) How about sexually risky behavior? Should HIV and STDs be covered?
4) What about "elective" surgery? Some say some forms of plastic surgery is part of the cure. Who decides?
5) What about couples attempting to get pregnant? Using artificial methods? With know high risk diseases? Or already having premature babies?
Where do we draw the line and have individuals responsible?
Mr. height of hypocrisy posted his copied rant on another discussion topic calling us loons...
No Mr. hypocrisy, we didn't get mad when we read and listened to all the crap and bashing by the extremes of both political parties.
We got mad when politicians failed those citizens who they represent by passing legislation that they did not write. Legislation that they did not read. Legislation that they had no way of paying for. And finally, we got mad when we were told by our politicians not to question or challenge them on their actions or lack of action.
And again, Sinloy Charlie...
"We got mad when politicians failed those citizens who they represent by passing legislation that they did not write. Legislation that they did not read."
Senator Inhofe has stated that he will vote against the Health Care reform bill and he will not read it. That's your party, and that's your party's hypocrisy.
Mr. Edge... I have no problem with Senator Inhofe stating that he will not read or vote for the bill.
My concern is those who vote FOR something that they have NOT read. I think there is a difference here....
Besides, I am an INDEPENDENT voter... I vote for the candidate that I believe will do the best job.
ynotjohn: Your "Other questions":
If you choose to keep your private insurance the answers to these questions will remain the same as they are now.
Maybe "compettition" in providing health insurance means an insurance company will offer private insurance coverage for non-smoking, healthy eating non-drug abusing, helmet wearing, seat belt using, tea totaling, daily exercising, non-promiscious condom using people who don't run with scissors.
You would purchase a policy from them right?
No dead grandmas! No illegal aliens jumping in line in front of you! No drive thru abortion clinics! Ah, a perfect world of healthy people who can forget the rest of society that are not so fortunate and had to have grandma put down in order to take the government option.
GordonShumway
Where is the responsibility of the individual, which is some of the reasons for my questions?
Don't you donate to charity instead of being taxed by the government? Take care of family and friends? Or you just have the government become a big nanny for society? Because if you believe in government, the US Treasury will gladly take any and all of your assets and you can live on Medicaid, food stamps and public housing.
I rather be free, independent and not a burden to anyone and disburse my earnings to worthwhile organizations instead of being taxed by overpaid bureaucrats and given to other individuals just because it is politically correct and they have the power of the government.
GordonShumway and Birdiedreamin can always turn over all of their income and assets to the government to fulfill their dreams of government monopoly.
The people in Congress admit that they do not read these bills. There is an editorial in the Sun today outlining just this behavior.
of course the same questions could be asked about the lousy private plans we have now.
Republicans keep failing us. Wake up.
Nick: Sorry to hear about your lousy private plan. I pay for a good one and would like to keep it.
ynotjohn: what's your answer to responsible people who have worked all their lives and lived properly who are being dropped by their health plans and forced out of their homes because they have an illness through no fault of their own. Try MS on for starters. Those people are no longer any use to society so let them wither and die? Or in your dream world is some charitable organization going to pay the $22,000 annually just for the drugs needed to fight that disease?
For every overweight smoker who doesn't buy health insurance, and I don't know any, there are millions of stories of truly sick people who are being disregarded due to your "all for me" attitude. You need to stop hiding behind that excuse about fatties taking your money and admit to your indifference to your fellow man, aka greed.
Good for you. At least you take the time to advance the debate. You could not be more right on. Gordon does not know a single person who is ready to abuse the system and knows "millions" who suffer at the hands of the current system.
Hmm""
Well, I know lots of people, not millions, who spend their money on vices at the expense (pardon the pun) of their health care. We all have our experiences and perspective.
I don't think that too many of us would object to helping the small amount of people (about 10-11 million by my estimates) who are caught in the middle with bad medical problems and no health coverage.
What we object to is mass, blanket subsidization of the whole country with a , again, blanket, check. Isn't that reasonable??? Can't we agree on that??
The above is to John:
I agree to give an option but the costs should be based on individual responsibility.
pbim72:
The public option is not going to cover the
whole country. That would be single payer. It
would cover the 11 million that your talking about.
GordonShumway
I donate and give back to the community so I am not indifferent to my fellow man.
My questions are there to open discussions that too many pro-single payers are blind about and think with rose color glasses that utopia will happen with this plan with everyone being healthier and costs are lower. The major reason other counties citizens are healthier is because of lifestyles and not because of insurance. They walk and eat healthy which reduce costs.
I also want to stress who will determine the limits of this coverage.
4) What about "elective" surgery? Some say some forms of plastic surgery are part of the cure. Who decides?
5) What about couples attempting to get pregnant? Using artificial methods? With know high risk diseases? Or already having premature babies?
Are the above two questions the "right" of every US citizen.
Do you want to bankrupt your children's future with unlimited resources allocated to irresponsible adults?
GordonShumway
What is stopping you from donating for MS drugs for others?
Are you greedy?
Larry keep yopur crappy plan. You dont pay for it, your employer does.
Why should CEOs making 50 million a year decide our future?
The children is school are bankcrupting us. Wake up. Education is the biggest cost to the state. We should buy bonds and let them pay it back.
ynotjohn: Your question doesn't make sense to me. Could you explain please?
Nick: A few corrections for you...
You said you had a crappy plan, not me, I like mine.
You said that I don't pay for my plan because my employer does. But Nicky, I am retired and not 65 so I pay for it myself. Oh, and I am not asking you to pay for any of it for me...
The rest of your rant makes no sense to me...