Republican to seniors: “You’re going to die sooner” with healthcare reform
Republican Senator Tom Coburn doesn’t mince words. He was crystal clear about what he thinks of healthcare reform being debated in the Senate, saying to seniors: “I have a message for you: You’re going to die sooner.”
Senators are debating an amendment by Republican Senator John McCain that would send the bill back to the Senate Finance Committee with instructions to strike the Medicare cuts from the bill. Democrats defended the legislation saying the proposed spending cuts would not reduce seniors’ health benefits.
“I’d like to once and for all lay to rest this false claim that the pending bill is going to ‘hurt seniors’ and it is going to hurt providers and it’s going to be this long parade of horribles that the other side likes to mention,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said.
“It is totally, patently untrue, the claims that they are making,” he argued.
The bill calls for more than $400 billion in spending cuts for Medicare over 10 years. A big chunk of the money comes from reducing subsidies for Medicare Advantage, which provides health services for the elderly through private insurers.
Baucus argued that Medicare spending would continue to grow, but at a slightly slower pace. The bill also seeks to achieve Medicare savings by rewarding quality of care instead of the quantity of services and treatments.
The Senate debate is expected to last for at least three weeks and Republicans, who solidly oppose the Democratic-written bill, plan a number of amendments focused on the Medicare spending cuts.
Healthcare public option on life support, will it be revived?
The healthcare “public option” was dealt a blow by the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, so now the question is whether it can be resuscitated when the legislation hits the Senate floor.
The Senate Finance Committee was always going to be the hardest sell.
The government insurance option will get another shot when the healthcare overhaul bill goes to the Senate floor, and let’s not forget the House of Representatives which is likely to pass a public option in its version of the legislation.
A Thomson Reuters poll found that 63 percent of Americans surveyed were willing to pay for healthcare reform. But only 35 percent of them said President Barack Obama’s reform agenda and the debate in Congress would lead to better health service.
In other healthcare news, Obama announced a plan to spend $5 billion for medical and scientific research, including jobs and supplies. It will come out of the $787 billion economic stimulus.
And tomorrow, doctors plan to descend on Washington for the MillionMedMarch to have their say in the healthcare debate.
Do you think Obama should push for the public option, or abandon it as the price for getting healthcare reform through Congress?
Who was this family that lost their home? What was their name? What was the name of their doctor?
If you want to supply anecdotes, provide details.
Senate healthcare debate: hot time in cold room
It’s been likened to watching paint dry – the long-awaited debate in the Senate Finance Committee over a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system.
The panel, which prides itself as one of a few in Congress that operates in a bipartisan atmosphere, is in its third day of deliberations. But it has dispensed with only a few of the more than 500 amendments proposed to the legislation put forward by Committee Chairman Max Baucus.
After a delay at the start of Thursday’s session as Baucus waited for senators to arrive to present their amendments, things started to heat up in the freezing cold hearing room.
Discussion began over a proposal by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch that would have required a certification that no more than 1 million people would lose their insurance as a condition of implementing the bill. The debate quickly turned into an angry exchange over which party has the better ideas when it comes to fixing a $2.5 trillion system that almost everyone agrees is too costly and leaves too many people without medical coverage.
Tempers flared when Baucus, a Democrat who has remained upbeat about his bill’s prospects despite taking fire from all sides, made a remark about the lack of a plan from the opposition party. That brought howls of protests from Republicans and Senator Jon Kyl shot back: “We don’t believe in a massive government takeover. You will not see a massive Republican bill to do anything like that.”
As the arguments continued, Baucus interrupted Kyl to try to move things along. Kyl said he was not trying to delay and said it was “not courteous” for the chairman to interrupt someone in the middle of a sentence.
Democratic Senator Kent Conrad broke into the dispute, urging senators to “take a deep breath.” The debate over the Hatch amendment continued and when the time came to vote, the measure failed along strict party lines.
Obama to kids who want to be president: beware of Facebook
President Barack Obama advised children who want to be president to beware of Facebook.
“I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook,” Obama told a group of ninth graders before making a back-to-school speech at Wakefield High School in Virginia.
“Because in the YouTube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life. And when you’re young, you make mistakes and you do some stupid stuff. ”
Sounds like some wise advice, but whether the kids will listen to it is another story… high school without letting loose on Facebook? NVRGH (Never Gonna Happen for those unfamiliar with the lingo).
Critics since last week have been screaming that Obama’s education speech was only a ploy to advance his political agenda. A handful of them greeted his motorcade with signs like”Mr. President, Stay Away From Our Kids,” and “Children Serve God, Not Obama.”
Obama did not raise healthcare arguments in his speech, but it came up during his conversation with the ninth graders. He said he can’t prevent someone from getting sick but maybe he can “make sure that they’ve got insurance so that when they do get sick, they’re going to get some help.”
One student asked why the United States lacked universal healthcare when 36 other countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, have it. Obama replied that he’s asking Congress that very question.
EVERYTIME OBAMA USES THE 47 MILLION UNINSURED AMERICANS NUMBER HE LIES. THE NUMBER INCLUDES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
45.7 Million Uninsured Breakdown
——————————————–
Illegal Immigrants = 9.3 million
Medicad Undercount = 6.4 million
Medicaid/SCHIP Eligible = 4.3 million
Childless Adults = 5.0 million
Over 300% of Poverty = 10.1 million
Remaining Uninsured = 10.6 million
Medicad Undercount – People who are on one of two government health insurance programs, Medicaid or S-CHIP, but mistakenly (intentionally or not) tell the Census taker that they are uninsured.
Medicaid/SCHIP Eligible – Eligible for free or heavily subsidized government health insurance (again, either Medcaid or SCHIP), but have not signed up.
Childless Adults – Adults between ages 18 and 34 and without kids.
Over 300% of Poverty – Do not fit into any of the above categories, and they have incomes more than 3X the poverty level.
Remaining Uninsured – U.S. citizens, with income below 300% of poverty, not on or eligible for a taxpayer-subsidized health insurance program, and not a childless adult between age 18 and 34.
*NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS FREELY AVAILABLE ON THE CENSUS WEBSITE.
Pistol Packin’ Pelosi? finger on healthcare trigger
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has put the insurance industry on notice that if congressional Democrats are forced to compromise on a government-run health insurance plan and accept a “trigger” proposed by Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, get ready for some major fire power.
Snowe has proposed a compromise that would “trigger” the creation of a new public plan should insurance market reforms fail to meet affordability and quality benchmarks.
At a news conference in San Francisco, Pelosi was asked about the “trigger” idea that has gained new strength in recent days as the White House looks for a potential compromise that would help get President Barack Obama’s proposed healthcare overhaul through Congress.
Pelosi warned insurance companies that they should accept the Senate health committee proposal that would create a public plan because “if they want no public option but a trigger, you can be sure that the trigger will bring on a very robust public option.”
The Senate health committee version would put the public option on a more even competitive playing field with private insurers than the original House proposal. The House bill moved closer to the Senate version in a compromise with conservative Democrats worried that the public option would undermine private insurers.
One thing is for certain, the healthcare fight is far from over.
I can not believe what has happened to my country. Who are the idiots who sent this elitist, treasonous, sociopath, Palosi to Washington anyway? Read history people. We are moving quickly down a path that has never turned out well anywhere in the world. Ever! You left wing nuts may just get what you think you want but you will be sorry.
Healthcare watch: Will summer debate yield fall harvest?
The healthcare debate that turned so temperamental during the summer when critics let loose during town hall meetings around the country is about to get a cool splash of reality.
The summer of running around, blowing off steam and releasing hot air is coming to a close. And soon it will be what every student dreads — a time for tests.
The White House has signaled that it is going to go to the drawing table and come up with specific areas where compromise can be had, and President Barack Obama will lay it all out in a major speech in the next week or two.
The speech will be a telltale about who Obama has decided to disappoint in order to try to reach broader agreement.
If it is truly the start of a negotiation, chances are no one’s going to be fully happy. But taking a not-so-wild guess, it’s Obama’s liberal base that will be the most upset, especially if it looks like he’s waffling on the government insurance option.
In the meantime the war drums keep beating. MoveOn.org and other liberal groups are holding vigils tonight, including a “virtual vigil” for those who can’t physically attend, to demonstrate the “urgent need” for healthcare reform.
Republicans are working to keep their people in line in opposition to healthcare overhaul and are unlikely to support Obama on his signature issue, even if he takes a step their way.
President OBAMA: Stop trying to “demonstrate” the “urgent need” for healthcare reform…
There are bigger things needing RE-FORM in America:
Please spend my money to work on the repair of the US infrastructure… If INTERSTATES, SEWERS, POWER, BRIDGES, DRINKING WATER, and other basic services are not available, paying for healthcare just will not matter. These are things people see and really need everyday. Take the $2.5M and get America moving again.
Put my money toward these real reforms and it will put people to work, put people to work and they can afford healthcare. Put people to work and they will not have time to sit behind the TV getting fatter, lazier, and dumber. Put people to work and they will value what they earn… Give people stuff and they will just want for more.
Name-recalling in healthcare fight: Wellstone, Kennedy
The healthcare fight has turned into a power struggle over names.
Conservatives have the sirens out warning about the “Wellstone effect” in a jab at trying to knock out any inclination Liberals may have to capitalize on the Kennedy name in pursuing healthcare overhaul, one of Senator Edward Kennedy’s signature issues.
Trouble is that the Wellstone analogy doesn’t automatically jump out for everyone.
It takes a bit of digging into the memory banks (or perhaps Googling) to refresh the brain cells that the reference is to the 2002 memorial service for Democrat Senator Paul Wellstone which was criticized for turning into a political event. Backlash contributed to Democrats losing that Senate seat.
Conservatives may be worrying that the emotional effect from Senator Edward Kennedy’s death may swing the healthcare debate toward the left, especially after Senator Robert Byrd proposed stamping Kennedy’s name on the legislation.
But analysts say while the Kennedy name is powerful, it is unlikely to shift the balance in the healthcare debate.
“I don’t think it will bring any Republicans aboard, they have decided not to legislate, but to oppose and to kill (healthcare reform). And it may stiffen the spine of a few Democrats,” Thomas Mann, senior fellow of governance studies at The Brookings Institution, said.
Senior citizen’s health care will be cut so that illegal aliens can have government healthcare. It will cost well over one trillion dollars, probably two. Government has never be good at saving money.
Why can’t we just limit malpractice suits payouts, improve competition with interstate HMO choices and private co-ops. If there is rationing let it be on the illegal aliens not the seniors.
The First Draft: no rest for the weary?
The Obamas may be on vacation this week, but the news hasn’t taken a break.
The Justice Department is expected to release a report Monday disclosing details of prisoner abuse that were gathered in 2004 by the CIA’s inspector general but never before made public. According to published reports, the department has recommended re-opening nearly a dozen prisoner-abuse cases.
A review of the cases threatens to weigh down the Obama administration, which is already involved in deeply partisan battles over healthcare and climate change legislation.
The healthcare reform debate rages on, with Republicans pushing a healthcare bill of rights for seniors and Democrats threatening to use congressional procedure to bypass the need for 60 votes to pass healthcare legislation in the Senate.
Today is also the last day for car buyers to take advantage of the popular “Cash for clunkers,” as the program’s $3 billion budget runs out of gas.
Click here for more Reuters political coverage
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (view of Martha’s Vineyard from Air Force One)
One win and one loss for Obama regarding the CIA. How can he do the right thing on one issue and be so wrong on another. there is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588
The First Draft: too Mr. Nice Guy?
It doesn’t matter that the healthcare debate has picked apart every argument from every side until nobody knows what actually is going to happen on that front. There are still fresh opinions to be found every day.
Pointing out Paul Krugman in The New York Times today saying “It’s hard to avoid the sense that Mr. Obama has wasted months trying to appease people who can’t be appeased, and who take every concession as a sign that he can be rolled.”
Don’t miss the exchange between host Jon Stewart and Betsy McCaughey, who started the saber-rattling on what later became known as death panels, last night on “The DailyShow”.
President Barack Obama will have a closed-door healthcare consultation today with someone who is quite well-versed in the politics of Washington: former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who was Obama’s first pick for health secretary.
Republican critics must be savoring the sight of Democrats unable to come together on healthcare even when they control Congress and the White House.
And we want to hear from you. Is Obama being too “Mr. Nice Guy” in the healthcare debate? What should he do next? What about opponents of the healthcare overhaul — are they playing their cards right?
The Obama family is off on vacation to Martha’s Vineyard next week, Congress is still on summer break, but it’s doubtful the healthcare debate will take a breather.
CK,unfortunately i don,t have the figures on how the political contributions were dispersed between the democrats and republicans by the medical insurance industry in the last election.But i know that litigation lawyers were reported to have given 97% of their total contributions to the democrats,could this be why in all the different proposed bills up till now they have refused to even consider compensation reform? Something else the liberals don,t want to talk about?
The First Draft: the other war
Washington is watching the election in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama, who has ordered a troop build-up to fight the Taliban, is almost certainly keeping a close eye on the election which brought millions of voters to the polls across Afghanistan despite threats of violence. It remains to be seen whether the president will be picked in one round.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who voted at a school near his palace in Kabul, faces a strong challenge from former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and must win more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a second round. Not easy when there are about 30 challengers.
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that 51 percent of Americans see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, that’s up 6 percentage points from last month.
In the political war on healthcare reform, David Ignatius writes in The Washington Post that perhaps Obama should roll out the medical equivalent of General David Petraeus to unite the country around his strategy.
Who do you believe could be a uniting force on healthcare?
In the meantime, Obama continues to pitch his proposal to both ends of the political spectrum. The president appears on Conservative radio host Michael Smerconish’s program at 1:10 p.m. and then holds a healthcare forum at Democratic National Committee headquarters at 2:45 p.m.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Thursday that after a wildly successful run, the cash for clunkers program will come to a close on Monday, August 24th at 8 p.m. EDT.
Most of the seniors I know are more worried about how the young will stay healthy and work. They are are disturbed by the staggering number of young people who don’t have health care. How does one sustain an economy capable of providing for the elderly when the working population is sick and unhealthy? More and more of people are becoming disabled at earlier ages. Some are even dying. While the causes are many, access to quality health care will keep people healthy, able to work longer and lead more productive lives. We have money for war, why not for keeping the American people healthy?