New Anti-Obama Health Care Front Group: Patients United Now
Posted on May 26th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Profits Before People
 |
Let's take a quick roll call. Who's against President Obama's health care plan so far?
- The insurance industry? I say yes, but they say no.
- Big drug companies? Again, I say yes, but they say no.
- Moderate Democrats? No.
- The American people? Definitely not.
- Republicans? Yes, but they've been rather quiet.
Up until now, there was only one person really going all out against Obama and his health care plan, and that person was Rick Scott. So, disgraced CEOs are against Obama's health care plan.
We can add a new group to that list: Teabaggers!
Americans for Prosperity, a lead group behind the lobbyist-organized "Tax Day Teaparties" of ultraconservatives around the country, has set up a new front group called "Patients United Now."
The group is right out of Frank Luntz's playbook, trotting out the now familiar horror stories (used by Rick Scott) of health care in other countries.
So, let's say it once again: The health care reform proposal from President Obama is not a copy of any other system in the world. We're not going to become Britain or Canada. With Obama's proposal, you can keep the insurance you have if you like it, period. Nobody will force you into anything.
Americans for Prosperity will be going up on TV with these lies anyway, proudly telling the world how much teabaggers oppose Obama's health care plan. Like I didn't know that already…
Re your assesment of "moderate Democrats", I am a Democrat all my life who contributed heavily to Democratic campaigns for the past 16 years. I am opposed to the President's / Democratic Congress's push for universal health insurance because (a) I believe the cost — direct cost approaching $2 trillion plus unknown indirect cost of driving up medical bills and increasing congestion in obtaining care - outweighs the benefits to the uninsured (direct benefits: I don't believe the uninsured population is as high as stated and I don't believe all of them require a great deal of medical care; indirect benefits - I don't see them as great as others do); (b) I believe we should focus on cost containment first, because that benefits all, or a greater number, of Americans and then worry about the small portion of uninsured; (c) I believe most voters, if given the choice, would prefer the current system to one with big tax increases and universal health care - see California; (d) I don't believe a government run universal health, or health insurance, program will, or even can, be administered in (x) a cost effective way, (y) a way that preserves patient freedom to optimize their own health outcomes; and (z) a way that allows for doctors to have both freedom of service and a reasonable return on their enormous investment of time and money in their careers such that over time people will be discouraged from entering the medical profession and care will suffer; (e) there are many things people can do to manage their health better without cost to fellow citizens that aren't being done, and these would have a bigger effect on health that expanding insurance.
You can add Libertarians to your list. I'm one, and I am 100% AGAINST the Obama proposal and 100% AGAINST HCAN's proposal and 100% against the single-payer system also being proposed.
I've lived with many insurance scenarios: no health insurance, Medicaid insurance, private insurance through my employer, and single-payer/socialized health care.
I have Lupus, and I've had a serious spinal injury that required an urgent revision surgery. The latter occurred because, while on Medicaid, I was denied coverage for just about anything (x-rays, MRI, a spine specialist), and I suffered for 6 months while, as it turned out, broken hardware in my spine had fractured my vertebrae, damaged major blood vessels and permanently injured my spinal cord causing lasting disability. Had Medicaid allowed me to go to my spine specialist 6 months prior, instead of sending me to the ER 5 times with no resolution, I would have had far less damage and would not have any permanent lasting effects.
As someone with Lupus, I require ongoing attention from a team of multiple specialists I've worked with for years (primary dr, rheumatologist, nephrologist, neurlogist…). My relationship with those doctors is crucial. I need the right to pick my doctors and to see them whenever I want, without any intervention from any other agency.
Of all the insurance scenarios I've endured, the WORST were Medicaid and single-payer/socialized health care!! At least when I was uninsured, the doctors were gracious enough to negotiate with me personally and put me on a monthly payment plan, while pharma companies literally DONATED my prescriptions. Once I had Medicaid, all payment options stopped and so did the pharma donations. And I suffered terribly.
By far, private insurance has been the best. I have freedom of choice, scheduling consults is timely, and I can reach people for questions and insurance help when I need it. (With Medicaid, I NEVER got any help, not even a return phone call, from any government agency.)
Your plan will kill people me…quite literally. Stop blaming any opposition to your plan on Republicans. I am an AMERICAN, and I have suffered through plans like yours, and it has damaged my life. I want to keep my private insurance, and you have no right to demonize people like me for wanting what I do. It is simply unAmerican to want socialized medicine, not to mention irresponsible and uninformed. Insurance is expensive, yes, but fight for lower prices and REAL competition then, not for socialized medicine. Govt health care does NOT create competition, it creates added cost and inefficiency.
I beg of you to stop making this a partisan politics thing and think about the real needs of real Americans - Americans like me.
Oh please! Stop being a mindless tool of Big Pharma and Big Insurance and the congress people they bought and paid for. Have you even read the President's proposal? No one is taking away the right to choose your own physician or restrict treatments, at least not anymore than currently restricted by insurance companies. Did you ever belong to an HMO? You think they don't restrict you? Your doctor choice is limited, you need permission to see a specialist.They decide what drugs they will cover. Any insurance can and will restrict what procedures or tests you can have, or what drugs they will pay for. They will cancel your insurance when you need it most.And for this privilege we pay thousands of dollars annually. I spent a year without insurance, I couldn't find a dr to negotiate prices, or defer a payment. I couldn't afford my medication and had to limit doctor visits. Nice that things worked out for you, but for me and many others, we need something better.
You're being duped by the very people you trust! Rep Jan Schakowsky, D-IL on April 18,2009 said very plainly that the goal is single payer only and that the current campaign strategy of claiming commercial options is simple deceit in service of the greater good. Obama has said many times the goal is single payer even if it takes 15 to 20 years. Don't you just love how politicians will even lie to their own constituents if its for the "greater good". Only who defines the greater good, its certainly not you or I. You're being lied to. I used to work for the Commerce dept. and so I know that federal employees have a lot of choices but Congress isn't giving you the same that they have. They are making your choices for you while they maintain options. Wake up before you become "Soylent Green". Here are the facts:
# You and your family will wait longer for the care you need. Americans in Massachusetts have to wait up to 100 days to see a primary care physician as a result of Massachusetts’ health reform, which is serving as a model for a national plan. Canadian patients on their government-run system sometimes wait a year or longer to get radiation therapy for cancer. More than 800,000 Canadians are on wait lists for care, and many end up coming to the U.S. for life-saving treatment. In Great Britain, nearly 1.8 million people are waiting to get into a hospital or to have an outpatient procedure.
# You will likely lose your private insurance. Americans would lose their private health insurance and be forced onto a government plan. The non-partisan Lewin Group estimates that 119 million individuals will lose their private insurance – even if they are happy with their current coverage – if a government plan, open to all individuals and reimbursing health care providers at current Medicare rates, is instated. Two-thirds of Americans get health insurance through their employers, and the Lewin study looked at people whose employers would switch their coverage.
# You could be denied life-saving care. Earlier this year, Congress approved funding for a national board to oversee the “effectiveness” of health care services. It is modeled on The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in Great Britain, which rations care on a cost-benefit basis through the British National Health Service. NICE calculates the value of extending human life, won’t pay for the care it deems too expensive, and often forbids patients to get the care on their own.
# Survival rates will likely decrease. Survival rates for deadly diseases could go down if Washington takes over health care. Countries where government runs health care have much lower survival rates than here in the United States. In Germany, a breast cancer patient is actually 52% more likely to die from the disease than American patients while in the United Kingdom that figure rises to 88% more likely to die from breast cancer.
# The proposed changes will weaken our already feeble economy. Proposals calling for an employer mandate will reduce jobs by making it more costly to hire workers. At a time when we have double-digit unemployment, government shouldn’t be cutting incentives to hire workers. An employer mandate would cost businesses more than $50 billion per year and put over 15 million Americans at risk of unemployment or slower wage growth according to a study by Applied Economic Analysis.
# Health insurance premiums would likely increase. A new government agency would define “acceptable coverage” for all Americans, driving up the cost of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses with numerous mandates and regulations. The Council for Affordable Health Insurance calculates that premiums could be 75% to 95% higher with the new proposed regulations in place.
# Additional taxes would be added as penalties. Many proposals, including the House bill H.R. 3200, include mandates that force individuals to buy insurance that meets expensive regulatory requirements from regulated insurance companies. Millions of low-income Americans would be forced to buy expensive health insurance or pay a fine. In H.R. 3200, individuals who did not purchase qualified insurance would have to pay a fine equal to 2.5 percent of their income, leaving these individuals uninsured and poorer.
# America can’t afford government-run health care. In 1966, Medicare cost $3 billion, and at the time, the House estimated it would cost $12 billion by 1990. The actual cost in 1990 was $107 billion. Right now, the Congressional Budget Office is estimating the cost of these health care plans at more than $1 trillion for the next ten years. But we can only imagine what it will really cost! Medicare is expected to go bankrupt in less than ten years and Medicaid threatens the financial stability of many states as they struggle to keep up with the rising health care costs. A government takeover of health care will lead us down the same path toward insolvency with much more devastating consequences
Thoughts on the story of Little Boy’s Family refuses Medical Care.
I watched as our Country chased down a little boy and his mother to forced him to have chemotherapy to save his life. Natural instinct makes you rally to save the little boys life, but the part of the story not covered is what about his right to refuse treatment. I heard reports of how he had already had a round of chemotherapy and had said he would run away before he took more. This is not a case of someone not knowing what he is facing, this is a case of someone not wanting to submit to treatment.
This is clearly covered in the Patients’ Bill of Rights. A Patient or their representative have the right to an advance directive that refuses care. This right has been used by many groups of people to refuse certain types of medical treatment. A Jehovah Witness refuses blood, terminal patients often refuse medications, the average patient may chose to refuse advance life support, to name a few. This right was violated for us all when they took it away from this little boy and his parents. If the courts follow this judgment, you will be required to take any medical treatment the Doctor and the Government deems you should take. An illustration would be a vaccine against the next flu. You do not want to take it because it is untested and may not be safe and may cause serious side effects like Guillain-Barré. The Government wants you to take the vaccine so it can show it is fighting a pandemic flu. If the courts follow this judgment you no longer have the right to refuse this vaccine. You will be forced into accepting this even though you fear the side effects. This judgment says the Government knows what’s better for you than you do yourself.
Now, let’s take it a step further. President Obama says our Country needs National Healthcare. Anyone involved in healthcare knows this will lead to rationing. There simply isn’t enough doctors and services to treat us all, especially if it is free and the public utilities it every time they feel ill. This is exactly why insurance companies require copays. Wikipedia sums it up; “it is thought to prevent people from seeking medical care that may not be necessary (eg: an infection by the common cold)”. As National Healthcare begins to be over utilized, rationing becomes necessary and another right of the Patients’ Bill of Rights must be eliminated. The right to be informed of all treatment options. Let’s take a look at the future. Mr. Jones is diagnosed with cancer. It is in early stages and an operation would be his best chance of survival. Mr. Jones, well as many more have received early diagnosis of lung cancer which has improved their chance of survival, but the surgery centers are overloaded. His doctor knows his cancer will progress into the advance stage before he can get into one of the surgery centers. Mrs. Smith was able to get a less effective surgery known as VATS two months ago, but those centers are now overloaded as well. He is required by the Bill of Patients’ rights to discuss all of the options with Mr. Jones, but knows the two best are not really options. How long do you think it will take Mr. Jones to be on his phone to his congressman? I am not advocating letting a little boy die, I am just rebelling against taking away his right to choose his own healthcare. Our government now has legal precedents to break the Bill of Patients’ rights. It took years to get these rights and with one little boy, it is now almost worthless. We now have one less tool to fight our government dictating our health.
Yes, everyone should be able to receive healthcare. What is the solution? The solution will be found with a lot of education and can not be produced overnight. We need to actually be able to provide the services. If you want to fix healthcare, you need to realize the limitation, work on them and then we will have a healthcare system that will work for all.
Citations:
1. THE PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS IN MEDICARE AND MEDICAID
(1999, April 12). The patients’ bill of rights in Medicare and Medicaid. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Web site: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/1999pres/990412.html
“Participation in Treatment Decisions. The Interim Final rule for Medicare and the NPRM for Medicaid reflect existing and new policies that are consistent with this right, including information about treatment options and advance directives, physicians' financial disclosure and prohibition against "gag rules." Health plans will be required to provide patients with easily understood information and the opportunity to decide among all treatment options–including no treatment–consistent with the informed consent process. Managed care organizations and providers are required to discuss the use of advance directives, or "living wills" with patients and their families and to abide by the wishes as expressed in an advanced directive, except where state law permits a provider to conscientiously object. Physicians are required to disclose to Medicare and Medicaid any financial arrangements that create incentives for limiting care. Plans are prohibited from penalizing or otherwise restricting the ability of health care providers to communicate with and advise Medicare and Medicaid patients about medically-necessary treatment options.
Being a Full Partner in Health Care Decisions. Patients have the right to fully participate in all decisions related to their health care. Consumers who are unable to fully participate in treatment decisions have the right to be represented by parents, guardians, family members, or other conservators. Additionally, provider contracts should not contain any so-called "gag clauses" that restrict health professionals' ability to discuss and advise patients on medically necessary treatment options.”
2. Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases , (2003, December 10). Seasonal Flu and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from CDC Home Diseases and Conditions Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/about/qa/gbs.htm
“Only one of the studies showed an association. That study suggested that one person out of 1 million vaccinated persons may be at risk of GBS associated with the vaccine.”
3. Copayment. (2009, May 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:30, May 23, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Copayment&oldid=291814698
“Insurance companies use copayments to share health care costs to prevent moral hazard. Though the copay is often only a small portion of the actual cost of the medical service, it is thought to prevent people from seeking medical care that may not be necessary (eg: an infection by the common cold), which can result in substantial savings for insurance companies. The underlying philosophy is that with no copay, the perception is that medical care is "free" and then is used more often. However, a copay may also discourage people from seeking necessary medical care.”
4. Davis, Bets (2008, June 4). Lung surgery (thoracotomy) for lung cancer. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from WebMD Web site: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/lung-surgery-thoracotomy-for-lung-cancer
“Survival rates for the VATS method are about the same as those for an open thoracotomy for early-stage lung cancer. However, after 5 years, the VATS method survival rates are not as good as those for a thoracotomy. 3”
I'M disabled from strokes,I have good health care from Arizona,I don't want OBAMA'S health care or anybody else's FREEKING HEALTH CARE I'M totaly satisfyed with what I have,I had the strokes in Nevada due to a doctors screw up,AS you probubly know thier is a cap on malpractice suits in NV,so I couldn't find an attorney cause they could'nt make enough money cause of the cap so i'm not sombody they want to mess with when it comes to insurance ,I WITH MY PARTNER SMITH AND WESSON will take the law into my own hands and punish those who try yo screw me again
I can't support your program or the president's program because it isn't single-payer. And so it won't work. It will either be some forced purchase of insurance plan like Massachusetts, or more money will be funneled by the government into insurance companies. And I haven't seen that they will truly cover everyone and stop denying care, and so on. Commercial insurance wastes a huge amount of money and if taxpayers are going to pay for this, the profits of a bunch of spoiled execs have got to be eliminated. But don't worry - this won't pass! They will do to Obama what they did to Hillary and then all attempts at getting universal health care in this country will be off the table for another 15-20 years. The insurance companies will do to Obama what the Democrats did to us last year - BAIT AND SWITCH.
Obama has refused to even consider SINGLE PAYER health care.
Until SINGLE PAYER adopted, I'll never support his stand on this.
I hope you like crap sandwichs because your going to eat a hole lot of them.Go Obama!!
The claims of PATIENTS UNITED NOW are BOGUS!
AMERICANS, WAKE UP!!! SUPPORT OBAMA TO BRING THE U.S. OUT THE SHAMEFUL MEDIEVAL, PROFIT-DRIVEN MEDICAL INSURANCE JUNGLE!
The right to health care is your internationally recognized HUMAN RIGHT!
Why would anybody in their right mind trust a profit-motivated group of sharks come between your doctors, your pharmacists, your health care providers, and you and your family? How can you ever penalize the sharks? THEY ARE UNITED IN NOT GIVING YOU OPTIONS, in letting you die in suffering to increase their profit margins!
With Government-run insurance, the system will become democratic and humane again!
The people of ALL developed countries have great medical insurance and care, they are less stressed, less dehumanized and they prevent diseases and suffering because they do not prioritize budget over health. And those who can afford private "deluxe" insurance, have access to it, at prices much lower than what the regular American pays now.
HOW CAN WE ALLOW OUR HEALTH, OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSETT, TO BE GAMBLED FOR PROFIT BY WALL STREET?
IT CAN BE DIFFERENT!
IT MUST BE DIFFERENT!
Get a clue! Hussein has you under his anti-American spell
It's anti-American to try to increase access to healthcare to the 46,000,000 million Americans who don't have it? You're an asshole, you and everybody who believes Obama is the devil. Go try to read a book.
It is time to ensure basic health, basic education are part of basic human rights.
Together, we can afford and together we will benefit from a population that has at least its basic human needs available to them at an affordable price. This price may need to be subsidized from some. So be it.
Even someone who is in this country illegally can walk into a free clinic and get care in this country. Reform? we don't need it. Just stop giving free health care away and the costs will decrease. Kick the people out that are siphoning off from citizens and we won't need to rely on government dictator tactics
Funny I haven't seen a single person without health care (40 plus million) say they are against this basic plan. I do agree with Adrien though. Single payer is what was the plan when I voted for Obama and Clinton. Will this be a bait and switch? And I'm also finding it hard to believe that BOB is serious or even a real person. Please.
You Americans are soooo misinformed! I just saw a commercial on anti-universal health care and the message ran - do we want to be like Canada and have the government control our health care? As a Canadian, I can tell you the government does NOT control my health care. The government pays for it but I and my doctors - all of whom I choose - decide on what health care I obtain as well as where and when. And it is all accessible in a VERY timely fashion and at no cost to me. I don't have to worry if I am sick or need treatment or surgery. I just go and get it - and I get it from the best practitioners and no one questions if I see ten specialists to verify a diagnosis. That is why Canadians live longer than Americans, are healthier and have a better quality of life! Do you not read the statistics? Do they not mean anything to you? You are making insurance companies very rich with your system - but that is what your entire economic system is predicated on - making a very few people very rich! You need a real awakening neighbours. The American dream is just that - a dream. If you want to live in an environment that truly cares about its citizens, come to Canada! PS We don't have ghettos either!
I have a good friend who has moved to the U.S. because he says the opposite is true of what you have stated. So somebody's lying .And while you are at it Canada, why don't you take ALL our illegals ans support them???? Canadians suck!
Just out of curiosity - did you vote for Bush?
I don't know where your ex-Canadian friend came from, but I live in Toronto and I assure you that what I say is true. When looking at the health care issue the one question you have to ask yourself is How much profit do the insurance companies make? Then ask yourself whether or not this money would be better served actually providing health care for those who need it rather than making more executives and shareholders rich. But regardless, if you feel your health care system works, kudos to you. I just wonder why when watching movies or reading any American fiction a theme I see often is the pressure people face to pay health care bills and how they lose their homes, etc to do so.
I assume you are employed so clearly this is not an issue for you. I hope for your sake you remain employed and healthy. One of the challenges Canada faces in providing health care services is the sheer size of the country and the remoteness of many areas, so in actuality it is closer to obtain health care in the US than in a large Canadian centre. So our government pays for us to obtain health care in the US when necessary. But I believe that that occurrence is far less frequent than Americans who steal Canadian health cards and obtain free health care in Canada!
Regarding your illegal aliens, it is my understanding that your economy requires the services of illegal aliens to provide cheap (almost slave-like) labour - otherwise who would clean your houses or mow your lawns. If not I am sure one of your Presidents would have dealt with the issue long ago and bombed them, or something. It appears as though the illegal aliens do far more for you than they get.
If the weather in Canada were milder, we wouldn't be having this discussion as most Americans would likely be living here - or rather the educated ones would be.
The US has long had a mystique that made it very compelling. The Bush administration has done much to wear that mystique away and when I think of that administration and what it was allowed to do for eight years - all motivated by the personal gain of the administrators at the expense of many good Americans (from soldiers in Iraq to the many who are now unemployed)- I shake my head and wonder how they are not in jail. At the very least they should be charged with treason!
Thank you for your comment, well put, and you are right about people from the US would want to move to Canada! I love Canada!
I cant say that I support his plan. I think there it does not support the people that really need care. It appears to support insurance companies and medical providers. I do know that what is being proposed is not Canadian health care. I also know we have two very workable systems already operating in America. the Veterans Medical System is a great medical model. The people I know who use it get great care including both my parents. Medicare is also a great system that has paid for the primary medical care of millions. It seems to be working without denial of services. Pretty much all childen these days can get medicaid. When the baby boomers hit 65 most of the seniors will be covered also. Who is left is the people that are working to support the rest of us. Makes sense tome that cover that group also and quit spending money on war. Seems to me our priorities in this country are all messed up. To me health, education and security should be our primary goals.. but then again who is asking me!
I guess most of the folks responding to this article never bother to actually read up on what President Obama is proposing or indeed any fact base study not conducted by an insurance/AMA based lobbying group in the last 20 years. The fact is we already ration health care according to peoples ability to pay and the cost is being passed on to us in the form of increased co pays, premiums and deductables. Insurance companies also ration care by denying coverage for preexisting conditions. I doubt the veracity of the commenter called Mandy, if she has truly got Lupus she would know that if there was ever a time she didn't have insurance and she had a preexisting condition, when she reapplied for insurance she would have had to wait the same number of months that she had been with out coverage until her new coverage kicked in. All of that time she would have to pay premiums. Also, if she really is a libertarian, she should favor a law that abolishes all private insurance. That would asssure that market forces actually were at work since every one would have to pay out of pocket and since most of us couldn't afford it, doctors, drug companies and hospitals would all have to come down on thier rates so most of us could afford it.
As to some of Mark T's comments, Mark, what can I say? You're just wrong about the uninsured, there are probably more of them than most estimates would have it. Also your comment about "…and most of them don't require a great deal of medical care." Well, thats the point isn't it? They don't reqire a great deal of medical care until they do, then, since they don't have insurance they don't get treatment at the early cheap stage they wait until the condition is so severe, that they have to go to the ER for treatment and the hospital simply tacks it on to your bill. In essence, the system is already socialist since wealth is being redistributed by the private health care system. That is why insurance costs keep spiralling up. Finally, yeah, it will cost a lot to have a single payer system, even though that is not what is being proposed. It also costs a lot up front to buy a more fuel efficient car, energy efficient refrigerator or compact flourescent bulbs but most of us realize we will save a lot in the future by making these purchases. The fact is most developed contries treat everyone in thier systems for almost half of what we spend and most measures indicate they are healthier over all.
Look people, I know that change is scary, and those that are making money hand over fist with the current system don't want it to change, but change it must or the vast majority of Americans won't be able to access the system at all with out sacrificing all of thier savings for retirement and thier kids educations just to get treatment, and poor treatment at that. Corporate scaremongers and their conservative propaganda groups are going to try to use the words "socialism" and "rationing" to scare us into the status quo, when in fact the private system we have already has both!
Dont' be chumps, support the president.
Most of us probably haven't read Obama's healthcare proposal? Obama…. admitted that he had not read it fully. . He is naive,and a socialist thinking dictator. But if you want, just keep following like a sheep. Some of us still have the freedom to choose otherwise.
I will NEVER support this "president". Far-left, communist
Socialism here we COME!!! while most all other countries are swinging away from a socialist Gov't. and have realized that it does not work… We are going into it full force…WHY???
I live in a very liberal part of the USA and daily I need to defend my views. Just the other day a person was gathering polls to promote the Cap and Trade plan the current Gov't. wants to enact on the American people. The way he described the program, he made it sound like it was for the good of the people and would cost very little for all of us. Little did he know that I was up on most of the political CRAP our Prez. is dumping down our throats. He got an awakening when he came to our home. Health care, Cap and trade, Socialism HELP!
You people are full of it. Your ads are misleading and generally false. This site is probably secretly funded by your insurance company masters. Do not be mislead by this crap. Dare you to post this.
What "masters" are you talking about Beartrack? The Masters will be the government bureaucracy where you will have no choice if you don't like the way they "treat" you. At least with the present system you have a choice of insurance companies. With medicare now and my supplementary insurance I have the option of going where I want for treatment. What will happen now if this bill passes?
Hi , No to Obama's socialized healthcare plan. We came from Canada to escape high taxes and second-rate healthcare . The way the administration is going bout it is deceitful. They cannot be honest about its details since it is a bitter medicine to swallow. Americans are smarter than that.
Please help to stop it.
New Plan For Healthcare Reform Part 1 of 3
We need to address the following topics to implement effective healthcare reform in the US.
• Access to primary care
• Misunderstanding health insurance
• Role of the government
• Public Plan
• Private Health Insurance Plans
• Education of the Public
Access to Primary Care is the Answer to Healthcare Reform
The healthcare problems in the US are caused by the lack of access many Americans have to primary care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. This creates problems on many levels. The US falls below other countries in the treatment of chronic illness. People use the emergency room as their only form of healthcare. This raises the cost of healthcare for everyone. The costs are distributed over the people that do pay by higher costs of services and health insurance rates.
Lack of access to primary care causes:
• Use of emergency rooms for non emergency healthcare such as urinary tract infections, minor injuries and upper respiratory infections
• Chronic conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis related conditions and asthma do not get treated
• Lack of treatment leads to health situations with much higher costs
• Many persons needing treatment, when treated, cannot pay and the costs are then passed on to persons, insurance companies and the government as increased costs
• Hospitals bear the burden of treating people which do not need to be in the hospital or might not have needed to be there if they had received ongoing primary care
• Chronic health conditions do not receive sufficient care or sporadic care
• People do not go to the doctor when they should for fear of the costs
• The healthcare system becomes clogged
I believe that healthcare costs can be brought under control by making primary care accessible to everyone and encourage people to use it. We need to educate people so they feel comfortable seeing their primary care physician. We need to make emergency rooms for real emergencies. We need to have more primary care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. This also means teaching people new 21st century ways to relate to our new healthcare system
All discussions seem to be about people being uninsured. This leads to all proposed solutions focus on finding ways to get people insured. Yes, this is important, however if we focus on people not having access to primary healthcare then proposed solutions will be about ways to get people access to primary healthcare. We need to also focus on ways to encourage people to use primary care providers as much of the US culture uses healthcare for acute care or waits until the really need emergency care. We need to encourage prevention and wellness supported by access to primary care. Even if people have access to primary care, they need to use it.
A New Plan For Healthcare Reform Part 3 of 3
Educating the Public
People learn about healthcare from their parents, their family, their friends, the news, advertising, their doctors and others. Healthcare varies from culture to culture and over time. People in the US have been taught to ask for and expect to be given prescription medications. The US takes 60% of all the prescription medications taken in the world and has only 5% of the population. Many people feel cheated if they go to the doctor and the doctor does not give them a prescription. Our pharmaceutical/surgical healthcare model is costly. This is an expensive healthcare model is costly and it is not entirely fair to compare it to other healthcare models. In the US people have been trained over the past couple of generations to expect certain things from the system that are not the same as in other countries. Using other countries healthcare systems as models is more complex than simply saying they cost less. The culture of the country pays a big part in the type of healthcare system they have.
The government becomes the baseline, in a way, very similar to the example of public transit. It is important that people understand that we need a plan that has a role similar to public transit and not that the government’s role is to give everyone a new Mercedes. Everyone will not have to take public transit or be in the new government HMO, but it will be available.
I work in international health insurance. Many people feel that the “grass is greener” in other countries when it comes to healthcare. We hear this about Canadian and European healthcare. These countries do have some things that we can learn from them. We can learn about accessible primary healthcare. We need to also know that major medical care in Canada and European countries can also entail very long waits, waits for medical services that are totally unacceptable in the US. Canadians that can afford it come to the US and often receive medical care within days that they might have waited months, years or maybe never received.
A great deal of healthcare is taken care for under $2000 in a year. This is what people do not do and exactly what this plan addresses. The public will need to be educated on how to use and relate to the new plan.
Private Health Insurance Plans
Currently, private health insurance plans can be roughly divided into employer sponsored group health insurance plans and individual health insurance plans. Employer group health insurance plans can be further divided into small group plans which are businesses having 50 or less employees and large group health insurance plans which are businesses having more than 50 employees. In this discussion I am dealing with them in the same way, as employer group health insurance.
With this plan, employer group health insurance and individual health insurance would continue as it does now with some additions. With the burden of non-reimbursed healthcare costs gone or substantially diminished, healthcare costs could more reflect the real cost of a service. Health insurance would not be subsidizing the non-reimbursed costs so rates could be lower. The carriers would offer more high deductible plans with more variations. There would be more plans with deductibles of $10,000 as people could have the government HMO if they chose and then have the high deductible plan. All insurance needs to be underwritten, but underwriting a plan with a $10,000 deductible can have more lenient underwriting particularly if the government plan is in place. We would continue to have all the plan options we do today and these would be more affordable.
For companies that want to offer employer healthcare benefits but must control costs they could offer an employer plan with a $10,000 deductible. The employees would have the government HMO for healthcare under $10,000 then when the insured healthcare costs in a year exceeded $10,000 the employer group health insurance plan would covered up to $1 million to $5 million as today. The employee has access to healthcare at all levels and it is affordable.
Individual health insurance plans would also continue as they do now, just like the employer group health insurance plans. People would have choice. They would have the government HMO and a high deductible private individual health insurance or they could opt-out of the government plan and have a private individual health insurance with a low deductible. This would be underwritten and so subject to approval as today, but people would all have options.
Private health insurance would be marketed as it is today. Everyone, the government, the insurance carriers, the insurance agents and the employers would be working together as a healthy healthcare system is good for all. This plan will actually work and have all of us working together.
I am a managing general agent in health insurance. I have worked in health insurance for over 27 years. I work with insurance carriers, the government and the public every day. I work both in domestic health insurance and international health insurance.
John K Arnold
I moved to the U.s. from Canada 1 year ago. I needed surgery for cancer of the small intestine. I saw a doctor and they told me I would be eligible for surgery within 1 year. That is about how long we have to wait for most surgeries. If we make appointments we must wait 2 to 3 months just to see a physician. I came to the united states for citizenship and Maybe a better health care option. Honestly if Americans go with government paid health care , it will be a pity, I will let you know now. It might be cheaper. But the care is sub-standard and long suffering as you wait.
Obamas health care plan stinks. When you are waiting in lines for every government handout, it will be too late. Get rid of this socialist , marxist, NOW! How many of you really think he and his cohorts have read the full 1500 pages of this rubbish!. He is a smooth talking , wolf in sheeps clothing, Don't be fooled by him. You already made the mistake of voting for him. Don't fall for any more of his rubbish!!!!!, or you will reap what you sow!
I a definitely against Obama's healthplan. I guess he has to prove he is better than Hillary Clinton in getting things done.
Has Obama ever paid health insurance? Isn't he aware of what is going on in Canada or Europe? A dear friend in England just had paid for her own hip replacement surgery because she just couldn't wait any longer. She used up her life savings to have this done!!!!!!
I have a choice and the choice is mine. The system now is "tired" but it does what it has to do. The hospital waiting rooms are full of non insured patients; and with Obama's plan, they will pay? How in the world will they pay if they don't have means now? Time to work on how to get all these people to come up front and pay for what they get here in America.
Again I say NO to Obama's and the Democrats sneaky tactics of passing "crap" thru congress.
I hope someone is listening, when did American agree to Socialism?! Why is the American public allowing this President (who should have been an actor with the amount of time he likes to spend in front of the camera instead of doing his job) to both create irrevocable harm with huge debt levels for future generations as well as target the working/educated population of this country as his meal ticket. Has everyone lost sight that this leader (I use that term lightly) has never been involved in creating any legislation and now he is pressuring the country to pass tremendous reform with little more than a few weeks time to review it. IT IS MANIC BEHAVIOR. He is only pursuing such a strategy because the Dems control both t he House and Senate, but to date everything he has pursued has failed. A leader is not someone who just spends money on many types of ideas (TARP, TALF, PIIP) hoping something sticks so he can say his is right, a leader is someone who is decisive. WE all have serious issues in this country and it is not the time to now talk about Health Care; where are the jobs he promised? Where is the "green economy"? All he has done, due to his naivety, is put this country in unimaginable debt, make us beholden to China that we actually entertain conversations of a "Global Currency", and has made us the laughing stock of N. Korea. I beg America, create balance in the House and Senate in the next election so true, thoughtful legislation may be passed. Stop this President's Manic behavior (as well as his comrade in arms Pelosi, her ego has inflated her job description - who voted for her as "President") and/or just refuse to pay taxes. If we, the target masses of Mr. Obama for his funding needs, stand together and stop paying taxes and/or form a "working America rights group" maybe he will understand that he is destroying this country. You have all worked hard for what you have, why are you letting a socialist take it from you? Change is needed, he was not it! Restore balance to the political system, one party should not govern with an iron fist.
America voted for socialism when they voted for Obama. ALL of you idiots that voted for him , deserve what you are getting. You think health care will be free? Think again! Nothing is free! Most of you're health care benefits that you currently have , will go for the poor and those who are in this in this country illegally.Their are 12-40 million of them. If you are over 40, the surgery you need (and will have to wait 6 months to a year for), will go to someone younger , because older people will be discounted , and are not as important to Obama's socialist cause. You harmed America so much by voting for this socialist pig. Read Mark Levines book: Liberty and Tyranny. It's not too late, albeit the damage he may do in 4 years, but you still have a chance to either call for impeachment or vote him out next election.CHANGE?????? We need change alright! We need to change this President.
Obama wants us all under his thumb. He wants to dictate what he thinks is best for us , But we will be stuck with crappy healthcare , while< (he admitted it in his speech), congress gets the best of care and everything else.) Sound familiar? Hugo Chavez? Hitler? Ahmadinajad? Putin? Marcos?All dictators live more than well, and let the people live sub-standardly, at the mercy of the government. Oh, those who don't want to work, those here for the free ride, will think this is great, getting everything free or at little cost, But the equality train will stop at this point, because we will all be in the same boat. And if you think it is starting to get bad,,, you Ein't seen nothing yet. Most of you don't know just how bad it will get. I'm not a doomsayer , I can look at history and see where we are heading. This President wants to tear America down, so he can build it back in his own image. Does that sound like freedom to you. Be afraid America… Be VERY afraid becuse if you give your alliegence to this man , you will wake up one morning with no freedom and you will be told what to do and when to do it. It's the brown shirts all over again folks!. Read your Nazi Germany history! Think it can't happen here! Think again . Anyone under thirty has not experienced the freedoms we have lost already. And they are just slipping away drip by drip. I don't smoke , but I don't want anyone telling me I can't . I should be able to choose if I don't want to wear a seatbelt . Do you really think the government cares about my life? Soon they will be telling us how many babies we are allowed to birth. We are going down a scarey road. Do nothing ,and keep letting it happen. We will be under marshall law in no time. Somebody, please stop it !!!!!And please don't use the argument, oh he's trying to do what's best for America, he wants the best for each one of us. Hello??????? Does it seem like that to you in just 6 months . He wants Chicago rules for the nation. He is a narcissistic, dictatorial, dangerous socialist. WISE UP!!!!!!!! Every time he does not gets what he wants he attacks, or he continues to blame the former administration. . He needs to stop blaming, and take responsibiliy for what he is doing. He has his nose in so many things that don't matter ( for instance , his friend Gates being arrested at his home. And then calling the officers "stupid". He is our HOPE? AHHHH, NOPE
I am an "Independent Voter" and I only wish the Democrat's & Republicans would stop pissing in the wind & acting like brat's and think about AMERICA for a change. First its the Anti-Obama blah, blah, blah stuff…Get over it already please.
Half the idiots going though all the hoopla regarding health care probably don't even go to the doctors, therefore, they should get over the Obama-mania and accept that the system must change one way or the other. I'm not a fan of taxation either, but seriously, the US is in dismay in health care, education and in a recession. Somebody has to fix something because Bush screwed up the economy royally and sometimes ya gotta just say "he screwed up" and lets move forward already.
Perhaps they can just create health care for those without health care and leave it at that. Let the already employed folks keep their health care plan for now until the financial details can be worked out.
I sent the following comment to "patientsunitednow.com" but I know they will never print the truth.
Survey after survey in Canada have always shown a large majority of Canadians would never want to have an American-style of healthcare delivery system. While our system, as do all healthcare systems, has some faults, it is far, far superior to what is referred to as a healthcare system in the USA.
Unlike the "so-called" comments "supposidly made by Canadians and ex-Canadians put forth by patientsunitednow.com, giving highly negative viewpoint of the Canadian system, I presented the truth with dates, locations, data and my name and address to support what I wrote.
The following is the comment I posted on patientsunitednow.com:
—————————————————————
I dare you to run my story vis à vis Canadian healthcare! Of course you won't since you are just a front for the profit-orientated health business in the USA.
Your ad on CNN regarding Canadian healthcare is pure nonsense! You must have looked hard and a long time to find a Canadian to act as a shill for your organization.
I am a Canadian who is battling colorectal cancer and I have had excellent care, as do virtually all Canadians when requiring healthcare!
As a Canadian, who made a comparative study involving the provision of healthcare to the populations of Canada and the United States, I concluded the Canadian healthcare delivery system was far superior. As a result; based on my study, I became a strong proponent of the Canadian version of universal, government-operated health insurance.
Now, in addition to supporting government-operated health insurance based primarily on my academic research, I can now provide very personal reasons why I give my utmost support for the method in which Canadians pay for healthcare but also the quality of treatment I personally have received.
I am currently battling colorectal cancer!
Therefore, I have had and still am having an in-depth, first hand experience with our healthcare system.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my lucky stars that I live in Canada where we don’t have the fear of being financially ruined by medical bills (as is the case in the USA).
John McCain tells Americans “Go to Canada… and you can find out what’s wrong with it.” Mr. McCain, if average Americans had an opportunity to use our healthcare insurance system and the healthcare system itself, they would soon realize you have been feeding them bull crap. They would never want to hear the letters “HMO” ever again nor would they want your so-called medical savings plans or so-called medical credits!
But first, let’s clear up one major misconception.
We don’t have “socialized medicine” in Canada but rather universal, government-operated health insurance. The vast majority of our doctors operate private practices and our hospitals are often community-owned.
As is often mentioned, Canadians owe the most gratitude to the late Tommy Douglas for fighting bravely, first as Premier of Saskatchewan and later, as the leader of the national New Democratic Party (NDP), to ensure that universal healthcare insurance was a right of Canadians, not a privilege!
Back in 1963 (I was 14 at the time), I had the honor of shaking the hand of Tommy Douglas at an NDP political rally; the man voted by Canadians as the “greatest Canadian of all time”.
Tommy Douglas’s Saskatchewan government’s universal insurance plan was, in the beginning, vigorously opposed by the Canadian Medical Association (Canada’s equivalent to the AMA). Many in the CMA called him a communist and other such names.
After 40 plus years, most doctors gradually realized it was a win-win situation for both the patients and the doctors. The doctors win because they have no bad debts to concern themselves with. They are assured of 100% payment of all legitimate bills submitted to the provincial government insurance plan plus they no longer need accounts receivable clerks and have far less paperwork. The doctor simply submits the patient’s healthcare card number and the type of procedure to the government’s insurance plan and the doctor is automatically paid for this procedure or the patient’s visit. Of course the Canadian public wins, having not having to worry about catastrophic healthcare costs or having to pay to see their family doctor or a specialist.
It should be noted that Tommy Douglas, originally reviled by the doctors, was, a few years ago, posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Association’s hall of fame! How ironic!
Now back to my personal and rather extensive interaction with the Canadian healthcare system and our healthcare insurance coverage.
In late August 2007, I informed my family doctor that my toilet bowel was full of blood when I had a bowel movement. Within two weeks, I had a sigmoidoscopy at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Within a few days after diagnosis, my pre-operation treatment commenced.
During the time period between my diagnosis and my operation, I had a colonoscopy, radiation sessions to reduce the size of the tumor, a rectal ultrasound, an MRI, several X-rays and a number of visits to my surgeon; to my oncologist; to my stoma nurse and to my dismay (but necessary), several digital finger exams; plus a day visit to the hospital to orientate myself to the place that would be my home for over two weeks.
On December 6, 2007 I had a five-hour surgery to remove my rectum at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia (the tumour had worked it’s way through my rectum and my intestine wall but fortunately there was no sign of cancer in the 9 lymph nodes that were removed and underwent biopsies).
After the operation I spent 15 days in hospital.
While in hospital, for the first several days, I required a nasal gastric tube in my stomach due to a bile build-up. To ensure the tube was correctly situated, I had another X-ray. Because my veins are difficult to find, a PICC Line was inserted into my arm. This required a minor surgery involving an ultrasound. Blood samples were taken daily. Every evening I received (as did all patients) a heparin injection (an anticoagulant). During my last 3 days, I received through an IV, TPN (total parenteral nutrition). One bag lasts 24 hours and I received 3 bags of TPN. Being curious, I asked how much does a bag of TPN cost and a nurse informed me the hospital pays around $1500 a bag. Incredibly, I had 3 days worth of nutrition worth $4500! I was amazed by the expensiveness of TPN.
Every morning, bright and early, my surgeon would visit me to ensure I was OK. The nurses were fantastic too. In the middle of the night, if I needed ice water, within a couple of minutes of pressing the nurses’ call button, I would have a glass of ice water in my hand.
During my operation, I had an epidural inserted in my spine to kill any post-op pain. After a few days it was removed. Only once did I have an extremely sharp pain in my lower bowels after the epidural was removed. Upon alerting the nursing station, I immediately received several injections of morphine until the pain subsided and I fell asleep.
Approximately 3 weeks after I left the hospital; having regained some strength, I started chemotherapy. Fortunately, the chemo medication was Capecitabine pills. Unlike receiving chemo medication through an IV, the pills had very few side effects (e.g. no hair loss, no nausea, etc.). I finished my chemo treatment on June 19, 2008.
Auspiciously, my anal sphincter muscle did not have to be removed. As a result, I wore an ileoscomy pouch for 14 months to extract my fecal matter from my body.
This February, I had a second operation to remove this pouch and re-connect my colon. My longer-than-expected fourteen-month wait to have my reversal surgery was due to having a leak in my intestine. The reason I had to wait for 14 months was to give my intestine leak time to heal. It had nothing to do with a so-called "waiting list".
In order to detect any possible reoccurrence of cancer, every two years I am scheduled to have a colonoscopy. Every six months, for the next 3 years, an ultrasound of my liver and an X-ray of my lungs; and a CEA blood test every 3 months for 3 years and every 6 months for the following two years.
The reason I have mentioned the above record of my treatments is to emphasize the following:
The total cost to me for my visits to my family doctor, all of the pre-hospital diagnostic tests, visits to numerous specialists, the operation itself, the hospital stay, all of the procedures performed on me in the hospital, all the medication and nutritional items I received, including the TPN that cost the hospital $4,500 to “feed” me, the post-hospital care by my surgeon, my oncologist, blood tests, chemo pills, visits to the stoma nurse, my ostomy pouches and other ostomy-related equipment, and my second operation and second hospital stay (3 days), my ultrasounds of my liver; chest X-rays; CEA blood tests, etc: THE TOTAL OUT-OF-POCKET COST TO ME WAS ZERO! No deductibles, no co-payments, no annual or lifetime limit!
I know that some lobbyists for the U.S. private health insurance industry or someone else of the same ilk (such as PatientsUnitedNow.com) will respond to my not having to pay anything for all of the medical procedures I received, by claiming, “Sure you paid nothing for the care you received, but you have higher taxes in Canada to pay for your treatment”.
The truth is: when an American adds his out of pocket expenses such as unbelievably high, private health insurance premiums, plus the portion of his taxes dedicated for healthcare, plus deductions and co-payments: According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an American spends, every year, almost twice as much per capita on healthcare as his counterpart in Canada. I quote the OECD:
“Canada also ranks above the OECD average in terms of total health spending per capita, with spending of 3326 USD in 2005 (adjusted for purchasing power parity), compared with an OECD average of 2759 USD. Health spending per capita in Canada remains nonetheless much lower than in the United States (which spent 6401 USD per capita in 2005)”
Despite spending much more than Canada on healthcare per capita, Canadians (according to the CIA Factbook) live over 2 years longer than our American counterparts (for the year 2007).
The fact that Canadians don’t have to worry about medical bills allows easier access to health treatment that, in turn, is another significant factor why Canadians live 2 years longer.
The Canadian healthcare system isn’t perfect but there isn’t a healthcare system anywhere that has achieved perfection. Our right-wing newspaper, radio and TV conglomerates in Canada make sure any flaw in our healthcare system makes the headlines while ignoring the vast majority of the time when it works properly.
Incidentally, I have also had kidney stone problems. Several months ago my family doctor suspected this and sent me to an urologist at Vancouver General Hospital. A CT scan confirmed I had kidney stones. Using lithotripsy (ESWL (Lithotripsy Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy), the stone was broken up. The time period, from the time I saw my family doctor; my appointment with my urologist; had the lithotripsy treatment; was less than a month (I was given painkillers in the interim in case of the pain returning while waiting for the lithotripsy).
P.S. Myth One: Canadian doctors are employees of the government. Dead wrong! Nearly all of our doctors have private practices and don’t belong to HMO’s (HMO’s don’t exist in Canada). Instead of being paid by the patient, the doctor bills the provincial government’s health insurance plan. Doctors have the option of opting out of the plan and charge whatever amount they desire or opt into the government health insurance plan and not charge fees any higher than are negotiated by the government and the doctors’ medical associations. Over 99% of the doctors in Canada are willing participants in their provincial government’s insurance plan.
Myth Two: A Canadian patient must use a doctor assigned to that particular patient. Sheer nonsense! When I moved to Vancouver, I changed my family doctor (using the yellow pages and the internet) several times until I found one with whom I felt comfortable.
Myth Three: Canadians are on long surgery waiting lists for urgent, life-threatening diseases. As is the case in any country, healthcare in Canada, to a certain degree, is rationed. In the USA, it is based on money. In Canada it is based on the urgency of the treatment required. If you need urgent treatment, you are first to be treated!
Myth Four: Our family doctors need the permission of a government bureaucrat to refer a patient to a specialist and our specialists need the permission of a government bureaucrat to book a patient for a CT scan, an MRI, X-rays, ultrasounds, surgery, stays in hospital, etc! This is an outright lie. The government doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day decisions of family doctors and specialists regarding treatment of patients.
Organizations such as yours disgust me. How can you live with yourselves, knowing you are purposely lying; in order, not to improve healthcare in the USA, but to increase healthcare industry profits?. How do you sleep at night or look yourself in the mirror? I would be totally ashamed to be associated with such an organization such as yours!
Terence Joy, BA
Apt. #307 8080 Yukon St.,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
tjjoy@shaw.ca
You give it to them! I was also outraged when I saw the CNN commercial and felt I had to post to correct the misinformation.
America has the best health care system in the world. It is not broken ,and their is nothing wrong with it. Why do people from other countries, including Canada come to the USA for care . Because the health care they have is crap. If you think the canadian health care government system is a good one, then you are lying, because people are not flocking to your country for care.
Also , you Canadians may live 2 years longer , but sounds as though you have an excess of illness.
Annnnnnd…. you gave us way more information on your ass**** than we needed to know.
Dear Mr. Zakaria;
I would personally like to thank you for your comments on Mitch McConnell’s talking points on what the American people think, and what is true about our Health system in the United States ( today on your Weekly television show GPS on CNN (http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/fareed.zakaria.gps/)). You seem to be one of the only staffers on the CNN TV shows that has done the homework and seen that McConnell and DeMint’s comments are without thought or fact. We are in such great need for a Universal Healthcare system. My husband and I are fortunate enough to be able to pay the $18,000 a year tab that our Cigna Health insurance plan costs (it will go up when we are off of Cobra, but still we are lucky to be in a group of Intel retirees). I would like to solicit your help. How can we help our daily CNN and other network commentators realize that when they allow these people to talk about their non-existing “Freedom for Insurance” acts, “bi-partisan leaning” republican plans that will fix the rising costs of insurance and medical costs, insure the uninsured, and let everyone have what they have now; that they are harming truth and meaningful commentary about what really exists and how many in congress are really trying to make a program that will help all Americans be healthier…and yes there is a price. The group http://www.patientsunitednow.com is running adds all day on CNN about a woman who would have died of brain cancer in Canada because “drugs and treatment aren’t available because government (Canada) says patients aren’t worth it”. (I sent that on to Dr. Dosanjh too). I haven’t seen anyone refute or comment on the soft quote that I gave you above. I think that ethics if not truth in advertising should take precedence.
Perhaps a show, or a forum of popular commentators arguing how they should handle guest speakers when they speak “talking points” instead of real existing facts, it would help other citizens who watch them to discern what is truth and what is not. It saddens me to hear friends and relatives repeat the talking points to me while not even knowing how much their health insurance costs their company. They don’t seem to realize that they are really one illness away from poverty. If their illness prevents them from continuing in their job that gives them the insurance, they could lose everything and quickly become indigent AND sick.
This, I fear is a class war. Those that have against those that don’t. This last recession should have taught many of us how close we all are to the slippery slope of the lower class. It is time for us all to see that all citizens of the United States are in this together. The lower classes are our people, and they are becoming more of the majority than the minority. They are becoming the majority because the rich are getting richer and the poor and middleclass is getting poorer. Our country used to have an American dream. It is quickly becoming the American nightmare for more than half of us.
Let me know what you think, and how our organizations can fight the constant drone of talking points and replace it with clear, truthful commentary.
Thank you for your time,
Jeannie Scown
Mesa Az
boo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What catagory do those that don't want to work (but live off the fat of the land,) fall?
I WANT THE HEALTH CARE CONGRESS HAS. AND SEND THE ILEGAL BACK HOME.
Okay, so the patient Shona in the ad. put out by Patients United Now claims that the Canadian Health Care system is bad; that she had a brain tumor and the Canadian system would have made her wait by which time the tumor would have grown and she would have died. She also claims that she travelled to the U.S. where she received "World Class Treatment"! Shona: "Pray tell how you paid for this world class treatment which even taxpaying U.S. citizens do not receive? Did you rob a bank, or did Bernie Madoff share a little bit of his loot with you?"
Spirited Dona is a blogger whom
is medically indigent
i am a moderate Democrat
who is into Palin
i get to go to a dr, i hope, on indigent program
but
i need an eye specialist and nuerologist
my democrat gov took my insurance card 4 years ago
obama plan same as his
i am angry my gov has gone to mayo clinic
i can 't go to Chattanooga!
thank you!