Obama's congressional speech tonight

[Slow Motion]

After tonight, do you think that this plan is going to move forward next week like he says it will? Do you agree with it? If you are just now learning more about this like some of us, are you onboard or against it?
State your idea in one post on why or why not you are with or against it. This is your opportunity to shine if you have something to say about this. Leave your comment and read others so that this can be somewhere that others can look for information. Even though this is IA please just your one post will suffice.
The poll is not public for those who want to be anonymous. everyone should be covered in this plan posted. ^^^
Rules:
1.One post
2.No comment on others post.
3.Easy right?
4. You can even vote here.

[BanginJimmy]

definitely not.

Govt mandated health insurance. Who cares about individual choice or responsibility. Same goes for businesses.

Nothing in his takeover plan addresses ANY of the causes for high health costs.


Edit 1:

If this "govt option" is going to be self sufficient, why is it going to cost about a trillion dollars a year?
Are we going to get the same quality of vetting of providers we get under medicare and medicaid? Remember that in those 2 programs, fraud eats up about 20% of its yearly budget.
If there is going to be so little overhead to this new govt run insurance company and its not for profit, how can a private insurance company that has to pay for its property, and all the associated bills, going to compete?

[tony]

Just observations from the speech:

Obama is trying to sell his plan, salesmen tend to exaggerate to secure a sale.. he exaggerated on some things.

On his plan - The plan doesn't go far enough. A public option is a band aid fix and his statement that only 5% of the currently insured will make the switch is BS. People will be dropping coverage to get on this plan and the plan should be prepared for that. As such an "option" doesn't plan for the major shift. The public option should be comprehensive, forget partisanship, forget insurance companies and what they need. It is a start but certainly not a solution.

Republicans - Classless, that is all I can say. This is certainly not the Republican party that Lincoln founded. Furthermore they havent offered a better plan that would make healthcare affordable and accessible to all americans.

Ultimately yes, I support the plan because it is better than the status quo. As it is right now we spend more on healthcare proportionately than any other country, while other countries spend less while offering healthcare to all of their citizens.

edit: Also it seemed like Obama appealed more to emotion rather than rationale, which sucks because I feel there are some valid arguments for Universal Healthcare. He touched on them but did not emphasize them.

[Slow Motion]

In my opinion, enough was not covered. I do like the idea I think the republicans have that you should be able to get insurance from another state. That is a good idea, it will truly make companies compete. I like the fact that you can't be denied if you have a pre-existing condition. I feel that one of the main reasons this health care situation is so difficult is because some do not realize how expensive and how much money is really in healthcare. I have learned a lot from watching and reading about heathcare reform and hope that something is done to help those with and without health insurance. I do not have insurance at this moment and if I need to see a doctor I have to go to grady to see a doctor and it's expensive because I have to go to the E.R. I just want everything to get better and stronger. This is America and we should do and be better as a country. I also think that they could have shown a little more respect. And people wonder why other countries hate us and do not respect us.

[BanginJimmy]

deleted

[Tracy]

Those exaggerations would be the cost and quality right?



Plan goes WAY too far. We all know he wants true socialism, but he is a realist and knows he cant get it. So he will simply set the stage for the takeover.

I will bet you cant name a single thing, other than tort reform that will never pass, that he mention that will lower costs. He did mention alot of things that will raise the price of private insurance though. I guess you missed that part. Watch the first 2/3 of his speech again.




Classless because they called him out on a lie? Who was the one that called him out? The TV never panned over there.

Actually republicans have offered plans. You havent heard of them because MSNBC has failed to report on them.



We know you will support it, Obama said it after all. We spend more because we have the best coverage. If you only want to spend as much as a used escort, why should you expect to get a new bimmer? 25% more likely to survive colon cancer and 40% more likely to survive breast cancer than any other country says alot.



He only has emotion to stand on. When put up to the smell test, his plan doesnt pass. This is exactly why he is trying to ram it down as quickly as possible. He also made sure it didnt take effect until AFTER the 2012 elections. probably because he knows the doom it will cause.

BOOOOOO. :thumbsdown: You did 2 posts and a response! Do over.

[BanginJimmy]

deleted

[BanginJimmy]

BOOOOOO. :thumbsdown: You did 2 posts and a response! Do over.

Before you posted this I did 1 post and 1 response. Didnt know it was against the rules.

No I have 1 post and 3 responses.

[81911SC]

Reminded me a lot of "Hope and Change" speeches.

[BanginJimmy]

Reminded me a lot of "Hope and Change" speeches.

The new slogan is "Choice and Competition". "Hope and Change" is sooooo 2008.

[tony]

I thought this was 1 response and no rebuttals? No suprise that it lasted all of 3 or 4 posts but still.. I came in to give my reaction and nothing more.

[Tracy]

Before you posted this I did 1 post and 1 response. Didnt know it was against the rules.

No I have 1 post and 3 responses.

"Even though this is IA please just your one post will suffice."
Rules:
1.One post
2.No comment on others post.

I'm just kidding around anyways. I thought it might be cool if it actually worked though and everyone was just able to get their thoughts out without combat and in one post so you had to think it out and not be swayed by others posts. But it's cool. I ain't hatin'.

[BanginJimmy]

"Even though this is IA please just your one post will suffice."
Rules:
1.One post
2.No comment on others post.

I'm just kidding around anyways. I thought it might be cool if it actually worked though and everyone was just able to get their thoughts out without combat and in one post so you had to think it out and not be swayed by others posts. But it's cool. I ain't hatin'.

Sorry, I didnt read the directions. I will gladly delete my posts if you like.

[green91]

This entire speech was a mess and honestly was nothing more than a sale speech and an attempt to put republicans in a dark light for not being supportive of the plan. There is supreme hypocrisy here.


My key thoughts (some of them anyway)

#1) If the Obama administration is aware of ATLEAST 1 Trillion dollars in overspending/waste in the current healthcare program that they plan on reallocating to pay for this program, why has this money not ALREADY been tightened up to reduce the deficit? Im certain that the overspending/waste is there, but i think they are basing this healthcare program on jello figures and don't truthfully know where the funding is going to come from.

#2) Republicans have been allowed only minimal involvement so far in the creation of the bill in question.

#3) Congressman Joe Wilson was very distasteful for yelling the "you lie" comment during the speech, although i cant say that i disagree with him.

#4) Obama stated that the program couldn't sustain people leaving their current healthcare to join this program, that its primarily for the uninsured. Why should tax payers bare the burden and not be able to join? I see an immediate failure in the program due to higher than expected response and lack of funding for the volume.

[BobbyFresco]

I'm undecided concerning the healthcare reform issue however, I do believe one has to walk before one can run.

Seems to me like there are numerous other issues that you should be dealt with before this.

[Tracy]

Sorry, I didnt read the directions. I will gladly delete my posts if you like.

I was really not being serious.

[Slow Motion]

Sorry, I didnt read the directions. I will gladly delete my posts if you like.

Please do.

[rehab]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN_mw1ZwZWE&e

This was some funny shit. "You lie." OooooooooooooOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
Obama needs to grow a backbone.

[green91]

No, the guy got booed for being a disrespectful

[Vteckidd]

It was packaged better but was the same bullshit. The second he said public option it all goes out the window.

I don't think the republicans want a plan, they want to reign in costs and do tort reform. They want that first. Cause the rest of it is crap if there's gonna be fraud and abuse.

I think the people are speaking , if the dems have any hope of staying in power they will drop the public option.

[Total_Blender]

I don't think the republicans want a plan, they want to reign in costs and do tort reform. They want that first. Cause the rest of it is crap if there's gonna be fraud and abuse.

They want to keep the current situation the way it is now so their financiers at the insurance companies will keep the campaign contributions coming.

If the Republicans have a plan to "reign in costs" then someone post a source to it. All parties bandy about talking points like "tort reform" and "reducing costs" but I don't know what the Republicans have planned in those areas as a counterpoint to what Obama is doing.

[zspeed24]

They want to keep the current situation the way it is now so their financiers at the insurance companies will keep the campaign contributions coming.

If the Republicans have a plan to "reign in costs" then someone post a source to it. All parties bandy about talking points like "tort reform" and "reducing costs" but I don't know what the Republicans have planned in those areas as a counterpoint to what Obama is doing.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3218/text

This is page for the house republicans bill

[Total_Blender]

I did a little research on Republican "tort reform efforts" and the only thing I found was HR 4008... which says that businesses can't hold peoples credit card #'s after the transaction.

I can see how that would prevent some lawsuits due to identity theft (and it really is something I support) but I don't see how that constitutes tort reform, or more specifically tort reform that will reduce healthcare costs.

[Vteckidd]

You haven't been listening then they want to restrict malpractice lawsuits

[zspeed24]

I did a little research on Republican "tort reform efforts" and the only thing I found was HR 4008... which says that businesses can't hold peoples credit card #'s after the transaction.

I can see how that would prevent some lawsuits due to identity theft (and it really is something I support) but I don't see how that constitutes tort reform, or more specifically tort reform that will reduce healthcare costs.

This is from open congress it is S.45. I'm sure this is probably not a good enough example for you but i'm sure if i dug a little more i could find more.
Official Summary

1/6/2009--Introduced.
Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2009 or the MCAP Act - Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims related to the provision of health care services. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Requires a court to impose sanctions for the filing of frivolous lawsuits. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000 from the provider or health care institution, but no more than $500,000 from multiple health care institutions. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Prescribes qualifications for expert witnesses. Requires the court to reduce damages received by the amount of collateral source benefits to which a claimant is entitled, unless the payor of such benefits has the right to reimbursement or subrogation under federal or state law. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where:
(1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and
(2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Prohibits a health care provider from being named as a party in a product liability or class action lawsuit for prescribing or dispensing a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drug, biological product, or medical device for an approved indication. Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.