Is there a real health care choice on the table right now?

I have a question which disturbs me. As you know, the Senate Finance Committee has 13 Democratic and 10 republican members.
In the last election Democrats won the Presidency, the US Congress, and the Senate.
Why is Max Baucus allowing 3 republicans along with 3 democrats to craft a bill for health care? It makes no sense that the Democratic majority that was won fair and square is not being used as an advantage.

Jeff Manly

This is what I wrote to President Obama today:

Dear President Obama: H.R. 676 is the perfect health care reform bill, and it should have been your a priori nexus in the ongoing debate. Surely you could have sold this bill to the American public with great success, overriding all lobbyist based objections to health care reform. Why you chose not to support this most perfectly crafted bill is beyond me. You could have manufactured widespread support for it in the first 10 days of your Administration without having broken a sweat. Why do you listen to campaign contributors when you were the first person--the first President-- in generations who actually had the power to back them down, drowning the corporate crowd in a sea of public power??? Why?

Why can't every individual use the same plan as Congress has? Have all companies, small or big, use the same list given to Congress and if another insurance company wants to join the list then let them apply to have thier plan included, playing by the same rules. Wouldn't this bring about real compitition?

No there is no choice right now. This bill gives the insurance companies a gift with no strings attached. If you want to force everyone to purchase coverage, then you had better raise the minimum wage to $20.00 per hour first, or grab some of that executive bonus money back, because there is no way to get blood from a stone.

How can you fine someone who can't afford Health Insurance? Where are they going to get the money to the fine? And, what good is a tax credit for low wage earners, when they don't pay that much in taxes to begin with? Are you going to create a negative tax credit so that they get more back than they paid in? That souinds like a plan that George McGovern tried in his run against Nixon. That plan was laughed out of the room.

This plan should be scrapped and Obama should start over, write his own plan, tell the Democrats to get on board, and tell the Republicans to shut up and get out of the way. One payer is what we need.

If the goal is to reduce costs and provide coverage to "all" at some point in time we must address the issue as a business would, with limited suplpliers, at least limited by the fact of state regulation there can never be true competition. Obviously regulation is required, but with 50 different state regulating authorities creating in essence not just uneven competition but no competition no motivation to control costs not to mention reduce costs exists. That needs to change regardless of what bill ever becomes the law of the land.

Only state regulations stand in the way of healthcare choice. Real healthcare reform can be enabled with enabling legislation that takes these inane boondoggles out of the way without putting the 800 lb. rabid gorilla of a "public option" to kill all other options. True competition brings down prices. There are more than 1,300 insurance companies, nearly 60% are nonprofit. If they are allowed to compete for business in every state on a level playing field

It is essential if the legislation also allows people and/or businesses to freely join groups as they please to buy insurance and that pre-existing conditions must be taken (if necessary, risk can be off loaded onto re-insurance). These super groups would be able to get huge discounts. Now if insured people could stop picking up the tab for Medicare and Medicaid shortfalls!

Every year at my job we get two plans to choose from, from the same insurance company.

This year we have only one plan, no choice, one plan fits all I guess, take it or leave. By the way this plan would cost me over $900 a month for a family, wife and child in my case, but I can't afford that number.

How about a public option to level the playing field with a trigger to remove the public option if the private sector decreases costs and stabilizes the healthcare industry. By the way keep the public option on the table, if removed from good private practices, to be able to be triggered back into the health sector if costs start to spiral out of control again.

Pelosi and Dems say that public option needed to spur competition because insurers enjoy exemption to antitrust laws. So...why not simply repeal the exemption and let true competition keep prices down? Why hasn't Dylan, who is pro-competition, and other MSNBC talk show hosts asking this basic question on Sen Wyden and other pols? This won't cost the taxpayers a dime and consumers win.

"if you like what you have, keep it"

It appears this does not apply to Medicare recipients. Millions of Medicare Advantage will lose the option to "keep what they have." If Advantage is killed, choice of doctors will also be affected since many doctors and specialists do not accept regular Medicare.

Here's the best argument I have for a single-payer system of health care -- We are all ignorant. I'm sure many of you will be offended by that statement at first and I apologize because I do not mean to offend anyone. Let's consider some facts, though, to prove the point. Insurance companies hire actuaries, doctors and lawyers to adjust the odds in their favor so that they can set prices. By opening up the competitive markets (allowing us to purchase policies across state lines), we are still not addressing the fact that the insurance companies can skew the odds in their favor. If we were all able to acquire degrees that made us actuaries, doctors and lawyers, then I would say increased competition would help the public to regulate prices. This argument can be used for any insurance you buy, whether it be car insurance, flood insurance or home-owners insurance. It's all a gamble and the odds are in the insurance company's favor.

To me, this argument can even be used for the bill of goods we were sold on 401K's in lieu of pension plans. Are any of you really smart enough to know what the best investments are, when our top economists and leaders couldn't predict the fall of our economy?

Our government was created to protect the interests of it's people. It's not socialism. It's an ability to be self-deprecating and admit our own faults and inabilities. I've seen the arguments against a single-payer system because there are issues in other countries with their systems. Is ours really any better? Millions of Americans can't afford insurance, those who are getting company-supported plans have their choices limited and there is even a movement for employers to increase their use of contractors so that they will not be obligated to provide insurance. This is to say nothing of the fact that people are going bankrupt daily, due to the high costs of medical care.

Let's admit that the only reason we're allowing the proliferation of insurance companies is the fact they employ thousands of people and our economy can't afford to lose more jobs.

Noise, noise, white noise, let's shortcut politics. I used to be a computer programmer and think this is how my late father who was a surgeon would understand this issue: U have a patient; U hold their universally transferable medical records under a relationally (connecting past ailments, the side-effects of past treatments and patient's lifestyle into possible future medical developments) intelligent database. This database should obviously admit entries from all MD-s ever consulting the patient.

Forecasting ailment evolution & strictly to the point preventive health care IS the way to eliminate waste & save everybody's money. Let only the physicians (and possibly nurses) create health insurance entities that should compete at local, state and federal level. But why would a bunch of accountants, financial dealers and politicians make money on behalf of the sick and dieing? What IS their contribution in the process of fighting incapacity and death?

The ripple effects of such an utopic legislation would include the cut in a lot of wheeling & dealing, exclusive arrangements etc. by equipment, drug, and other providers and THAT is where the REAL DRAIN from the health. On the flip-side new, successful, already available advances in probing an testing patient physiology would find a way on the medical equipment market.

I hope that last humorous recap of the Sunday morning shows was not meant to be taken seriously as a criticism of Obama's performance with regard to his repeating so many statements. Most people don't watch all the shows. They just watch one or two, so they did not hear these statements over and over. I feel that's why he did all the shows--to hit as many viewers as possible. Besides, he was asked the same questions on each show. What should he have done--give different answers? As to the substance, we don't have a bill yet, so naturally he can't give a definitive answer. It's obvious he wants a public option, but knows there's a very good chance he won't get it. He's not going to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Stands to reason, thank you, all these needed to be said.

RATIGAN AND THE GOP DON'T GIVE A DAMB ABOUT HEALTHCARE OPTION.

So, America read and understand what is being proposed because these people can afford to get sick we cannot. President Obama has offered his help in continuing what Kennedy and many others have started.

People this is for us. We cannot afford to get sick. The media folks/republicans/democrats conservatives/liberals can pay the insurance companies and many of them are getting over.

We need this. The President does not. Obama is trying like hell to get this thing worked out for us and the republicans are trying like hell to sabotage and debunk it.

We The American people cannot afford this to happen. GET INVOLVED AND LET THESE GOOD FOR NOTHING LOUD MOUTHS KNOWS THAT WE CANNOT BE FOOLED.

HEALTH CARE-OPTION FOR ALL WE WANT NOW, WE NEED IT NOW. MAKE THIS WORK FOR THOSE WHO REALLY ARE IN NEED

as said by: http://notv4u.newsvine.com/ This can work if we do our part call the Nuts/ e-mail them.

Real healthcare reform can be enabled with enabling legislation that takes these inane boondoggles out of the way without putting the 800 lb. rabid gorilla of a "public option" to kill all other options. True competition brings down prices. There are more than 1,300 insurance companies, nearly 60% are nonprofit. If they are allowed to compete for business in every state on a level playing field.

The fact that an insurance company can decide which people to pay for treatment, which diseases to pay treatment for, which people to drop, they remain the true death panels. Story after story about people with cancer and other illnesses, having insurance and the insurance company refusing to pay for their treatments. A woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer was refused treatment by the insurance company that she paid into. By the time the doctors and her family fought the insurance company (over a year), the woman died. This is perhaps the cruelest thing I have ever heard. This happened also with my sister who also died from breast cancer. These insurance companies are motivated only by greed. They could care less about the American people. We are the only civilized country where this happens. Those who keep voting against changing this system are selfish, uncaring, cruel people who care only about their own greed. When people of other countries hear the stories of those who die because they are denied treatment, they are shocked. Only the wealthy are allowed to have access to the best medical care in this country.

I will be extremely dissapointed if a health care bill is passed under the current scenarios. I will probably be alienated to the extent, I will use this as an example to my child to the ineffectiveness and lack of leadership and courage in Washington. I have been very active. I feel drained. We need a public option. An option open to every american. Citizens and businesses need relief. We are supposed to look up to our leaders. What a surprise to find they are all geldings. Seriously what can be done, this is a serious subject. these officials are not acting as legislators they seem more like mohels

In Canada, we have a single payer system, where the government pays for primary physicians, specialists, and hospital bills at arm's length.... that means that there is NO government interference between physicians and patients.

In the United States, you have an insurance company bureaucrat between you and your physician, and that insurance company bureaucrat can and often does, overrule your physicians opinion of what should be done, and your health care is heavily rationed by insurance company denial and recission.

The American lies about the Candian system abound. The waiting lists that Americans believe occur here just do not happen. I have had four surgeries two serious one (not urgent) within 4 days, and 6 days, and two not serious ones within 10 days, and 16 days. I challenge any American to get insurance company approval and have surgery in the time in which I had surgery here in Canada. It shulod be noted that 92% of Canadians wouldn't trade the Canadian single payer system for the corrupt American system current or proposed. Rationing does NOT exist in Canada, but insurance companies ration care in the US.

Canada uses 10% of GDP to cover 100% of Canadians.

The US uses 17% of GDP to fully cover 64% of Americans. (15% uninsured and 21% insured but not sufficiently to cover NEEDED treatment.=36% needing treatment who can't get it)

The US is the only industerialized nation which does NOT provide health care to ALL it's citizens.

The US also ranks 19th out of 19 industrialized nations in access, outcomes, patient safety, efficiency, & equity, so Americans are not getting nearly their money's worth.

I have no idea why the United States would stay with an inferior health care system when you can only look north of the border to find a vastly superior one.

Keep hammering the "free choice" health insurance Mr.Ratigan. It is not over yet!

Keep hammering the "free choice" health insurance option Mr.Ratigan. It is not over till the final bill is passed and then signed!