Why Obama is Losing the Healthcare Fight
If Democrats want to win on healthcare reform, they've got to recognize it's not just so-called special interest groups who oppose the idea of his version of healthcare reform: it's also mainstreamers such as me. The AP reports:
As public pitchman, President Barack Obama accuses special interests of fighting to block his health care overhaul. "They run their ads. And let's face it, they scare people," he told one weekend audience.
The Democrats are underestimating even some of their own most ardent supporters if they think "special interests" are the only groups opposed to the amorphous version of healthcare reform that Democrats seem to be pushing. I say "seem to" be pushing because no one is yet sure whether:
- The House version will be the same as the Senate version;
- Whether a so-called public option is included and
- Whether middle-class taxpayers will be tagged to pay for other people's health insurance.
It's time the Democrats realized not everyone, not even all progressives, buy into the "it takes a village" routine. There has never been a government program that has proven to be "revenue neutral", nor for that matter, "tax neutral." There has never been a new government entitlement that paid for itself over time.
The sooner Democrats learn to be honest about who is going to pay for expensive new entitlements, the sooner hecklers will stop appearing at town hall meetings. I don't condone the heckling. But I do think Democrats and Republicans (Bush in particular) have lost their minds about the economic sustainability of current and proposed entitlements. Even the nonpartisan CBO agrees with me on that one.
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Tags: Congress | healthcare
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Reader Comments
to:Steve Wang of PA
I agree with your post too! Seems you Pennsylvania boys/men are johnny on the spot with your take of things. :)
Good post...
to: oharvey of PA
I loved your post. It was right on... :)
I don't get why some are so oppose to healthcare reform either. Wake-up America!!!!! Eventually the ones who are currently not affected will be by the high cost, and lack of good quality healthcare in a few more years.
Moreover, why don't they force the Senators and such to have the healthcare that the typical American has and pays for?! Bet they'd want reform then. I personally feel they could care less, they have excellent coverage so why fix what isn't broken to them.
I don't care where you sit on the political fence, anybody in their right minds would want something done.
Tell me this folks.. Some of you are whinning about the healthcare reform and have been VERY vocal with your opposition regarding. Where were your voices when Former President- Bush sent our troops to war? The money being spent on both unecessary wars could have very well been spent into healthcare reform. But, noooooo... seems like anything that could help an American citizen takes a backseat as we try to police the world.
Where is/was all the complaining about the millions of dollars we're still spending daily on the wars? Why no town hall meetings about that?! I can't even count how many soldiers we've lost since these wars. And for what? Because our former President sent our troops into harms way because of a personal vendetta, Period!!!!
Take care of home first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Health care costs are over $12,000/year per employee!
Mort Zuckerman pointed out the real truth: health care costs are rising at such a fast rate that it will soon be unattainable for most Americans.
In my company, our health care cost per employee is over $1,000/month or over $12,000 per year! $12,000 per employee! And costs continue to rise every year.
COMPANIES WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD HEALTH INSURANCE
It is clear why companies are finding it harder and harder to afford good quality comprehensive medical insurance for their employees.
The inescapable fact is that the trend in the past 10 years is that more companies are sharply cutting back on offering good quality medical insurance for their employees.
Currently, employees who get good quality health insurance from their companies (and either pay nothing or make only token contributions)--including Ms. Erbe's mainstreamers--who polls say are happy with their current situation--don't really understand that in 5-10 years, if health care cost continue to rise at the same rate as the past 10 years, the probability is that their company will sharply cut back--or even completely eliminate health insurance--for their employees.
MIDDLE AMERICAS WILL HAVE LESS ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
Something must be done to cut back on health care costs. If health costs continue to rise, what will happen is that access to good quality health care will become polarized between an elite minority of "Haves" and an increasing mass of "Have Nots."
In the past 50-60 years, access to good qualtiy health care for Middle America was brought about by wide availability of employer paid medical insurance. But in recent years, health care costs have been rising so fast that companies are increasingly cutting back on offering good quality medical insurance.
The result is that what used to be a widely enjoyed middle class good, definitely will soon be unaffordable for most middle class Americans.
DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO CUT COSTS WITH A PUBLIC OPTION
Clearly, if we keep the status quo, health care cost will continue to rise at a ruinous rate. Doing nothing--which is what Repulicans want--is only burying our heads in the sand.
Democrats are trying to control health care costs by having a public option. The idea is that a government run program will encourage rational rationing that will affect all consumers. Private insurers have only the
incentive to ration to increase their profits--leaving more and more people uninsured or under-insured.
MS. ERBE: ASK MORT ZUCKERMAN IF US NEWS CAN CONTINUE TO PAY HEALTH CARE COST FOR EMPLOYEES
Ms. Erbe, go ask Mort Zuckerman how long US News can continue to afford to pay employee health care costs, if costs continue to rise as in recent years.
From that answer, I bet you will better understand why "mainstream" people--who may not be fully informed--should be agitating for health care reform--instead of fighting it (or sitting on the sidelines) because they think they are sitting okay right now.
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