How Republicans Should Handle Obama's Health Reform Summit

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acai berry and colon cleanse diet instructions of 5:23AM May 14, 2010

For all of you who are in favor of Government Healthcare, look at Medicare. The Dems say there is our $500 billion in waste in Medicare. Who is in charge of Medicare, could it be the Government, if they can"t run Medicare what makes you think they can run a National health care program?????

Jim of MO 12:11PM February 19, 2010

This author, self-avowed conservative, could not name a single actual "GOP cost-cutting initiative" (referenced only in generalities in 7th paragraph) except another call for tort reform?
That's because there aren't any that can actually be thoroughly explained in public. When they're "thoroughly" explained, people would understand that they're nothing but a takeaway from individuals and a corresponding giveaway to corporations.

Muser of NM 9:40PM February 18, 2010

Caps on damages do not lower health care costs. Look at Texas, which has had a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages since 2003. The health care costs have risen in Texas since then greater than the national average. Read "The Cost Conundrum" in the June 1, 2009, issue of The New Yorker, which can be downloaded online, and ask yourself why health care expenses in McAllen, Texas,are twice as high as the health care expenses in Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic. Minnesota has never had a cap on damages in medical malpractice cases. The only ones to benefit from caps on damages are the insurance companies, whose profits soar even more in states with caps. The cost of health care is unaffected. The only ones who are punished by caps are the people who suffer the most serious injuries. They are the ones who are unable to recover fair compensation for their injuries. If the January poll found that 6 our of 10 Americans favored capping damages "to lower costs", then only 4 out of every 10 Americans understand the fact that caps do not lower costs. The answer to lowering costs is to make medicine more efficient and to follow the established ways of reducing the incidence of injuries to patients.

Michael End of WI 11:50PM February 17, 2010

When you say "most of us agree that America has the best health care system in the world in terms of quality" you must be referring to the people who formed such opinions without looking at statistics. If we consider life expectancy, returns to spending, or successful outcomes, then there is absolutely no objective ground to stand on as far as claiming that America has the best health care system in the world. If you blindly believe in the free market (of course ignoring the fact that America already spends more on health care as part of its GDP than any other nation), then it would be easy to come to the conclusion that our system is the best.
While I'm not saying Democrats are any less dogmatic than Republicans, please stop acting like the "free market" is the cure for the health care crisis! When we talk about health care we aren't talking about a free market. It just doesn't operate the same way as the widget market.
That is all.

Heathcliff of VA 3:12PM February 17, 2010