Why Obama is Losing the Healthcare Fight

Reader Comments
Back to blog

I agree with your post too! Seems you Pennsylvania boys/men are johnny on the spot with your take of things. :)
Good post...

me again of MI 3:29PM September 18, 2009

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me again of MI 3:25PM September 18, 2009

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.

Steve Wang of PA 8:02PM August 24, 2009

"mainstreamers such as me"
You think you're mainstream?
Wow.
I quit reading your way left articles back on April Fool's day, when you tried to explain that abortion is ok when the economy's a bit down.
That Muser guy has no brain either.

JoeSwiss 3:40PM August 24, 2009

Are illegal immigrants going to be allowed services on this plan? California is in dire financial straights and there does not seen to any funds left. Think about it... "When in the recent history have summer school sessions been canceled because there are no funds?" Sorry Mr. Obama but we are all tapped out in the Southwest.

Tiowedo of CA 3:31PM August 24, 2009

Sir,
I am not old or poor or rich. I am working class who pays a high price for insurance because the unpaid costs is placed on those who pay (through their high insurance premiums). So I am a payer who is opposed to this gov't health care program. It does nothing for the discussion for you to call me a "baffon" and an "idiot."
We do need some changes in health care but they are not the ones being considered. In fact, they are being left out. Please think about things like portability, competition at the point of delivery and tort reform. This would attack costs at the source. Competition in insurance will do no good as long as we have no competition in doctors and hospitals. Are you aware that the hospitals everywhere are creating monopolies? Much of the over use of expense test is caused by law suits.
And please, don't try to tell me that all those pages of the bills proposed aren't hiding a lot we don't want. The reason they have so many pages is to slip things by us.

Fredrick Stone of NC 1:05PM August 24, 2009

You can't fix health care without fixing immigration first!

JIM PETRILLO of NY 9:24AM August 24, 2009

If the congressional plan for America's health care is so good, then why are they exempting themselves from it? Our Senators and Congressmen know that their plan would be disastrous for them and their families (and those of their biggest supporters: unions) so they have conveniently forged the plan so they get to keep their present plan. Doesn't this scare you? It should! Ask yourself why they don't want to switch to the health care plan they have planned for us. Stop and think. Ms Erbe is correct; government has never provided a superior product/service for less money. Be honest about it.
The opposition is not uninformed. The opposition has read the plan. Their concerns are real. This isn't make-believe, folks. Have you red it? Before you continue to support it, perhaps you should take the time to read it. Don't continue to say, "That's not in there...." Read it; you'll see.
AMA and Pharmaceutical Companies are so powerful because their lobbyists have direct access to Congress. True, we (the people) are granted the right to direct access to our representative government but most of us don't have the means with which to do so. The more centralized health care becomes, the stronger entities such as AMA and Pharmaceutical Cos. will become. Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise. Government run health care will not lessen their power; it will increase it.
True health care cost reduction will come from more competition, not less. More competition comes from less government intervention, not more. The cost excesses we have now have their origination in the government's 'intervention' into the system in the mid-1900's. True health care cost reduction will come from healthier life-style choices on behalf of the populace. When people live healthier lives, they use fewer health services. Supply and demand, dear people. It always works. 240 years of free enterprise has proved it to the best form of cost control. And I, for one, am not ready to abandon it.

Maureen Y of NC 9:05AM August 24, 2009

So we, at least I do, listen to the speeches at the townhall meetings; so we, at least I do, read the legislation as it is so far. There are so many horrors in the opposition to health care reform, yes, the opposition is to the reform, not to the legislation. The opposition is from the political factions that call themseleves "conservative" and attach themselves in coalition to Republicans. Yes, look at the "right" as a coalition: there are those who wish no big government but there are more that wish NO GOVERNMENT AT ALL. Prior to the birth of the Republican Party there were the Anarchists, then variations on the anarchists, then came the Egoists. The Egoists, the ultimate anarchists whow believe wives and children are property, that any of another skin hue is to be property as well. The Egoists who believe the rule of law is only with them and with no others.
Funny, the world cannot exist for such thought.

Gerald Spencer of IL 9:08PM August 23, 2009

The public option may take over health care but if it does in my opinion it will happen because of greed and power over the people through drug dependency encouraged by the greedy pharmaceutical companies and Greedy so called doctors.
I hope with reform We can get back to real medical care and stop practicing on people as they were a lower life form.
We are no longer cave men so we should stop thinking like cave men.
Financially we cannot help but save money by encouraging a healthy life style and encouraging education of all ages and encouraging town hall meetings and involvement in city matters and return to the kind of activities we used to have before insurance companies started controlling us
we need to think health care/education reform for a healthy AMERICA So that we can move on to greater things that does not include greed or "it just business" that has kept us from growing as a nation and a world.
Don D. Brock

Don D. Brock of AZ 12:58PM August 23, 2009