Address About Health Care Reform

[Winter_123]

Getting just a tad off topic...

I think it is generally easy to discount a program that runs counter to our political leanings. Somarco, you mention Cash for Clunkers. While the jury is certainly out on its effectiveness on a macro-economic level, I know first hand that it has been valuable on a micro level. I work as a supervisor in the automotive industry and also sell insurance part time. Cash for Clunkers saved about 100 jobs, of which the average person makes about 35k a year. Of course, I do have to qualify this success with I don't know how long we will be able to keep these people. We are guessing about 3 months, which will get us through the slow time of the year – if it does we will not have to lay anyone off.

Our company has 7 plants in North America. All of which are located in small towns and are the lifeblood of the local economies.

My point in this, if I have one, is all of the programs that you mentioned are advantageous to some. Whether the benefits of said programs are beneficial on larger level, well, I am in no position to say. I do know, however, that a hundred people aren't spending $800 a month on Cobra insurance while trying to live off of $1500 in unemployment.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I'll make one small retraction... Fannie and Freddie. Perhaps at some point they were beneficial, but those days are long gone.

I would have an opposite view toward Clunkers and Fannie.

Clunkers is simply a program where you pay people to buy something and then the libs are all ga-ga about how they have discovered how the economy and true stimulus works. The Amana refrigerator people are closing a plant and laying some folks off so lets have a cash for refrigerator program. It can never be anything more than a one-shot, short term effect. The government needs to make sure that the frigging banks are lending the money that it gave to them. That is how to help the auto industry given that we are already committed to government intervention. Easign the credit situation helps to fire the engine that works when it is up and running versus this clunker gimmick crap.

Fannie on the other hand, even though a lib program, was at the core of the economy, for better or worse and did do a lot of good and could have done more good if it had stayed with sound lending practices and guarantees in areas where the risks were calculated rather than everything coming up surprises. Instead, Barney and his crew turned the other way and took favors and ran the place into the ground which trashed everyone's goals in society whether lib or conservative. I would hang that son of a bitch out on the National Mall any day of the week. Dodd, Maxine Waters, the SEC clowns, the whole bunch.

You don't see the Canadians having a mortgage crisis do you? Even though their governmet lending practices are "progressive."

 

[Newby]

What I don't get it that if there is billions and billions of dollars of waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, why doesn't he just stop that TODAY? Then he could build up billions of dollars in surplus over the next year and it would be real easy to convince us doubters where the money will come from for all the changes he wants. He could get on the TV next year and say "see I told you the money was there all along and wouldn't come from increased taxes."

Why does the cutting out the waste and fraud have to wait until he already has the money spent?

 

[somarco]

I will just love to hear how Obama is going to eliminate the waste and inefficiencies in Medicare and Medicaid. Seems to me that he could have done that without a stinkin bill.

This has been a point of contention with me all along. If you can fix waste and fraud, what is stopping you from doing it now?

Yet no one in the media is calling them out on this point.

Another is the issue of creating competition in the market place with a public option. Last PM Alabama was mentioned and specifically targeting BX with 90% of the market.

If Blue (or any other carrier) has 60 - 70 - 80 -90% of the market the logical conclusion is it is because they are competitive. If not, the balance would shift away from Blue to other carriers.

No one in Obamington is suggestion a public alternative to Wal-Mart, but they control a significant portion of the market as well.

How disingenuous can you get?

 

[Winter_123]

I am certainly glad that Obama took the time last night to clarify that we would not be having Senior Citizen Death Panels as part of his program.

I am sure that did a lot for seniors to remove the thought that anyone in Washington had even been considering it. Otherwise why would the President be addressing it? Smooth Barry, really smooth.

 

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

See, at their very core the Democrat politicians feel it is THEIR responsibility to shape the future. Some of us feel that Americans should be free to shape our OWN future.
...

You spoke volumes, with an economy of words. I am going to take your words, get a bumper sticker kit, and make a bumper sticker for my car with your words.

Thank you for a sliver of thoughtful insight.

 

[maximas]

I would have an opposite view toward Clunkers and Fannie.

Clunkers is simply a program where you pay people to buy something and then the libs are all ga-ga about how they have discovered how the economy and true stimulus works. The Amana refrigerator people are closing a plant and laying some folks off so lets have a cash for refrigerator program. It can never be anything more than a one-shot, short term effect. The government needs to make sure that the frigging banks are lending the money that it gave to them. That is how to help the auto industry given that we are already committed to government intervention. Easign the credit situation helps to fire the engine that works when it is up and running versus this clunker gimmick crap.

Fannie on the other hand, even though a lib program, was at the core of the economy, for better or worse and did do a lot of good and could have done more good if it had stayed with sound lending practices and guarantees in areas where the risks were calculated rather than everything coming up surprises. Instead, Barney and his crew turned the other way and took favors and ran the place into the ground which trashed everyone's goals in society whether lib or conservative. I would hang that son of a bitch out on the National Mall any day of the week. Dodd, Maxine Waters, the SEC clowns, the whole bunch.

You don't see the Canadians having a mortgage crisis do you? Even though their governmet lending practices are "progressive."

Sound critique. Which is kind of irritating because of my more left leaning political views.

 

[ins.dave]

What was clear is that Barack knows very little about insurance. He has had some exposure with the bad side of it, but gives no credit for the good side.

Mandates are not anything like required auto insurance. Somebody explain this to me. Simply not the same.

He did great when he referred to the "80%" everyone agrees on. He fell flat when he got into the partisan politics portion.

So, if congress came out with a bill that:
- Insure any comer (guarantee issue)
- Can't be dropped after the policy is issued (which is almost true now, but they do have to stop recessions)
- Provided for routine physical exams

Would he sign it? He implied he would. He would probably get a lot of support. Continue adding in the partisan things, and it falls apart.

Dan

-----------------

They would have to get the medical records situation (another reform) cleaned up.
Then the plans could exist without the 2 period of contestability as a safety measure?

 

[xrac]