'Bout Damn Time

[furrbear]

Dems show signs of growing balls. Break out the smelling salts.

Democrats Seem Set to Go Alone on a Health Bill

By CARL HULSE and JEFF ZELENY
Published: August 18, 2009

WASHINGTON (NYTimes)— Given hardening Republican opposition to Congressional health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance of the minority’s cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within their own ranks.

Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans’ purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month’s Congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair.

Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.

Read the rest here.

Comments

[joebehrsandiego.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[jkusters]

It's about time.

(Not that I'm gonna be holding my breath or anything.)

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

why are we surprised? The Republicans are the tool of big corporations... they are the absolute enemy of the people. The sad part id that a good percentage of the population buys what they say including all the lies and half truths....

I am a member of Kaiser Permanente, one of the country's largest health groups and I wait for 2-3 weeks for an appointment with my primary care physician and 4-6 weeks if I need to see a specialist. I have MANY friends in Canada and they aren't any worse off then I am... with one BIG exception... I have to Pay a monthly premium, and a $25 to see my primary care physician who is really a nurse who can prescribe medication, and I pay $10-$30 for a prescription. Unlike my Canadian Brothers who get it all for free.

[jp5040.livejournal.com]

well its not all free here. If you make enough money you pay a monthly premium for provincial health insurance. But it's not a big amount.

The nurses can not prescribe pills here! You see a real doctor. Waiting for 2 weeks is Bullshit! We see a doc in a walk in clinic same day no problem anywhere. To see my GP in person on a set time I might wait 2 weeks or a month if he went on holidays. But you can see a doc same day as i said if you don't care who you get. Specialists are a wait no matter who you are.

So... I don't see any insurance scheme that will solve that issue. It's about making education in North America free or affordable so that there would be more qualified people to take on these jobs! We lack docs and nurses because regular people can't go to school anymore.

What would also help solve this health care issue is for the US government to grow some real balls and tell the pharmaceutical giants to sell the drugs at a FAIR mark-up! They extort billions and trillions form us all! That is the real cost of health care.

We need a "New Deal" government to break the monopoly power of these corporations and insurance giants so that the average person can get adequate care. Hospitals pass on the cost of drugs to everyone, not just the one getting the treatment. This is a burden on society. It is a stupid result of some very un-capitalist tactics by giant multinational companies. Monopolies who get their power sanctioned by retarded and outdated patent laws and a government that won't stand up for the little guy.

Canada would have a better chance at saving our system if you guys also had a fair system to live with - because what you have now seems to suck by comparison. I keep thinking of all those kids who grow up without a doctor because they live below the poverty line and their parents have no insurance. It makes no sense! Or the people with no insurance who die because the hospital refuses them care. No way should that happen. It's just evil. Our system here might have issues, but everyone gets some kind of care!

Keep fighting for it - it's worth it - support the visionaries who call for this because it's worth it!

Remember this! Our actual tax burden here is 0.01% more than yours! Not so much more like the Republicans say. Our system delivers better care on average to EVERYONE for about half the cost per capita. Our taxes go for better education for less money and for highways and snow removal - a big cost up here. Our health care is a big cost form governments but in the US many states pay more than our provinces for the inadequate state hospitals already in service! Insurance schemes and drug costs suck up all your money!

Its worth having a basic level of care for every citizen. Think how many people will be saved from becoming a drain on the economy in other ways! Disability, drugs and disease cost society! Health care is an important link to stopping the cycle of poverty.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

You make excellent points.

And let's not forget the public health advantage. If someone has any kind of infectious or communicable disease, I want that person getting treated, PRONTO! - rather than spreading that disease to other people. *I* don't want to catch (say) tuberculosis because someone else can't get basic health care!

And then there's all the chronic ailments like diabetes, asthma and so on that are FAR cheaper to treat and control than to deal with on a crisis basis.

One big thing that needs to happen here in the USA is to revoke the status of a corporation as a "person." And we need to go back to the concept from our founders that corporations must serve the public interest - or face being dissolved. Period.

The other big thing is publically financed elections (with NO outside money permitted) and a switch to instant runoff voting, disposing of the whole "primary" nonsense. I suspect that with IRV, there will be some shocking upsets once people get used to the idea that making a Green or a Libertarian thair first choice is no longer "throwing away" their vote.

I have to Pay a monthly premium

[ursine1.livejournal.com]

My co-pay for prescriptions and office visits is 5 €. My monthly premium is about 150 € and I am 64. What is your monthly premium?

Chuck, I also qualify for public health coverage being a resident.

[jp5040.livejournal.com]

Totally right on corporate status. They need to have some groundrules - and how they are allowed to sue governemnt for decisions not in their favor is total crap!
If a corporation gets water out of your drinking supply and you start running out of water - the individuals who are going dry should have first dibs - but no. They do. Because they can sue for their share and win! They have a bigger interest in the supply than you even though it is a common property resource. This is ludicrous. If governemnt stepped in and revoked their water license in favor of drinking supply they would still win because they have more clout than you or I. This BS is written into NAFTA. We need a NAFTA, but not a corporate bill of rights.