Health-Care Reform: Succeeding Through Roadblocks?

I believe this country needs health coverage that is affordable and available to all citizens. However no one ever brings up the idea that we could solve some of this issue by bringing back good paying blue-collar jobs to this country. We have lost most of the lower/middle class jobs that provided health coverage.

Innovation , as Adam Smith taught us, springs from self-interest.
The left, including Obama, wish to close all Doctor's private practices and clinics.
They wish do do this by abolishing fee-for- service medicine, which would effectively destroy the 40% of Doctors who run their own small business, which patients enjoy as the private practice.
Replacing this form of medical service delivery is called "reform " by you, and the left.
Forcing Doctors into ONE monopolistic government HMO where Doctors work on salary, guarantees a bunch of clock-watchers, where innovation, like a lot of patients, is DEAD !.
What is so exasparating is that Obama refuses to be honest with the American people about his true intent-universal HMO care.
He knows it won't sell, so he vacillates & lies.
Hence the explosion of interest when he let his guard slip & he actually told the TRUTH about his feelings over the Gates affair.
Truth , from Obama about his vision for his government-run HMO, is very hard to come by.
America will regret this "reform".
They will WAIT,WAIT, WAIT, until they die.

ACCOUNTABILITY -- where is it? Does "leadership" give a rip?

If my WaPo carrier misses my door -- I can call someone.

When government fails -- good luck, trying to find someone who gives a rip.

There's the problem -- no accountability. So defeat is inevitable.

Obama can fix the problem by staying out of it..Why would anyone lesson to you, You will not hold a doctor to his vows Like With Abortion when a doctors Oath is frist Do no harm...
but I understand you, you took an oath to up hold the Nations foundation The right to keep arms...and to think you are to be the Leader of Common Defense and Self Defense. the Man you helped put away for Self defense in his own home, as it is you and those that follow you do not up hold it. and personly I am waiting to see those of congress step up an sue the people that will not up holh it..Sanctum Mcgallium US Title 42 USC Section 1983..degerdation of duty..Constutitional Contempt...

As for Doctors and health care..let the people make up there own minds who wants what doctors..you actions are the action of the same mind of a soicalist Nationalist police state Dictaitor...

When a Bad Doctor is found Like the ones that will and or would abort a Baby for a matter of convenance and or the thought of popluation control Come on That is the Mind of the Those that put hilter in power. The action's of Freedom of speech works great protest them for other not to go to them..

What about the Jail's in the USA that are over full and taxes are being pushed to maintain them...and the court that will not uphold smaller goverment like after the TIME SERVED is up do things like so probation prorole drug screens..and so on and so on.. Time Served is time seved nock if off with all the companies that are in fact state founded just make bigger and maintain Bigger goverment...

Like what happend in Bloomington Indiana with people that was being let out of jail to get help and then being rearested on trumed up crimes...so they would not have to pay the medical Bill's

if we are in fact going to up hold Nuremberg and the trail for stoping the mind set of soicalistic Nationalist dictaitor ship plice states...why are we putting people in jail for things like Pot...aresting people public for drunkenss..after they throw a big party after a foot ball games...and then set in the public mentings and cry about the money to pay for the Jails...

if in fact the Genva convention is worth any thing at all and was good enough for the Stinking Judges that helped the SS..and it read no person is to be jailed and or convicted for said war crimes till said war declared over then why are our jails over fulled...there is no true war to start with on us soil upheld by the vote of the people and if there was inter national law says no...

Term Limits,Free speech ,Voluntary taxes,and Gun Rights Maintains Smaller and More honest goverments.

Keep on them Rush
God Country Family Core (Defense)
Faith with out a just action is a worthless faith

Live Free or Dig you self a deep Hole

He can fix it Keep Goverment out of it.
soicalism leads to nationalism and Police States

There should be grass roots organization especially within the districts of "Blue Dog" democrats and republicans who obstruct efforts to achieve true health care reform. The ties these elected representatives have to insurance groups like the United Health Group and its entities Ingenix and the Lewin Group should be exposed. Who are these people serving ? Certainly not their constituents who need health care reform. What are these people doing for the taxpayers who elected them?

The intrusion into your healthcare relationship will be enormous under this plan. Speaking to AARP Obmba said I will not interfere in the relationship between you and your doctor and then shorlty thereafter said there will be a panel of experts who will decide which treatments work and are "cost effective", now if that isn't big time interference what is? We have the most advanced system in the world and our doctors are the most well trained and they know what they are doing, everyone presents themselves differently medically and one size fits all is a huge mistake.This is all about outcomes and saving money.He compared us to Denmark and said they are healthier, a tiny country while ours is huge and diverse and many deaths here occur from accidents.My niece and family now live in Denmark and when her son broke his arm recently,they put a huge plaster cast on his arm like we did in the sixties. So much for care there. I don't believe a word Obama says. He is trying to con us into Socialized medicine and no matter how he spins it, that is what he wants.They will then tell us what to eat, to lose weight, council on death choices ( cutting end of life care) and we don't even know what else. How about tort reform for your buddies, Obama? How about cleaning up the fraud in Medicaide first also? Get out of our lives.

I wonder how many of these 'no to socialized medicine' characters have ever been denied care due to a pre-existing condition or had a child or loved one in Hospital not covered by Medicaid or Medicare and had to deal with the insurance companies. I would wager not a single one. I also wager that most of these ignoramuses dont know that Medicare is a government run program and so is the VA system.

President Obama faces a health care system in worse crisis than the economic mess he inherited, so give the guy credit for being on the right track. He hasn't reached his destination of lowering costs, covering everyone and improving wellness due to powerful forces that cause our biggest problems.

Insurance, health care and drug companies seek maximum profits and treat patients as a profit opportunity. We need to think like the fire department to have everyone pay in, get service when they need it, and provide for education and safety (wellness) to lower future costs. Our benchmark should be to provide equal or better health care at equal or lower costs compared with other nations who cover everyone at about half the cost. We are no less intelligent than others who have done it, are we?

The largest leadership problem is that Representatives and Senators receive millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the same insurance, health care and drug companies that stand to lose profits as a result government funds being applied directly to health needs instead of shareholder profits.

We also need to consider limits on liability and boards of consumers and physicians to oversee quality and deal with medical abuse problems. The real incentive of a government insurance plan is to lower costs (and taxes) over the long term while increasing wellness through education, disease prevention and treatment.

Obama has no real choice but to campaign across America. He can bring small and big business on board by getting health care off the table (with a national insurance option) as a business issue that allow businesses to flourish on their business activities.

Most importantly, Obama needs to reach individual Americans who will convince their Senators and Representatives that our health care needs are more important than large campaign contributions from insurance, health and drug companies. The need and solutions are there, only political will among members of Congress is lacking.

We have to do something about Health in this country. I've been lucky that I have not gotten any big problem with my health, but this is a real mess. In the last 3 years I've been with 3 different doctors; they all treat me like a money-maker-giver... where are all real doctors and nurses? I feel robbed everytime I have an appoinment; my insurance does not cover Fisical Exams! I have to be dying to see my insurance paying for services.

It's too big a job to rush. It seems there should be a measured plan to reform the system in stages. Unfortunately, the political system makes it an all-or-nothing proposition, with every setback an opportunity to "crush" Obama at his "Waterloo."

My employer pays for my health plan, but I still care about the other people who don't have insurance. Even when I go to a participating doctor in my plan, something's not covered or I have to pay the difference. My mother is 75 years old and won't retire from her $12,000-a-year job because she's afraid of getting wiped out by a catastrophic illness if she doesn't have her employer-provided insurance. I'm not allowed to add her to my plan, so she continues to work.

So many people are worse off than we are. How can we continue to call ourselves a charitable nation if this continues?

All of your panelists agree that Obama has failed to sell the plan (as if anybody knew what the plan was anyway).McGinnis comes at it with typical leftist point of view and insists on the cost savings angle when CBO says it will not save AND NOW even the White House is backtracking on the cost-saving angle, with Budget Director saying "Wellll, the important thing is the STRUCTURE." It is to the point that they are now all having trouble not only juggling the figures and revising the goals, but keeping their stories straight.

When big business got into healthcare, it ruined the system. We need to take the profit motive out of the equation. The goal of healthcare should never be to please its stockholders #1 and to be a darling of Wall Street #2. The goal of healthcare should be to prevent health problems before they start whereever they can and to treat those who need it. There are simply some things the private sector is no good at. Providing national defense, the prison system, the power grid, air traffic control etc should be left to the gov.

I suppose, after listening to national callers in 11 tele-townhalls in the past couple weeks, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the depth of misleading mythology so many Americans allow themselves to hold onto. Katie5, for example cannot see that the MedPAC board of doctors another health care professionals, is a FAR better and sensible alternative to the current method of an insurance actuary determining what the best medical evidence is by comparing costs rather then outcomes. Or Wilfred who raves on about ridding the country of doctors' practices. Or the inference that there is in the reform plans of somebody (House? Senate?) a desire to end seniors' lives or ration care. It gets tiresome when facts make no difference, when ideology and rants substitute for rational thought and lies and myths obscure the fact that we cannot any longer afford this destroyed health care system we have allowed to happen. That is the basic fact that all who would delay a new health care reform bill or who urge slow or no progress overlook or deny: we cannot afford not to change the system. The mindless adherence to outdated nonsense and things that go bump in the night is frustrating the national debate. You have a right to speak, but you also have an obligation to think.

The only answer is universal single-payer health care, like the rest of the civilized world has. Health care should be a human right in the US. The UN certainly acknowledges that it is. I, for one, am sick of paying taxes so that members of congress can have excellent health care when I myself cannot get adequate health care because of a pre-exisitng condition.

One thing that puzzles me. The President talks about the waste in the current system caused by unnecessary or redundant tests. Yet, much of this overblown testing is motivated by a desire to cover oneself in the case of a malpractice suit. Also, malpractice insurance costs have risen astromomically and add to the cost of healthcare.

Why is there no talk of taking steps to reign in the direct and hidden costs of our current approach to malpractice? Certainly one part of the healthcare package should be some sort of tort reform. Yet, I see no mentions of addressing the manner in which we as a nation address the malpractice issue and the unnecessary expenses it entails.

Presently there is a petition circulating in congress. It states that every member of the house or senate who signs will agree to read bills first and vote on them later!!!
This is just common sense and I would like to see the media give this more coverage. It should not matter if one ends up voting pro or con. It only matters that they no why they did so.

Health Care Reform - NOT!

People who are clueless believe whatever drivel is dished out by politicians & right-wing conservative talk shows. Then they spout ignorant opinions as if they really know!

Simple questions to answer first just using common sense reasoning:
1. Are Americans willing to give up "socialist" programs like fire, police, road/bridge maintenance, education, or Social Security & Medicare?
2. $313 MILLION was used by "health" insurance, networks & HMO companies to lobby Congress - just since January - where did they get that money and why?

Insurance is a "paper" industry, but it can't print money! So-called "health" insurance is very profitable! It used to be called medical insurance but now they insure only healthy people if they can get away with it. They exclude coverage for pre-conditions and rescind coverage for any excuse they can find AFTER YEARS OF ACCEPTING PREMIUMS!

Consider one doctor who started private practice 10 yrs ago. He or she could NOT SEE a patient without 30 contracts with insurance, networks & HMOs were signed. NONE were negotiable! Only 1 was Medicare. THE COMPANIES determine how much he or she can charge, what is routine service and anything else must be pre-approved. Many decisions are made by non-medical personnel using insurance protocol intended to increase profits to the company & reduce profits for your doctors.

Bringing in partners required hiring more employees to handle insurance-related administrative work in order to get reimbursed. Almost 60% of US medical costs are insurance-related administrative costs - increasing the overhead of doctors, who cannot increase charges to cover it. They just have to see more patients and do more procedures to make ends meet. Many feel so squeezed they worry about being neglectful of patients. Patients feel they get shorted, too.

These 3 doctors are actually a small business providing medical care to patients while also providing jobs and "health" insurance for employees at a HUGE premium. It is part of overhead that enters into their charges. CHARGES THAT ARE SET BY THE VERY SAME INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!

Most small businesses have simply been unable to provide insurance any more. Large businesses spend money & resources to find & negotiate new coverage every 2 years. To reduce the costs of insurance, their coverage has been reduced by larger co-pays & deductibles.

People spouting off about "socialism" get manipulated by TV & Radio talk shows, paid for by insurance & drug company ads. Such ads are tax deductions so they are actually paid with less tax revenue.

People need to think about insurance company executives with high salaries & bonuses also receive country club fees, golfing fees, skyboxes at pro & college games, & other entertainment perks that are legally deductible as marketing like advertising.

Insurance, networks & HMO executives have a vested interest in keeping their golden lifestyles - hence their willingness to pay out $313 MILLION to lobby congress in only 6 mo. just to derail health care reform legislation. They are also paying talk show hosts to support them through ad revenue.

WE PAY FOR THAT THROUGH PREMIUMS & TAXES!!!

It is WAY past time people get a clue!
You are getting manipulated alright - but not by Obama!!

Moms Hugs: From Middle of Road in America
http://momshugs.blogspot.com

1. Encourage Research on What Works

America needs an independent institute to support research comparing the relative effectiveness of new and existing medical procedures, drugs, devices and biologics. We also must provide incentives to deliver safe, high-quality care.

Research is the key to unlocking value. Remember Dr. Salk. Don't get stuck on stupid.

It is roadkill sirs. The socialist should all die first, so they can start their own system and test it on themselves. Turn the VA system into an open system and see how many people choose it. The Veterans avoid the thing. They run cemeteries well though. It takes like a year to get a marker. Turn me over Jack.