Another Day, Another Republican Parroting Frank Luntz
By Heather Monday Jun 15, 2009 5:00pm
As John noted, when is someone going to challenge one of these guys when they spew this garbage on these Sunday shows? Can a sister get a follow up question around here? Just askin'. Sorry if it's expecting just a little too much to think that you might actually consider something like doing your job, and not allowing guests to lie to you if you want to call yourself an anchor on a "news" channel.
Here we go again with another Republican being allowed to repeat the Frank Luntz list of talking points for health care on national television, unchallenged. Wouldn't it be nice if we could make them all have to debate Bernie Sanders instead, so the public is not misinformed day after day?
How many Luntz talking points can you spot in this interview?
SCHIEFFER: So, is he being straight with us?
MCCONNELL: Well, let’s start at the beginning. They teach every first-semester medical student, “Do no harm.” And what the president did not talk about yesterday is his ambitious plan to have a government insurance plan, in effect, that essentially crowds out of the private market all the competition that we have among insurance companies today to have a national rationing board which would determine what kind of treatments would be available for American citizens.
Those, typically, in single-payer countries like Canada and Britain involve delays in treatment, denial of care, that kind of thing. All of that really ought to be put aside if we want to get a truly bipartisan proposal.
The Medicare cuts that the president was talking about yesterday were not in the context of making the current program more sustainable, Bob. We have an unsustainable Medicare and Medicaid now.
The president is talking about looking at those cuts in the context of expanding coverage far beyond what we have.
This is 16 percent of the economy, as we all know. It’s an enormously important subject. We can make incredible improvements in American health care, but I don’t think having more government; in effect putting Washington between you and your doctor, is the way to go.
What we ought to be dealing with are things like litigation reform, things like wellness programs. That’s one thing I think we can all agree on.
The CEO of Safeway is a very impressive man that we’ve all heard from who’s been able to bring the health care costs of his company dramatically down by emphasizing things like obesity control, eliminating smoking, to the maximum extent possible, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, more exercise. There are a number of things that we can do to improve our health care system.
SCHIEFFER: Let me just start with a couple of things that you’ve said here. The president’s people will tell you that he is not proposing any kind of a rationing board.
They would also say to you that, when he’s proposing a public insurance option, that is just to give people another option if they don’t want to go -- that, if they want to keep their private insurance, that’s OK, and that it’s not going to crowd any of that out, so...
MCCONNELL: I know they say that, Bob, but in fact, if the government is in the insurance business, there won’t be any other insurers. It’s inevitable because the taxpayers will be backing up the program.
We’ve seen a, kind of, version of that over in the auto takeover. You’ve got Ford Motor Company, which makes Ford vehicles in my hometown -- it didn’t take any government money -- now having to compete with a government-controlled General Motors acceptance corporation, trying to finance their cars in competition with the government financing company. And they’re having a hard time doing it.
We know that, if the government gets in this business, pretty soon nobody else will be in the business.
SCHIEFFER: Is that a deal- breaker for you and for Republicans?
Because he seems to be insisting that this public option, which would be very much like Medicare for older people now; this would be something where the government, you could opt for that rather than private insurance.
SCHIEFFER: But is that a deal-breaker, as far as you’re concerned?
MCCONNELL: I think that, for virtually every Republican, a government plan is a non-starter. There are a whole lot of other things we can agree to do on a bipartisan basis that will dramatically improve our system.
But we already have the best health care in the world. We know it costs a lot, but we have the best health care in the world. And I don’t think many Americans want to start having to, you know, wait in line and start getting government permission for procedures. We need to be very careful about taking the wrong steps.
SCHIEFFER: What would you feel about taxing existing health-care benefits? During the campaign, we remember that candidate Obama criticized John McCain , because he said that’s what John McCain was trying to do.
We now understand, though, that the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Democrat Max Baucus , is including that, that perhaps there would be some tax on some existing health-care benefits. We’re also told that the White House says nothing is off the table. Although this morning Joe Biden, the vice president, said that’s a bad way to go.
MCCONNELL: Well, the finance committee is beginning to look at how you would pay for this massive expansion of health care. As I indicated earlier, we’re having a hard time paying for the health care -- the government health care we already have, Medicare and Medicaid. Now they’re trying to grapple with how to pay for the expansions. It will not be easy.
SCHIEFFER: Would you -- would you encourage that, tapping existing..
MCCONNELL: Let me tell you what I would do if I were in charge. I would equalize the tax treatment between companies and individuals. Right now, if you work for a company that provides you health care, the government allows a tax deduction to the company for providing the care. If you’re an employee who does not have health care, it’s not deductible.
I would equalize the tax treatment, which would be a way of beginning to deal with the problems of the uninsured, which is what has motivated us to tackle this issue in the first place. And second, I’m not going back over the whole wellness argument again, but the government needs to be massively incentivizing wellness programs across the country. That is what we’re...
SCHIEFFER: But what about -- what about this taxing increase?
MCCONNELL: Well, I think how much you might need in terms of revenue depends on what you decide to do. So I don’t think know we ought to, at the outset here, be talking about tax increases. We ought to be talking about how to make the current system we have work better.
Here are those Frank Luntz talking points one more time:
(1) Humanize your approach. Abandon and exile ALL references to the “healthcare system.” From now on, healthcare is about people. Before you speak, think of the three components of tone that matter most: Individualize. Personalize. Humanize.
(2) Acknowledge the “crisis” or suffer the consequences. If you say there is no healthcare crisis, you give your listener permission to ignore everything else you say. It is a credibility killer for most Americans. A better approach is to define the crisis in your terms. “If you’re one of the millions who can’t afford healthcare, it is a crisis.” Better yet, “If some bureaucrat puts himself between you and your doctor, denying you exactly what you need, that’s a crisis.” And the best: “If you have to wait weeks for tests and months for treatment, that’s a healthcare crisis.”
(3) “Time” is the government healthcare killer. As Mick Jagger once sang, “Time is on Your Side.” Nothing else turns people against the government takeover of healthcare than the realistic expectation that it will result in delayed and potentially even denied treatment, procedures and/or medications. “Waiting to buy a car or even a house won’t kill you. But waiting for the healthcare you need – could. Delayed care is denied care.”
(4) The arguments against the Democrats’ healthcare plan must center around “politicians,” “bureaucrats,” and “Washington” … not the free market, tax incentives, or competition. Stop talking economic theory and start personalizing the impact of a government takeover of healthcare. They don’t want to hear that you’re opposed to government healthcare because it’s too expensive (any help from the government to lower costs will be embraced) or because it’s anti-competitive (they don’t know about or care about current limits to competition). But they are deathly afraid that a government takeover will lower their quality of care – so they are extremely receptive to the anti-Washington approach. It’s not an economic issue. It’s a bureaucratic issue.
(5) The healthcare denial horror stories from Canada & Co. do resonate, but you have to humanize them. You’ll notice we recommend the phrase “government takeover” rather than “government run” or “government controlled” It’s because too many politician say “we don’t want a government run healthcare system like Canada or Great Britain” without explaining those consequences. There is a better approach. “In countries with government run healthcare, politicians make YOUR healthcare decisions. THEY decide if you’ll get the procedure you need, or if you are disqualified because the treatment is too expensive or because you are too old. We can’t have that in America.”
(6) Healthcare quality = “getting the treatment you need, when you need it.” That is how Americans define quality, and so should you. Once again, focus on the importance of timeliness, but then add to it the specter of “denial.” Nothing will anger Americans more than the chance that they will be denied the healthcare they need for whatever reason. This is also important because it is an attribute of a government healthcare system that the Democrats CANNOT offer. So say it. “The plan put forward by the Democrats will deny people treatments they need and make them wait to get the treatments they are allowed to receive.”
(7) “One-size-does-NOT-fit-all.” The idea that a “committee of Washington bureaucrats” will establish the standard of care for all Americans and decide who gets what treatment based on how much it costs is anathema to Americans. Your approach? Call for the “protection of the personalized doctor-patient relationship.” It allows you to fight to protect and improve something good rather than only fighting to prevent something bad.
(8) WASTE, FRAUD, and ABUSE are your best targets for how to bring down costs. Make no mistake: the high cost of healthcare is still public enemy number one on this issue – and why so many Americans (including Republicans and conservatives) think the Democrats can handle healthcare better than the GOP. You can’t blame it on the lack of a private market; in case you missed it, capitalism isn’t exactly in vogue these days. But you can and should blame it on the waste, fraud, and abuse that is rampant in anything and everything the government controls.
(9) Americans will expect the government to look out for those who truly can’t afford healthcare. Here is the perfect sentence for addressing cost and the limited role for government that wins you allies rather than enemies: “A balanced, common sense approach that provides assistance to those who truly need it and keeps healthcare patient-centered rather than government-centered for everyone.”
(10) It’s not enough to just say what you’re against. You have to tell them what you’re for. It’s okay (and even necessary) for your campaign to center around why this healthcare plan is bad for America. But if you offer no vision for what’s better for America, you’ll be relegated to insignificance at best and labeled obstructionist at worst. What Americans are looking for in healthcare that your “solution” will provide is, in a word, more: “more access to more treatments and more doctors…with less interference from insurance companies and Washington politicians and special interests.”
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So, it's OK for my employer to get in between me and my doctor, and its OK for an insurance company to, but noooo... not the bad old federal government. They already screwed up social security, medicare, the military, the interstrate highway system, blah blah blah (oh I forgot those things are working out pretty good...never mind).
Mcconnell has over 3 million reasons to be against health care for Americans and not one of them have anything to do with what is best for the people.
Here is a list of elected people taking payoffs to cheat the American people and the amounts of bribes being taken. This is just from health care and insurance.
It is mind boggling to think how much these people are taking from others!
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)
And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:
Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)
Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)
We need to investigate and prosecute these criminals now. Severe jail terms are in order for these criminals!
I don't see how any of the people in Ky were stupid enough to vote for this lying sob!
nice stats, got a source. t wouldbe nice to quote these figures somewhere else, but without a credible source I'll be ripped a new one.
thanks- gueuze
Bill Moyers Journal.
Reported on this and part of it was shown on crooks and liars.
Keep in mind, this asshole doesn't pay for his own insurance: WE pay for this jerk off's health care.
Mitch McConnell is morphing into Jesse Helms before our very eyes.
I've resigned to the fact that these things have become just Puppet Shows
Too too funny!!
It's sooo like Kirk Franklin (very very Gospel, just like McClurkin)..'Can I get a witness up(around) here??? I SAID, CAN I GET A WITNESS UP(around) HERE???!!!??'
I don't even know if you meant it that way - it sure sounds like it!!
Brilliant!!!
May be it's just me, and you don't even know what I'm talking about. Then again, you may.
about healthcare corporations being HEAVILY invested in tobacco companies??:
http://ampedstatus.com/scandal-health-life-in...
Heck. Makes perfect sense to me! We give them our premiums every month. They take our money and invest it in a product that kills at least 100,000 Americans every year and creates billions of dollars in costs THEY are supposed to pay out for the care of these people.
Of course they do say, "No!" to a lot of patients/doctors, right? So, they're making their profits on premiums, saying "No!!" when coverage is needed and by investing billions in tobacco companies???
Things just seem to be getting curiouser and curiouser...
...whether he pays for the laser treatments and/or facelifts out of his own pocket.
My guess it's laser treatments.....no normal person looks so smooth and shiny!!!
should just be asked to explain why his constituents can't buy into the same health plan that he/she gets as a congresscritter.
Just explain that please, mr. congressthingy.
'cause that's the public option, and we'd like to know what is so special about you that you can have that and we can't.
But not good enough for the rest of Americans who are paying for YOUR health insurance?
Is the result of never actually having WORKED a day in his life.
it bugs the snot out of me everytime one of you clowns who HAVE free health care come out saying its a bad thing. Aside from that...
if youre going to tell me that medicare (or social security for that matter) is unsustainable, are you going to tell me what is spent on defense spending is? How about how much is spent on YOUR health plan? We can keep this up all night. mitch.
..it's just what we want to pay for it.
Do we want to pay for quality healthcare for all? That would entail a tax increase - very well possibly offset by employer/employee current payments.
Nothing is for free. However most people are very willing to pay more taxes if it actually benefits them. Quite simple.
People are not stupid. We know that you cannot keep increasing spending without increasing income. Fuck, why do you think people are so busy balancing their checkbooks. THEY/WE KNOW.
Will eventually like Socialized medicine when they see how much larger their paychecks are without the insurance premiums coming out.
And when they can actually afford to see a doctor without major budget juggling.
duh. not totally free. nothing is because if you dont pay for it someone else has to. fine.
semantics aside, spaz, as a taxpayer I will pay that increase, and keep my job, and keep going as long as my body is able. I will pay for those doctors and nurses to make a living, because I believe they want to help people and I should do what I can to help them succeed. If I lose my job, I will work anywhere. For anything. I believe in work. Hell, I might even want to take up helping people. Now step aside and let those of us who dont have a problem dragging the plow see to it that its getting done.
while you suck your thumb and wet yourself about it.
Any reporter who wants to at least give the impression of challenging this crap can ask one simple question, of any GOP member of Congress: "What kind of health insurance do YOU have, and how is it working for you?" Members of Congress have always had government-supplied and managed health care.
I'm still waiting for any news outlet to travel to Toronto, or Vancouver, or Montreal, or Calgary, or Winnipeg, or Edmonton, or Quebec, and interview healthy, happy, prospering Canadians, who would defend their health care the way we defend our second amendment.
gov. until all Americans have it, and he challenged all congress members to do the same. He was on The Ed Show tonight. This guy is great.
Not too many politicians would be willing to do that.
I agree with bc68251. We'd be more than willing to give Americans our perspective. Here are the comments of some canucks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88KmmR4d5Ig
I'd like to hear Mr McConnell talk more about the 'denial of care' in the Canadian system. It really annoys me that (1) he said such a thing in the first place, and (2) Bob Schieffer didn't follow up by asking him to provide some examples.
*sigh*
I wonder how many Americans I could have found with worse horror stories than the ones the Republicans cited?
Shitloads.
Australia, or Switzerland, or Holland, or Sweden, or Denmark...?
Why haven't the reporters been there to show how those systems work?
#1) They work for CORPORATE MEDIA CONGLOMERATES who are PAID BY INSURANCE COMPANIES for their advertising space.
#2) Their CORPORATE MEDIA CONGLOMERATE has cut costs by ELIMINATING JOURNALIST STAFF.
#3) Their CORPORATE MEDIA BOSSES do not want to see their PERSONAL INVESTMENTS suffer.
#4) They don't have a problem paying for private insurance, because THEY'RE PAID SHITLOADS OF CASH. Just like members of Congress, who are almost entirely MILLIONAIRES AND they still get their healthcare paid for by US, THE TAXPAYERS.
This would make an excellent 30 second commercial.
LOOK! Mitch isn't in his closet!!
Is it official yet?
*
Schieffer is SUCH a tool. How sad to get to that point in your life and find you have NO personal integrity at all.
*
..and yes, she died of cancer at age 34.
She didn't take the opportunity to get checked. She never even had a pap smear. All of that would have been paid for.
They wanted her to have a primary phycisian. She never picked one. Instead, we ended up over and over in the ER at Highland Hospital.
We need education. In Holland, on so-called Social Insurance, if you say, don't show up every 6 months for a dental exam, well, the next one is on you. Not per se the exam, but all the work that needs to be done. Talk about incentive.
We should have a Federal Health Insurance bill. Be it the Federal Insurance or Private (pay a bit more)
Made to show up every 6 months for a regular check-up. Period. If you don't, the next check-up will be on your own dime. Women for a pap smear, men for a testicular check.
It should not be that hard to figure out basic tests.
Treatment of any illness should not be profit based.
If you want better care, fine, check in to a private clinic that will charge you cash up the whazoo, but will hold the tissue when you sneeze.
Everyone else.....I mean, to me it's common sense. Healthcare for everyone is good for society as a whole.
My God already - let's get the profit and big-money OUT of healthcare. Really.
I am praying that some of these talking heads will grow a pair and ask the naysayers about the real crimes here.
Stop asking about people keeping their insurance! Ask about insurance company profits!
Stop asking about choosing your doctors! Ask about the MILLIONS with NO doctors!
There will never be affordable healthcare as long as the middlemen get their cut from denying care.
Why can't we buy wholesale? A Jewish man said to a Catholic man, "You go to confession to tell a priest your sins? Even for sin you people pay retail." I cannot believe these greedy bastards from the insurance industry think they are entitled to continue to steal from people. You are all busted. Go spend your money. You who keep pushing your luck should remember, if you push hard enough, and it runs out, you fall really hard. Bribery takes down both the briber and the bribee.
You are more than welcome to pay the Dr. directly. I'm sure they accept cash or credit cards, hell most of the ones I know will give you credit if you ask them in advance.
Hey Kentucky, how in the world could you re-elect this corrupt, lying, pasty-faced, corporate mouthpiece moron?
Were there no murders, perverts, semi-retards or other psychotics out on parole at the time? Sheeesch!
This clown is bought and paid for like most whores
There are some things no self-respecting whore will do for money!
Through my wife's work (at a hospital).
Everyone agrees that my health would improve immensely (and that I might be able to keep working a physically demanding job) if I had weight loss surgery.
But the hoops that the insurance company requires me to jump through to qualify for it would bankrupt us. And THEN the co-pays and uncovered costs would put us further in debt. And THEN the recovery time would lose me so much work that I might never save my business.
Am I happy with MY insurance?
I think there is a special level in Hell for insurance companies.
it sounds like you've got problems that involve more than just insurance companies.
My business bills a solid amount, its collections that are a problem. I could do twice as much if my body wasn't breaking down so often.
But the insurance issue is real. If the insurance company would let me schedule the operation, without going through 6 months of hassle first, I could arrange my schedule to accomodate.
Instead, I have to drag 200lbs. extra around and pay for 6 months of twice weekly visits before they will even consider it.
Why should they be able to dictate to my doctor or me what my cars should be?
That healthcare is 16% or 1/7 of the U.S. economy, is straight off of Limbaugh's 1993 shows.
I know these repukes are stupid and lazy, but do they think everyone is as completely ignorant and simple minded as their base?
I rarely watch any of these shows any more. There are never any follow up questions and they just ramble on with the sames lies day after day and no one calls them on it. Exactly how much does it cost taxpayers to insure these old assholes?
Speaking of calling out the media, Andrea Mitchell needs her ass kicked for her behaviour today.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/15/msnb...
After being held captive for 7 years while innocent, still not being able to be with their families and this bitch begrudges them having an ice cream cone!?!?!?!?
What he is saying is basically, don't change the health care system. Change the people. We have to just stop getting sick, and the whole thing will work itself out. Gee, it's pretty simple when you put it that way.
And as for all of those people who do get sick thru no fault of their own? Well, they'll just have to pay super high premiums to keep those insurance companies from suffering losses. And the rest of us will be healthier, but will still have to pay ridiculous premiums because the repubs want to make coverage mandatory.
How much did the execs at the big health insurance companies make last year?
The Republican robot said: "Those, typically, in single-payer countries like Canada and Britain involve delays in treatment, denial of care, that kind of thing."
In Canada all people are treated equally, the rich and poor have access to the same services. When it comes to treatment, the most urgent cases are treated first. I personally had brain surgery for a benign tumour in the year 2000, and never had a minute of worry about whether we could afford to pay for it. The only area where there seems to be a waiting list are 1. plastic surgery and 2. hip and knee replacements.
"Those, typically, in single-payer countries like Canada and Britain involve delays in treatment, denial of care, that kind of thing."
The same must be said for American Health Care.
I was told which medications my doctor could prescribe, not by another doctor, but by a paper pushing penny counter.
We already have delays in health care. By the time you jump thru hoops for referrals and scheduling all the prior tests, you waste months. The referral system is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard of. The system is intended to generate more money by scheduling multiple visits when one or two would do.
Not to mention how long you have to wait in waiting rooms, and pay for the privilege. Then the doctor (if you're lucky) spends a couple of minutes with you and reschedules you to come back again and again.
with the wealthy getting better treatment? I'm a poor folk myself, but I look at it this way. I drive a 14 year old GM the other guy drives a brand new ferrari. Am I entitled to a ferrari because he has one? Or he has a 10k sq.ft. mansion, am I entitled to that also? Ever hear the old saw 'you get what you pay for'?
Did ya' ever stop to think that maybe the reason those folks are multi-millionaires, is because they ripped you and other working people off?
If you look at the millionaires in congress, many got rich from inheriting fortunes that were made at taxpayers expense, or other dubious means. Not to say there are not some valid rich folk, but most people who are filthy rich did not get that way because they were nice people, or because of their ethics.
So, through your brilliant analogy, if you are one of the 95% in this country who are not rich, then you just have to die because your Great Grandpa wasn't a crook? WTF?
Oh, and one more thing, we ARE paying, through the nose in fact - for inferior services from these private insurance industry welfare queens. Another fact; we pay twice as much as other Western countries for an inferior system.
I think you need to log onto Redstate and find other philosophers more liken to your intellect.
saying that the rich should get better health care is totally not fair for those of us workers who get sick on the job.From my research I found out that working with vinyl chloride can cause brain tumours. When I was 21 I worked in a factory with melted plastics and then when I was in my forties I was diagnosed with a slow-growing brain tumour that had reached the size of a golfball. There are class action suits going on in the States about vinyl chloride, but I needed a quick fix and my brain tumour was removed without question by the Canadian health care system.
I got this from http://www.bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2009/06...
* Ron Williams - Aetna - Total Compensation: $24,300,112.
* H. Edward Hanway - CIGNA - Total Compensation: $12,236,740.
* Angela Braly - WellPoint - Total Compensation: $9,844,212.
* Dale Wolf - Coventry Health Care - Total Compensation: $9,047,469.
* Michael Neidorff - Centene - Total Compensation: $8,774,483.
* James Carlson - AMERIGROUP - Total Compensation: $5,292,546.
* Michael McCallister - Humana - Total Compensation: $4,764,309.
* Jay Gellert - Health Net - Total Compensation: $4,425,355.
* Richard Barasch - Universal American - Total Compensation: $3,503,702.
* Stephen Hemsley - UnitedHealth Group - Total Compensation: $3,241,042.
Go here for more:http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/12/Health_care_equipment_services_Rank_1.html
This McConnell dude is the most sickening and nauseating of the left over Republican right wing extremists. Creepy enough to make my skin crawl He seems to have had his skin stretched tight enough that his lips have disappeared, adding to his goulish countenance. Too bad the hicks and rednecks of Kentucky don't have enough education or intelligence to elect someone who will meet their deprived needs instead of serving the big corporations and lobbyists. Only when Washington is rid of trash like McConnell will be have any hope of bringing honesty back to our government.
If these A holes have there way nothing will change , the Repugs are unabashedly for the very wealthy investor class, Insurance , Pharmaceutical and Health care industries and Wall Street , and to hell with the majority , we the people . Greed is their only " virtue ". Sickening , but there are several Dems who are up for sale to the highest bidder too . We need to weed these self serving whores out of the Democratic party . I hope Obama fights these guys tooth and nail , if there is no public option any " reform " will be a farce and meaningless in the long run. As for health care in other countries McConnell is as usual a fountain of BS.
put some responsible progressive democrats on to debunk these lies they got as talking points from Luntz. Why does the MSM hate America?
"...a government insurance plan, in effect, that essentially crowds out of the private market all the competition..."
NOT TRUE. Public and private insurance exist side-by-side in countries with public healthcare. In fact, you can also get profit or not-for-profit private insurance here in Australia.
"Those, typically, in single-payer countries like Canada and Britain involve delays in treatment, denial of care, that kind of thing."
NOT TRUE. Under the public health system in Australia, the longest delay for ELECTIVE (i.e. NON-LIFE-THREATENING) procedures is under 30 days.
"...a national rationing board which would determine what kind of treatments would be available for American citizens... in effect putting Washington between you and your doctor..."
NOT TRUE. The government doesn't come between you and your doctor. Unlike private insurance, where you must have an insurance-company doctor to get a referral, you can go to ANY doctor. Of course, you can't get plastic surgery on the public health plan. But private insurance doesn't pay for it either.
"This is 16 percent of the economy, as we all know."
NOT TRUE. I could be wrong, but if EVERYONE has healthcare, wouldn't that be a BOOST to the healthcare industry, not a detriment? Or is he purely viewing it in terms of private insurance stocks?
"We know that, if the government gets in this business, pretty soon nobody else will be in the business."
NOT TRUE. So Fed Ex and UPS are out of business because the government offers a low-cost postal alternative? No. Wrong, wrong, wrong, Mitch.
"...we already have the best health care in the world."
Oh, Jesus...
... the neocons sure know how to walk in lockstep with the best of the ceremonial military units...
I live in London and have never had better and more timely medical treatment when I needed it.
Far better than what I have ever received in California in the 40 years I lived there.
But then the average American wouldn't know the difference anyway, only 5% of Americans have even been out of the country.
As for the US having the best health care in the world, I suppose you could say that if you ignore the 36 other countries that have better health care.
I'm also an expat and had a similar experience. No waiting, great service, heaps of choice, top doctors and state-of-the-art equipment.
Nearly 20 years in California and by the end was paying nearly $12,000 a year on a "high level" plan, for what?:
Couldn't go to the doctor or dentist of my choice.
Always aid a co-payment on visits AND for prescription drugs (if they were covered at all).
Needed a referral for a specialist, involving an additional doctor visit.
The worst red tape I've ever experienced. Had covered services and treatments DENIED because a doctor or clinic filled out the paperwork wrong. Not my fault, but my problem.
AND I'M HEALTHY!!! God forbid, I had a serious health problem. Let's put it this way, I won't be moving back without a PUBLIC STATE-RUN PLAN.
Since we know what their talking points are going to be, why isn't anyone prepared to counter them?!?! Why don't we learn the truth about what other countries are doing? They keep talking about delays in other countries, but when you talk to people from other countries, it's not true. On the other hand, when was the last time you tried to make an appt with a specialist in this country, or had to wait for God knows how long, even with an appt? The Republicans have been allowed for far too long to block Americans from getting the healthcare reform that's so desperately needed.
They get paid their big salary to push the talking points.
Corporate TV is nothing but corporate propaganda.
The polls are paid by the corporations to cheat the people they are supposed to be working for.
Under ethics rules passed in 2007, lobbyists for the first time last year had to report any payment made for an event or to a group connected to a lawmaker and other top federal officials.
USA TODAY undertook the first comprehensive analysis of the lobbying reports and found 2,759 payments, totaling $35.8 million, were made in 2008. The money went to honor 534 current and former lawmakers, almost 250 other federal officials and more than 100 groups, many of which count lawmakers among their members.
The total cost is roughly equivalent to what the U.S. government spends to operate Yellowstone National Park each year.
Most of the money — about $28 million — went to non-profit groups, some with direct ties to members of Congress. In two cases, USA TODAY found, the donations to non-profits associated with a member of Congress came in response to a personal appeal for funds from the lawmaker.
The donations cover various activities — from a golf tournament that raises money for a lawmaker's non-profit to gifts to the alma mater of a powerful House committee chairman.
"You can still have a gala or something or the other for a charity and earn some favor with members of Congress, which is what the gift ban was put in place to avoid," says Dan Danner, CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business and a veteran Washington lobbyist.
Here is a list of elected people taking payoffs to cheat the American people and the amounts of bribes being taken. This is just from health care and insurance.
It is mind boggling to think how much these people are taking from others!
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)
And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:
Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)
Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)
We need to investigate and prosecute these criminals now. Severe jail terms are in order for these criminals!
Since the buggy whip factory closed down.
the insurance companies already act as treatment rationing boards, telling doctors what is allowable and patients what treatments they can and can not have. the horror stories are out there. and waiting in line, have you ever have to wait to see if the insurance company will cover a treatment?
maybe the patients' employers see the competition, at least on the monthly fees, but
bottom line insurance users are not aware of any competition, and accept what is provided through their employer only to find out down the road that an unforeseen ailment is not covered. oops.
or that it is covered, but hey, the patient has to use the cheaper outdated prescription rather than the latest pharmaceutical discovery with greater benefits and fewer side-effects. double oops.
and the worst, you are terminal or you will have this life long condition, so why provide the coverage. argghhhh.
sure americans have the best health care in the world, but not the best health care system if no one can afford it or have access to it through the insurance carriers.
Where does McConnell get this?:
"Those, typically, in single-payer countries like Canada and Britain involve delays in treatment, denial of care, that kind of thing."
If anything the U.S. system denies far more treatments than in Canada and the U.K. Insurance companies in the guise of keeping costs low and making a profit deny services and tests all the time. Never mind cutting off people with "pre-existing conditions" or just denying people altogether. What about the uninsured? Do they not count?
When McConnell says things like that it is very simple for the host to ask him if that is really true and where is the proof? Seems like all these hosts are too scared to challenge these guys and also reflects the fact that the hosts don't really know anything about healthcare, so they do not even know what to challenge them on. If that is the case then they should have a guest on the show that does know the issues and can challenge these guys.
This is too important an issue to let these guys get away with this.
McConnell takes advantage of the ignorance, although he himself likely knows very little about healthcare issues. He only says what his paymasters tell him to say.
It is embarassing that the U.S. even has to have this debate. Every single American, whether they are Republican or Democrat, should realize the system is broken and should want to do what all other countries are doing that have far better healthcare. A purely profit driven healthcare system does not work. It costs too much for very poor care. Some form of a public/private system should not even be debatable. It would be cheaper (cost taxpayers less) and the care would eventually be better. A no brainer.
"The CEO of Safeway is a very impressive man that we’ve all heard from who’s been able to bring the health care costs of his company dramatically down by emphasizing things like obesity control, eliminating smoking, to the maximum extent possible, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, more exercise. There are a number of things that we can do to improve our health care system."
I love this line of reasoning. McConnell is an idiot and a liar? A true "Crooks and Liars". What does the things that Safeway is supposively doing have to do with the entire multi trillion dollar healthcare system? How does all that fix those not insured, the high costs of having babies, the high cost of emergency care, the high cost of cancer treatment, etc. etc. Great, preventive programs are important, but they are not the solution to fixing the broken healthcare system and the great healthcare rip-off.
Maybe in the guise of reducing healthcare costs Safeway does not hire overweight people?
It is funny that Republicans are suppose to be "libertarians". How would his tobacco buddies like it if corporations started to say they will not hire employees that smoke? Is that what Safeway does or would like to do?
I suspect Safeway has been able to dramatically reduce healthcare costs by emphasizing things like part-time employees who are not eligible for health insurance.
Still, kudos to McConnell for using Luntz Talking Point #1.
CBS needs to change the name of that show to "Lie in the Face of the Nation".
What a fucking clown, right wing tool Schieffer is.
The Sunday morning news shows are all the same. Load them up with 3 repubs to 1 dem, add a rightwing host, and voila! No accountability, no fairness, no truth. This sleight of hand is perpetuated on a daily basis by every teevee network. It's no wonder Americans are so confused and/or misinformed about healthcare.
Fair and balanced reporting? Give me a break!
Frankly, if you'll pardon the expression, it makes me sick.
I have NEVER heard of anyone being denied a procedure...other than sex change--even then it is covered in some cases. I have been in hospital here in Toronto on many occasions, and every time I marvel at the level of service and care we get. There is no medical technology that belongs to the USA alone, no procedure done there that you can't get anywhere else in the modern world, yet your system costs 3 times what anyone else pays. Just because something costs a lot of money, it doesn't make it the "best" or necessarily better than a cheaper model.
While we northerly folk aren't as lawyer-driven as you, there is no way a quality-of-life procedure would be disallowed or asses would get sued.
It's laughable how the Pol's "threaten" you could end up with Canada's health system. It's a hugely important issue, and as is usual with hugely important issues, the lies and mis-information are flying.
You'd think someone's cash cow was about to be taken away!
are worried about their cash cow being taken away. I'm sure of it. In Canada we don't do as much suing, because when an accident happens medical treatment happens no matter who is at fault. Lawyers hate that.
First the insurance co's, We can save thirty to thirty five percent by cutting the insurance co's.
The lawyers by fewer lawsuits.
But those are the two biggest.
Next in line are the senators and congress critters.
If the insurance co's are out so is the money they bribe them with.
That is the one that hurt the people the worst.
It is one of the only reasons some of these people got into government to start with.
Another fine example of what our corporate owned government criminals get away with.
These people need to be tried and spend some jail time!
Under ethics rules passed in 2007, lobbyists for the first time last year had to report any payment made for an event or to a group connected to a lawmaker and other top federal officials.
USA TODAY undertook the first comprehensive analysis of the lobbying reports and found 2,759 payments, totaling $35.8 million, were made in 2008. The money went to honor 534 current and former lawmakers, almost 250 other federal officials and more than 100 groups, many of which count lawmakers among their members.
The total cost is roughly equivalent to what the U.S. government spends to operate Yellowstone National Park each year.
Most of the money — about $28 million — went to non-profit groups, some with direct ties to members of Congress. In two cases, USA TODAY found, the donations to non-profits associated with a member of Congress came in response to a personal appeal for funds from the lawmaker.
The donations cover various activities — from a golf tournament that raises money for a lawmaker's non-profit to gifts to the alma mater of a powerful House committee chairman.
"You can still have a gala or something or the other for a charity and earn some favor with members of Congress, which is what the gift ban was put in place to avoid," says Dan Danner, CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business and a veteran Washington lobbyist.
Here is a list of elected people taking payoffs to cheat the American people and the amounts of bribes being taken. This is just from health care and insurance.
It is mind boggling to think how much these people are taking from others!
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)
And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:
Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)
Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)
We need to investigate and prosecute these criminals now. Severe jail terms are in order for these criminals!
Encouraging a workplace health program is a great way to lower overall health care costs and to improve employee health. Companies of all sizes can incorporate wellness and prevention into the workplace. Find out how at http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/issues/i...
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