What's the Rush? Asks Moderate GOPer Snowe

There is no sane logical reason to rush something this big, this important, that represents 17% of our economy. This needs to be done correctly from the start.
A mistake could be devasting to the economy or could cost lives. It's impact needs to be completely understood before enacting such a massive overhaul.
The more they try to rush and push it through, I have to ask why? Why the pressure to move fast? If it's a good solid plan what's the harm in due dilligence? None. So why the rush??? Let's get it right.

"The unfairness to Ricci and others was that they were told if they scored high on the test, they would be promoted."

After Ricci sued because he said he didn't get a job because of his dyslexia his current lawsuit just smells.

Of course he's a hero to the right wing who care more about the myth of the man than the truth much like welfare collecting, tax avoiding Sam the Plumber's helper.

"Also, why do illegal aliens get to participate in Soc Sec?"

Right wing lies live 9ong after they are debunked.

Is that because right wingers are gullible?

"Republicans are tagging Democratic opponents across the country for wanting to "give Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants." But nobody's proposing paying benefits to illegals, not until and unless they become US citizens or are granted legal status."

"Without that profit motive in the health care industry, where do you think the many medical breakthroughs and medications are going to come from"

How are insurance companies part of medical breakthroughs and medications?

Do they conduct research and development or do pharmaceutical companies and medical research companies do that?

All the right wing has are fear and lies.

I think Senator Snowe is right on the mark. Making sure you do it right the first time is the most effective way to reform anything this large and complex. It may take 6 months to come up with a plan that the American people (yes, WE elect our representatives) approve of. We don't need any further 'shotgun wedding' legislation.

Come one people... There are moments in life when it becomes more important to do the right thing rather than just always making a profit...
And,,,There is nothing wrong with making a profit if it is done responsibly and in good conscious...
But, you know what we all get exactly what we deserve, whatever goes around, sooner or later comes around... and we all end up pay in one way or another...

Without health care reform... we will all still end up paying... more

Posted by: theafalcon200 | Jul 16, 2009 12:50:34 PM
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Without that profit motive in the health care industry, where do you think the many medical breakthroughs and medications are going to come from? They come from us right now, not Europe, etc. Kill the incentive to do the research and further innovation dies with it. No and/or fewer profits also equals fewer doctors, nurses, etc. Sure, my mom likes helping people, but she's a nurse more than anything because it affords her a decent living, and she was able to help provide for us. Otherwise, I doubt she would have put in the hard time it took to do what she does. Same for doctors, but even more so. Profit drives innovation .... perhaps that's why we have so much innovation here (and when it comes from elsewhere, it's from place w/ Western, profit-driven ideals!). Kill profits, you may as well kill our society.

I cannot believe that people talk about current insurance coverage denying a treatment or service, and you really, really think that a government health plan would never, ever deny treatment or service. That's just thick. You base this on what? Words of a politician? You deserve what you get.
Oh, and WITH health care reform, WE still end up paying...more. Money, freedom, choice. Guess the getting is worth the giving up for you.

Not for me. What's making ME "sick" is being dragged along in your wonderfully constructed delusion. I'll be fined, taxed, punished and pressured to obey (this isn't a choice that's being offered, but perhaps you missed that in all your drooling and hand-rubbing), just so you can get your little delusions shattered in the end.

The insurance lobbyists who pay the Republicans and many Democrats are only worried about their billions in profits. They could care less about health care for the more than 45,000,000 Americans who have none. What a disgrace in the wealthiest country in the world. It's about corporate greed, and Senator Snowe should admit it.

Posted by: Luke23

The insurance companies are the ones who will benefit from this! Not the people, not the doctors - the insurance companies. This law mandates that people buy insurance - if this law passes, you will pay a fine for not buying health insurance. Tell me, who benefits most from a bill mandating that you buy a product -- the people who sell that product!!

'watch', you don't know me...

I am all for equality, and live by Martin Luther King's creed-not to judge by the color of one's skin, but by the content of their character'.

I only wish Judge Soto agreed.

The fact is every other first world nation spends an average of half as much per person for health care. Documented fact.
===============================
China - 1.33 Billion
India - 1.17 Billion
United States - 307 Million
Indonesia - 231 Million
Brazil - 192 million
Pakistan - 167 Million
Bangledesh - 162 Million
Nigeria - 155 Million
Russia - 142 Million
Japan - 128 Million
Mexico - 108 Million
Philippines - 92 Million
Veitnam - 88 Million
Germany - 82 million
Ethopia - 79 Million
Egypt - 77 Million
Turkey - 72 Million
Iran - 70 Million
Dem Rep. of Congo - 66 Million
France - 65 Million
Thailand - 63 Million
United kingdom - 61 million
Italy - 60 Million
Burma - 50 Million
South Africa - 49 million

There are the top 25 countries by population....So jhw...out of the 25...who has successfully put together the mythical universal healthcare plan?

jhw,

Exactly when & how then will you be able to actually purchase this plan?

How will you KNOW what your coverages are?

"There is no possible way the entire system's administration down to the cost of wart removal can be defined by
Congress. And clearly you haven't used insurance much or had any loved on who has if you think such a comprehensive 'card' exists for any insurance coverage."

(By the way, even though that is not the "card" I was talking about, Every insurance plan DOES actually have that. Try looking at how your treatments are coded and then compare that code to the detailed billing statement. You will see the cost that was billed along with what yuor insurance paid. For most of these things its usually 100%, but not always!- Guess what son, someone is going to have to create that for whatever govt plan comes out of this thing!)

jhw - as usual, now that your arguements are used up and its time for the rubber to hit the road, you resort to this. I have stated here before of having one of my kids into the ER for ankle injury last month. We have had our fair share of athletic injuries and other broken bones, etc.

So, No problem - take your shots.

I am not talking about a card with every possible illness and YOU KNOW IT!

I am talking about the summary card that ACTUALLY does come with your package when you sign up for a plan.

It goes over things like office visits, hospitals stays (ie, private/semi-private rooms) Xray coverage, etc.

Anyone who has ever actualyl purchased insurance knows exactly what I am talking about! Or did you just check a box and not even care what you were getting? Every single offering I have seen has had 2 or more levels of coverage plans. Obviously the higher the premium, the better the coverage (i.e. a lower co-pay, or lower decuctibles...etc)

They ALL tell you what your premium payments are, what your co-pays are, what deductibles you have, and any possible maximum payouts! If you have not seen this "card", you either have never bought insurance, you were too foolish to look through the information!

You can call it "petulant " all you want. The FACT is until we have those details, the is no healthcare plan.

Until the day I can make those comparisons, I can't even buy the "gov't plan". All that exisits is an outline that can go in a thousand different directions in its implementation.

If that is what gets passed in August, then WHO do you want to be in charge of taking the outline and making the REAL plan?

Why the rush? Because I am sick, as are millions of others who have no access to the health care we really need. That's why the rush! Oh and please don't send me to the ER for that "free" care. I've got a box full of bills for that -- right next to the box full of insurance company premium bills and denials or reductions of coverage.

"Do you followers of BO even read what this health care fiasco means... In the end, the middle class will be carrying the load."

As opposed to now, when they get the most expensive healthcare in the world by about a factor of two for... free? Who is paying now?

Congress has had YEARS to come up with health reform. They went through all this rigamarole during the Clinton administration. If not now, WHEN??!!Certain people DON'T WANT things to get better, they WANT the President to fail, because THEIR party is out of power - just pure selfishness - putting party over country and their fellow citizens, trying to FRIGHTEN the American people into voting for THEM by using that mean ole scary S word. WEll, you're not scaring ME. When you guys were in power you didn't do SQUAT for the American people, you just helped your rich friends get richer, and put us in the mess we're in now. Too bad we can't get back the BILLIONS spent on treaure and lives in Iraq so Bush Jr. could feel like a big man. No, I don't see ANY reason at ALL why we should believe YOU.

"And, do you think the city would have scrapped the results if the majority of the high scorers were 'minorities'?"

We know EXACTLY what would have happened....NOTHING.

Hi Watching,

Did you miss the fact that there were 17 firefighters including two Hispanics involved? It is a usual Democrat tactic to find one minor issues and make it seem like some major flaw.

since u brought up minor issues. She ruled on over 3,000 cases and they (the disadvantaged threatened senators)spent 75% of their time on one case.
And she was on a panel of 3 judges (2 white & 1 republican) which upheld a ruling of a majority of 21 judges. supreme ruling was 5-4. A minor majority loss does not make her a racist.

It's good to see you guys come out and fight so hard for equality.

Thank you for speaking out on this one Olympia. The bill as presented will make insurance companies richer and more powerful then they already are -- it will not improve health care!

Insurance companies are the problem with health care in this country - they are not the solution.

They achieve equivalent levels of health (part of being a first world country really). You have never offered why the US government is so uniquely incompetent and corrupt that it cannot offer an option as effectively as France, or Belgium, or even Canada
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Then let's see them offer that.
I don't think the US government is so incompetent it can't offer such an option. They aren't doing it, though.
And they certainly aren't detailing how they will get to the lower cost portion of the program.

Toby:"Stupid. Health insurance is not health care. No one is turned away from an ER! We are simply talking about how to pay for it. THAT should be very, very carefully looked at and studied before making any lasting decisions."

Speaking of stupid, why haven't you bothered to look at all the very, very careful studies done on ER use over the last decade? The ones (among many) that are feeding directly into the last four or five months of work by Congress?

Mike_C:" I dont care how long it has been on the docket, the only thing that is matters is that coverages Vs Premiums cost card I have told you about several times."

Setting an impossibly high bar is just another petulant way of saying no. There is no possible way the entire system's administration down to the cost of wart removal can be defined by
Congress. And clearly you haven't used insurance much or had any loved on who has if you think such a comprehensive 'card' exists for any insurance coverage.

The fact is every other first world nation spends an average of half as much per person for health care. Documented fact.

They achieve equivalent levels of health (part of being a first world country really). You have never offered why the US government is so uniquely incompetent and corrupt that it cannot offer an option as effectively as France, or Belgium, or even Canada. Rather you insist that they offer a fully completed, operating company before even being voted on (the data you demand is the final, completed, continuously maintained product of an operating insurance company - the only other thing they do is billing).

Do you followers of BO even read what this health care fiasco means. The rich will not be paying for everything. Even now, they will have their accountants working on the loopholes. Then, the taxes will be leveled on citizens making under $250K a year. In the end, the middle class will be carrying the load. And, like a previous poster said 'unions are not required to pay.' Sure there needs to be a plan so that working, legal, non insured citizens can get help. But, not these thrown together plans and how to pay for them.

Also, why do illegal aliens get to participate in Soc Sec?