McConnell’s Five Questions for Obama on Health Care

Hedging His Pledges [Tevi Troy]

Candidate Obama promised that people would not have to change their current health care, that he was opposed to an individual mandate for health insurance, and that he was opposed to capping the deductibility of gold-plated health plans. As Jim Capretta showed in the Corner yesterday, the president has changed the first pledge to promising that government won't force you to change plans, which conveniently misses the point that government actions might incentivize companies to withdraw coverage. Now, ABC reports that the president has changed his mind on an individual mandate, or "forc[ing] every American to buy health care," as he once put it. On this one, the president says his thinking on mandates has "evolved." I think it is also likely that he will have a change of heart on capping the deductibility, although he had mercilessly ripped John McCain during the campaign for advocating the taxation of benefits. Presidents have to make tough decisions all the time, and frequently ones that contradict campaign pledges. But serial changes on a signature issue like health care will make it increasingly difficult to build confidence in a major health-reform overhaul. I also wonder if he will get asked about these changes of heart on the ABC health-care town hall tonight. Forgive my skepticism, but somehow I doubt it.

— Tevi Troy, deputy secretary of health and human services from 2007 to 2009, is a visiting senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Hey McConnell, 2/3's of the citizenry favor Universal Healthcare. Why not attempt to offer some positive input? Or is this a round-about way of saying, "do it my way, or don't do it at all!"

McConnell gets it. We're giving our country away.

Government auto, government banks, government media, (ha, oh ABC, joke joke joke) and soon government health care (?)

Damn right I don't favor ObamaCare. I'll never understand the economics of spending money we DON'T HAVE.

Wake up, America.

The 2/3's of citizens that favor Universal Healthcare must not understand that the POTUS is pushing for socialized healthcare. The "government option" will soon become the only option by being so cheap (i.e. subsidized) and driving out all competitors. I'm sorry, I don't want my government telling me what medical services I can or can't receive. At least if it's my insurance company telling me they don't cover a certain procedure, I can go find another insurance company. Will I have to wait up to 4 years to vote for an entirely new group of representatives?

Margaret Schmidt|Jun 24, 2009 1:41:01 PM

You said; ... "I'll never understand the economics of spending money we DON'T HAVE." ... "Wake up, America."
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You're an Awfully Slow Learner. After all, you had 8-long-debit-spending-years, two (2) unaccounted for (off-budget) wars and an a "High Dollar Limit" Asian Credit Card..... and still you didn't understand???

So now that Your Party go thrown-out on their ear, you decide to speak up. "Take a break!" The new administration is making an effort to get things done, "out in the open" (I realize that's innovative, by comparison, to the last 8-years.) They are a smart group and we should be pleased their performance thus far, seems honorable. You may not agree with their priorities or their policies, but their efforts will be directed towards that which in 'their opinion' is in the best interest of America. I trust that!

The simple fact that we let the profit motive determine who we treat & who we don't treat is one of the great hypocrisies of our country. With so many people in the country claiming to be religious (mainly Christians) - why do we let so many people suffer? Either their health suffers or the become slaves to pay off exorbitant health bills or the simply go broke - who profits from this? Do we all profit as a society to see so many uninsured people?

Here's the great lie - it's not always been this way in this country. Health care was not always a "for profit" business. We've been misled and now we have political leaders and pundits alike caught up in the minutiae of misdirection.

Helping the poor & the sick is what decent, humane & ethical societies do. Do you think those "savage" Indians who were pushed off their lands let any of the members of the tribe suffer needlessly because they could pay for treatment?

Let's look in the mirror, put down our weapons of imperial empire and build a caring, decent society that places equal value on each and every person in the country.

It's just that simple. To continue to fall in line with the faulty binary logic of us-against-them, GOP-vs-Democrats is to once again be deceived that people are profiting off of human misery.

Let's stand up for each other, with love and compassion as our main priorities not money & shareholders' profits.

- Kevin Dale Ringgenberg
Denver, Colorado

Did you really just ask this?

"Do you think those "savage" Indians who were pushed off their lands let any of the members of the tribe suffer needlessly because they could pay for treatment?"

Native American Indians charging their own people for medical care? LOL....really, did you really say this?

WOW......history dear, go read your history. The Indians worked as a team and took care of each other. They did not STEAL from some to give to others and some did not sit on their butts expecting it at the expense of those who got off their butts and worked for it!