:dedhorse:

You saying this healthcare plan is a dead horse? Not sure I get your point there spexster.

I will be laughing as he as his premiums double.

In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists’

Sad but true. Although thats nothing new.

I agree that the spending (upwards of $!/4 billion) has influenced the legislation...watering it down to their benefit.

They (particularly the insurance industry) are now spending $billions more on media buys with the hope of killing the bills completely...because in the end, it is not particularly favorable to their interests.

On balance, IMO, the benefits to most Americans far outweigh the marginal benefits to the affected industries.

Or we could simply go back to the status quo of the last 40+ years, with no meaningful or comrpehensive health care reform.

I'm still not sure that this is comprehensive reform. I'm not sure it really addresses the problems within the system. It definitely adds a lot more people, no doubt there. But there are still inherent systemic problems that have been around a long time.

It addresses far more than just adding people (30+ million uninsured whose health care costs impact all of us in the form of higher premiums, lost productivity, etc.).

For the first-time, it provides protections to the vast majority of those currently insured.....protections against being dropped for pre-existing conditions...protections against excessive out-of-pocket expenses so that millions wont face bankruptcy as a result of a medical emergency...protections against rating discrimination against women....protections against collusion and rate-fixing by insurance companies.....

For the record, I dont think these bills will fix every problem with the current system...particularly the long-term solvency of Medicare....but, IMO, it represents a giant leap in the right direction as opposed to just a small step..or even worse, just standing still.

There are no guarantees. yet, for all the bitching and whining from the right, I have yet to see a better solution.

The only thing we know for certain is that doing nothing and letting the current system continue to fester will not result in that system healing itself in the public interest.

Huge issue - especially for me. The changes could be potentially huge and destructive.

Giant leap - IMO thats a stretch - a Step forward, yes. It is a beginning. Standing still would be a bad thing. On that we agree.

I've not heard one either - In fact, I haven't heard ANY realistic proposal. Perhaps the agree with some of this and their only argument is funding it. I don't think so, but maybe.

In this case I agree. Conversely, GM should not get bailed out over and over. It should be broken up and sold/given/transferred/merged with companies that have success productive business models instead of keeping that decaying carcass on life support.

2X0=0. Bwahahahahahahahahaha! It is to laugh.

This bill does very little to fix the problems in our system. The insurance industry will take some hits but in exchange for a huge increase in income provided by the taxpayers. In the end it will cost every single working person who has a job and pays for their insurance a significant increase in costs. Preimums are not controlled and deductables are not controlled. Very few costs are controlled. Costs will be shifted to the taxpayer and taxpaying public.

In the end an estimated 25 million people will still be without healthcare according to the CBO. That is not fixing the problem. It is a half ass solution and they are missing a chance to fix the problems. Just like the economy the Congress is throwing money at the problem and getting everyone to believe they are fixing it when in fact this is just a few bandaids.

The current bill in front of the Senate was crafted not by Baucus but by his senior aid Liz Fowler who also directs the Finance Committee's health-care staff. She worked for his staff from 2001 - 2005 and then left to work for WellPoint one of the nations largest health insurance corps. The list of Demoncrats is long and large when you look at who is paying back their big supporters and lobbying for support of special interests.

Glad that the ones voting on this don't have to use it?

Now stop that. :)

Ha.

Lieberman Rules Out Voting for Health Bill

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/he.../14health.html