Posted on 11/17/2010 10:03:16 AM PST by Starman417
Obamacare has claimed another victim. Met Life has announced that it will no longer write long term care policies.
No one was more vocifierous in their demand for health care reform than the largest unions in this country. To wit:
SEIU
Now is the time for healthcare reform, and SEIU members from 1199NW are helping to lead the way. Delegations of community leaders from over 40 states are being flown into Washington for in order to meet with key Members of Congress, and four SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members will be among them.RNs Linda Arkava and Tara Lerew, CNA Maikele Mengesha and medical unit secretary Levorn Glover will be on Capitol Hill tomorrow as part of HCAN's large-scale rally and lobby day for quality, affordable health care. Watch the video to find out about why they're traveling from Washington state to DC to lobby for reform.
“It’s really important for us to not miss this opportunity for passing health care, but it does need to be something that covers people and that can be built upon,” said Burger. “And so I just want to make sure it’s not done in any kind of way that is limiting and that doesn’t deal with the crisis once and for all. We can build upon it and expand it.”
Education is a fundamental human right. So is universal health care. There is no moral justification in denying it to anyone, especially in the most prosperous nation on earth.That is why we support President Obama’s quest for real health care reform now.
Our current system is failing. Costs are spiraling. Large sections of the population have limited or no access to preventive, health-sustaining or life-saving care. The quality of care, though at its best unsurpassed in the world, is neither consistent nor keeping pace.
We lag behind 36 other nations, including Morocco, Cyprus and Colombia, according to the World Health Organization. And yet our costs per person are more than double the top-ranked countries.
Why?
Special interests, such as pharmaceutical corporations and insurance carriers, are luxuriating in astronomical profits literally at the expense of human lives.
There is nothing inherently wrong with corporations making profits. But it must be in proportion, responsible and not the sole goal of their existence.
We're at a critical moment. SEIU members have fought for nearly a decade on health care.Now, some in Congress want to turn us back. They want to pass a scaled-back version of the health reform bill, and as one blogger put it, "hack it to pieces."
A comprehensive bill is the only way to fix the health care system - from expanding Medicare benefits and lowering health care costs, to improving rural care and home care services. Scaling back health reform will not help real working families.
In what seems intended as a shot across the bow of House Dems wavering on health reform, top officials with the labor powerhouse SEIU have bluntly told a Democratic member that they will pull their support for him — and will likely field a challenger against him — if he votes No on the Senate bill.
[snip]
Obamacare already provided numerous favors for unions.
The closed-door negotiations over the health care bill have made this clear. Unions strongly objected to the excise tax on “Cadillac” health plans. By some estimates the tax would hit one in four union members. Union lobbyists pressured the White House to drop that tax. After a high-profile meeting between Obama and union lobbyists on Monday, the unions apparently have gotten what they asked for: the excise tax will not apply to collectively bargained health plans. The tax that unions found so onerous will now apply to everyone but them.What a deal. Unions want the health care spending, but they do not want to pay for it. Obama gave them just that. It also makes for a great recruiting pitch: join a union, get a tax cut.
You'd think that that was enough.
And you'd be wrong.
At least 111 companies have been granted waivers from Obamacare. From 1 to 351,000 employees, ranging from the United Federation of Teachers to Captain Elliott's Party Boats.
The mass granting of waivers is concrete proof that Obamacare is already a failure and must be repealed. These exemptions violate one of Barack Obama's core principles (I know he has none. Play along with me):
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
We ALL need a waiver from ObamaCare, not just crooked government Teachers Unions.
“The mass granting of waivers is concrete proof that Obamacare is already a failure and must be repealed. These exemptions violate one of Barack Obama’s core principles (I know he has none. Play along with me)”
LOL. 100% true on many levels.
If Obamacare is repealed, Obama is going to go beserk. Should be something to see. Hope it is televised.
No need to repeal ... Congress should grant everyone in America a waiver ... Done.
Agreed, best idea I’ve heard - grant everyone a way to waiver and its done.
When full repeal gets blocked in the Senate, Republicans should go after low hanging fruit like this forcing democrats to vote to protect it.
If Republicans try to remove the tax for everyone-else the MSM and dems will demand they balance it with unpopular spending cuts (which they will attack) over deficits. But what if they forced votes on removing the union exemption first to soften the target before going in for the kill?
OK, I know, thinking strategic winning again, slap, slap.
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