Health-care bill needs major improvement to be worth passing

Washington Post ^ | Thursday, December 17, 2009 | Howard Dean

[Panzerlied]

If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform. Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health-care dollars caring for people. Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage. The current Senate bill accomplishes none of these.

[Panzerlied]

Another, "YEEEEEEAHHHHH!" moment from Howie.

[cubreporter]

ole howie now offering up “pay back.” Too bad Lieberman didn’t do the same.

[swain_forkbeard]

“...major improvement...”

No mandate for individual purchase. No mandated coverages. No coverage for illegal residents. No federal price controls. No guranteed issue.

Yes to tort reform. Yes to allowing insurance policies to be sold across state lines. Yes to HSA. Yes to equalizing tax treatment for employer sponsored and privately purchased insurance.

That would be an improvement.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

The Marxists must have smoke coming from their ears.

It has got to hurt when your Marxist MSM and your Marxist political leader are telling you that all of this healthcare stuff is all for naught.

Obama has to be saying to himself: “How could I have been so stupid to listen to Rahm?”

[hennie pennie]

Howard Dean in the Washington Post

[BlueYonder]

Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care...

Howard, since there is more than one private insurer, how can this be called a monopoly? Please explain - or, better yet - just go away.

[blackdog]

I wonder what would happen if we took all the monies spent on healthcare now, divided doctors and hospitals up by zipcodes, and covered each resident within that geographic area with healthcare? Kill the insurance compny aspect. After all, almost all employers have become self funded to an insurance company who merely administrates the plan for a fee. It's the employer who makes up the rules of coverage while hiding behind the insurance company. If you got rid of all the administrative people who administer private, public, and quasi-public plans and spent the overheads on medical care instead, I'd think the outcome would be better than what we have now.

Any fool who sees the percentage of GDP we spend on healthcare and doesn't understand that certain gatekeepers are grifting at least half the money has to be blind, dumb, and stupid.

I know my comment is simplistic and will be getting flamed, but why not discuss the 800 pound gorilla in the middle of the room. Somebody is skimming a whole lotta the money from this system now. Get gubmint involved more and it's gonna get a whole lot worse.

My idea is more like regional medical co-ops which government has no involvment.

[Piranha]

Lieberman sunk the bill (if it is sunk) by insisting on no public option and no expanded medicare. The Obama faction grasped that straw and it pulled them right into the morass, while Lieberman stood smiling in the distance.

[huckfillary]

Speaking of Rahm, I always thought the biggest mistake (among hundreds) that Obama made was tapping him to be COS. He’s a Clintonite and he’s still working for them, rather well I might add. It was like putting a fox in the henhouse.

[GailA]

Hey Howie baby how about doing something about the $60 BILLION in Medicare waste and fraud for a start?

[cubreporter]

So there was more to the story than met the eye???? I sure hope that is true.