President Obama's Health Care Logo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – August is do-or-die month for both President Barack Obama and his hopes of overhauling U.S. healthcare, and the battle will be fought not in Washington, but across the country.
With lawmakers gone from Washington for a month and much of the reform plan still to be written when they return, the rancorous battle spreads to lawmakers’ town meetings, television and radio, and grass-roots campaigns.
Obama’s own tactics have contributed to the free-flowing — and expensive — exchange of ideas.
Although he has set an overall goal of expanding insurance coverage to the nearly 46 million uninsured and vowed to hold down skyrocketing medical costs, he has left the details to lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.
Democrats will make their case to the public with stories of patients bankrupted by costs that insurers would not cover, hundreds lining up for charity, and people in need forced to delay life-saving treatments.
Republicans and others will try to stop Obama from achieving his No. 1 domestic goal with a counter-argument: Why should Americans think that any plan conceived in Washington will in any way improve the medical attention they get now?
Outspoken in their support of free enterprise, Republicans accuse the Democrats of trying to “socialize” medicine — anathema to the many Americans who oppose government intervention in their lives.
Obama vowed on Wednesday to get a reform bill through Congress this year even without Republicans on board.
FEVER PITCH
The debate will likely reach a fever pitch, with millions of dollars being spent by political parties as well as the drug, medical and insurance industries. E-mails and the Internet will take the drive nationwide.
Seeking to influence the landmark debate, healthcare companies have become the biggest-spending lobbying force in Washington, with nearly $1 million spent a day.
Democrats in turn are targeting insurance companies.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi branded them “villains” for blocking a public insurance option. Obama assailed a system he said worked for insurance companies, not their customers.
Angered by what she called the “demonizing of health insurers,” Karen Ignagni of the trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans, said that while open to the insurance market reforms envisioned by Congress, the group opposed a government-run insurance system that might send their industry into a “death spiral.”
“August will be the month when the country decides whether it supports reform and what shape it should take,” Ignagni said.
Most Americans receive health insurance that is at least partially paid for by their employers, and a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll in early August confirmed what AHIP has been saying — most Americans are satisfied.
The conservative National Center for Policy Analysis, engaged in what its president John Goodman calls “trench warfare,” has garnered a million signatures for a petition to stop what it fears is nationalization of healthcare.
NCPA supports individually owned health insurance. Public opinion “is tending our way,” Goodman said.
Other opinion polls bolster the case of the other side.
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday showed that while a majority of voters disapproved of Obama’s handling of healthcare, and did not want it to add to the federal deficit, some 62 percent still supported a key element in the House of Representatives’ version — a government health insurance option to compete with private insurers.
A video of boos directed at Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius and Democratic Senator Arlen Specter on Sunday in Philadelphia scored over 500,000 hits on YouTube.
Crowds chanting “Just say no,” shouted down Democratic Representative Lloyd Doggett’s attempt to hold a healthcare meeting in Austin, Texas, over the weekend.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the disruptive groups “manufactured anger.”
“I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the AstroTurf nature of so-called grass-roots lobbying,” he said, referring to a brand of artificial turf.
The White House and the Democratic National Committee are responding with equal vehemence, unveiling a YouTube ad that links those same protest videos to “desperate Republicans and their well-funded allies organizing angry mobs.”
It’s funny we hear Republicans say that they do not want “faceless bureaucrats” making medical decisions but they have no problem with “private sector” “faceless bureaucrats” daily declining medical coverage and financially ruining good hard working people. And who says that the “private sector” is always right, do we forget failures like Long-Term Capital, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Enron, Tyco, AIG and Lehman Brothers. Of course the federal government will destroy heathcare by getting involved, Oh but wait our military men and women and the Senate and Congress get the best heathcare in the world, and oh, that’s right, its run by our federal government. I can understand why some may think that the federal government will fail, if you look at the past eight years as a current history, with failures like the financial meltdown, Katrina, and the Walter Reed Scandal but the facts is they can and if we support them they will succeed.
all of them are a bunch of liars.gops and dem
This is outrageous and reminds me of something you would see in Nazi Germany or Cold War era Russia. Sheer Communism or socialism at work here. Against big companies, against capitalism.. the utter foundations of this nation.. Wake up people.. We need our Country back.!!!
We do not need the government more involved in healthcare.
We do not want the government more involved in healthcare.
If you can afford a car payment you can afford insurance if you want it.
There is no reason I should buy your insurance
Paul, you really think this is a good idea? I think I can make my own decisions better than the government can make them for me. I prefer to have a choice of what plan I want, rather than be forced in to one — I’ll choose no to ‘phone care’. I really don’t want the government to have access to my finances. My favorite is free medical for all the ‘illegal immigrants’ who pay NO taxes in to the system. They are the ones who will really win. We pay, so they can get free medical. I think this bill is ridiculous.
Pg 22 of the Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!
Pg 30 Sec 123 of bill – THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you receive.
Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill – YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED.
Pg 42 of HC Bill – The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your Health care Benefits for you. You have no choice in the decision.
PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill – Healthcare will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise.
Pg 58 – Govt will have real-time access to individual finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued.
Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Govt will have direct access to your bank accounts for direct funds transfers.
PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community orgs (ACORN).
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Govt is creating a Healthcare Exchange to bring private healthcare plans under Govt control.
PG 84 Sec 203 HC bill – Govt mandates ALL benefit packages for private Healthcare plans in the Exchange
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill – Specifics for Benefit Levels of Plans = The Government rations Healthcare based on cost benefits to government.
PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill – Govt mandates linguistic appropriation services or translation services for illegal aliens.
Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Govt will use groups like ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt Healthcare plan
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill – Specifics of Benefit Levels for Plans. #AARP members – your Health care WILL be rationed.
-PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill – Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid.
pg 124 lines 24-25 No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No “judicial review” allowed against Govt monopoly
pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill – Doctors/ AMA – The Govt will dictate what wage you are allowed to make. (Wage limits).
Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employers MUST enroll their employees into the public option plan. THEY HAVE NO CHOICE, and neither do the employees.
Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay premiums for every employee, part time employees AND their families as well.
Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Employer with a payroll of $400,000 will have an 8% tax levied on all payroll.
pg 150 Lines 9-13 Employers with payroll between $251,000 & 400,000 who does not provide in full, the public option, will have a 6% tax on all payroll levied.
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable HC coverage according to Govt mandate, will be taxed at 2.5% of their income for healthcare. So, you will have government healthcare coverage, or you will be punished.
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay)
Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of HC Administration (GOVT) will have total and complete access to ALL your personal financial, bank and investment information.
PG 203 Line 14-15 HC – “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that.
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Govt will reduce physician services for Medicaid, Seniors, low income, and poor.
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill – Wages for all doctors will be made the same. Specialists like Brain Surgeons will make the same money a General Practitioner makes.
PG 253 Line 10-18 Govt sets value of Doctor’s time. Govt. decides value of humans.
PG 265 Sec 1131Govt mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries.
PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Govt regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs
PG 272 SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS – Cancer patients – welcome to rationing!
Page 280 Sec 1151 The Govt will penalize hospitals for what Govt deems preventable re-admissions.
Pg 298 Lines 9-11 Doctors that treat a patient during initial admission will be penalized.
Pg 317 L 13-20 PROHIBITION on ownership/investment.. Government dictates what Doctors can make and how much they can own.
Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Govt mandates hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input and approval is required. Can you say ACORN?!!
Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 – Govt mandates establishment of outcome based measures. Rationing
Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Govt has authority to disqualify Medicare Advance Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into the Govt plan.
Pg 354 Sec 1177 – Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs persons for care. Can euthanasia be far behind for “undesirables”?
Pg 379 Sec 1191 Govt creates more bureaucracy – Telehealth Advisory Committee. Can you say HC by phone?
PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consultation. Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide.
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, and assume power of attorney of all enrollees. Mandatory!
PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Govt provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death decisions to end your life.
PG 427 Lines 15-24 Govt mandates program to mandatory end of life programs. The Govt will mandate how your life ends.
Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An “advance care planning consultant” will be used frequently as a patient’s health deteriorates
PG 429 Lines 10-12 “advance care consultation” may include an ORDER to initiate end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOV to terminate a life.
Pg 429 Lines 13-25 – The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.
PG 430 Lines 11-15 The Govt will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life
Pg 469 – Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit orgs. Hello, ACORN Medical Services here!!?
Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment to a community-based org. Like ACORN?
PG 489 Sec 1308 The Govt will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means government will now be involved in marriage and family decisions.
Pg 494-498 Govt will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services.
Here’s the full Health Care bill that sits in the House.
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com…acre-bill.html
Great info dude!!