Who Opposes the Public Health Care Option and Why DEMS MUST Pass It

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

WHO WHAT AND WHYs OF THE HEALTH CARE WARS

Why is Obama handling the health care fight this way?

OBAMA NEEDS US TO FIGHT FOR THE PUBLIC OPTION SO THAT IT IS THE PEOPLE'S PLAN.
Remember Obama fights his battles differently from most politicians. He seems to take forever to react, but he does this on purpose, he always has a plan. Obama is a counterpuncher. Remember during the primary he seemed to go to the extreme in holding back before fighting back? Watching Obama at work is very suspenseful. His strategy worked against one of the toughest opponents possible. But does Obama have a glass jaw? I don't think so.

Who are the opponents to a public option/national health care?

1. Insurance Companies. I put this number one because they can manipulate the others. The Ins cos are spending a fortune on ads, astroturf groups, and lobbyists. See Seven CEO's total compensation of more than $100 million and also Six Lobbyists Per Lawmaker Work to Shape Health-Care Overhaul

2. The media. There are strong corporate ties between media and insurance cos. See The corporate ties between insurers and media companies

3. The GOP. The GOP will DIE ON THE VINE if a Democratic Majority provides 40 MILLION registered votes with public health care.

4. Mis-informed or uninformed people. See False Euthanasia Claims The claim that the House health care bill pushes suicide is nonsense. and AARP Losing Tens Of Thousands(60,000) Of Members Over Support For Health Care Overhaul

5. Full blown racists See An additional major reason to oppose government takeover of health care: race There are people who violently oppose Obama or any Democratic President and especially a black president. See Packing Guns At Obama's Events: Rachel Maddow & Frmr SS Special Agent Joseph Petro

WHY do they oppose the public option?

Why does GOP Party oppose public health care?
Because they cannot allow the Democratic Party to pass legislation that would greatly improve the lives of millions and millions of voters.

Why does the MEDIA go along with the GOP?
It is in the media's financial interest to oppose public health care plan.

Why do the racists oppose it?
Because the health care plan is seen as a black president's plan.
These people fear and loath having a black man as the most powerful person in the world.
It shatters their image of superiority and they can't stand that.

WE CAN WIN!

WE HAVE FIGHTERS AND PITBULLS IN CONGRESS.
This is a long war, with many battles, and we won't get health care easily. See Weiner: No public option could cost as many as 100 House votes

Sadly more people will have to lose the health care before they realize that our health care system is a Ponzi Scheme. And it will happen. More and more people become underinsured. This is the age of $10,000 deductibles - thats not health care! Thats a lottery ticket. More people have "pre-existing" conditions, more accidentally miss the fine print, and more and more are losing their jobs and everything. Perhaps only when at least 50% of our country is desperate and suffering great losses will we be able to make the major changes needed to provide health care and additionally develope a more competitive economy. More people have to suffer before we destroy this con game set up by Insurance companies, congress and media.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. World Health Organization opposes it?

[DebbieCDC]

2. That was my first thought too -- the World Health Org?

[Mojorabbit]

7. Same here nt

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[newfie11]

9. Just what do you do as a health care worker?

If you think a CT cost $500.00 I can tell you are not working in radiology! I think you are naive if you think people can pay off thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am talking about what can be left AFTER insurance has paid their paltry part.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. I see that you died a sudden death, something you ate? Maybe a cement pizza?

[unpossibles]

3. it's not as bleak as it could be

http://pollingreport.com/health.htm

Interesting polling: in the NBC poll, notice how a slim majority disapproves of Obama's health care plan, yet a larger majority says that major or complete overhaul is needed (39%, 21% respectively compared to minor or no changes), and when the plan currently on the table is actually described without all of the hype and fear mongering, a majority supports the plan, 53% to 43%.

So are people opposing the actual plan, or what they think is the plan? Sadly, it's the latter.

Also, going along with what I see as the disinformation campaign, I notice that while most are unchanged by the townhall outbursts, slightly more people (19% v. 16%) have lessened support for Obama based solely on the townhallls! In other words, almost 20% of those polled were convinced this is a bad plan based on what they are hearing at the townhall disruptions: unrealistic fear of socialism, lies about death panels, delusional comparisons to Nazis, falsehoods about the plan helping illegal immigrants, higher taxes, etc.

Again, it appears that what people are opposing is not even the real plan, and a rather sad percentage of people are getting their information from unreliable sources. A lot of those polled actually think that the plan:

"Will give health insurance coverage to illegal immigrants" - 55%
"Will lead to a government takeover of the health care system" - 54%
"Will use taxpayer dollars to pay for women to have abortions" - 50%
"Will allow the government to make decisions about when to stop providing medical care to the elderly" - 45%

None of those things are even remotely true, yet almost half of respondents think they are true about the plan.

Now scroll down to FOX's version of the polls, which shows quite a jump from all of the others. Ok, enough comedy.

Anyway, I notice that within almost all of these polls, when you get down to the actual details of the bill, and more importantly to allowing people to choose a public option, a majority of people still seem to support a public option even when the same poll shows that a majority of people disagree with Obama's handling of the situation, and even when they are satisfied with their own insurance. A majority of people still want change, and a large majority still support the idea of a government health plan which competes alongside private insurance.

Anyway, I just found these polls to be interesting, and seeing the details says a lot more than a blanket statement of who approves/disapproves, especially when some of those who disapprove apparently seem to do so because not enough is being done for public health care, and a majority feel major changes are necessary and need to be done now.

We need to be a bit wary when polls say "53% disapprove of the health care reform" because (a) that may not even be accurate as these polls are all over the place (b) within that 53% (or whatever) there are some who think it is TOO much of a change and some who think it does not do ENOUGH. The people still seem to largely want and accept a public option if not actual socialized health care, despite what the media (and their industry sponsors) want you to think.

[LiberalFighter]

4. There are two other groups that oppose it.

Doctors that have stakes in medical facilities providing services to doctors. Such as laboratories.

For Profit and so called Non Profit hospitals especially those that impose liens on the property of patients before they even go in for surgery.

[Historic NY]

5. MAX does...because he is in bed with the industry.

http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2009/06/22/the-max-baucus-health-care-lobbyist-complex/

<snip>
Lobbying disclosure filings for the first quarter of 2009 reveal that five of Baucus’ former staffers currently work for a total of twenty-seven different organizations that are either in the health care or insurance sector or have a noted interest in the outcome. The organizations represented include some of the top lobbying organizations in the health sector: Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Researchers of America (PhRMA), America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Amgen, and GE Health Care.

The former staffers turned lobbyists include two former chiefs of staff, David Castagnetti and Jeff Forbes, and one former legislative assistant, Scott Olsen. Other former staffers working with health care portfolios include Angela Hoffman and Roger Blauwet.

The overall health and insurance sectors haven’t just been kind to Baucus’ staffers, but they’ve also aided his campaigns handsomely over the years, especially in his barely contested 2008 reelection campaign. In 2008, Baucus received $1,148,775 from the health sector and $285,850 from the insurance sector. For his career he has received $2,797,381 from the health sector and $1,170,313 from the insurance sector.

The accompanying visualization shows the connections from Baucus to his staffers-turned-lobbyists to their health care sector clients, which, in some cases, overlap. Most of the organizations are directly involved in the health care or insurance industries. A couple, the Business Roundtable and Wal-Mart, may seem to fall outside of the realm of health care, however both are playing key roles. The Business Roundatble is lobbying heavily on the issue and Wal-Mart is a big seller of prescription medications and has a large stake in the outcome
<snip>

http://assets.sunlightfoundation.com/images/blog/infographics/finance_committee/baucus_sfc_health.html

[flamingdem]

6. Suspenseful is RIGHT! How could an issue like health care get me on the edge of my seat? nt

[brooksfb]

11. Public Option Day September 2nd

The inclusion of a public option in health care reform is
absolutely essential to ensuring that this change serves the
people and not the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. 
The delivery of the country into the hands of the democratic
party came with the responsibility to change the way
Washington does business and the democratic party has much to
lose if it appears to sell out the interests of the common
good for big business and small victories.  I hear this
sentiment everywhere and not just in blue Massachusetts.  The
majority of this country supports the public option and it is
important that this majority becomes a visible entity.  In
this spirit, I propose a Public Option Day with your support. 
I will be holding an event at the Massachusetts State House in
Boston on September 2nd from noon-2pm and also encouraging
those who cannot attend the event but support the inclusion of
a public option to wear a unifying color (blue, of course...)
to show our majority status.  If you are in the Boston Area,
please come out!  And if you are elsewhere, make Public Option
Day your own and we can become a unified voice.  Please show
us your support in this effort and we can win the reform that
we and future generations require.

[tbyrd]

12. This scares the heck out of them

"3. The GOP. The GOP will DIE ON THE VINE if a Democratic Majority provides 40 MILLION registered votes with public health care."