Why Republicans Are Wrong on Health Care!

[rdobbs2010]

Republicans would love for everyone to believe the public option would destroy average Americans and put us all in the poor house. Well guess what we are already all in the poor house thanks to the health care industry!

The Republicans and Conservative Right in America would have us believe the Democratic Health Care Reform, with a public option, would destroy our economy and put the majorit of Americans in the the poor house.

Well we can look at the data below and see why Americans can't afford health care and where our health care dollars are going. It definitely isn't going to paying for the average American's medical bills!

United Health Group
CEO: William W McGuire
2005: 124.8 mil
5-year: 342 mil

Forest Labs
CEO: Howard Solomon
2005: 92.1 mil
5-year: 295 mil

Caremark Rx
CEO: Edwin M Crawford
2005: 77.9 mil
5-year: 93.6 mil

Abbott Lab
CEO: Miles White
2005: 26.2 mil
5-year: 25.8 mil

Aetna
CEO: John Rowe
2005: 22.1 mil
5-year:57.8 mil

Amgen
CEO: Kevin Sharer
2005:5.7 mil
5-year:59.5 mil

Bectin-Dickinson
CEO: Edwin Ludwig
2005: 10 mil
5-year:18 mil

Boston Scientific
CEO:
2005:38.1 mil
5-year:45 mil

Cardinal Health
CEO: James Tobin
2005:1.1 mil
5-year:33.5 mil

Cigna
CEO: H. Edward Hanway
2005:13.3 mil
5-year:62.8 mil

Genzyme
CEO: Henri Termeer
2005: 19 mil
5-year:60.7 mil

Humana
CEO: Michael McAllister
2005:2.3 mil
5-year:12.9 mil

Johnson & Johnson
CEO: William Weldon
2005:6.1 mil
5-year:19.7 mil

Laboratory Corp America
CEO: Thomas MacMahon
2005:7.9 mil
5-year:41.8 mil

Eli Lilly
CEO: Sidney Taurel
2005:7.2 mil
5-year:37.9 mil

McKesson
CEO: John Hammergen
2005: 13.4 mil
5-year:31.2 mil

Medtronic
CEO: Arthur Collins
2005: 4.7 mil
5-year:39 mil

Merck Raymond Gilmartin
CEO:
2005: 37.8 mil
5-year:49.6 mil

PacifiCare Health
CEO: Howard Phanstiel
2005: 3.4 mil
5-year: 8.5 mil

Pfizer
CEO: Henry McKinnell
2005: 14 mil
5-year: 74 mil

Well Choice
CEO: Michael Stocker
2005: 3.2 mil
5-year: 10.7 mil

WellPoint
CEO: Larry Glasscock
2005: 23 mil
5-year: 46.8 mil

Wyeth
CEO: Robert Essner
2005:6.5 mil
5-year: 28.9 mil

TOTAL 2005: 559.8 mil

TOTAL 5-Year: 14.9 billion
Source: Forbes Online

We could insure the uninsured in this country with the money these CEO's receive in compensation. But remember how many people are denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions and how many claims are denied for various reasons!

Harvard researchers published in the American Journal of Public Health a study which reveals roughly 45,000 American adults die every year because they are not covered by health insurance. President Barack Obama stated in a speech, "One in three adults who don't have health insurance live one accident away from bankruptcy."

Women especially are discriminated against the most by the health insurance industry. Women have been denied insurance because of sexual assault/rape, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to domestic violence, sexually-transmitted diseases, C-sections, and pregnancy.

It is a known fact that private insurers probably won't be able compete with the government, because they offer an inferior service at higher prices. Republicans now fear the public option would probably work, and thereby undermine their broader arguments about the evil of government intervention.

As Keith Olbermann states why can't we have a Medicare Part E, E being for everybody! Unlike the public option, the impact of voluntary Medicare buy-in on private health insurance markets would be manageable and easy to implement.

Let's look at the Canadian system. Even considering there are some problems with Canada's health care system, various polls show that the vast majority of Canadians (over 80%) prefer their system over the for-profit health insurance system in the U.S. A Gallup poll in the U.S. showed that only 25% of Americans “are satisfied with the availability of affordable health care.”

A New York Times/CBS poll asked: "Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government-administered health insurance plan -- something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get -- that would compete with private insurance plans?" 65 percent were in favor, 26 percent were opposed, and 9 percent offering no position.

We have been waiting for months for the Republicans to come up with a Health Care Reform package in writing to back up all of the rhetoric they have put forward against the plan being floated by the Democratic Leadership. Well we now have that plan in writing and believe it or not, it doesn't save as much money nor does it cover more people than the Democrat plan. But would we expect anything less?

The Republican plan attempts to reform the system by creating high-risk insurance pools, allowing people to purchase health insurance policies across state lines, and instituting medical malpractice reforms.

The CBO estimates the GOP's alternative will reduce $68 billion off the deficit in the next 10 years. However the CBO estimates the Democrats plan will reduce $104 billion off the deficit. Didn't the Republicans say the Democrats were adding more to the deficit, I guess not according to the CBO?

Additional Problems with the Republican Bill:

Nowhere does the bill make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. As a result, consumers will never be fully protected and guaranteed coverage options.

The Republican bill states that it improves access through high-risk pools, but according to the bill, those states that currently do not have high-risk pools never need to develop them, and those states that have high-risk pools could close them.

Without any additional protections, insurers would be allowed to cherry pick healthy enrollees by marketing strategies, benefit design, and targeting those states with the least consumer protections.

Does not have policies to promote quality health care and efficiency of health care in private or public health insurance.

Does not give premium assistance for middle-income families that struggle to pay for health insurance.

Does not give increased support or options for states to build the platforms to improve the delivery system.

The bill caps the amount of damages a person injured can receive and will preempt state consumer protection laws.

What the Republican plan will do is continue to have more people uninsured, more people denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and cost taxpayers more money. The Republican have it wrong in plain English.

Robert Dobbs for Congress, SC-01: http://www.electdobbs.com

[mrcheerful]

1. I figure republicons being wrong was just a fact of history

I have yet to hear one thing that a conservative was right about, they were wrong on ending segregation of schools in the 50's, they were wrong on the commie scare of the 50's, they were wrong on the commies would get us with nuke weapons, they were wrong on medicare in the 60's, they were wrong on social security in the 30's, they were wrong about work programs in the 30's, they were wrong about welfare queens in the 80's, they were wrong about about the economy in the 90's, they were wrong about WMD's, 9/11, invasion of Iraq, capturing Bin Ladin, So why would they be right about health care?

[SmileyRose]

2. Excuse me $124 fucking Million dollars a year?????

Oh sure, he gets paid that because he works harder than the rest of us peons.


there are no words...............:mad: :puke: :grr: :nuke:

[Lugnut]

3. K&R n/t