Do the people want it or not ??

[kentuck]

The talking point for the Republicans is that "the American people do not want healthcare reform" as proposed by President Obama. All the polls show that they are against it, they say. And polls show that the American people are against "reconciliation" also. Blah...blah...blah...

However, just over a year ago, Barack Obama was running for President. In every speech, he talked about health care reform, in specifics. He always got applause. It was at the top of his campaign promises. Then, he won the election by several million votes. That was the last meaningful "poll" that we had. At that time, the people said that they "wanted" it.

[DJ13]

1. They want a public option, they dont seem to want reform without it

Unfortunately both the WH and Congress seem tone deaf on anything that doesnt reward the insurance companies.

[kentuck]

2. They also want portability and coverage for pre-existing coverage...

even if there is not public option. They also want to stop the price-gouging by the insurance companies.

[DJ13]

6. They also want to stop the price-gouging by the insurance companies

The voters are smart enough to know thats what a PO was meant to accomplish.

Theres little (except expanded insurance pools) to reduce costs in the Senate version that the WH has bet the farm on.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

5. An important note...a public option available to anyone who wants it.

[Greyhound]

3. w/o a PO or expanded Medicare, Americans do not want this travesty.

It's very clear in almost every poll going back months, even years.

The only debate is among the people that matter trying to find some way to screw us without our noticing it too much.

[SlingBlade]

4. Yep. The people want a Public Option WITH Single Payer

Even the most slack jawed partisans among us can see the hypocrisy of this sham HCR Bill.

[johnaries]

19. WTF? the two are mutually exclusive. You can't have both.

Single-payer means the government pays for all procedures. Although in practice it only pays in part and either the patient pays a co-pay or buys private supplemental insurance. The Public Option is a government-funded program that competes on the open market with private insurers.

The people want single-payer. Although, honestly, that would put a lot of people out of work. In the case of insurance CEO's and the existing "death panels", that wouldn't be a bad thing. But there are plenty of good people who work for insurance companies that would also lose their jobs. Not a good idea in the current economy. But it would be a great idea in the future.

In lieu of single-payer, the people want a competitive Public Option. But the powerful insurance lobby won't allow it. They are afraid that they could not compete and it would eventually lead to a full-blown single-payer system. They are probably right, and in my opinion that would be a good thing. It would give the economy enough time to recover and the insurance companies time to adjust to supplemental policies.

The previous Senate bill, although it did not include a PO, still did a lot to reign in premiums and directly lower costs. Not a GREAT bill, but a very good one.

The recent polling only shows that the Republican's poison propaganda has been effective. When people were asked if they support the bill itself, the majority opposed it. However, when asked about the individual provisions people overwhelmingly supported them. Which simply means that the Republican spin machine has been successful in pushing it's lies.

[SlingBlade]

20. Rham ? Is that you again ya little bugger ?

Look I'm a Progressive, Go ahead and tell me what ya think of my audacity to hope that
your "Public Option", Does Not include the mandate that I and the rest of America be forced
to buy Health Insurance from one of your Five Health Care Monopolies in this country.

Single Payer type Medicare for all America is not mutually exclusive. MmKay

Look, I'm not gonna waste time arguing with shills, You want it, I don't its that simple. !

End of message.

[Cleita]

7. Of course we want it, but we don't want another welfare program for

the insurance companies and big PhRMA. If Congress extended Medicare to everyone it would solve a lot of problems. You pay for it in P/R taxes. Everyone would have to pay, no exceptions, like they do now for Social Security and Medicare for the elderly. They could up P/R taxes a couple of percentage points to cover adults and younger people who don't have other insurance like SCHIPS. If people didn't want it, let them waste their money with Blue Cross et al. At least they would have Medicare to fall back on if BC throws them under the bus.

[piratefish08]

8. What they want is a President to publicly support a Public Option......

like he once did.

[OmahaBlueDog]

9. People want it, but they don't actually want to pay for it

That's the bottom line. The people I talk to give me the same whines/arguments every time - "why do I have to pay for this?"; "why is this my problem?"; "why is it always my taxes?" Mind you that many of these same people have problems getting coverage for themselves or a loved one due to pre-existing conditions.

:mad:

[Cleita]

12. Brainwashed by the media.

Don't they pay for their health care now? Why would they not want to pay for a better plan than any insurance could give them and probably for half the cost? They would also have the security of knowing they won't be denied any approved doctors visits, procedures and hospitalization and that they won't be dumped because they got sick or denied for pre-existing conditions. I get this with Medicare. Everyone should be able to have access to it.

[upi402]

10. Press the Meet; even Wasserman-Schults was allowing that meme

I thought it was general knowledge that people don't want this bill - they want PUBLIC OPTION or SINGLE PAYER! Don't polls show this?

[PDJane]

11. The truth is that Americans have been conditioned,

like Pavlov's dog, to find taxes abhorrent, instead of the price one pays for a civilized society.

Most Americans believe impossible things anyway; it's a form of brainwashing and selective information. It's time for some real news and for the opening up of the Pandora's box of American history.

[DJ13]

14. The problem with this HCR is that it isnt taxes

Its a personal mandate to buy a product.

An across the board 5% increase in income taxes instead of a mandate likely wouldnt have garnered as much criticism.

[Morning Dew]

13. They kept asking the wrong question

Something like "do you support the plan that congress is working on' or some equvalent nonsense... and, of course, the answer is

"HELL NO"

from left and right alike.

We want something meaningful and decent and the pukes want us all to die in the streets.

So, yeah, the plan they were working on wasn't well supported but it wasn't because people don't want health care reform.

They should have asked better poll questions - heh, that's likely... NOT!
jmo, ymmv.

[Jamastiene]

15. It's all in how they ask the question.

I think you are right.

[maynard]

16. it is how you phrase the question

I used to get Republican questionnaires where all the questions asked, were leading questions. The answer I wanted to give was not an available. I can guarantee the question was phrased something like.....Do you support a health insurance reform that would increase the national debt, place a financial burden on your children for years to come, while bankrupting the United States?

It should be phrased something like......Do you support health insurance reform?

[Cleita]

18. They do it deliberately because they know people will say they don't like it.

Then the Repubs can get up in front of the TeeVee and proclaim it. It's all a scam!

[customerserviceguy]

17. The HCR of the campaign

is not the HCR before us today. People got really suspicious of the backroom deals, and the frauds like the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase.

Frankly, the "let's start thing thing over from a blank sheet of paper" line that the GOP is selling is likely to resonate.