How insurance firms drive debate »
Posted By ybdogsct 3 months, 1 week ago in Political OpinionHaving grown up in one of the most conservative and Republican places in the country -- East Tennessee -- I understand why many of the people who are showing up at town hall meetings this month are reacting, sometimes violently, when members of Congress try to explain the need for an expanded government role in our health care system.
I also have a lot of conservative friends, including one former co-worker who was laid off by CIGNA several years ago but who nonetheless worries about a "government takeover" of health care. Even though he didn't have health insurance, and could see the desperation in the faces of thousands of others all around him who were in similar straits, he was more worried about the possibility of having to pay more taxes than he was eager to make sure he and his neighbors wouldn't have to wait in line to get care provided by volunteer doctors in animal stalls.
He might have a better understanding of how the health insurance and its army of PR people are influencing his opinions and actions without his even knowing it.
Until I quit my job last year, I was one of the leaders of that army. I had a very successful career and was my company's voice to the media and the public for several years.
It was my job to "promote and defend" the company's reputation and to try to persuade reporters to write positive stories about the industry's ideas on reform. During the last couple of years of my career, however, I became increasingly worried that the high-deductible plans insurers were beginning to push Americans into would force more and more of us into bankruptcy.
The higher I rose in the company, the more I learned about the tactics insurers use to dump policyholders when they get sick, in order to increase profits and to reward their Wall Street investors. I could not in good conscience continue serving as an industry mouthpiece. And I did not want to be part of yet another industry effort to kill meaningful reform.
I explained during the press conference with Rep. Slaughter how the industry funnels millions of its policyholders' premiums to big public relations firms that provide talking points to conservative talk show hosts, business groups and politicians. I also described how the PR firms set up front groups, again using your premium dollars and mine, to scare people away from reform.
What I'm trying to do as I write and speak out against the insurance industry I was a part of for nearly two decades is to inform Americans that when they hear isolated stories of long waiting times to see doctors in Canada and allegations that care in other systems is rationed by "government bureaucrats," someone associated with the insurance industry wrote the original script.
The industry has been engaging in these kinds of tactics for many years, going back to its successful behind-the-scenes campaign to kill the Clinton reform plan.
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Spadecaller3 months, 1 week ago
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Georgia503 months, 1 week ago
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The health insurance companies did not pick this fight. Crat filth brought it to them.
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They have every right to fight back using at the very least every filthy, deceptive, cowardly tactic used against them. And though I'm no particular friend of health insurance companies, I am willing to fight for their right to fight fire with fire.
You can't take the heat? Get the hell out of the kitchen.
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4daysaleComment removed: Hard Banned
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ybdogsct3 months, 1 week ago
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I'm trying very hard to determine exactly what kind of health care reform conservatives want. There is consensus (or near consensus) that the current health care system is unsustainable. Costs have doubled in a decade are projected to spiral even more out of control.
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Many Democrats have proposed a single-payer system to control costs. In fact, there have been a number of posted threads and circulating emails that show Democratic leaders speaking in favor of a single-payer system. (I believe even Obama has been on video voicing his support.) But conservatives rejected this idea, citing an objection to a "government takeover of health care."
Fine.
Democrats compromised with the counter-offer of a public option. Again conservatives rejected the idea, citing skyrocketing increases in the federal deficit. But that's precisely why a single-payer system was introduced first -- to keep costs low and conservatives rejected that plan to control costs! Secondly, the accusation of a "government takeover of health care" never ceased despite the fact that this public OPTION in itself is a compromise to the single-payer system conservatives objected to before on the same grounds. Thirdly, the projected $1 trillion in costs will be distributed over 10 years so it really only adds $140 billion to the annual budget, making it less expensive than funding the war in Iraq. Apparently, conservatives would rather spend money killing people in foreign countries rather than using that money to help Americans here at home.
Fine.
Again, Democrats show a willingness to compromise by floating the idea of a co-op, which seems to be a public option in everything but name, according to the CATO Institute.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/po...
The Libertarian thinktank CATO Institute says the proposed health care co-op is just another version of the public option.
"The definition of a cooperative is a health plan governed by its enrollees," says Cato's Michael F. Cannon, director of health policy studies. "Since a government chartered co-op won't have any enrollees at first, it will be governed like any other government program."
Whatever helps get the legislation the votes to pass, I guess, even if all it's really doing is changing the label from "public option" to "nonprofit, government-chartered co-op." However, from the CATO Institute's comments, I don't think conservatives are likely to go along with this compromise either.
This leads me to think that there are many conservatives out there who are simply incapable of compromising, as evidenced by 6 years of GW Bush rule without a single veto. Here are Democrats willing to compromise with Republicans, despite a veto-proof majority. And yet Republicans showed no willingness to reciprocate when they held the White House, Senate, and House from 2001 to 2006.-
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deathray3 months, 1 week ago
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i believe that there are some conservatives who DO want to see health care made available, but it's become apparent to me that many simply don't want to have the conversation.
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many of the complaints associated with dissent from the right are really nothing but red herrings designed to obfuscate, inflame, and instill fear.
now, it's also my opinion that the democrats, who fear a repeat of the 1993 health care debate debacle, have pssed the ball to congress, and the president has abrogated his role as motivator from the bully pulpit. most don't really know what the bill contains, and that makes it easy to prey upon thir fears.
i agree that the republicans are intransigent; they have nothing to lose if health care reform is not enacted.
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Charlson3 months, 1 week ago
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Special interests have vast resources both private and public to motivate the gullible into positions contrary to their best interests. Hence the mobs of old folks worried about euthanasia and death panels at the town hall meetings. They've used fear mongering and lies with racial undertones to motivate the racists and hate groups. The special interests (insurance and medical industry) knows that the era of excess profits on the health of Americans will decline if this reform with a public option passes.
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injest3 months, 1 week ago
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Jeboba
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“There is a solution: VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS IN 2010!”
The cry of the simpleton (AKA useful idiots).
For all practical purpose that IS what you have now!
The Dems have 60 votes in the Senate, that’s a “Super majority, and they have 2 Ind that vote with the Dems.
The Repubs are a non-factor in getting anything passed thru the Senate.
If Obama can’t get a bill thru the Senate the problem is squarely on Obama’s shoulders and none other.
The Dems have 59% of the votes in the House.
The Repubs are a non-factor in getting anything passed thru the House.
Find another boogieman or come up with a program people, real people (not the ones in this echo chamber) want.
Obama forgot some basic facts of life when he sent the Union Goons out to beat up mom and pop.
"To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid,
you must also be well-mannered."
~ Voltaire (1694 - 1778)-
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cherev3 months, 1 week ago
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"Find another boogieman or come up with a program people, real people (not the ones in this echo chamber) want."
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It's time to face the reality that there are certain types of people who are simply incapable of doing either, and it's a waste of bandwidth to even try to disabuse them of these beliefs.
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injest3 months, 1 week ago
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Charlson
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“But the special interests are making ads that say they will and the Republican congress and talking heads say it'll happen when they KNOW that it isn't even in the bill.”
And what “bill” is that?
There are only provisions in the House and Senate bills.
BTW, what is the flavor of the Pixie dust and kool-aid today? -
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CHAM3 months, 1 week ago
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I heard someone say there are three classes of Republicans:
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The Super Rich
The Super Racists
The Super Stupid
The Super Rich don't want anyone to have Government guaranteed Healthcare. They don't need it and they certainly don't want to pay anything extra and they absolutely will not stand for a reduction of profits from the Medical Providers they control.
The Super Racists look to Religion to prove that the poor are not worthy. The leaders of The Religious Right are for any kind of murder and thievery that will keep their fat a.... padded. They can certainly identify with Republicans.
The Super Stupid vote for Republicans because they don't know any better. They are the ones who get sent off to war and die for the purpose of promoting the profits that they will never share. They are usually on the low side of wages - usually because they are super stupid.
The Super Stupid think that all this countries problems suddenly materialized when Obama was elected.
The Super Racist believe it is the Lords punishment for not electing a Republican.
The Super Rich don't give a damn, either way its not going to affect them, They just buy off the opposition and go on to tomorrow.
This country needs a better Healthcare system. Republicans are fighting mightily against it even knowing it is a truth.
As I have said many times on here - I will never again vote for any candidate who is a Republican. And I remind you all that we can send the Republicans to the dustbin of history by simply never voting Republican again. No one can stop you.
All that is needed is that you do it. -
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Georgia503 months, 1 week ago
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I heard an excellent solution the other day. Take that mythical figure of 47 million uninsured that losercrats keep lying about, whittle it down to the 5 million American citizens who truly want but cannot afford health insurance, and simply enroll them into the EXACT SAME insurance plan that federal employees have.
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DONE. FINI. NO DAMN CONTROL OVER MY LIFE. NO INVASION OF MY PRIVACY.
I guess those last two items explain why liberal filth will never go for it.-
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deathray3 months, 1 week ago
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that's a great idea, and then, we can make allowances for those who can't pay to get this package at a reduced rate, or free.
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oh, and the idea that you have any privacy at all is a complete denial of the surveillance measures enacted since 9/11.
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CHAM3 months, 1 week ago
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I think Georgia needs an operation to extract her head from a place that is hiding her ears. When people ( obviously not Georgia ) have to make a decision whether to buy their medicine, go to the doctor, or go hungry, then there is something wrong in my country. Georgia doesn't give a damn, its not affecting her, if it was she would not be against affordable Healthcare.
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It doesn't affect me either -moneywise - nevertheless I realize that there are not others as lucky as me. As to the cost of Healthcare, I took my wife to the dentist a month or so ago in an ambulance, she is restricted to the bed. The Dentist charged me $140 for the visit ( not covered by Medicare ) and the Ambulance charged me $883.00 ( not covered by Medicare either ). I then went and bought the Drug prescribed $168 ( not covered by my insurance - donut hole).
I will average $1500 to $2000 per month for medical costs and I have Medicare, Medipak, and the Prescription Drug Insurance.
Most of the older people that I know can't afford this on a sustained basis over the years, so they have to do without and if it so happens, they die from lack of care.
Georgia, I donate money to my personal Doctor for the purpose of buying drugs and providing medical care for those who can't afford it. Do you?
I am for Universal Healthcare even though I don't need it. I am my brothers keeper. Georgia, obviously you are a conservative - you know who I'm speaking of, those who think the unfortunate got that way because they too lazy to provide for themselves.
But see Georgia, I know you're just a "Me only" type person. You are in the right party.
I will never vote for a Republican Candidate again.
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