Robert Reich: What An Honest President Would Say About Health Reform »
Posted By newsguy2005 2 months, 2 weeks ago in Political NewsFormer Labor Secretary and Obama adviser Robert Reich speaking at UC Berkeley on Sept. 26, 2007.
Read Full Story at youtube.com »
524 Views Share Story 29 Comments Report
Who Also Submitted: All »
RSS Join the Discussion
+ Add CommentComments So Far: 29 (view all)
-
57%
engineer2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
He is so full of BS Some one should flush the toilet and get rid of the stink. Also make sure to use some air freshener.
Reply
He has a scare tactic to protect the greed of the pharmaceutical companies who make $50 profit per week for every 4 person family.
He wants to make sure CEOs get obscene bonuses like $746 million dollars per year
He wants to have death panels from HMOs denying 21% of claims.
He wants to see 75% of bankruptcies caused by medical costs.
He wants to make sure 1/6 of Americans fo with no coverage.
He wants to see emergency rooms as primary physicians.
In nine years, at the current rate of increase, 38% of the average American's wage will go to health care
etc.
Again, flush the BS down the toilet-
-
36%
Klarissa2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
So, what he has predicted is coming to pass
Reply
insuring ALL means that the young and healthy will have to buy insurance.
Those that can afford to buy insurance but don't will have ot buy insurance.
If you are old, and are predicted to die within a year unless you have certain treatment, guess what, you will die within a year. -
54%
Endoscopy2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Truth hurts and you do not want to hear it.
Reply
We currently have death panels with medicaid. Obama talked about reducing treatment for the elderly as a cost savings. He used his grandmother as an example. He said he would have paid for her treatment but was not sure about the government paying for it.
You want to see doctors go bankrupt with Medicaid paying 15% of the costs in some states. In Mass. there is a hospital suing the state because it is forcing them into bankruptcy.
You do not want to hear that the drug companies spend billions in developing the new drugs and a drug has to pay for that development. You want all drugs to be cheap and never think that that will mean no new drugs.
You do not want to hear that the young who do not want any insurance will be forced to get it or pay a hefty tax for not having it. If they refuse that tax then it is $250,000 fine and a year in jail.
Why do you not want to hear these things???
You rant about HMO's. Why do you think thay have that kind of coverage? The states create the things that have to be insured for and the cost of that insurance. If you do not like what they reject then take it up with the state insurance commissioner. They are controlled by the rules the state legislature created. The insurance companies are not in control but each state is.
-
-
71%
Jeboba2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
I'm shocked by what he said! I have always liked him but he just bought a big pile of poop with that one! He's off my list and should be off Obama's also. He is a traitor to Obama's cause of trying to get real reform in our horrible health insurance system!
Reply -
73%
Hhussk2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Were you going to dispute or prove anything he said was false, or just call him a traitor?
Reply
...an hour later...
Notice the silence? The lack of rebuttal?
All of a sudden, when asked to actually speak about the topic, instead of the person, liberals are empty and void. -
100%
chevydog2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
An interesting cut.
Reply
I like the way he states things. Nothing ever comes for free; there's a price for everything, even "good". The question is often not whether something is good; but rather whether one is willing to pay the necessary price to have it. Not a much better place to pose the question than to those who will bear a significant part of the cost.-
77%
Hhussk2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Nothing ever comes for free; there's a price for everything, even "good".
Reply
Well stated. I'm also glad you emphasized the word good, because not everyone agrees on what is good and what is bad for the country.
And therefore, there's going to be a price for this -- and some of us do not even believe it is a good thing. But we are going to be forced to pay this price.
This doesn't sound like America.
-
-
88%
simonsez2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
He's telling it like it is, but many of you don't want to hear it. Surprising coming from him.
Reply
Here is John Stossil's take on it ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GMKK_fWKg -
67%
Tasine2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
My take is a little different. I disagree that that is what an honest candidate would tell you. I think what an honest candidate would tell you is that health care is not in the federal government's purview. However, if I believed it was the fed's responsibility, I'd tell the people we don't "fix" what isn't broken. If I believed it was the fed's responsibility and felt the system was broken, I suspect I'd say exactly what Robert Reich did. I have never cared for Reich, but I think he knows that pie in the sky is not possible, which of course isn't.
Reply-
83%
Hhussk2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
I think what an honest candidate would tell you is that health care is not in the federal government's purview.
Reply
I think a truly conservative candidate would tell you that health care is not the government's business, but a liberal candidate would probably say what Reich is saying.
And Reich is liberal.
And I think what is aggravating many liberals who listened to his comments is that they think rich people, or people who have more, should be paying for all of it. Reich, on the other hand, is saying (paraphrased) "No, everyone ultimately pays for it. Even those of you who don't need it."
It reminds me of that Mondale moment where he said (paraphrased) "The difference between us is that I'll admit I'm going to tax you, and he won't."
-
-
-
-
-
-
67%
Leftist2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Wow, what the hell happened to Reich? He is about the closest thing we have to a real socialist and now he is coming out with this stuff? What next? Is he going to comeout and say that health care reform won't stimulate the economy, create jobs, and lower the deficit? The Rebublicans must have something on him and are blackmailing him.
Reply -
100%
truthiness2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Reich is liberal, he is trying to spell out here what he believes to be the realistic method of health insurance reform.
Reply
- healthy youth will pay more
- the dying will receive only comfort care (this is end stage, not your grandma with an ulcer)
- public option will leverage lower pharm costs, at the cost of less innovation
Obama has replaced the first one by increasing costs on the wealthy
the second one is probably true, and as someone who has worked in nursing homes, probably for the best.
the third I disagree with, lost revenue from recurring sales should increase innovation to create new sales.
but none of this matters, b/c if we get the bill that just came out senate finance then we will have not so much reform as a worsening of the situation.-
50%
primusdawg2 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Three possible rebuttals: 1) the young are a large part of the currently uninsured. So they will pay "more" than what? nothing? Yes they will pay, if the cost of the nation's health is spread evenly over the population, according to wealth (like income tax) 2) Public health in countries with universal care do not, as yet, deny life-saving procedures to the elderly. Hip-replacements at 90 are one thing. Stroke amelioration is another. 3) Pharma always screams that it needs exorbitant prices to pay for innovation, yet over 50% of their budgets now are used for promotion. Until recently prescription drugs could not be advertised. The idea was that drug-choice decisions should be made by a doctor. How quaint.
Reply
The only option that cuts cost is single-payer, plus some tort reform. Immediately you eliminate the 30-35% of premiums that go to insurance company "overhead", and the 10% or more that doctors and hospitals spend to pay clerks to handle insurance claims. You think we can't afford a 40% savings right off the top?
-
-
100%
mjs562 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
We have health insurance through our company and if this health care plan goes thru we will be taxed 40% for having health insurance, we are penalized, nothing comes for free and if the gov cannot not handle social security or medicare or any other budget what makes you think that they can handle this and what makes you think you will be covered cause they say so, well they say lots and are you prospering? Im not and I am a middle class american heading for the poor house. So I dont think what he said was poop. I am not racist or democrat or republican just an american trying to make ends meet.
Reply
More News
Politics Daily
The GOP's Ugly 2010 Campaign: Pushing the Obacalypse
The Christmas Terror Attempt: Not 2001 All Over Again
What Obama, Pelosi, Reid, & the Republicans Should Resolve for 2010
Jobs, Housing, Bailouts and -- Yes -- Tiger Woods: The Top 10 Economic Stories of 2009
Mark Foley Accuses Max Baucus of Delivering Senate Speech Drunk
Submit a Story
Advertisement
Add a Comment
Sign In With Your Propeller Account
Please keep your comments relevant to this story.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.