Whether you are an immigrant to the United States or not, you will be affected by the outcome of the current Senate debate over health care reform. In our last commentary on this subject, we described how Republicans, backed by Fox News, shamelessly misinform gullible Americans based on partisan ideology and ratings, not facts. But today, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released an analysis confirming the right is indeed wrong (again).
Here’s what they found: 1) premiums for most Americans who buy their own insurance will go down significantly, not up as Republicans (and their corporate campaign contributors) contend; and 2) most people who get coverage through existing employers will see little change in their premiums under current law. For more thorough discussion on the report, see the NY Times article.
The bottom line is that reform will indeed reduce the deficit, lower premiums, and improve the lives of millions of Americans without health care as Democrats have stated all along. Unfortunately, the insurance companies are mounting a furious ad campaign, (paid for by our insurance premiums) designed to strip health care reform of the essential public option, or defeat the measure entirely.
However, these issues pale behind a deeper flaw in the Republican moral calculus that transcends their well orchestrated disinformation campaign. The GOP is an anti-reproductive choice (a.k.a. “pro-life”) party. Sarah Palin, having made the decision to raise a Down’s syndrome child, exemplifies the far right’s position. And her then 17-year old daughter’s decision to keep her child out of wedlock seemed to solidify Palin’s popularity with the pro-life religious crowd in the GOP.
But how do the Republicans reconcile their pro-life platform with their anti-health care position? Consider the case of Jon Brodniak of Yamhill County, Oregon. Here is a fellow human being that is literally dying from lack of health care. And John’s story is not unusual. A soon to be published Harvard study reports that approximately 45,000 Americans will die each year as a direct result of not having insurance.
So how can the Party of No reconcile supporting the rights of an early stage fetus over the right to life of grown Americans? Doesn’t this clearly establish the true agenda of the Republican Party is to maintain the profits of Big Business as they pander to votes from the religious right? What do you think?
Comments
Courtesy of M Malkin -
1) Oregon Health Sciences University is a safety-net hospital not far from where Brodniak lives. The hospital accepts all Medicaid patients and would not turn Brodniak away.
2) Brodniak is a patient at OHSU — and has been a patient there for the past three weeks.
I would post the link but as you know, that is disallowed.
Seems as though this Brodniak fellow has been getting complete coverage through medicare far before the NY Times article. Sheesh, if this is what you guys are using to go after Republicans, it says alot about how serious you are.
Try doing some real journalism for once instead of making stuff up to settle your political agenda.
Mr. Wilson,
Given that Mr. Brodniak is - and has been - a patient at OHSU getting superb care for over three weeks, isn't your statement, "...shamelessly misinform gullible Americans based on partisan ideology and ratings, not facts..." more applicable to your own column than any purported charges against Republicans? Isn't a correction or retraction warranted? Also, the CBO report clearly stated that for average Americans their medical insurance premiums would increase, not decrease. You might want to read the actual report rather than the NY Times, which, like the Brodniak scandal, is the organ with the agenda. You are doing your readers a grand disservice.
I think some of you are missing the point. It's not all about Brodniak per se (he's just one tiny example of how our current system fails poor Americans). The big picture is that Republicans, who almost universally want to deny even a *debate* on health care, are in the curious position of supporting the rights of fetuses over grown human beings. If you can truly justify that ethical dilemma, I'd like to hear it...
The overall issue here is not whether we need health care reform(HCR). Of course we do. The issue is we need HCR that will actually work. We don't need the BS the Dems are shoving down our throats and calling it HCR. You can't actually believe that this $1 trillion bill will REDUCE the deficit. Come back to the real world, Sir, we are talking about Congress here. They only care about raising taxes. Not just on the "rich" but on everyone.
Congress wants us to be divided on HCR to distract us from what they are really doing. It is articles like this one which feed their efforts and are therefore terribly misleading and dangerous.
How can ANYONE look at a bill which will FORCE people to buy insurance they cannot afford (even if by some miracle rates do go down), fine them if they don't, or put them in prison if the don't pay the fine as a good thing? The CBO's predictions consistently fall way short of reality. Where is the real media who is suppose to be looking out for the people?
Hey fool...that "45,000 die because they don't have insurance" study....the one that keeps on being "soon to be published"...will NEVER be published because it has already been thoroughly discredited. Yet you cite it as if it has meaning. You are an idiot.
Just another bright human being that reads between the lines. Your journalism is quite horrible; perhaps you should do your real homework on Brodniak before you call yourself a journalist. Unfortunately, the liberal right cannot seem to tell the truth...ever.
Do you doubt the CBO report? And forget Brodniak. Do you really believe the noninsured live longer and visit the doctor as often as the insured? Republicans by any measure want to torpedo HCR.
Sorry Nick, but ole John was being treated FREE BEFORE your article.
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