House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) holds a copy of the
U.S. Constitution, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 during a GOP
health care news conference.
House Republicans finally released their health insurance reform proposal this week after they had spent months dithering and launching continual malignant and false attacks against the Democrats and any attempt at the creation of a government-sponsored health care plan. Unfortunately, rather than make a legitimate attempt to resolve the issue which is plaguing health care and health insurance in this country, this plan appears to be targeted more towards creating a distraction in order to slow down and stall the reform process altogether.
The bill starts with the promise of a lower cost: approximately $6 billion per year versus the $83 billion to $100 billion per year of the Democratic plans. However, it only reduces the deficit by $68 billion over ten years as compared to the $104 billion in deficit reduction over the same period on the Democratic bill.
It has the potential to lower the cost on the premiums on healthier customers, but allows increased premiums on customers with poorer health and higher health risks, despite the individual’s lack of ability to alter their condition. It also gives small businesses the ability to pool their risk, thereby potentially reducing costs. This, of course, pales in comparison to the ability to have a national pool as many Democrats would like with a “Medicare for all” plan.
It does include opening up insurance across state lines, which in turn the GOP says will encourage lower prices through competition. However, without the removal of the anti-trust exemption which the health insurance industry presently enjoys, the insurance companies can just negotiate their desired rates and profits amongst themselves, thereby removing the cost control created by increasing supposed competition.
The GOP bill does not stop insurance companies from dropping customers and denying legitimate claims to customers due to insurance company self-proclaimed pre-existing conditions. This legislation does not even set parameters on what is and what is not a pre-existing condition. Consequently, the insurance companies will continue their expansion of the definition of “pre-existing condition” as they have thus far done against victims of rape and domestic abuse. What is next, listing the potential for fertile women to become pregnant as a pre-existing condition? How about if someone has ever exceeded the speed limit while driving? Does that not make them more prone to injury? Let’s not forget that DNA analysis make it quite easy for insurance companies to do tests on customers, then maximize their profit margin by keeping only the customers with a lower chance for genetic aberrations. With these excuses and more, it gives the insurance companies the ability to pick and choose their customers as they please.
Of course, what many consider to be the most crucial reason as to why we need health insurance reform is virtually ignored by the GOP bill. This bill does little to provide insurance to the uninsured, and will actually increase the number of uninsured to 52 million by 2019. In turn, this will dramatically increase the cost of emergency care for the uninsured. As a result, most likely any savings to premiums for those with insurance will in the end have to be paid through the increase in taxes needed to pay for emergency services for the uninsured.
Tragically, under this plan the number of Americans who die just because they do not have health insurance that could circumvent easily preventable fatalities will surely increase respectively. Presently 45,000 Americans die each year from ailments that could be avoided had they the insurance to cover prevention and treatment. How many more would it be under GOP legislation?
In addition, the GOP bill does nothing to address the all too silent issue of the underinsured; those who have some coverage, but still do not have enough coverage should they have a serious medical issue. It is estimated that there are more underinsured in this country than there are uninsured. Many of the bankruptcies in the United States today due to medical reasons occur to the underinsured.
In the end, this legislation proposed by the Republican Party is merely their attempt to derail the Democratic plan and a public insurance option. Why else would they wait to release a bill, and an ineffectual on at that, just as the final bills within each of the chambers are being debated?
The price tag to the GOP plan may seem cheap, but as it worsens the problem within the health care system, it is hardly a bargain. Most Americans want meaningful reform, and the majority of Americans want at least a public insurance option. For the GOP to time and time again ignore the will of the people is an insult to Americans. They could have at least attempted to solve the problem; unfortunately, yet again they do what has become the standard play in their playbook: work to stall and sabotage viable plans by any means possible just because they do not follow the “Republican Way.”
Copyright © 2009 by Raymond Gellner
Comments
Obama/PelosiCare mandates the uninsured and uninsurable wait 6 months for coverage.
It is all moot since neither will pass and make it to the Ditherer in Chief's desk.
"The bill starts with the promise of a lower cost: approximately $6 billion per year versus the $83 billion to $100 billion per year of the Democratic plans. However, it only reduces the deficit by $68 billion over ten years as compared to the $104 billion in deficit reduction over the same period on the Democratic bill."
Ray you are an utter disgrace. First you low ball the democrat cost. It is up to 1.3 trillion over ten years now, so it would be a cost of 130 billion a year. This cost is also lie. There are only 5 years of health care but 10 years of taxes for the democrat lan. This is totally dishonesty, to leave this out of your little talk.
The next distortion is the savings of 68 versus 104. The Democrat bill requires tons of tax increases and fine and taking the health care away from seniors inorder to get this imaginary savings. The republican plan does NOT.
"In a fast-breaking development comes word that agents of the Attorney’s General office in Louisiana have raided ACORN’s offices in New Orleans. "
"State investigators are searching the New Orleans offices of the activist group ACORN in connection with embezzlement and tax fraud allegations.
Assistant Attorney General David Caldwell said a warrant was obtained to seize computers, hard drives and other documents after ACORN attorneys said two unidentified former employees took computers and other items when they left the organization.
Caldwell said investigators will copy records and hard drives, then return them to ACORN."
ACORN?
"but allows increased premiums on customers with poorer health and higher health risks"
Just because the GOP plan does not address every issue under the sun does not make it a failure. If what it does is done well it is a success. Current private plans allow for increased payments. This is called inflation and risk Ray. So the GOP plan does not make this worse. It just does not address it according to you. I have heard that they will use any savings to give states money to help the tuff to insure crowd so it looks like this is another Ray distorion.
"It also gives small businesses the ability to pool their risk"
Ray wants to portray this as bad. I say it is good and even better than what Ray slobers over. Ask small companies if they would rather be able to pool thier risks or have a government overlord in charge. I bet they choose to leave the government out of it.
"It does include opening up insurance across state lines, which in turn the GOP says will encourage lower prices through competition."
There are 1300 companies Ray! They would have a difficult time colluding. Ray also assumes that the government will be an honest broker itself. This is an incredible flaw in his thinking. The government does not even need to collude, it just dictates with the power of force or jail time.
"The GOP bill does not stop insurance companies from dropping customers and denying legitimate claims"
Maybe the insurance company's denial is legit too. Ray also leaves out that the government denies claims at TWICE the rate of private companies in health care.
"How about if someone has ever exceeded the speed limit while driving? Does that not make them more prone to injury?"
Ray if you havent noticed people insurance goes up if they get speeding tickets dude. How many basic things need to be explained to Ray?
What the GOP bill does NOT do is to place additional burdensome taxes and regulations on small businesses, which is what Pelosi-care does.
On a day when we learn that unemployment has surged to 10.2%, it's unbelievable that the Dems are still seriously considering this monstrosity of a health care bill. Over half of all new job creation comes from small businesses....and trust me: as long as businesses see the threat of new taxes and regulations in the form of Govt. Health Care and Cap & Tax, they are not going to hire additional people. It just ain't gonna happen.
So the next time you hear Barry or Ms. Pelosi tell you that their #1 priority is "jobs, jobs, jobs!", just remember: they're lying. And as the unemployment rate creeps higher, they're failing.
"House Republicans finally released their health insurance reform proposal this week after they had spent months dithering and launching continual malignant and false attacks against the Democrats and any attempt at the creation of a government-sponsored health care plan."
The Democrats do not even have a bill yet and people like Ray not reporting on the Republican plan does not mean that one did not exist this whole time (atleast at the same stage as the democrat plan). How stupid can Ray get on this stuff?
"This bill does little to provide insurance to the uninsured, "
If the cost of insurance goes down Ray I think more people would be able to afford it. Instead of looking to inflated future figures to confuse people, how many extra people will be able to afford insurance today RAY if the costs are lower?
"In turn, this will dramatically increase the cost of emergency care for the uninsured."
This is something I addressed already but even if the bill did nothing in this area so what. Judge the bill on what it says it will do and not how it will control the price of rice in China. The main problem with the Democrat bill is that it does too much. Infact the Democrat bill does more of the things people dont want it to do than the things people want it to do. The GOP bill does not do everything but atleast it is 100% things that people want addressed.
Also to pop yet another hole in Ray brain is that the incredibly bloated expensive Democrat plan does not even cover all of the uninsured. It only closes the gap by half.
"Why else would they wait to release a bill"
Because the Democrat bill is so horrible the people demanded an alternative Ray. You continue to ignore the obvious, over and over again. Even the Dems do not like the current bill.
Leave it to Ray to say that a plan that costs almost nothing while actually lowering the costs of insurance, A plan that is what many individuals and companies have specifically asked for, a bill that addresses doctors number one concern is nothing more than an attempt to sabotage the poor old Democrats. This GOP plan is the peoples plan. It is the common sense plan the masses have been asking for. Ray you are just so tied up in the US VS THEM mentality you refuse to accept a superior plan.
Ray ignores the latest vote. The independents have spoken and are backing away from the Democrats at the rate of 2 to 1 and climbing. The Democrats plan has little to do with addressing the health care problem and a lot to do with securing government control of the economy. Why else would you alter 100% of the health care plans over a problem involving 5% of the population.
Ray seems to be even more detached from reality than Obama.
ACORN?
Honduras?
Independent voters Virginia?
Sorry for so many posts but Ray out did himself with the lies and misinformation on this one. Atleast we got to see how warped and demented Ray's take on this subject is. Thanks Ray hehe.
I am just amazed at how Ray leaves out information that is good on the GOP side and leaves out the bad information on his beloved DNC side. He does it in such an unconvincing way too.
Lets see how he spins ACORN and Honduras now. This will probably result in a ten comment series.
That guy on MSLSD that no body goes on and on about the R's making mistakes. Well, here is Madcow saying the US Constitution does not have a Preamble!
What an IDIOT LEFTIST!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=utTVYTzYPNA&feature=player_embedded
"Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years."
biggovernment.com/2009/11/06/committee-confirms-comply-with-pelosi-care-or-go-to-jail/
Shocker.
Is this the kind of help Ray is wanting for citizens? Send them to jail hehe. How many uninsured will wind up in the slammer. I guess it will make Ray happy because if you are in jail you will get great medical care, a place to stay and three meals a day. This sounds like a democrat dream right?
I forgot the kicker. The Democrats will then have the kind of control they always wanted. They can even tell you when to go to bed if you are in jail!
Hey...At least you can read it in under a month. What exactly are these idiot dems trying to pass? At 1900 pages of laywer speak, I suspect they don't know/care.
I was just trying to think how Ray would portray the current Democrat health care bill if it was coming from the Republicans instead.
He would title his article with something like this.
"Republicans send the uninsured to JAIL! Is this the only kind of help the Republicans can offer?"
"Republicans consign old people to death by stealing half a trillion dollars from medicare!"
"Republicans bend the cost care UP! The nation cannot afford the 2 trillion dollar health care bill."
"Republicans have no use for the constitution YET AGAIN!"
"You LIE! The CBO costs estimates are a deception. Five years of care for ten years of taxes."
"You call this transparency! I call it criminal, unconstitutional and the death of the GOP"
These are just a few of the possible titles Ray WOULD BE USING if the shoe were on the other foot.
I'm happy that idiot deluded conservative losers who are just big gay loving polesmokers come and whine on a site that no one's reading or care about just to feel better. I certainly hope you loser conservative idiots DONT come protesting at the upcoming rally (November 14th downtown) because that would show how big of pussies you are.
That last poster was crazy BTW. Gays get so defensive when their illusions are not supported. Since we are dealing with fantasy time I wonder how many of them still cook with easy bake ovens. This type of health care bill might outlaw gays in the future since their behavior is harmful to the bottom line health care wise.
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