Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[ATV]

The real "activist" judges...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/06/opinion/06gewirtz.html?_r=3

[Rome]

I wonder if this fargtard ever realizes that (1) he's pretty much preaching to the choir here regarding leftist politics, and (2) no one here gives a shtein what he posts?

I mean, it's gotten to the point where I'm starting to feel a little sorry for him.  Not sorry enough to piss on him if he was set on fire, but just a little.

[MadMarchHare]

Wendell Potter divulges to Bill Moyers about how he and the rest of the health care industry worked to discredit Michael Moore and his movie SiCKO...

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html

WENDELL POTTER: The industry doesn't want to have any competitor. In fact, over the course of the last few years, has been shrinking the number of competitors through a lot of acquisitions and mergers. So first of all, they don't want any more competition period. They certainly don't want it from a government plan that might be operating more efficiently than they are, that they operate. The Medicare program that we have here is a government-run program that has administrative expenses that are like three percent or so.

BILL MOYERS: Compared to the industry's--

WENDELL POTTER: They spend about 20 cents of every premium dollar on overhead, which is administrative expense or profit. So they don't want to compete against a more efficient competitor.

This'll fall on deaf ears, I know, but even by Moore's standards, Sicko was complete bullshtein.  Yeah, the English system of health care is so great, people can't get their hands on new cancer meds.  Woo Hoo.  It was even more contrived than Fahrenheit 911.

[ATV]

Thanks for backing that up with plenty of evidence.

In other news, the moon is in fact made of cheese.

[phillymic2000]

Thanks for backing that up with plenty of evidence.

In other news, the moon is in fact made of cheese.

The moon? Really? holy cow, I never knew...

[ATV]

In order to further obstruct and prolong the progression of the health care bill, Repubelicans block their very own amendments...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5AmhI9g7o

[Butchers Bill]

In order to further obstruct and prolong the progression of the health care bill, Repubelicans block their very own amendments...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5AmhI9g7o

First of all, they should do all they can to stop Obamacare from becoming a reality because it would be an utter disaster.

Secondly it was pretty clear that the end of the video the guy Dodd was talking to may have had some objections to some of the amendments, meaning for whatever reason, the GOP had not yet decided on what package of amendments they wanted to submit.

[SD_Eagle5]

First of all, they should do all they can to stop Obamacare from becoming a reality because it would be an utter disaster.

What would be so disastrous about it? I'm not gonna sit here and say I have all the answers or know enough about it but I do know that doing nothing about it is unacceptable. Other countries that provide healthcare for their citizens seem to be doing well.

[Butchers Bill]

First of all, they should do all they can to stop Obamacare from becoming a reality because it would be an utter disaster.

What would be so disastrous about it? I'm not gonna sit here and say I have all the answers or know enough about it but I do know that doing nothing about it is unacceptable. Other countries that provide healthcare for their citizens seem to be doing well.

Both England and Canada (those are the two most cited examples of "success") ration their care, which is what would happen here.  You can get emergency care, sure, but you can do that in the US already as well.

The NHS cannot, and never has been able to, offer every treatment to everyone who needs it.

In 2006, a U.K. health board decreed that elderly patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to save the other eye. It took almost three years of public protests before the board reversed its decision.

Nearly six out of 10 GPs say they are not giving their patients the best possible treatment, mainly because of NHS rationing.


There needs to be serious reform in the US but universal care is not the answer.  Medicare and Medicaid are already on the verge of bankruptcy, are grossly inefficient, and fraught with fraud.  The VA isn't all that much better.  I am reminded of an old joke I first heard from my father (a 30 year Air Force vet) and recently heard from an active duty friend of mine..."Where do old vets go to die?  A VA hospital waiting room".

[phillymic2000]

First of all, they should do all they can to stop Obamacare from becoming a reality because it would be an utter disaster.

What would be so disastrous about it? I'm not gonna sit here and say I have all the answers or know enough about it but I do know that doing nothing about it is unacceptable. Other countries that provide healthcare for their citizens seem to be doing well.

How about 1 trillion dollars over the first 10 years how about the current gov. show's us they can manage money. Clearly G.W.B. and crew farged the people. Instead of Obama and crew continuing the uncontrolled spending. How about they show that they can deliver on their earlier promises of unemployment not exceeding 8% and the stimulus package actually working. Wait a minute my bad, Obama is the bomb yo! i mean a whopping 15, or 20% of the stimulus has been spent, brilliant.

[phillymic2000]

In order to further obstruct and prolong the progression of the health care bill, Repubelicans block their very own amendments...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz5AmhI9g7o

Jesus fargin christ, if you cant see both sides are signed sealed and delivered you are a complete idiot. The repuebs as you call them had full control and did diddly shtein. The dems now have control and are pushing everything they want. Its fargin black and white, when the repubs had power the dems called for bi-partisanship. Now that the dems have power the repubs will cry for it also. Its a fargin tit for tat game. Both sides are bought and both sides are pushing for where the cash is coming from.

[Diomedes]

Both England and Canada (those are the two most cited examples of "success") ration their care, which is what would happen here.  You can get emergency care, sure, but you can do that in the US already as well.

Ah, the "ration" fearmongering.  You didn't just get the memo, you read it.

The NHS cannot, and never has been able to, offer every treatment to everyone who needs it.

Neither can our system, or any proposed anywhere. 

In 2006, a U.K. health board decreed that elderly patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to save the other eye. It took almost three years of public protests before the board reversed its decision.

Waaah.  The sob stories and institutional FAIL we have here are at least as numerous and heinous. 

Nearly six out of 10 GPs say they are not giving their patients the best possible treatment, mainly because of NHS rationing.

Meanwhile 4 out of 10 GPs and 9 out of 10 patients can't stand our system.

There needs to be serious reform in the US but universal care is not the answer.  Medicare and Medicaid are already on the verge of bankruptcy, are grossly inefficient, and fraught with fraud.  The VA isn't all that much better.  I am reminded of an old joke I first heard from my father (a 30 year Air Force vet) and recently heard from an active duty friend of mine..."Where do old vets go to die?  A VA hospital waiting room".

No one is seriously proposing nationalizing all health care.  We have however finally realized that it's ridiculous to operate our nation without health care for all.  Ethiopa only wishes it had our failing systems. 

The problems with Medicare and Medicaid are well documented, and subject to political whim.  That doesn't mean we'd be better off without them. 

Finally, the only two Vets I know who use the VA hospitals are quite happy with their care, your father's totally awesome joke notwithstanding.

[Geowhizzer]

All I know it my own personal experience.  My health care plan has covered less and become more expensive every year for each of the last ten.  My wife just had to pretty much ditch her plan because we couldn't afford it.  I'm spending about $600 to cover my two children per month.  And by most standards we're considered middle class (i.e. can't get current state-funded plans because we make too much money).

Obama's plan may be far from perfect, but something has to be done.  There are many in worse shape than we are.

[ATV]

We basically already have universal healthcare - Only for those in/of the military and medicare for the elderly. It works. My Father was in the Air Force so my family grew up with it. We would see the doctor whenever we wanted and it was totally free. Nobody in my family ever had a single complaint. Now my Father has medicare and he raves about it.

Conservative poltician in Canada defends his country's health care system from Repubelican distortions...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/tory-senator-goes-to-bat-for-health-care/article1194686/

[Sgt PSN]

tri care is what the military has for medical coverage and if you are stationed on a base that has a full blown military hospital, it's not too bad.  however, there have been some closure's of base hospitals dod wide.  the base i'm on doesn't have, so the closest is a civilian hospital that's 35 miles away.  there's also no family care clinic on this base either, which means that dependents also need to be treated off base as well even for a cold or flu. 

once you get treated by civilian medical facilities, that's where the problems start.  there's always some problem with the paperwork and the serviceman/woman always recieves the bills rather than them being sent to tri care for payment.  and even when tri care does get the bills, it takes them forever to process the payment which leads to phone calls from bill collectors on behalf of the place that provided you treatment. 

in addition to that, tri care is broken down regionally and each region has different plans and policies.  every time i transfer duty stations i need to re-enroll myself in tri care.   also, since my kids live in the pacific nw (a place i'll likely never be stationed again), they are enrolled under the nw region.  every time i move, my kids automatically get tranferred in tri care as well, which makes more paperwork for me getting them back in the nw region.  and whenever they come visit me, i have to enroll them in the tri care region that i live in and then change them back when they go home. 

emergency care is also a pain in the ass as well.  you pretty much need to call tri care while being treated in the er and let them know that you're at the er.  otherwise, you can expect months of phone calls and debt notices in the mail.......which will farg up your credit report until tri care actually pays the bill.  actually, you can probably expect it anyway.  i made a trip to the er a few years ago because i separated my shoulder and my local medical clinic didn't even have the capability to treat me.  so they sent me out in town to the er.  i called tri care before i even left the clinic and told them about it and i still kept receiving hospital bills for almost 6 months. 

in other words, tri care sucks and i wouldnt wish it on a 3rd world nation, let alone this one. 

of course, that doesn't mean that i'm opposed to universal healthcare.  as long as it's actually universal.

btw.....medical coverage in the military isn't totally free.  i pay for my insurance every month, just like you guys do.  i just happen to pay a seriously reduced rate.....something like $20 a month.