Conservatives Launch Ad Blitz Against Public Healthcare

CNN.com:

As the first legislative action on reforming the nation's health care system draws near, interest groups on various sides of the issue are stepping up their media and lobbying efforts with all sides knowing how much is at stake.

A group favoring a market-based approach and emphasizing patient choice, Conservatives for Patient Rights, came out Friday with two new ads featuring British and Canadian citizens who have suffered problems, such as a British woman who could not get a pap smear and her later diagnosis with cervical cancer came too late for treatment and a Canadian man who had to travel to the U.S. to get his heart condition treated. "Listen to those who already have government run health care," states the ad. "Tell Congress to listen to."

Read the whole story: CNN.com

Comments

[foreffectivegovernment]

Richard Noxon's explaination of HMOs. " the less care they give them, the more money they make."
Transcript of taped conversation between President Richard Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman (1971) that led to the HMO act of 1973:
Ehrlichman: "Edgar Kaiser is running his Permanente deal for profit. And the reason that he can - the reason he can do it - I had Edgar Kaiser come in - talk to me about this and I went into it in some depth. All the incentives are toward less medical care, because -"
President Nixon: [Unclear.]
Ehrlichman: " the less care they give them, the more money they make."
President Nixon: "Fine." [Unclear.]

This is how it was foisted on the American people.
In the Senate, (Ted) Kennedy, author of the HMO Act, also encouraged its passage: ``I have strongly advocated passage of legislation to assist the development of health maintenance organizations as a viable and competitive alternative to fee-for-service practice. This bill represents the first initiative by the Federal Government which attempts to come to grips directly with the problems of fragmentation and disorganization in the health care industry. I believe that the HMO is the best idea put forth so far for containing costs and improving the organization and the delivery of health-care services.'­'

[smileatfear]

If our system is so great and the EU and Canadian systems are so bad why aren't they demanding their govts. switch to American style health care? That's a rhetorical question because we all know the answer.

[up420oz]

True that!

One of the talking points being used by big Pharma is that Canadians do not have easy access to medicine / drugs.

Really, we cant get drugs in Canada, but US senior citizens can get access?

The lies comming out supported by the republican party is astounding!

[DinSea]

IMO - every aspect of health BUSINESS needs to be audited. There is no more health CARE. Medicare dropped dental & mental health benefits -- my neighbors are all toothless and crazy because of this, not to mention suffering a myriad of afflictions due to same.

Community clinics often don't even have a doctor on the premises! A nurse practitioner has all the power to decide whether or not to dispense critical meds. Bipolar people and other mental health patients are left to self medicate any way they can, and then hide in a foxhole until President Obama reinstates those benefits and sends a team in to audit every single person and establishment that hangs out a shingle for health purposes. We are ripped off on every side.

[Miketou]

Why don't they make a documentary about the thousands of American Citizens who died because they couldn't afford health care. Give the full picture!

[DinSea]

be sure to include suicides from mental health patients who have been dropped from Medicare

[smileatfear]

Or the thousands who have died because their insurance companies refused to pay for testing or treatments their drs. ordered.

[petef59]

Bamboozle 'em with bs: is, was, and seems will always be the GOP strategy. How jr high school.

[ams23]

this people are scared that nationalized healthcare will work and will drive the insurance comp out of business just like detroit killed mass transit. look at gm now if healthcare does not get fix this country will go under by 2011. Just wait until the baby boomers start getting sick etc, and generation Y starts having children we are at 310 million and counting. Good luck to the HMO's and fyi the illegals are not going anywhere neither the balloning 50 million plus with out health insure and i bet this recession has made that number WAYYYY higher. If we had nationalized health care and mass transit in every city and town in america we would not be paying the terrorist nor paying for the CEO 30 milion dollar apts in NYC. Some GOPers are just stupid they are making the rich richer and themselfs poorer they will wake up in 2012 trust me. Once they seem themselves in the street with no healthcare nor job. They will see how great the FREE MARKET IS.

[smileatfear]

Some of them will never wake up. They'd rather be poor and homeless than admit they are wrong.

[ams23]

MY GOD , going to europe or canada it's like tasting freedom here in america if you are broke,white trash, black or latino , you are worthless it's very sad. The gop says there will be a revolution i believe them.But the revolution is of all the serfs, rising up and TAKING THIS COUNTRY BACK, why do you people think they are rushing to fix the economy. So they can keep us docile. Funny thing the economy is nowhere to being fixed.

[ThomasPaineWeNeedYou]

Found this in Wikipedia under taxation in Canada very interesting about payroll taxes and also this

Health and Prescription Insurance Tax
Ontario charges a tax on income for the health system. These amounts are collected through the income tax system, and do not determine eligibility for public health care. The Ontario Health Premium is an additional amount charged on an individual's income tax that ranges from $300 for people with $20,000 of taxable income to $900 for high income earners. Individuals with less than $20,000 in taxable income are exempt.

Quebec also requires residents to obtain prescription insurance. When an individual does not have insurance, they must pay an income-derived premium. As these are income related, they are considered to be a tax on income under the law in Canada.

Other provinces, such as British Columbia, charge premiums collected outside of the tax system for the provincial medicare systems. These are usually reduced or eliminated for low-income people.

Alberta does not levy any taxes or premiums for its provincial medicare [1].

[smileatfear]

Heck of a lot cheaper than my insurance premiums.

[ThomasPaineWeNeedYou]

Look up the Canada Health Act its there webpage and lots of info still can't find a salary fee structure but was a statement that based on 40,500 american wage base the premium was about 500+ per year. Don't know if that's family or individual but if family wow.

[ThomasPaineWeNeedYou]

I'm a chiropractor and want national health care. I am 56 and economy has hurt business and now have a policy that I can afford for family of 4 but with 25000 deductable at 179/ m but recently found out that it's 25000 individual and 50000 family. I'm cancelling and going shopping again my last one was 274/ m with 5000 deductable. Good thing I'm a chiropractor and we are healthy.
What I want to know from any Canadians or Brits, or anyone on National Health is what does it cost you in your payroll tax based on salaries, where do I find the schedules of what you pay based on salaries, any links would be appreciated or any info on how the fees are structured b/c we always hear it's free but it must cost something?
Saw Sicko finally and it's really good everyone who hasn't seen it should as well as Supersize Me.
Ams23's post @ 1:23 am talks about the corporations keeping us under control and what better way to do that than keep everyone sick with bad food that provides little to no nutrition but lots of fat to keep us unhealthy, in Sicko there is an Englishman who talks about if people are kept in despair and unhealthy they won't take part in deomocracy the way they should or want to.

[talkitreal]

This page may help you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Canada

[Banjoplayer]

Across the street from me we recently had a new neighbors move in from the UK. The neighbors are a couple with a newborn. Husband works as a engineer for a large construction company. Speaking with the wife, she is totally flabbergasted with our health care system and totally annoyed by her husbands companies insurance of huge deductibles and co payments. She could not believe how they much paid out for the babies wellness care, cost of pharmaceuticals and worst, what it cost for diagnosis procedures for a recent bad back ache she suffered. She explained that she will be returning to the UK this summer with the baby for a month and plans to get her treatment done then, have most of the babies wellness procedures done and stock up on some medications they need. Its all FREE.

[GoodFeathers]

I had to check out something on my skin. I tried to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist and got a 60 days wait. And I have a good health insurance plan through my employer.

[Banjoplayer]

Yea, and if they find it positive plan on another wait with a oncology surgeon.

Just went through it.

[marijam]

I have health insurance through my employer, the doctor I picked from the list wasn't taking any new patients. This is choice?

[ProudLiberalDan]

The biggest LIE that conservatives tell about about a public universal health care system is that you will have to wait for procedures and be subjected to rationing in a public plan and if health care in in the profit sector you won't.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There are already waits for procedures in the private system and health care in already rationed (a.k.a. "denied") by private corporations seeking to provide as little health care as possible in order to increase profits and already bloated executive pay.

[smileatfear]

Absolutely. I hope some groups start putting out pro-nationalized health care ads with some of us who have been through all this bs with the insurance companies and have had our health care "rationed" by self-serving insurance execs.

[ams23]

funny thing people in europe are happier there is less crime, etc etc, and the population of the E.U is 500 million people. America has become a jail, i bet if people had a choice between europe or here this country will empty out. We are hostages of the big corporations, they are killing us like animals be it healthcare or credit cards fees where does it end. The us is entering a really scary time where if we are not carefull we will have a another Hitler or mousolinni in our hands. The U.S has become another brazil or south africa it's just so sad. where the top 10% own everything and control everything while the multi nationals rule our lives. I prefer a govt that give us universal healthcare and good education system to what we have now. now is if ur parents are wealthy you can get into the right school and have a great health care. If your poor good luck making it to 16. this is sad.

[ams23]

funny how the european's n canadians are not rushing to the maket healthcare where you have to be rich to get the best health care in the world... only rich white people are this heartless.­.. let the poor die bc maket base health care is if u pay u live if not u die

[BullMoose1]

Rich black people and rich brown people get preferred treatment too. It's not about skin color, it's about money.

[GeoLee]

The major difference between 1993 and 2009 is that through the massive explosion of the internet, we now have the opportunity to talk with citizens of the countries what offer a national health single pay system and we are less likely to let televisions ads influnece or inform. We hear from citizens and the majority of them not only discount the ads, they do it with vigor as they are incensed that televisions ads try to lie to us and are so outrageously uninformed about health care elsewhere. I could walk in our streets in Kansas in any town and create equally horrifying stories about health care n America and about people who have test delayed by their private pay American system. In fact, next week I will be visiting a friend in Oklahoma City whose delay will most likely be the cause of her death from a cancer that was found and that has spread much too far in a 6 month delay in a doctor (under her school system plan) running a test that only was done when the friend turned 65 and medicare paid for it. IN other words, her natiionalized health care plan run by the U.S. government was the plan that allowed for the test that her for profit market based, free market plan turned down. The free marked plan probably has the major responsibility fo rher ultimate death.