Luntz Health Care Talking Points Become GOP Message

Mastermind of conservative talking points Frank Luntz has authored a 26-page report advising Republicans on how best to frame the debate over health care reform, the Politico reported last week. Luntz advised that Republicans must acknowledge there's a "crisis" and warn against a "Washington takeover" that could lead to bureaucrats "making people stand in line and denying treatment like they do in other countries with national healthcare."

Conservatives are getting the memo.

Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer on Thursday warned: "We will show you three things guaranteed to happen to every American's health care if Washington takes over the system."

In the ensuing segment, Fox medical contributor Marc Siegel was asked if wait times would increase to Canada-style lengths under the administration's plan.

"We are going to be seeing those waits," Siegel said. "We like freedom here. We're not going to be able to get our our liver transplants when we are 60 years old. We're not going to be able to get our pacemakers when we're 90 years old. We're not going to be able to have dialysis...If it is a government plan -- a public option, it's going to mean rationed care. The government is not going to approve all of that because they are going to say it's too expensive."

On Wednesday, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other House Republican leaders penned a letter to Obama that, while cordial, nevertheless used several of Luntz's key themes, as Media Matters noted.

"We believe it is possible, and necessary, to achieve these objectives through common sense reforms without rationing care, eliminating employer-sponsored health benefits for working families, raising taxes, or empowering government bureaucrats at the expense of patients and doctors," the letter said.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) definitely got the memo as well. "There's a health care crisis... when you don't have coverage, that's a crisis for you and your family," Cantor said on BIll Bennett's radio show Wednesday, as ThinkProgress noted. "The answer is not to lay it on Washington, to pump up Washington's role...We all need to be standing up and saying no to a government takeover of our system."

Alarmed Congressional Democrats met with White House adviser David Axelrod Wednesday specifically to counter the Luntz talking points. "Axelrod came to reassure us that they do have a strategy," Sen Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) told the New York Times.

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Comments

[PresidentRobertBooth]

"We will show you three things guaranteed to happen to every American's health care if Washington takes over the system."

1- It will be a vast improvement over corporations running the system.

2- Americans will be safe in the knowledge they won't suffer and die if they can't afford healthcare

3- The number of bankruptcies caused by health bills will drop to zero.

[KrugnacTheMagnificent]

"3- The number of bankruptcies caused by health bills will drop to zero."

Not exactly. If Dems get their way, we'll all be going bankrupt together, just like Medicare is now.

In permanent deficits now, completely insolvent by 2017.

[MzTexas]

A clue . . . you're already paying for the uninsureds' healthcare . . . with your tax dollars, with your insurance premiums and with your health care dollars.

The United States is becoming a third world country. We are the ONLY industrialized nation which has no national health care program. Even Afghanistan and Iraq have one for their citizens. Guess what? YOU'RE PAYING FOR THEM.

[flossophy]

1- Government controls over 50% of the health care system... and regulates the rest.

2- No one is denied treatment in this country

3- The majority of bankruptcies happening are to people on Medicare..­. BIG RED FLAG.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6263392

"Is Government Responsible for Health Care?"

i recommend the unedited debate.

[toomuchdowntime]

No one is denied treatment? Such a naive comment. You believe this to be true because of what you are told is how it works? Then try to get the real story from real people who have experienced it.

[Budokan]

It's laughabe how these conservative freaks have absolutely NO capacity for freedom of thought. They must always be told WHAT to say because they're simply not capable of thinking for themselves. They are truly, and wholly, stupefyingly ignorant, gullible, and malleable.

[KrugnacTheMagnificent]

Although I fundamentally disagree with the Republican message, they are on the same page.

Dems are similarly clueless, like Bayh begging with his own party for them to tell him their strategy (if they even have one).

[Mugzi]

The repug message of NO is not a stretch...­sorry, it doesn't take much! YES is far more reaching

[flossophy]

That's exactly what they think of the lobotomized left...

so who is more correct?

Do you think the collectivists are more sh33p like?

or the individual liberty types?

I've never heard of a free thinking collectivi­st... wouldn't that be 0xymor0nic?

[ProudLiberalDan]

There are plently of non-free thinkers on the right. In fact, they are called the "religious" right.

[patricksmom]

The individual liberty types are programmed to be for and against certain things...l­ike tea parties. It's very collective and at the same time not grass roots.

[MimiGardner]

A Government can negotiate drug prices better than anyone else. That is why so many Americans cross into Canada to have their prescriptions filled. The republicans have gone to great lengths to prevent price negotiation from happening here even going so far as to ban it in the 2003 Medicare drug bill. As I recall, several of the republicans responsible for that ban went to work for Big Pharma as soon as the law was passed. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) was one of them. Here's a link on it:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/29/60minutes/main2625305.shtml

[KrugnacTheMagnificent]

Why didn't Obama call for that to be overturned in his first 100 days? Holding it hostage?

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/73/allow-medicare-to-negotiate-for-cheaper-drug-price/

NO ACTION.

What's the hold up?

[patricksmom]

Well magnificent, in case you haven't noticed our President has had a lot on his plate and has accomplished a lot already. He isn't fool enough to claim mission accomplished or that it can all be done in such a short time.

[smharden]

I love these people who argue that they don't want the Government to deny them medical treatment, but they are more than willing to have their medical treatment denied by private insurers who are there solely to cut costs and maximize profits..

[olmossy]

Well the big banks and big money told them the democrats don't love jesus, and are communist.
and since everything anyone says right after he says he loves jesus, must be true.
they prefer to believe the Big Folks and you know the big folks are allways dressed up so nice and successfull looking.( With bailout and all) They gotta be truthing.

[olmossy]

Your right, Blue cross Blue shield, told me I was too young for this or that treatmant, till I hit 6Then It became Your too old for this or that treatment.
Anyone who says they don't want a government employee telling them what they need has never had an Insurance agent telling them.

[olmossy]

Sorry that 60

[tomasedison]

GOP = PARROTS ain't that the truth....

No wonder they need their daily talking points...

[force fed up]

I was just thinking the same thing.

[blist14]

millions of people without health care myth

why? because the millions of people without health care includes rich people ,people who can afford and dont want it(a lot of the upper and middle class people)

[hjfraser2002]

What are you smoking? No myth, it is a fact. 50 mil and growing thanks to loss of jobs.

If you are the best the right has at this time,

[patricksmom]

No myth Blist. Also no myth are all the people who face bankruptcy due to medical expenses and those who are underinsured and won't even know, sometimes, until they need the benefits.

[swift goat pet for truth]

oh, yeah. the rich. The upper 1% starts at about $400 K/ yr. The upper 2% starts at $250K.

And each group KNOWS a serious illness or accident can wipe out $1 mil in a year.

[olmossy]

He's probably talking about all thse ecentric Millionaires you see living under bridges and pushing carts arount town.

[patricksmom]

Love your comment about those eccentric millionaires olmossy.

[blist14]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FiaUpeJxcA&feature=player_embedded

learn about the economy liberals

[hjfraser2002]

Stand up, turn around, and walk out your front door. You can learn more about the economy, by ten fold , by just looking around.

[patricksmom]

We know the economy blist, particularly the Bush version and we don't want anymore of it.

[swift goat pet for truth]

BWWWAAHHAH­AHAHAHHAAH­AHAHAHAH!!­!!

The GOP has PROVEN over 28 years they cannot manage the economy, the dollar or the budget.

And you want the LIBS to learn about the economy??!?!?!?!

ROTFLMFAO!!!!

[blist14]

look it up i google

[hjfraser2002]

Uh what?

[blood1]

As I have already discussed his Liver Transplant­...let's get serious about "Wait Times in Canada". To start of, each provence has their own healthcare, so it is not exactly like comparing CA to RI. Additionally, wait times in Canada used to be terrible..­.but clever Canadians recognized they had a problem and are working to address it. The data is accessible and I choose the first one: British Columbia:

http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/cpa/mediasite/waitlist/median.html

POINT of Clarification: THESE ARE SCHEDULED SURGERIES, NOT EMERGENCIES, because Canada, just like the US....trea­ts all emergencie­s....Immed­iately!

I am willing to debate that most individuals have wait times like the ones in BC...but they are waiting for approval from their Health Care Provider (who is magically going to reduce cost...by delaying surgeries?­)...Anyhow­, the times are not horrendous, UNLESS, of course you are one of those who think you get surgery by driving up to a hospital, hopping out of the car and requesting then receiving your surgery de jour immediately! (Today, I think I want a new hip).

Yet another BOGUS argument Debunked from Lundt's talking points....­...NEXT!

[patricksmom]

Good job blood!

[WinterParkMom]

This is old news. They started last week or the week before on that memo.

Oh, and BTW I really wish someone, anyone would have the guts to ask a republican for their proof that the Canadian system is bad. My mom and sis have lived there for....too many years to remember, and never, never, never were denied care or had to wait for months for ANY treatment or therapy. My mom gets screened for cancer every year because my aunt died of it. She's been seeing her doctor about something in her legs and HE wants to schedule surgery, but SHE doesn't want it.
My sis fell down a flight of stairs and broke her collar bone or shoulder and had to have surgery and physical therapy right away and she didn't have to wait.

It's lies, lies, lies to scare Americans into believing that single payer doesn't work. My sis can tell you different. I dare one of these people on MSNBC to ask for proof that the Canadian system doesn't work, proof with statistics, hard numbers!!! I know it's too much to ask it of faux.

[hjfraser2002]

Spot on.

[helonias]

But who said

You Treat ME As You Treat The Least Of You

[littleblackcat]

There is a grassroots strategy also. It is having people from nations that have socialized medicine talk to the American people. The rethugs don't want reform because there are too many of them getting nice fat perks from the insurance and pharmaceuticals industries. The ones who stand to lose the most are those who make the most money from the system as it is, which is denial of care to millions of people.
Single-payer or socialized medicine that gives everyone needed care will rob them of their cash cow, and unfortunately, there is neither cure nor treatment for the disease of greed.

[blist14]

learn about ayn rand

[Subterfuge]

We did. That's how we know you are betraying your own self-interest.

[hjfraser2002]

Nothing new to learn. Just for your info, what you are trying to say here has been said over and over agin. And it has been shown to be bunk, over and over again.

[Tidyus]

i really enjoyed Ayn Rand when I was thirteen. IT's a bit much for adults don't you think?

[swift goat pet for truth]

I did.
Ayn Rand = Me first.

Then I learned about Spider-Man.
"With great power comes great responsibility".

I'll take Spider-Man.

[ProudLiberalDan]

You do realize that "Atlas Shrugged" was FICTION. (And, a 1,000 page diatribe with one dimensional characters in implausible plotlines at that).

No wonder only 21% of the country identifies as a Republican. The conservative movement cannot distinguish between reality and a fictional book. No wonder the conservative movements failed policies left a trail of destruction at home, abroad and to the constitution.

[surlyguvna]

No surprise here, the GOP takes turns sharing one brain!

[blist14]

learn about our country economy from history to present

[AGarcia]

But I don't want be an economist or a pirate!

[swift goat pet for truth]

I have.

FDR to 1980 - With government help the greatest expansion of US economic strength and power.

Last 28 years of GOPer Rule = Economy Sucks. US power sucks. US image worldwide sucks.

So, what next?