Daschle At Odds With Obama On Health Care

The Daily Beast:

Tom Daschle, Obama's original pick to overhaul the health care system, is now floating a rival plan, to the administration's chagrin. The Daily Beast's Richard Wolffe asks the president's failed health nominee which side he's on.

Read the whole story: The Daily Beast

Comments

[sarahtonin]

Which side is he on? He's on his own side, as always.

[psch]

Compromise - in whos favour? With 75% support for serious healthcare reform, any compromise will ONLY be in favour of the special interests and not anyone else.

When are the fence-siting democrats going to realize that they are the biggest obstructionist to serious progress on this issue? They are either deaf and don't want to hear the 75% message, or they hear just fine, but only have ears for those that line their pockets. Other countries have made this work - in different ways, not just the universal healthcare way - and the fence-sitters should just get with the program.

Daschle's 'it's difficult stuff' is only difficult, because he's listening to the special interests and then trying to sell it to the people. Pulling one over on 75% majority, I agree is difficult. So why not make life easier and go with the flow, get with the 75%.

[apduncan1]

That "difficult" mantra is pure BS ... Daschle is also in the pocket of the insurance industry. Period. A wolf in sheep clothing.

[dawnec1957]

President Obama is listening. Go to his web site ( http://stories.barackobama.com/healthcare/home/1)

I was reading individule stories until 2am. I was happy to hear that nearly everyone I read, was asking Obama for SINGLE PAYER. Get involved. Read the stories, write your own. Let our voices be heard. Than go out and organize, hit the streets with signs. Get a group with signs and go to hospitals.­.better yet, if you live in the city, go to the Health (for profit and with no regards to your health) Insurance CO. PICKET!!

[GirlOutWest]

This article is from the Denver Post (6/7/09) regarding the "myths" of the Canadian Health Care System.

http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_12523427

It's interesting.

[fcsakes]

Cut the military budget in half, bring VA into medicare, outlaw for-profit insurance ( why in the hell are we trying to save those leeches?)

[grace14]

The fact of the matter is that the reason Canadians have Free Health Care is that Canadians pay a Sales Tax on everything they buy (happily ). Ex food clothing retail everything­..And in EXCHANGE for that Sales Tax which goes to Federal Government ( nonprofit, strongly regulated, lower cost) is that Health care is FREE for everyone. Coverage starts from birth to death, yes aliens to, they also are purchasing­...

Not socialism Republicans, all Canadians "paying" on everything they buy. Buy a coffee, their health care is being paid for period.
1. No Cash changes hands ever
2. NEVER Denied
3. NEVER told..Cana­dians chose their own DR -Treatments
4. All get Health Card ID--show ID card at Dr., hospitals--Dr, hospitals send in your bill to Government­-done-paid
5. NEVER no worry, if one loses job--still covered--still purchasing.
6. NEVER bankruptcy, or losing ones hard earned assets, your elderly parents losing their homes--YOUR inheritanc­e...NOT insurance companies
7.NEVER take cash out of their yearly wages,put our thousands in our savings account-for child college, new home etc..
8. Small business save employee health care.Compa­nies take that money, reinvest in their own company.
9. Government nonprofit, cost savings, no advertisements etc or lobbyist paying congress and insurance co paying lobbyist --with your health care $$$-
10. NEVER denied because of precondition--
11.NEVER on phone looking looking for insurance to afford , n
.12. All Canadians living the good life

[starboymikey]

.12. All Canadians living the good life
__________­__________­__________­__________

Are you Canadian that you know this to be a fact? A neighbor of mine emigrated here from Canada and says their system stinks. It takes four years to get something like a knee replacement because you have to wait so long. Canadians are coming here to the U.S. to get procedures like this done. Doctors are leaving the country in droves because they're getting paid so little.

On the other hand, life-saving procedures are never denied and critical health care is available to everyone (depending on how you define *critical*­.)

Hey, I am totally for a public health care option in this country, but there are two sides to every story and the Canadian system is not a be of roses and not "all Canadians are living the good life." That is a nutty idea.

[apduncan1]

Name one Canadian that came here for knee replacement surgery ... put up or shut up.

[dawnec1957]

ummmm, get your news straight STARBOY...­..When and if they need special procedures done, they are allowed to come to the USA and get it done...And the cost? It doesn't matter because the Canadian Government pays the bill...
Now go check and see how many bankrupt Canadains there are because of health care....He­##, don't bother yourself with real research, I have done it...And the amount is 0, NaDa, ZIP!

[emlr]

Want to write to Tom and let him kow how you feel? I just did.
[e-mail]

[escribacat]

Thanks. Done.

[apduncan1]

Thanks. Done.

[escribacat]

Daschle and all the rest of them should have to relinquish their own coverage until the bill is passed and health care is available to all of us. Maybe that will give them the appropriate perspective.

[x004Ronin]

"In return, Daschle felt that his Republican counterparts dropped their opposition to universal coverage, and especially mandates for companies and individuals—which would levy fees or taxes on those who don’t offer coverage or take up insurance.­"

If the Republicans in Congress had been reasonable since President Obama took office, and offered thoughtful compromises, I would actually be okay with this tactical retreat on the public option, because that retreat would lead to Republican support for a compromise bill.

However, whenever President Obama tries to meet Republicans halfway, they say stuff like, "We're open to the bill." "We appreciate the effort" etc. etc., then they ALL VOTE NO.

So I'm against this compromise, because in my opinion the Republicans won't give votes to a compromise bill...so why compromise?

[calfacon]

[ This is difficult stuff,” he tells me. “It’s not easy. There’s no painless way to reach compromise. ]

Well, you could have started by not compromising to start with! Now you eant to compromise on the compromise?!?! I'm feeling very, very ill ; in so many different ways.

[pbziegler]

And we thought it was going to be different with the Demos in power. Too many cowards who need corporate dough. A pox on both their houses.

[x004Ronin]

This guy has no role in Congress or the Administration. I honestly don't know why he gets so much press.

[SOLERSO68]

gee whiz this is hard im a democrat but i loooooove all that insurance company money! LOL pysche! thats nots hard, gimme that money!!!

[beastmode]

Daschle is a political coward and a craven servant of special interest. There is little else needed to know about him.

[starboymikey]

Private insurance never will and never *can* solve the health care crisis in this country because they *are* the crisis.

Expecting a for-profit company to do anything that is against its own interests is such an obvious conflict of interest that it's a joke. These guys care about making money for their share holders, and the way they do that is to weed out sick people and deny services wherever possible. For God's sake, they essentially devote a huge chunk of money to making sure that sick people stay sick. Of course it's never presented in such stark terms, but even an ultra-conservative buddy of mine who hates the idea of any sort of public option concedes that this is essentially how private health insurance works.

Once again the Dems are about to let us down because they lack the courage to stand up for what they claim to believe in. The fact that 75% of voters support some sort of public option means nothing to the crowd we keep electing. Screw 'em all, Repubs and Dems. I'm sick to death of politics in this country.