Orszag: Current Health Care Bill 'Not Enough' To Fix System

Bloomberg:

The Obama administration pressed House lawmakers to strengthen legislation to revamp health care, saying it doesn't go far enough to fix a system plagued by spiraling costs that leaves millions of Americans uninsured.

White House Budget Director Peter Orszag raised the stakes in the congressional debate over the issue by telling Democratic lawmakers a proposal they are considering "would perpetuate a system in which best practices are far from universal and costs are too high."

Read the whole story: Bloomberg

Comments

[FaceReality2]

The problem is the health care industry is spending $1.6 million a day to prevent meaningful reform.

What can we expect of politicians who are financed by contributions from commercial interests?

We might as well legalize bribery and put each politician's vote (yea or nay) on Ebay. At least then the public would have a chance at buying their votes. Only the lobbyists can bid as it stands now.

[Samalabear]

I have no respect for Orszag. He may be smart, but he's also stupid. He's the one spearheading the movement to slash Medicare and Medicaid to help pay for this so-called reform. Dense, dense people. Medicare for All single payer is the only answer.

[dave1111]

"He may be smart, but he's also stupid."??­?
He can't have it both ways.

[Samalabear]

Yes, you can be very well-educated, a math wiz, be very smart, and lack common sense. Common sense is single payer. Slashing Medicare?

[BabuS5]

The United States Government (Run by the citizens tax-payers money) DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ITS CITIZENS! This country only exist in a illusion of democracy, this truly is a plutocrachy, run by the rich and wealthy squeezing everything out of the average hard working citizen, unless people rise up in the streets, noting will change in washington and the only way people will rise up if they are aware of whats going on and are properly educated, unfortunately majority of our population is neither.

[PaxEterna]

I'll say it again, although HP didn't publish it the first time:

A sixth grader could have made this analysis weeks ago.

Why does it take this supposedly brilliant administration forever to utter the obvious?

Only one option: SINGLE PAYER:which was rudely taken off the table by our President before the discussion began.

Wake up, America! Rome is burning, and the politicians and lobbyists are counting their shekles past present and future while we whine about our outcast state.

[classicalgeek]

As anyone will tell you, you can't cross a chasm by taking a bunch of tiny steps. It's time to do away with the incrementalist approach and think big!

[NYCPub]

I love all these congress people saying "there's lots of time to do this" and "we don't need arbitrary time tables and deadlines.­" I imagine that if their uninsured niece or nephew were dying of a brain tumor, they might have a different opinion on the expediency required to revamp the system. I mean, it took them all of one day to pass a bill taxing TARP recipient's bonuses 90%.

[dave1111]

Well, could be because Congress already has its own government health care system, and the 90% bonus tax is NOT in effect, it's still pending passage in the Senate.

[IowaKid]

Why are they avoiding the Public Option when the CBO said it would save money and came in well under the trillion dollars that the Baucus-Grassley BS bill came in at.

[quiviran]

Do not be confused. The "public option" is not single payer.

It is a complex scheme to allow insurance companies to dump unprofitable people on the Governments doorstep, thereby allowing them to profit from only the youngest, healthiest and most profitable Americans. It is not universal, not cheap and not what Americans wants.

Above all, don't allow Congress to claim victory for doing the wrong thing. This has all the earmarks of Medicare Part D, the biggest health insurance and drug company welfare plan to come out of Congress in years.

[johnnygoodwud]

according to world health assoc. number 1 as far as coverage france, cost approx $3200.00 per person, U.S. ranks 37th, cost, highest of any nation $6700.00 per person. keep putting the pressure on these crooked politicians both dems and repugs who keep lining their pockets from the health care industry. obama is trying to get a grass roots uprising going, i get about one e-mail a week asking to donate/volunteer. WE the people need to make this happen