Steele: Obama Is Part Of Health Care "Cabal"

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Republican party is accusing President Barack Obama of conducting "risky experimentation" with his health care proposals, saying they will hurt the economy and force millions to drop their current coverage.

Michael Steele, in remarks prepared for delivery at the National Press Club, also said the president, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and key congressional committee chairmen are part of a "cabal" that wants to implement government-run health care.

"Obama-Pelosi want to start building a colossal, closed health care system where Washington decides. Republicans want and support an open health care system where patients and doctors make the decisions," Steele said in excerpts of his speech made available in advance.

Obama has repeatedly said he does not favor a government-run health care system. Legislation taking shape in the House envisions private insurance companies selling coverage in competition with the government.

Even so, numerous Republicans in Congress continue to level the accusation at Obama and congressional Democrats, and Steele did so in sharply critical terms.

"Many Democrats outside of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid-Waxman cabal know that voters won't stand for these kinds of foolish prescriptions for our health care. We do too. That's why Republicans will stop at nothing to remind voters about the risky experimentation going on in Washington," the party chairman said in advance excerpts. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is Senate majority leader; Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Republican officials said they were supplementing Steele's speech with a round of television advertising designed to oppose government-run health care. No details were immediately available on the areas where the commercials would run or their cost.

In his speech, Steele broadened his attack beyond health care to question Obama's truthfulness.

The president "tells us he doesn't want to spend more than we have, he doesn't want the deficit to go up, he doesn't want to live off borrowed money. But he also told us he didn't want to run an auto company. President Obama justifies this spending by saying the devil made him do it. He doesn't want to spend trillions we can't afford, but he says he just can't help it," Steele said in the prepared excerpts.

The Republican chairman is making his speech at a time when Obama is struggling to advance his trademark health care proposal after a period of evident progress. Two of three House committees have approved their portions of the bill, while one of two Senate panels have acted.

But conservative Democrats have raised objections to some elements of the legislation, and efforts in the Senate to reach a bipartisan agreement have yet to bear fruit. Obama's attempt to impose an early August deadline on both the House and Senate for passage of legislation is in jeopardy.

Comments

[Cliffman]

This is a generalization on my part, but I must ask the question: What do opponents of health care reform have in common? THEY ALL HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE ALREADY!

[Traynor]

They will continue to be oppositional until they or their family members face a devastating illness and are denied coverage, which has happened to thousands, if not millions of Americans. THEN they will wish they had supported single payer health care reform.

[Hollyhock44]

Cliffman: yes you have generalized and quite incorrectly. I do NOT have health insurance. I am an opponent of taxes continuing to rise as well as providing benefits to people who are not citizens or do not contribute to our society's well being. I want Hollywood, Bufffet, Sharpton, J. Jackson, Congress, Senate and the entire Obama administration to use the same health care plan that we will. Furthermore, where is this money coming from? No it will not come from those who make $350,000+. If you believe that you are foolish. Everyone on this post appears to ignore the fact that our national deficit is greater than ever before and continues to rise. Everyone seems to ignore all the earmarks in the original stimulus bill that were NOT supposed to exist but they do. Certain designations for the stimulus money have not come occurred. Everyone seems to be oblivious to the unemployment rate that is greater than predicted and that was not inherited. I am NOT a Republican nor a lemming so don't start the axe on my neck but I try to be logical and look more clearly than the rest of you are capable of doing.

[Manchesterian]

Steel(e) without substance, uncanny!

[Sportster2005]

Most people who accept responsibility for themselves and their family can get health insurance. It means doing without discretionary items. My parents provided health insurance for us that way, and they did not complain about it. They accepted their responsibility, and we enjoyed life doing the things that are really important and doing without "stuff." The people that really need to grow up are the Americans that think they need everything to be somebody and that the government owes it all to them.

[Synnerman]

You are full of it. Even people with insurance are getting less and less for what they pay. Corporate insurance is a joke.

[chriss0114]

glad they could get it

the number one cause of bankruptcy is medical--

when the insurance RUNS OUT (maximum benefits reached)

or when the insurance decides they are retroactively canceling the policy for various reasons or not covering that illness which is often impossible to fight

transfer to a new job or get laid off and the smallest medical issue can be raised as a "pre-existing condition" that while you might get coverage now, it might be used against you later if you get a major disease like cancer and the insurance company may decide to cancel your policy

(happens all the time and insurance execs just testified before congress that they will continue this practice)

[Chip W]

Compare your parents costs to today's costs.
This is about the government taking care of people for many on the right and few on the left.
It's about "What's the best was to do it?"

[dragonlady620]

During your parents' day the picture was very different. The cost of healthcare has skyrocketed because it is profit-driven and it has nothing to do with "people not accepting responsiblity".
Don't display your ignorance.

[RegDame]

Dragonlady620 is right. The costs -- plural! -- of today's health care include the payments claimed by all the non-MD's lined up between doctors and patients. Procedures and medications are decided by business wonks, not physicians. And the basis for their decisions is profit, not the patient's health. On the other hand, we can't really gripe when a doctor's choice of medication is denied and an alternative asked for -- the company making the denied stuff is gouging, and the insurance company rejects it. But most of the problems are not the result of a balancing act -- the whole system is way unbalanced.

[whodoyouvoodoo]

The future of healthcare?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrwdZ2bX-oc

[PamperedHousecat]

Cute.
But I was in a PPO with Unitedhealthcare, and the doctor still had only a certain amount of time to spend with me.
And before that I was in an HMO, and had to get permission from my primary care doctor to see any other specialist.
You neoconservs get me with these dire warnings that "There will be a government worker between you and your doctor". Right now there is an insurance worker between me and my doctor. Explain to me the difference? And don't get me started about all the procedures my insurance will NOT cover.
And finally, stop with this crap about , "Oh you'll have to wait for health care". The last time I made an appointment last year to see my doctor for my tests, I called during the last week in July, and her first available appt. was Oct. 8!!! But according to you neocons, all I need to do is "go the emergency room, if there's really something wrong". D___! THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO PREVENT!!

[MJinCanada]

For that matter, in Canada, there is no government worker between me and my health care.

Seriously.

The doctor submits paperwork about number of patients and hours and such, and gets paid by the government. I've never, ever heard of a case where the government refused to pay.

[mjtaylor22]

hey tom, STFUP
NOW

[Trigga]

I find the GOP response to healthcare reform repugnant. They aren't interested in any reform. They had control of everything for 6 years, and no healthcare reform came from it. Granted, we were sidetracked by the attacks, a lack of ideas from the GOP and the rush to wage war in places where we shouldn't have gone, but I guess they figured that healthcare wasn't important then. Heeeyyy, wait a minute. We're still in two wars, the GOP is still out of ideas, and they still don't think healthcare is important. Wait a minute! I'm stuck in a timeloop!!! Everything is still the same! Argh!

[mld678]

Our goal should be to cover all individuals through private health insurance. We are not prepared to turn our health system over to the government. Advocate for greater transparency in both quality and price information. Place both the decision making ability and healthcare dollars in the hands of the consumer. Support the Friends of the U.S. Chamber and sign the Health Care petition at http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/takeaction/index.cfm?ID=40 .

[JustAThought56]

Look, try to understand the economic realities.

Private insurance wants to make a profit. They do not make a profit on people who are the most vulnerable - the chronically ill, the elderly, and children. The government is saddled with paying for health care for these citizens, while the private companies insure only the citizens they can make money from - the young and healthy. This is incredibly expensive for taxpayers, and getting more so every day.

Private insurance companies make billions in profits without providing even one minute in health care. They are a completely unnecessary to the provision of health care, but they complicate the health care delivery system until it looks like a giant Rube Goldberg machine.

For example, managing billing and claims for thousands of providers and payers is so intricate it practically takes a rocket scientist to figure it out. States, counties, cities, private practices are paying out billions to hundreds of different, proprietary software companies, billions more for personnel just to manage that aspect of it - and this is after HIPAA and the so-called standardization of these practices. This is money and talent that cannot then go to actual health care delivery.

I have a friend who is a cardiologist. She called me in tears because health insurance companies are taking longer and longer to reimburse her. So long her business is routinely carrying hundreds of thousands in debt. She can't afford the associated losses anymore. This is going on all over America.

[johnb3950]

JustAThought, you are absolutely right.

It is totally amazing how American have let themselves be brainwashed by a bunch of liars into believing "everyone can do it for themselves - and the only alternative is a huge government system." Both these ideas are TOTAL BALONEY. You CAN'T cover yourself against $000s in unexpected healthcare issues, not with the cost of care nowadays - our so-called "coverage" is a joke when it comes to anything serious, that's why half the personal bankruptcies in the US are due to medical bills, and of those, 75% had "coverage.­"

And the fear of bureacracy? WHAT do they think we have now? I have worked in programming claims systems and I know what a gigantic waste they are. In a decent well-organized single-payer system there are NO claims forms, NO EOBs...adm­in costs a tiny fraction of the waste today...an­d of course the obscene profits of the medical insurance companies go away. Even if non-profit insurance companies exist, as in many countries - like our Mutuals before greedheads turned so many into corporations - we can save billions and get better outcomes.

But I despair of the Republican species. "My mind's made up, don't confuse me with facts."

[JustAThought56]

The point of my post is that health insurance companies are not going to assume responsibility for those they cannot make money from. That is anti-thetical to the entire idea of capitalism. They will also do whatever they can to increase profits, even when they are already profitable, including squeezing doctors until they can no longer survive economically.

The thesis that corporate America will act in its own self-interest is dead, and learning that lesson just cost us trillions of dollars that had to be applied to heal the fatal wounds they dealt themselves.

Private health insurance never did, does not now and will never work.

[chriss0114]

WRONGO BONGO--it is in the hands of corporate execs with PRIVATE plans you advocate because they are in the business of DENYING care--that is how they make money

they need to be non-profit and in the business of providing care for it to work

look up the private business model of the Netherlands if you want to see an example

these private plans are driving medical practices out of business and KILLING people

[Traynor]

How about we take the $1.4 million A DAY that the health insurance industry is paying its lobbyists to browbeat our congress members to buy the votes to defeat any reform ; that isn't even to mention the millions they have already paid (and are promising ) to the campaign warchests of those up for reelection.

[ThinkAboutItForAMinute]

I challenge anyone here to answer the following:

If it is proper that a Central Authority guarantee health care, why not the more immediate essentials for life, food and shelter; why not clothing?

You have the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's all. Health care is a service. Observe that all legitimate rights have one thing in common: they are rights to action, not rewards from other people. The American rights impose no obligations on other people, merely the negative obligation to leave you alone.

[JustAThought56]

That is nothing but propaganda, which is all the bloated, bloodsucking bureaucracy called the health insurance industry has left. Here are some facts, and I challenge you and anyone who reads this to refute a single one of them:

The health insurance industry was supposed to contain costs with managed care. Instead,

- Premiums rose four times faster than wages between 2000 and 2006 (Kaiser Family Foundation).

- Quality of coverage deteriorates with people spending more on premiums and copays and getting less care (Consumer Reports)

- Yet their profits rose 170% between 2003 and 2007. (Snapshot of the Health Insurance Industry in the United States, 2008, nwfco.org).

- European and Canadian cities, all with socialized medicine, dominate the top of the global list for quality of life. United States cities continue to slip in the rankings, and the highest one is rated at 43 (Mercer Quality of Life).

- The WHO stopped ratings in 2000, but when they did, the US ranked 37, behind so called 3rd world countries like Costa Rico and Morocco in quality health care indicators.

The health insurance industry has crippled our country, turning it into the "has-been" story of the century.

[jusasoldier]

Excellent post...I appreciate the facts....w­hich are indisputable

[bryan-a]

The elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about -and nobody will ever talk about- is the biggest reason our health care/insurance system is such a mess because of aging baby boomers that always run to the doctor at the first sign of a hang nail. Face it people - we are a very soft country right now.- with very soft people until we collectively change our "doctor's fix everything" mindset no system is going to work.

[PWM]

Healthcare is a right as government is sure quick to find money for wars, it is only right that it finds the money to take care of its citizens.

[JustAThought56]

And you are incorrect in your assessment of the purpose of government in the United States. The Constitution's Preamble states:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

To these ends, the Constitution supports government intervention and action to insure quality and fairness in education, public safety, public health, commerce, and a host of other areas.

Your assertion that the government is some disinterested entity that should not be involved in promoting quality of life for the citizens who created it is specious.

And I see no reason why the government should provide and support corporate welfare over the welfare of the people who pay their salary.

[tb92]

Access to health care falls under the category of life, at very least. Nobody should die in a civilized country because they can't afford to see a doctor. Yes, it does happen.

[zoophee]

Our congress gets free healthcare. Are they socialists?.

I'll bet you'll be racing out of your door to get your social security check. If you are a true libertarian, don't take social security or medicare..
You should take a freshman college course in logic and you'll
see how fallacious your reasoning is..

[adsandiego]

Steele still thinks he matters, I see ....

[expired]

Health Care: The Public Plan Option

These Democratic Senators have NOT agreed to support it:
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)

Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)

These names are reported by The Hill here and here

Update: Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) says she supports a public option.
Update: Senator Jeff Binghaman (D-NM) says he supports a public option.

You can also contact the White House and voice your opinion
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

[Nomccain]

As Reagan once said, "go ahead and make our day." With over 70% of Americans wanting health care reform now, this will essentially "cook" the ReTHUGlican party. The very idea of spending the obsene amount of money they've spent and borrowed for their two wars while now denying Americans quality health care. I hope this party goes for 50 more years without a majority in anything after the way they've acted. They're a disgrace to the political process.

[pfc1369]

Yo, Michael, my man...

You be the stooge!

[Gidster]

"Republicans want and support an open health care system where patients and doctors make the decisions,"

Because insurance company bureaucrats never deny claims, or refuse to authorize payment for treatments your doctor prescribed­.....That never happens in America...­..Right Mr. Steele?

Everytime you open your pie hole, you send more people away from the Republican party! So Keep it up!

[TeejMan]

What a stooge.

[Clearing-Brush]

GOP to Michael Steele: Git on out there and say what we told ya boa. Do a good job and we'll give ya xtra rations.