The GOP's Health Care Plan: Attack the Democrats

This week, Republican congressman Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan will introduce a resolution calling on President Obama to apologize to Sergeant Joseph Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who arrested Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates.

No matter where you stand on the controversial arrest, the congressman's resolution is laughable. As the Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to try to fix healthcare, the Republicans are busy putting the final touches on a resolution that would ask the President to apologize for something he said, that in the grand scheme of things, is inconsequential.

A recent CBS News/New York Times poll found most Americans approve of government intervention in health care coverage. And 64 percent of Americans say the government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans. Yet, the only plan Republicans can agree on is to attack the Democrats. The GOP has no healthcare plan of its own, except to scare Americans to death about the Democratic plan by insinuating healthcare would be rationed, as if it is not already rationed by the private insurance companies.

In 1961, the man who Republicans worship today almost as much as they worship God himself, Ronald Reagan, fought valiantly against socialized medicine. At the time, Republicans released a record of Reagan making the case against Medicare. He, too, warned of the dangers of changing the healthcare system. Reagan said that if Medicare was passed, America as we know it would be gone forever: "One of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free." Today, Medicare is one of the most universally popular programs in the country.

It is also ironic that the same people who believe that universal healthcare is a dangerous step towards socialism simultaneously praise the benefits of the VA healthcare system, which is as close to a socialistic healthcare system as we have.

On his HBO television show, comedian Bill Maher recently asked a Republican guest if for once, the GOP would come out on the right side of history. So far, the answer to Maher's question is no.

It's time we get healthcare for all Americans, not just for the privileged.

Comments

[toggan]

Hopefully we will get Health Care for all. It is pretty tough in this country to do this. There are so many ridiculous distractions via the media and the not-ready-for- prime-time congress.

[gs425]

Pssst, the Dums don't need the pugs....remember. Who cares what the GOP says, just pass this bill and take all the glory. The problem is not the GOP, its infighting between the Dums. Get on with it.

[Rmath]

Bottom line: the GOP has no health care reform proposals, other than to pull their wagons into a circle and to pour money into disinformation campaigns funded by drug companies and mega-health insurance entities.

The centerpiece of "Buck" McKeon's health care proposal is (1) tax deductions and credits, and (2) tort reform. These are the usual repub solutions. Trouble is, tax deductions do nothing to help people who have lost their jobs. And tort reform is code for "stop the little people for suing over malpractice". But if you take a good look at the costliest tort lawsuits, the majority of them are brought by uber-wealthy plaintiffs. As always, there's one standard for the rich, another for everyone else.

[hsr0601]

A pay for outcome / value payment system, key to the deficit-neutral, might be capable of bringing all groups together.

Supporters of the agreement say it could save the Medicare System more than $100 billion a year and 'improve' care, that means more than $1trillian over a decade, and virtually needs no other resources including tax on the wealthiest. (Please visit http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=820455&catid=391 for detailed infos).

As much as 30 percent of all health-care spending in the U.S. -some $700 billion a year- may be wasted on tests and treatments that do not improve the health of the recipients,” Thus the remaining $239 billions over a decade do not matter.


1. There is no need for infighting and class conflict.

2. It can satisfy revenue-neutral raised by the Republicans.

3. It is able to resolve the regional disparity.

4. It may bring the private insurers to competition, innovation.

5. The focus on 'outcome' over volume can make the practitioners more accurate and creative based on IT SYSTEM and evidence, while eliminating the additional, unnecessary care that is increasing patients' pains, frustrations, and possible side-effects.

6. It undoubtedly allows for massive medical job creation.

7. The desperate people will get back American dream.

THANK YOU !

[Ozman]

This is a blatant lie. Check out Representative McKeon's website to see a Republican plan that makes a lot of sense to me.

http://mckeon.house.gov/this_in_detail.aspx?NewsID=1552

You bring up the VA system as an example of a good socialized medicine program and yet the press tell us all the time what a bad job they are doing, and every vet I know goes there only as a last resort! As a man in his 50's with heart problems the last thing I want is a system that is rationed and says that the latter part of my life does not have value. In Great Britain and in Canada I would not be allowed to have a replacement valve which I will need about 15 years from now. I would be too old under their systems. Do we want that?

[mamalisa38]

The only answer to the health care crisis in this country is single payer. Watch Michael Moore's movie, Sicko, on google videos. Wendell Potter, former executive of CIGNA, said of the movie "he got it right."

[noneIn2008]

The current bill is loaded with deals for special interests.

12 million of those listed as uninsured, are actually insured by Medicaid. They can use it when they need. 20 million of those listed are young men and their families, at 250% of poverty, who choose to not buy insurance. They choose, that's in interesting idea. Now you will take money away from those people by forcing them to pay.

The bill is also partially paid by $622 billion cuts in Medicare. The seniors will really be unhappy when they read this.

The current bill will just reward the special interest at the cost of the people.
Quit pitching for the special interests. Demand debate to get a bill that really helps people.

[Weirdwriter]

Everything you've pitched here is speculative, misleading and based on GOP talking points. "The current bill " is currently evolving and hasn't even reached final stage.