President Obama will address a joint session of Congress next Wednesday night (September 9th) and make his case for health reform. What do you want him to say?
All the media are saying this is high wire, high risk speech-making for the president. And perhaps it is. But it is what we expected from him all along. We hoped that his sense of timing would mean that he would start really putting himself on the line sometime in September, after Congress had had the chance to draft its legislation. And so it has come to pass (Biblical allusion intentional).
This weekend, Obama and his speech writers and advisors will be drafting his address. As many organizations have noted, now is the time to make your views known.
There are a few options I can think of:
This weekend is the time to make your opinions known. But be constructive. There has been plenty of mindless opposition this summer. If you don't like one of the above options, explain why and give your own suggestion. Maybe someone in the White House will listen!
David Dayen: Stephanopoulos Offers "How To Lose The Presidency In Four Years"
There's this notion that bloggers and progressives don't care about the poor, but we're not kowtowing to the lunatic moderates who put a price tag above morality except when talking about war.
Before President Obama, America didn't have an open discussion with all brilliant Leadership throughout Leadership in the White House, American Government, America.
President Obama fights against a corrupt leadership format in America, aligned with Russian Government-where there is little conversation/discussion on the issues before a dominated/dictated decision is made.
How can America have a united, disciplined, leadership body and the same time preserve complete openness on the struggle of ideas within its ranks?
President Obama go along with decisions to keep unity that he must have felt terrible about, because the unity and discipline were necessary. Rationally, President Obama has said in as much as he has demonstrated that America must have unity and discipline when America seeks to change the world in crisis situations. Yet, America must also preserve complete openness for the struggle of ideas.
Health Reform-Public Option
Should the struggle of ideas take place privately, while in public we hold to group decisions, but with freedom to go back and privately challenge them again until it works out.
It’s seems an unsolvable problem. President Obama raises it very sharply, because this is one that neither President before, solved. America needs to solve this. President Obama can see how the lack of a solution eroded the otherwise great strengths of many previous wide world changers' efforts before him.
In 2008 the costs for the 47 million uninsured to taxpayers was $42.8 Billion.
The Federal Government spent $25.6 Billion.
States and Local Governments spent $17.2 Billion
Between 1998 and 2008 the increase in the number of uninsured was about 8 Million people.
The increase in health care costs is approximately 6.5% per year.
If you project consistent increases out for ten years (8 million more Uninsured between 2008 and 2018, and 6.5% cost increase per year for the next 10 years).
That would give us 55 Million Uninsured in 2018 at a cost to Taxpayers of $ 94 Billion.
In 2018 the Federal Government would be expected to spend $56.2 Billion
In 2018 States would be expected to spend $37.8 Billion
The total cost for the Uninsured to taxpayers over the next 10 years would be $678.6 Billion.
The Federal Government would be expected to spend $405.6 Billion
State Governments would be expected to spend $273 Billion.
Medical bad debt in 2007 was 25.4 Billion of non collectible money, an increase of 9.5% over 2006.
Project that out with a 9.5% increase each year for the next ten years and you have a total of nearly $433 Billion of bad debt.
Taxes and bad debt with no Health Care Reform
$678.6 Billion (Tax money) + $433 Billion (Bad debt) = $1.112 Trillion
14 million are illegal invaders. If we enforce our existing laws and deport them, we're left with 33 million.
8 million are making over $50K/year and choose not to purchase insurance. That doesn't justify giving them insurance. We're left with 25 million.
6 million are already eligible for a government health care plan but haven't bothered to sign up for it. So they don't want care, dont' force it on them. 19 million left.
So your math doesn't work any more. Just stop the fraud and deport the illegal invaders and we'll be covered.
The cost for the uninsured to taxpayers in 2007 was $42.8 Billion in 2008. That was the cost no matter how many there were. That doesn't change.
Bad debt numbers don't change either. Bad debt gets recovered by increasing charges to those who pay.
The undocumented immigrants are 9.8 million.
How is Health insurance of $12,000/ year affordable to a family of four making $50,000?
Please supply a source for your information about those who are eligible for a "government health care plan but haven't bothered to sign up for it". It does not appear in any reputable report.
My math does work, as the final total is not dependent on your misleading and distorted numbers.
The Uninsured - A Primer (publised by the Kaiser Family Foundation:
http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7451-04.pdf
"America, I have a confession to make. I'm not really a Democrat. I'm not a Republican either. My loyalties lie with those who have the most money to contribute to me. Although I did not receive much contributions from the insurers during my 2008 campaign, I have recently received a large sum from Cigna, United HealthCare and Wellpoint. Unfortunately you, the American people, are purposely kept so poor that you do not have the money to buy my influence. I have therefore decided to support the insurance industry and compromise on the public option. Please don't be too upset. In 2006, during the last census estimates, there were only 47 million uninsured. Today, during our recession, there are probably only about 100 million or so. This means that only a few million of you will die each year due to lack of insurance. At this rate, about 90% of the uninsured people who continue to be unable to find adequate insurance will be deceased or on disability (and therefore qualify for insurance) within the next 10 years, so our percentage of uninsured will drop accordingly. Please understand that, although this will be painful, it is absolutely necessary for the good of the country. Now everybody recite with me -- I pledge allegiance to the flag..."
Medicare Advantage now costs the tax payer 14% to 16% more than Government run Medicare.
Medicare Advantage is slated to cost taxpayers over $156 Billion additional in Taxpayer Funds for Medicare coverage with no Health care reform.
It is a promise I made to the American people, which I intend to keep. So I come before you to ask you for your help. Tell me HOW we can achieve it, NOT why we can't.
For those of you who have may be unfamiliar with my goals, the bill MUST:
Ensure everybody is covered, without exception
Ensure insurance coverage can't be denied based on "Pre-existing" conditions.
Contain a condition-free Public Option without Co-operatives, triggers, mandates or tax gimmics.
Let this be clearly understood by Congress. The Insurance Exchange will replace the current federal benefits available to Congress, so it is in your interest to come up with the best bill you can for yourself and for the American people.
Reflecting what I'd ACTUALLY like the President to say...... In a perfect world,and with a perfect Prez.
.And here, the first comment I read ...from "max hp" says it more succinctly, and more creatively than I possibly could have on my best day!!....Thank you Max!!
In 2005-6.....We all worked like dogs in the hope that maybe...MAYBE we could take back ONE congressional chamber and make it close in the other to end the war. Remember the joy election night 'o6 when we learned we had won BOTH?
And remember the disappointment, frustration, when we learned NOTHING could be done due to the "stall" pending the '08 election?
How about the ANGER as we gradually realized the Dem. Congressional schedule was 1:)Get up early, hustle down to the capital and find a Republican to surender to 2) every other waking moment solicit and accumulate contributons and gratuities (known in my neighborhood as "bribes")?
Did you choke up, or even weep, on election night or inauguration day '08-9?
I might have the political equivilant of "battered spouse syndrome"
I'm just praying the Prez. does NOT say something that traslates into:
"This too is all a sham, a scam, and a sell-out.....hope is dead, change ain't coming, and by the way..."NO WE CAN'T"
Sorry
tm
Torture went on , the fleecing of the treasury went on undiscussed unchallenged, but oh boy the dems have balls now trying to fight against public option (Blue dogs Dems of course)
Have we no shame as a people to accept these shenanigans?
Bring it t a vote and have the votes counted: if it fails we see who not to vote for.
How hard is it?
Without a Public Option you delivered potentially 47 miilion new customers with NO cost control.
A VERY BAD DEAL.
No. Without a Public Option, it's a terrible deal.
Good luck with your speech!
Sir, don't make us regret our vote for you. We did that with your predecessor. We are not ready for another.
Sir, it's time to be the leader you were elected to be and who says "the buck stops with me" and mean it. It's time you stated clearly what you would support & accept, for the good of the American people and threaten to veto anything that is to the contrary. Sir, it is why you sit in the Oval Office.
We need to root out the cancer of the Health Insurance from the American economy and sever permanently the ties between Health Insurance, Employers and Health Care.
You know very well the reasons for having a Public Option, which you so eloquently stated in your letter to Sen. Baucus and Kennedy. Lately however, several members of your administration seem to contradict your stated position.
Sir, we want a Public Option that is administered by the Federal Government so we are not at the mercy of private health insurers. Do spare us the gimmicks like Tax Rebates, Credits or Health Savings Accounts or workarounds like Triggers and Co-operatives.
Don't bother to sign anything if it does not have a condition-free Public Option with a clear path to Single Payer.
Without a Public Option, there is no Health Reform. It’s time to set the US on a civilized path to 21st Century.
It's TIME our elected representatives came thru for their constituents.
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He loses my support when he loses the Public Option. I am pulling him to the left - he has been pulled TOO FAR RIGHT - that's not who put him where he is now.
Granted, he was dealt a bad hand. But the issue of Health Care is a peoples issue, it's a democratic issue and all I am asking is that he fulfil his promise.
So I do give him my full support for a Public Option - not to sell me out.
In fact,...it makes alot of sense....and It points out something very important right now...
I walk around around thinking I'm a reasonably bright guy whose heart is in the right place.
Others seem to agree.
What other aspects of this complex issue have I, and millions like me, just failed to consider....simply because I bought the party line....IT'D BE NICE..BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT....WE?? You mean me and Aetna,..or Blue cross?
What other myths have we accepted simply because well, it's always been that way.?
It's easy to see why opponents of reform are talking about such WILD and crazy garbage.
".Obama's a muslim!! .......He'll pull the plug on Grandma and give her bed to illegals....He'll.Force Sis to have an abortion.... "death panels" and my favorite the dread "SOCIALISM" (codespeak:communism)
You'd think they'd want to be reasonable so people don't just dismiss them and thier concerns.
But look, quite the opposite has happened....Skilled political knife-fighter Rahm Emmanual,..Super Negotiater David Axelrod, and Silver tounged persuader Obama
As well as MANY OF US have decided:
They're SO crazy, we'd better toss single-payer for the public option...or maybe not.........maybe we'd better go for a "trigger" or maybe we should just do nothing .....WERE NOT A GOOD AS THE FRENCH....WE CAN"T AFFORD THAT
I'm getting more than a bit tired of our representatives in Congress who say they don't need to read the bill, they won't sign it regardless of what's in it, etc., etc., etc. These guys make me mad! They are in effect saying to the voters 'we will not do our job'!
We all have - or know of – health care horror stories...things that should not have been allowed to happen.
Well, Our elected officials in Congress receive health care mostly paid for by us tax payers, yet many are trying to make it impossible for us to have an affordable plan of our own :
While many of us are struggling to afford medical insurance/medical bills.
While Congress people try to stop healthcare reform.
While Congress people accept large contributions from lobbyists to prevent health care reform.
Please sign these petitions - and by all means, spread the word! Thank you!
http://www.petitiononline.com/PubOp676/petition.html
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/keepthepledge?source=email&subsource=fwd
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5649/t/4951/content.jsp?content_KEY=2793&tag=pod_auto-email1