Republicans on the campaign trail denounce Obama's health care reforms as a virtual threat to the Republic. It's "socialized medicine," "a job killer," "a government takeover of health care." All the Republican candidates for president promise to repeal it, and Republican legislators are virtually united in trying to do so.
Ironically, most of these same politicians enjoy the benefits of government health care -- and don't complain about it. While a handful of House freshmen announced they wouldn't partake of the federal health care plan for legislators, the vast majority happily signed up. Freshman U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) garnered national headlines for complaining that his government health insurance wouldn't kick in for 30 days after he was sworn in -- even after he had campaigned on repealing "Obamacare" for everyone else.
The federal health care plan for legislators is a pretty nice deal, with the federal government offering a broad array of plans while paying an average of $700 per month -- about 75 percent of the cost. When the cost of the plans goes up, the government subsidy goes up. No member can be refused because of a pre-existing condition. Meanwhile, for the rest of us, more and more employers don't offer health care at all -- and those that do are demanding that employees pay an ever-increasing percentage of the premiums and co-pays. And it is Obama's reforms that these legislators want to repeal that require insurance companies to cover everyone regardless of pre-existing illnesses.
The Republican presidential contenders also display something of a contrast between rhetoric and practice.
Libertarian Ron Paul happily takes his congressional, government supplied health-care benefits and subsidies. When asked whether it would be hypocritical to take government subsidized health care as a member of Congress but repeal it for everyone else, Paul was honest enough to say "could be."
Mitt Romney refuses to reveal what kind of coverage he and his family have. That may well be because he doesn't want to admit that he's enjoying the benefits of the health care reforms he passed in Massachusetts that became the template for Obama's. As a 64-year-old unemployed man with a wife with a serious pre-existing condition, Romney exists in one of the only states that offers a choice of 41 state-regulated health care plans, requires insurance companies to cover those with a pre-existing conditions and limits how much they can raise premiums because of age or condition.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum has a private plan. With his young daughter fighting a serious illness, he'd have a hard time getting insurance at any price if Obama's reforms were repealed. One of the first parts of the reforms to go into effect requires companies to cover children up to age 19 regardless of pre-existing conditions.
At 68, Newt Gingrich enjoys Medicare, the government's single-payer plan, which he supplements with a Blue Cross-Blue Shield plan. Medicare is the plan the Republicans tried to dismantle last year in the House. They would turn it into a fixed premium that would pay for less care over time.
Why is government subsidized and organized health care good for legislators and not for the rest of us? Why should they be guaranteed coverage despite pre-existing conditions? Why should Newt happily take Medicare and denounce "socialized medicine"?
Perhaps candidates who are millionaires don't understand the challenges most Americans face. Or perhaps their ideology blinds them to their hypocrisy.
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Long Term Senior Health Care
So you're a sick senior citizen and the government says there is no nursing home available for you, what do you do?
This plan gives anyone 65 years or older a gun and 4 bullets. You are allowed to shoot four Congressmen.
Of course, this means you will be sent to prison where you will get three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating, air conditioning and all the health care you need! Need new teeth? No problem. Need glasses? That's great.
Need a new hip, knees, kidney, lungs or heart? They're all covered. And, as an added bonus, your kids can come and visit.
And who will be paying for all of this? It's the same government that just told you that you they cannot afford for you to go into a home.
Plus, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any income taxes anymore.
Is this a great country or what?
only a salary while they are IN OFFICE.
no health insurance.
no pensions.
they should also be BARRED from ever lobbying ANYONE in government in ANY way for life.
and if those small changes are to much of a BURDEN on elected officials...then TIME TO GET OUT.
there are many other REAL patriots who would be willing to serve for the good of the nation , instead of serving to ENRICH themselves.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
FRONTLINE: sick around the world |PBS
Only Britain has socialized medicine; the other four countries use social insurance, but limit the profits on the base insurance:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/
Five Capitalist Democracies & How They Do It | Sick Around The World | FRONTLINE | PBS
These graphs compare the health care systems of Japan, Britain,
Switzerland, and Germany to the U.S.:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/etc/graphs.html
FRONTLINE: sick around the world: Graphs: U.S. Health Stats Compared to Other Countries | PBS
A review of "The Healing of America":
http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/books/reid-healing.php
Tom Hull: T.R. Reid: The Healing of America
"...(pp. 13-14):
The academics have a term for this approach to problem-solving:
"comparative policy analysis." The patron saint of comparative policy analysis was an American military hero who went on to become our thirty-fourth president: Dwight D. Eisenhower. That's why this book is dedicated to his memory..."
Healthcare Hypocrites by Jim Hightower on Creators.com...
Healthcare Hypocrites
by Jim Hightower
How do you spell "hypocrisy"?
Try this: "H-Y-P-O-C-O-N-G-R-E-S-S." The hypocongress consists of those Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats who have risen up on their hind legs in recent weeks to snarl and howl at any mention of a government role in meeting America's health care needs. "Socialism," they bark — we won't allow Barack Obama and the liberals to create a Washington-run, big-government intrusion into the hallowed private market. Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, even pledged to fight so ferociously that the health care battle would be Obama's "Waterloo."
What a stand-up guy for free enterprise! What an ideologically correct appeal to laissez-faire principle! And, let me add, what a crock!
What these bellicose market-purists hope you don't discover is that they are closet
socialists. As members of the congressional elite, they and their families are governmentally blessed with their very own gold-plated, taxpayer-financed, Washington-run health care system. And, they loooove it.
Theirs is such an effective system that not a single member of the hypocongress has been willing to give it up — even though they surely realize the political peril of being exposed as rank hypocrites for enjoying the very program they so adamantly reject for you..."
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/29/baucus-thanks-wellpoint-vp-liz-fowler-for-writing-health-care-bill/
Baucus Thanks Wellpoint VP Liz Fowler for Writing Health Care Bill | FDL Action
"...I wish to single out one person, and that one person is sitting next to me. Her name is Liz Fowler. Liz Fowler is my chief health counsel. Liz Fowler has put my health care team together. Liz Fowler worked for me many years ago, left for the private sector, and then came back when she realized she could be there at the creation of health care reform because she wanted that to be, in a certain sense, her profession lifetime goal. She put together the White Paper last November–2008–the 87-page document which became the basis, the foundation, the blueprint from which almost all health care measures in all bills on both sides of the aisle came. She is an amazing person. She is a lawyer; she is a Ph.D. She is just so decent. She is always smiling, she is always working, always available to help any Senator, any staff. I thank Liz from the bottom of my heart. In many ways, she typifies, she represents all of the people who have worked so hard to make this bill such a great accomplishment..."
Keep this in mind every time you see a Republican criticize changes to health insurance: they are their family get a level of healthcare you and your family will *never* get.
And they damn well know it.