Dream on!! THERE WILL BE REFORM AND IT WILL NOT BE STOPPED!!

Not only that Bush and and his buddies in 03 tried to privatize Medicare and succeeded in making that an option and also succeeded in upping the cost to taxpayers by 14% with less choice of doctors and hospitals as most are in networks and added co-pays and less legal protections all this on top of continuing the robbing of the Medicare dollars. You are right it has to be paid back but this stealing of it does not make Medicare a bad plan in fact it is now superior to the private plans available to the under 65 crowd in both legal protections and coverages. The problem is no Pay as you go, heaven forbid we find a way to pay for things rather than go into debt. Going to take years to turn it around but we better start down that road while we can.

Norm,

Thank you,you are a breath of fresh air.I am for public option.The private insurance companies can’t be trusted.They are all in business for profits.We need to drive health care cost down.Private insurance is too expensive.

Norm, I posted that info with a link, and DaveH, our local Libertarian who is for no controls for the market place,( which includes banking, Wall Street and corporate companies), kept saying Government is force, socialism doesn’t work,and the government is in his pocket. How can someone that educated not grasp that middle class is dying under the yoke of non-regulation? Maybe I should have printed it like you did. Sometimes seeing things in black and white works. Thanks for your effort.

James

You finally said something I can agree with, money needs to be paid back and should go to a trust fund and not to the treasury as well as all future money, It can and should be fixed as today it is the best plan available in the us today but only to the over 65 crowd and the disabled, It works so well if fixed it should be there for all, shared expense. You, pay, private sector supplement pays and government pays some. A balanced plan that has forty years of experience that proves it.

yep!i’m happy with my PRIVITE plan,go republicans,lets keep the socialists at bay till 2010 and we won’t have to worry about this socialist manure any more!

Good for you, Lisa.

DaveH
The government doesn’t pay administrators 7 and 8 digit salaries.
As far as how well one is treated; people are people and there are good and bad everywhere.

Ah, yes, Dave. The magic word “TAXES”. Nobody seems to understand that the federal government has no money, except with TAXES.

The private plans have so much more paperwork and their overhead costs are almost five times greater than the Public Plans, you Becky should know this as you get very little paperwork from either BCBS and Medicare, Conservative rhetoric sure has frightened you by its lies when in reality you have nothing to fear, or does anyone, It will only get better, how much better it will get remains to be seen as the conservatives are try minimize the improvements and have to use oodles of misinformation and lies to accomplish this as the truth would play positively into the democrats hand and heaven forbid if they succeed and do something so very much needed by all of us. When this is all over and done with you will see what I say is true. RELAX

Becky, ya got it right. The bad thing is that IF he gets it passed, it will be to late for any of them to say “Wait, that was not the way it was supposed to be”. I don’t think any of them believe it, but that’s the way it is on the 7th of October, 2009.

Becky, keeping matters simple and to-the-point is the best way to make it crystal clear to the American people why government can’t be trusted with health care. That is, the same wonderful, swell, caring ‘elites’ who gave us WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Medicare, wars on poverty and drugs AND airport security expect us to believe that they will ‘save’ health care for America.
Failure is failure. When people see failure after failure and dare to claim that failure is the same as success simply proves that politics can sugar coat anything and almost get away with it.
Comrade obama and his bunch offer America the same compassion and leadership Hitler gave to Europe’s Jews in WWII. Those who can’t recognize the same ‘compassionate hatred’ in obama’s non-plan will condemn themselves to having to learn some lessons again and again.

Becky
Medicare is run by the feds. So is the VA, which is run quite well.

Another person who likes her government Medicare Plan and BCBS plan as she has to pay nothing and I have the same and pay nothing, this is something none of the private plans today offer and what they do offer most could not afford on their own. The vast majority of experts that have looked at the plans say it will actually improve Medicare and I have seen many articles saying that, the Last was in the AARP newspaper I got yesterday and have seen it in many other publications and my own reading of the bills tells me this is so. You are listening to all the lies the conservatives are spreading as they want to keep the status quo so their buddies can keep making that easy money at the peoples expense. Your medicare is safe I guarantee it, Medicare has been here since 1966 and until 2003 was basically the same until 2003 when Bush and company added on the Private Advantage Plans and D which has been very costly and not any better, in fact worse, than what the under 65 crowd gets albeit it is not as expensive as the under 65 crowd as the government subsidies it and the cost increased for the taxpayers 14%, you never hear the conservatives talking about this fact but then they voted it in.

BECKY, the government is running it now, and you have no problems? So soon as someone else gets in the system, it will crash and burn?

What have you been smoking, Becky? Nothing in any of the Democratic solutions to our health-care crisis that have been proposed so far does anything remotely like what you’re saying!

Barbara Michalski
You’ve got it backwards. The private sector wastes 20% of your and/or your employers premiums on administrative costs alone. The red tape is outrageous, and the insurance co.s are constantly thinking of ways of not paying claims. My mother, who’s over 90, has medicare and a BC/BS supplement that together pay every dime of her meds except drugs. I handle her affairs, and I’ve never had a problem with medicare.

There are many ways the high costs of the healthcare system could be addressed. They all involve less government, not more. So of course, those feeding at the government trough will attack these comments.

The Federal Government could use power that the Constitution actually does give them (Interstate Commerce Claus) to allow insurance customers to buy out-of-state insurance.
The states could reign in the ridiculous medical malpractice lawsuits.
also:
http://mises.org/story/3737

That was a very brave statement Melody. Now you better batten the hatches and shutter your windows, the Zombies are coming!

Not only a brave statement but very true. Some people I know have never been sick. Also, I do not care to pay for people who are stupid enough to put themselves into harm’s way by acting like their life didn’t matter. Let them foot their own bill. There are enough reality shows to show you how idiotic they can be. I like our system. I am retired and support myself on my Social Security and Medicare. I don’t have a lot, nor do I need a lot, but I do need help once in a while with Medicare. But already we are not getting a raise for the next two years, for that, I want to thank the Government for making my life a little more miserable and harder to live.

I know many doctors who disagree with you, Medicaid now is administered by the states and can very from state to state, I have always believed this was a mistake when the republicans voted to take it out of the federal domain when all had the same rules. It has been more costly and caused more problems. Bush did not lower costs he subsidized the advantage plans and it now costs the government 14% more on these plans as well as limiting choice of doctors and hospitals as most have networks and this says nothing about the legal protections senior lost in these plans, states now regulate them and vary greatly from sate to state and complaints to Medicare has skyrocket because so many seniors have gotten ripped off by these plans, both the plans and their salesmen. When I was deciding on which plan to take I talked to many salespeople, studied everything I could get my hands on and attended many sales meetings put on by the Advantage Plans and it became clear to me that Bush made a big mistake with them and I chose the regular Medicare with a supplemental Gap Plan and because of the legal protections I can never be dropped and can live in any state with the same coverages which are fully covered and cannot be changed, the Advantage plans can drop the group anytime and many have announced they will next year. Advantage plans despite that fact in some cases, and not all, cost you less where also a big costly mistake and another republican goof.

I trust you know your nursing but you do not understand much of the medical plans out there today.

Skipper, thanks for telling it like it is. This site always attracts rock heads who praise the government 24/7 and couldn’t find any fault with power-mad Washington puppets if they were insiders who had 50 years of first-hand knowledge.
The VA is to be applauded. However, that doesn’t mean they do everything right. On the whole, the government is responsible for most of America’s woes – especially health care. Try and ignore the government apologists. They are the American version of Hitler’s brown shirts [NO ONE can argue with the fuhrer!].
When civilization comes crashing down around them, they might start to get a clue. Until then, all we can do is to try and inform – and hope they learn to read and/or understand English.

Skipper, you and I have both seen it. These people cannot understand what is involved. I was almost 70 when I retired.

Skipper Amen i agree with all you said. I would just add that if the private insurance did away with preexistent clause and took everyone no matter their health it would be a great plan glad to see someone with a brain and use it

Rod, the Aussies have a saying—”Good on yer, mate”.

Merl, The government has been in it since 1966 with Medicare and it is widely recognized as a very successful plan. I have it and what an improvement over what I had before I retired. Much better coverage at a much less cost. Some employers are now asking their employees when the became 65 to go on Medicare and they will pay the premiums for them, It gives them much better coverages and saves the employer a lot of money.. My sister is on this and still working and her Company claims they save a $150.00 each month because she agreed to do this. She had a 70/30 plan before with a $500 deductible and $3500.00 OPM each year and co-pays are not included in them. Now she has full coverage without deductibles, co-pays and no out of pocket expenses. Would you really turn this offer down just because it is a government plan. I assure you I believe few would not even you.

Mel,

Medicare is a government run program,I am on medicare.Ilke it.

Most of you who shout about the Constitution have either never read it or only have the vaguest idea about the complexities that were deliberately incorporated into it. You just want to fight (isn’t everybody TIRED of hearing about how that’s all you want to do?!)

Guess what, this is NOT a conservative nation, in spite of how many conservatives keep trying to spin that yarn. Look who just handiliy won the last election. What’s your evidence that we’re not basically a liberal nation, founded on the liberal ideas of our founding fathers (who were definitely NOT conservatives!).

Robert Sewell Sr

YOU ARE VERY SICK!!

Robert,
Man you are out for lunch.That is got Joe Barns beat.

Its clear Joe you do not understand Medicare, VA, Medicaid or the Canadian and English systems I agree that it was a mistake to give control of Medicaid to the states and now we have 50 sets of rules and some do not address the needs, not true of Medicare and VA, despite your claims and I do not dispute all of them but they still are cheaper, more efficient and give better care that most of the private insurance plans, There are ways to correct some of your concerns which the Bush administration refused to deal with and actually passed changes that drove the costs up with no advantage to seniors.this is how Obama wants to cut the cost of Medicare lower the fraud costs and the advantage overruns of 14%, It should be done but even if it is not it still is a better deal than the private plans.

I.m sure you can talk the democrats into it but you will never talk the Republicans into it and that is why it is not there, even if the Republicans will not vote for it they have gotten many amendments to it and this is one.

The Democrats have rejected 11 amendments that would include Congress in the Health Care bill they are shoving on the rest of us. I guess some of us are more equal than others.

Ed, it shouldn’t be possible for anyone to produce a long list of government failures. Medicare is but one of many failed social engineering pet projects. If it was done right, The Teleprompter Prince wouldn’t dare claim that health care needs to be ‘resurrected.’ BHO and his kind will never admit that big government specializes in doing 99% of everything it does wrong – and wasting America’s wealth in the process.
Chicago’s Gift to Politics dares to claim that government will do health care ‘right’ (like it did with food stamp fraud, social security and wars on poverty and drugs?). I don’t know what his favorite recreational ‘smoke’ is, but I’ll bet that millions of people would line up to try it. Maybe he has access to California’s biggest cash crop (like, wow, man!) No wonder politicians are hooked on Washington’s many ‘perks.’

Theyve done a fine, fine job with our schools also, havent they? What a mess.

John
If the government can beat insurance company costs, then so be it. If the taxpayers would stop subsidizing drug companies, and would be allowed to negotiate prices, we would see large savings there too.

John

YOU SAY

What makes you think they can manage your health care better than you can?

Forty Years experience with Medicare and it is now better than anything the private sector offers the under 65 crowd today and few dispute these facts except those government haters like yourself, the vast majority of the seniors are completely satisfied with medicare except the complaints about the Bush advantage plans of which there are many complaints as it limits choice and coverages and legal protections at a much higher cost to the taxpayers than the B plans do. Private plans of necessity do not have to survive people should be allowed to and now with the new Harvard study showing 45,000 die each year because of no insurance availability it is time that people be given consideration over profits. I believe they have no much waste in the private sector they will have no trouble staying in business if they again become honest. There are many instances of private competing with government with great sucess Look at all the private colleges and public colleges existing side by side and have for years. There is no doubt it can work if we want it too and do not listen to the likes of you.

That is the deal with the medi-care and medi-caid. The government is involved, so now the drug companies and the hospitals are allowed to charge more since the government is paying, which is really you and I. Just like when doing construction on a government building. The government is forced to pay more, because of what they called pre-vailing wage, to kiss the butt of the unions. We could do these jobs so much cheaper, but with twice the quality, because allthough it is true the union electricians here make 2.00 more an hour than our guys, our guys are driving brand new vans, 47 of them to be exact, with gas cards, paid vacations and paid holidays,and they dont get laid off, and the boss knows their wifes and kids names. But once again, since it is government, they are made to pay more, which means us tax payers pay more. Its not right, and it needs fixed. Why is it when using our tax dollars, everything is allowed to cost more? Bull crap.

John, don’t waste your time trying to talk logic to Norm. He is blinded by the light from the trough.

Nom,

You are right. These private insurance are expensive.They can refuse you health coverage.It about time they get a little competiton.

So let me ask all you people against a national health care plan this question: Do you see anything like even the beginnings of an effort to dismantle the universal coverage that most first-world nations enjoy? Are they begging to overthrow their national healty systems? Are their ordinary citizens flocking to the U.S. to pay huge sums to enjoy the privilege afforded to those who can pony up to get the bar-number-one care that isn’t available to anyone else?

Isn’t it time to get real here? Why is the U.S. so BACKWARD? When I came here (in 1964), this country was the envy of the world because it had all the opportunity and none of the drudgery of cleaning up after WWII. Since the 1980s, U.S. cities have come to resemble Calcutta — at least in California (whree I live) Reagan’s closing of mental institutions has caused immense pain and suffering as well as “social blight” with people who have now become called “homeless” as if that means something to who they are, as suffering individuals. You and I could be among them, but for the grace of God. What happened to America? To the American Dream? At the macro-level, we’re in the dumpster. At the micro level, there are, thankfully, millions of us who still care about our fellow man and who are always going to be inspired to help each other out. Thank God for all of you who are among them!

There are over 1300 insurance companies. I would say that is a lot of competition. We don’t need politicians who have no interest in our wellfare invovled. We need to have these 1300 insurance companies competing across state lines…that will be competition that won’t raise our premiums or our taxes.