Health Reform: We Need Details, President Obama

Reader Comments
Back to blog

Health Care for ALL Americans is Simple...
Utilize Existing Systems!
1) MERGE Medicare with Medicaid into one single "Income Based" system for poor and elderly citizens.
2) REQUIRE insurance companies to provide the same basic coverage for ALL Non-Medicare/Medicaid citizens, regardless of health status, at affordable rates.
3) ALLOW insurance companies to "Profit" by offering additional benefits and options to those who qualify and are willing to pay the difference.
As for Funding…
1) Changing from an "Emergency Treatment" to a "Preventive Care" system will save local communities billions, maybe even trillions of taxpayer dollars!
2) Consolidating and standardizing existing systems will expedite the process and make administration more efficient and cost effective!
3) Small business will be able to compete globally and hire additional taxpaying employees!
4) Wealthy seniors will pay their fair share!
The Tremendous Burden on Future Generations will be Greatly Reduced!

jpinsatx of TX 10:15AM May 27, 2009

These legal documents show Barack Obama suing Citibank under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), filed 7/6/1994, terminated 12/4/97, and settled 2/14/98. In this one example, Obama and the other lawyers got $950,000 from Citibank in legal fees without finding any evidence of discrimination.
(University of Saint Louis digital achieves):
http://clearinghouse.wustl.edu/chDocs/public/FH-IL-0011-9000.pdf
http://clearinghouse.wustl.edu/chDocs/public/FH-IL-0011-0007.pdf
This was part of a legalized protection racket preying on our nations banks, and part of a widespread systematic shakedown, described in great detail in this article from the year 2000: "The Trillion-Dollar Bank Shakedown That Bodes Ill for Cities":
http://www.city-journal.org/html/10_1_the_trillion_dollar.html
Obama, other members of ACORN, Bill Clinton, members of the Clinton Administration, and members of congress from both parties explain what happened in their own words in these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivmL-lXNy64&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJcVgJhNaU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs&feature=related
This video connects all the dots, citing sources you may Google for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487
The New York times explained the problem this created for banks as early as 2003, and explained what additional regulatory action the Bush administration tried to initiate to protect the banks, to cope with this, "New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae":
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/11/business/new-agency-proposed-to-oversee-freddie-mac-and-fannie-mae.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
Thomas Sowell summarized this in his column, "Do Facts Matter?":
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NGRjODM1MTJlOGZiZDk2ODI4NTUzMWMxYjgwMjliMGQ
Washington Post ("Where Was Sen. Dodd? Playing the Blame Game On Fannie and Freddie"):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091102841.html
The Wall Street Journal ("Blame Fannie Mae and Congress For the Credit Mess "):
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122212948811465427.html
Most members of the media are still drinking the Obama Kool-Aid, and giving the president standing ovations at White House press conferences. Most have no background in finance to understand of the gravity of this situation. Less enthusiastic members of the press don't get invited to these celebrations, but they don't want to be seen spoiling the party either. This pattern of behavior must be stopped to protect the economic future of our country. Don’t take my word for it; take a look at the evidence I've assembled here to see for yourself.

Barry of CA 9:56PM May 26, 2009

that you don't want sneaking into the bills in the dark of night for speed of passage:
1) The "public option" is ignored, delayed indefinitely, or outright prohibited. THIS, of course, is the goal of every insurer
2) Your doctors and hospitals are suddenly permitted to make you sign a form saying you "hold them harmless" for actually relying on your new electronic medical record, OR "hold them harmless" for them putting erroneous information into it, OR saying YOU can be blamed for what has not yet ever been recorded there for whatever reason.
(Paper records may be "bad", but as of now the risk of all errors in them has not been shifted TO YOU. Beware this possibility as you get a new whiz-bang "web file".)
3)

Muser of NM 6:33PM May 26, 2009

Single Payer is the only thing that makes sense, but Public Option may be the halfway measure needed to make the transition. Single Payer will throw tens of thousands of insurance 'adjusters' out of work, but some of them will find employment in the Public Option group. SO having Public Option for a few years might ease the transition and give Uncle Sam the training time. Public Option should be unfettered in its negotiating powers.
On the other hand Uncle Sam operates the VA system with overall good results, Medicare and Schip too, I think we can trust US to run a Single Payer system.
Whatever it is, we need it soon.

Tom Goddu of CT 4:56PM May 26, 2009

I do not see the reality in your argument. Almost 50 million people who pay taxes abd are US citizens do not have ins, and cannot get it b/c their employer does not provide it, or they have medical issues which are pre-existing or cannot get insurance at all. So, how is a system that covers everyone for almost everything going to be worse? I too am a physician who sees the needless buracracy and overhead of the profit-driven ins industry hurting me, my family, and my patients. If universal health care is so terrible, why do all other industrialized nations have it? Also, why do we have national health insurance for those only over 65? The reality is that as an individual, or small business, health insurance is expensive and offers poor coverage. We are much stronger as a large group, so a national plan would only be cheaper for all of us in both the short and long term. I don't want my kids growing up having to worry about their health insurance if they don't work for a big company. I want the same benefits that I am paying those in congress to have! Enough is enough... obviously, there has been a real problem with our system if we have been debating it for over 6o years! I do not think getting bogged down with details about specific therapies is helpful, and the reality now is that physicians argue with insurance companies about specific therapies and test now, which are denied for financial reasons. Our current system is a mess compared to the britsh or canadien system, and that is with proper insurance. We as small businesses have had enough of being taken to the cleaners by these ins companies. Why should ins be more expensive if you work for a large company vs a small one? It should be the same for all. I hope someday that we get the same aweful system the canadiens have, as they seem to really like it! I know I don't like my american health care system, and I am ready for change. I only would like to see more conservatives wise up. If we don't fix this, the government will eventually need to buy out hospitals and then we WILL end up socialized, not a situation I would want to be a part of.

Daniel Kuzio, MD of GA 3:54PM May 26, 2009