I have trouble understanding how those railing against health care reform can have so little compassion for the millions of people harmed under the current system. All of us know someone who has been or is suffering the effects of ill health, whether it be a tooth they can't afford to fix or a chronic condition they just live with. These things add up to huge costs, both when our sick end up in the emergency rooms and when we lose the productivity and contribution of those we lose to disability and death. Are they so sure that earning a buck over the suffering of our companion humans is a morally defensible position? Could they really say that someone deserves to die of cancer or diabetes because they can't afford to pay (for diseases most likely imposed by our culture)? I think we will come to a time when our treatment of the sick and disabled will be seen as crimes against humanity. Our awakening cannot come soon enough.
Margaretof WA3:57PM June 09, 2010
The govt controls you by preventing you from saving anything. They let illegals have whatever they want, allow a mosque to be built on ground zero (close enuff), wage war so more weapons can be built making money for the military industrial arms complex, paying interest on that money which is created from thin air, create arguments among us to distract us from the real threat, THEM. The bottom line is, the only thing our representatives care about is their jobs. DUMP all career politicians and you will see REAL CHANGE YOU CAN BANK ON.
All of that stimulus money.... Did ANY of you see a nickle of that? The federal govt taxes hell out of us, then extorts the states to give it back, by making them change laws, e.g.; We'll give you $2Billion to fix your roads, BUT you MUST change your seat belt laws, FORCING people to wear seat belts in the privacy of their own vehicles. Next thing, they'll make people stop smoking in the cars. Just watch. Every little thing, my god, they are crazy!
Bravoof WI6:22AM June 09, 2010
My daughter has type 1 diabetes. She was on Medicaid, but told 2 weeks before her 19th birthday that she would no longer be covered.
She didn't even have a job, so Mary of GA, how does the bill help her?
I want to know why people want to allow the illegals to stay and be patted on the back while our people can't get medical or any other help they need. I bet if you people realized how much these illegals have drained your paycheck that you wouldn't be so wlling to let them stay. I hear reports that there have been those that have been here more than 5 years. Think about all the money that has been spent on them with nothing from them but sales tax. We pay for their kids healthcare, babies being born, kids going to school. I don't mind people coming to our country, but they need to do so legally. For one, our safety is at stake and they need to quit draining the help our own kids need.
How will healthcare be paid for by them? How will they be forced to pay for insurance? Just think of the one child that could be helped if it wasn't spent on them without them even paying taxes?
It's sad that they can get emergency treatment from a hospital and probably can not be contacted again,but if anyone of us goes to a hospital and has an unpaid bill the collectors will be calling and harassing us. I don't expect to go to another country and get health care for free. Why do they expect it from us?
Mary of SC11:30PM June 08, 2010
I for one am so grateful for Health Care reform. I am self-employed and have a pre-existing condition. Under the old system I was uninsurable. People like me have actually DIED in the past because they couldn't get insurance for any money. It was all about the profit, and if you were sick, well, too bad.
I wonder how many people who are griping about this new law would still be against it if they, or a loved one, were in my shoes? Thank God -- and I mean that reverently -- that somebody in power finally had some compassion for the sick.
Maryof GA10:00PM June 08, 2010
This health care plan is a joke, now granted it's modeled after a Canadian failing health care plan, talk to actual people from Canada, they tell you, it's worth thier money to come here for free choice medical. Then I can say thanks for punishing us that have insurance, so now we can pay tax on our W-2's for the value of our employer provided health care. Hmmmm seems like another cover up the real problems of america like cutting the fat in government, like the census, what point does it serve and how many billions do we spend on it? Or not putting tax on imported parts and products to encourage shipping jobs to mexico or over seas.
Davidof WI7:41PM June 08, 2010
The best that can get through Congress (with a shoe horn) is not necessarily the best there could be. Nor, necessarily, is it better than nothing at all. Independent in Oakland.
William Irwinof CA4:56PM June 08, 2010
The kicker here is, "...at lowest cost to the federal government" but that's a shell game. We'll all pay, one way or another. And we'll pay even more since there's no teeth in the coverage mandate nor in the various quality programs and reimbursement pilots.
Health care costs are going nowhere but up, and HCR does precious little to slow that growth, or to ensure that any quality/ effectiveness measures identified actually get used to improve outcomes and slow the spending.
This is very scary, from both financial and health standpoints.
susanfitzof OR4:24PM June 08, 2010
The health care reform law is extremely complexed and in reality few people completely understand it. Now finally we have a research group (RAND Corp) to examine it with scientic method. It is a good way to resolve the confusion among people, e.g. like me. I would rather trust the results from RAND than any partisan rants. Good work RAND Corp!
an independent voiceof OR3:40PM June 08, 2010
As evidenced in Dale Hendon response:
The real statement that makes me most suspecious is his last one: "Sounds like a "white wash" to me and an attempt at revisionist history that the commies and the socialist lap dogs employ to cover their dirty deeds". Thanks for giving away your brainwashed and skewed view of reality. I love how the group who plays the dirtiest and has very little to offer in the way of actual solutions has the nerve to be as hipocritical as you. Obviously (like a good republican) your first reaction will be to look for any way to discredit the study. Until you actually seen why this was passed and to whom it is "supposed" to serve - you won't have a clue about this administration's agenda. I feel bad for u...no wait - i don't.
Matt of VA1:26PM June 08, 2010
This is an interesting study. I would definitely like to know who funded the study as well. The article doesn't give much insight into how the research was conducted, who funded the research, or why they even took this research on. Here's what the original press release said:
RAND developed COMPARE to provide objective facts and analysis to inform the dialogue about health policy options. COMPARE is funded by a consortium of individuals, corporations, corporate foundations, private foundations and health system stakeholders.
Reader Comments
Back to article
Margaret of WA 3:57PM June 09, 2010
Bravo of WI 6:22AM June 09, 2010
Mary of SC 11:30PM June 08, 2010
Mary of GA 10:00PM June 08, 2010
David of WI 7:41PM June 08, 2010
William Irwin of CA 4:56PM June 08, 2010
susanfitz of OR 4:24PM June 08, 2010
an independent voice of OR 3:40PM June 08, 2010
Matt of VA 1:26PM June 08, 2010
Kade of AZ 12:03PM June 08, 2010