Joe Lieberman's Health Care Bill Is Worse Than Doing Nothing - Kill It

[IndianaGreen]

Joe Lieberman's Health Care Bill Is Worse Than Doing Nothing - Kill It

Darcy Burner.Executive Director, ProgressiveCongress.org
Posted: December 15, 2009 12:22 AM

The first rule of medicine is, "Do no harm." The post-Joe Lieberman version of the Senate health care bill fails that basic criterion. Unless Democratic leadership steps up to fix this misguided proposal, our only recourse will be to kill it.

The fundamental failing of the newest Senate proposal is that it requires individuals to purchase health insurance, but does nothing to rein in what insurance companies charge. There is nothing to stop spiraling health costs from eating up an ever-increasing percentage of our national productivity.

The House bill has two major cost-control mechanisms: the public option and the 85% medical-loss ratio requirement. The Senate bill is on track to have neither, and nothing new to replace them. The Senate bill is a recipe for national disaster. If it's that bill or nothing, I prefer nothing.

We all know America's current health care system is failing -- and it's failing everyone, not just the uninsured. It is far too expensive: Americans spend 16% of GDP on health care and get worse results than countries that spend half that. Literally.

We need health reform that expands access to quality health care, abolishes unjust practices of insurers, improves value to the country, and puts us on a trajectory to continue to improve our health care system over time.

But the Senate has systematically stripped out nearly everything I liked about what was proposed in the early, heady days of health care reform. They have done so in order to please a handful of so-called centrists who care more about protecting corporate profits than protecting the people they claim to represent.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darcy-burner/joe-liebermans-healthcare_b_392139.html

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Absolutely! Kill it!

[MNDemNY]

2. Yup it must die.

[Cant trust em]

3. We know that health care will increase if we don't pass a reform bill.

Question is, does this bill actually speed up that increase?

I didn't get the chance to read for detail too much. Sometimes I should just skip this stuff until after work.

[mike_c]

4. that might be what it takes to replace the corporate jackasses in congress....

eom

[Cant trust em]

5. So you'd want a shitty bill that makes things worse...

to speed up momentum to get people out of office?

[mike_c]

7. sorry if I gave you that impression....

No, I want this POS legislation killed. I'm REALLY hoping that the progressive caucus will have the backbone to do it.

on edit-- I meant that insurance rates and profits going up after a reform attempt fails might make people angry enough to take some revenge on the centrists and republicans at the polls and make a better bill more likely. There is no scenario under which I support the current Senate legislation.

[needja]

6. the man is a

back peddling jerk!

[Triana]

8. Absolutely. DIE. DIE. DIE. The thing is useless. n/t