Dear God

[AllentownJake]

Late night, watching Glen Beck and the new argument against a public option is that there maybe fraud in the public option.

How about the fraud in the Insurance Industry when it denies care people need?

The entire movie Sicko documents Insurance Industry fraud.

[PurityOfEssence]

1. They're grasping at straws

and it's working.

Everything on earth must be profit-driven and privately controlled. It's a religion. It is such a great good that any amount of lying, deceit, extortion, contortion and fear-mongering is justified to keep the evil of affordable health care at bay.

The right of a very small group of individuals to get gluttonously wealthy is more important than the literal lives of millions. This is the dark side of America, and it's sadly a corporatist attitude that pervades our administration, albeit with a bit more compassion.

The right is using the exact same methods used to keep the Democrats at bay during the eighties with the issue of affirmative action: scaring the working poor, middle class and professional class that their tenuous position in society will be destroyed by the fiendish attempt to help the poor. Sadly, it works. Those who "have theirs" are often too terrified to risk any change, and quite frankly, seeing how deeply mean this country has become since the 1980 election, they've got a bit of a reason to be scared: we've become a nation of the selfish, a veritable feudal Fuckyouistan.

Imagine the outrage if the administration actually tried something honorable and that would work, like single-payer. Hoo-boy, it'd be bedlam.

Considering the resistance garnered by the spineless, appeasing half-steps of making sure the system sustains the pain profiteers, we might just as well go for the gusto, but ultra-moderates don't seem to understand that. In truly Clintonian fashion, they believe that the forces of privilege and control will love them if they're just nice and accommodating enough.

Meanwhile, people go bankrupt and die, leaving wasted lives and spreading financial repercussions.

[boppers]

2. It's the fear of being taken advantage of.

Six-pack folks know the system stinks, and are willing and vocal about pointing fingers when they're exploited... provided that they know where to point.

The GOP has gotten really good at pointing out these situations, our side, not so much.

[POAS]

3. Remember when the fingers pointed

(well still do point) at the "tort" lawyers who were driving up the costs of medical care with frivolous lawsuits, forcing doctors to run unnecessary tests to protect themselves?

Just more deflection, fear and blame to mask the true villains, greedy capitalists taking advantage of a system that is providing them with captive customers forced to buy their wares.

[RichGirl]

4. Why are you watching Glen Beck???

The man is a lunatic who doesn't deserve one second of your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA7-BvVDV10

[annabanana]

5. oppo research.. the same reason any of us keep an eye on what's

being fed to people.. How else can we work to counter?

[AllentownJake]

6. He's nuts

I'll agree with that.

However he nailed the Goldman Sachs connection within both administrations. Decided I'd watch a show to see if he was changing his ways....not so much.

Even a broken clock gets the time right....once and a while.

[uponit7771]

7. This is a good sign, they're not putting out good arguments against the plan right now

[AllentownJake]

8. No its a bad sign

They are actually winning right now.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Conservatives always think that people will do wrong

because so many of their leaders do wrong as a matter of course.

[vaberella]

10. First off there's fraud in every system.

Hence the reason you need massive oversight and strong enforcement. That should lessen the impact of fraud.

[DemReadingDU]

11. Ever hear Republicans turn down medicare, social security, military healthcare?

Ever hear of Republicans turn down these programs? Not that I can remember. Usually they are the first in line to receive them, and fight like hell when something is disallowed.

Why not health care for all? I'm willing to bet that Republicans will be the first in line to switch from their expensive private insurer to the single-payer (assuming it is passed).

[spanone]

12. mr beck doesn't do rational thought....i refuse to soil my television

[csziggy]

13. Let's see, the fraud there has been in the Medicare system here in Florida

Was from some of Jeb Bush's buddies who got fat state contracts during Jeb's efforts to privatize Medicare.

Medicare Fraud a Continuing Growth Industry: Latest Case in Florida Echoes Jeb Bush's Involvement in Fraud in the 1980's
osted by Kaz at 6/24/2009 2:34 PM
Categories: Government
Tags: Government
Medicare fraud is big business and occurs over and over again.

Even one of the Bushes, Jeb, former governor of Florida, was involved in Medicare fraud when he wasn't busy with bank fraud in Florida, like his younger brother, Neil, in the Colorado Silverado S&L fraud and scandal that cost taxpayers billions of dollars to repair...Silverado alone cost the taxpayers $1 billion in the 1980's.

<SNIP>

The dubious distinction for the largest fine paid for Medicare fraud was by HCA, a for profit medical company owned by the former GOP Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and his family, Richard L. Scott, who now spreads lies about health care reform, was also involved in that fraud. The HCA fine was $1.7 million.

Much More: http://blog.progressivedem.com/2009/06/24/medicare-fraud-a-continuing-growth-industry-latest-case-in-florida-echoes-jeb-bushs-involvement-in-fraud-in-the-1980s.aspx?ref=rss

Feds: Miami-based Medicare fraud ring busted
In the latest Medicare fraud indictment, federal agents say bogus claims were filed for obsolete HIV therapy at a chain of clinics stretching from South Florida to four other states.

Federal agents have dismantled a Miami-based ring they said schemed to defraud Medicare of $100 million by filing false claims for obsolete HIV therapy across five states -- although two of the suspects who posed as clinic owners have fled to Cuba.

The eight-person organization, which was paid $30 million by the federal health insurance program, exported a fraudulent local business enterprise to Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina by using empty storefronts and post office boxes, agents said.

The alleged conspiracy, outlined in a 20-count indictment unsealed Tuesday, exploited not only Medicare but also private insurers that administered the government entitlement program under the Medicare Advantage plan.

<SNIP>

Since 2005, the U.S. attorney's office in Miami has charged about 800 suspects for filing a total of $2 billion in phony claims -- accounting for one-third of all Medicare fraud cases brought nationwide.

More: http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/1110959.html

[progressoid]

14. I heard him say that he thinks the govt is going to use his medical history against him

because he's an enemy of the state apparently. Fuckin loon.

[Phx_Dem]

15. The fact that they keep changing their arguments, means they aren't

resonating. Except with the MSM, of course.

[Honeycombe8]

16. There is fraud in everything. Religion, Gov. Sanford, Sen. Ensign, politics

in general.

The existence of fraud is no reason not to do something. If that were the case, people would never do ANYTHING.