I pledge to KICK OUT OF OFFICE all politicians who do not vote FOR our Healthcare bill

[Cronus Protagonist]

Are you with me?

[Sebass1271]

1. I am with you. K/R!

[billyoc]

2. No, the current bill is worse than the status quo and should be voted down immediately.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. I seriously doubt that it could be worse than NO HEALTHCARE

I guess you'll be sticking with your existing plans, but the restofus need it in time for Festivus.

[Oregone]

4. Possibly, if it provides no significant additional health care

If the public option only covers 10 million people in 10 years, then mandating the rest of the uncovered and punishing them with penalties could be devastatingly worse than the status quo

[Cronus Protagonist]

10. I'm still taking a wait and see attitude - at least until Festivus

I understand the plans have not been finalized in any way.

[Oregone]

16. A dead giveaway though...

Is that this could of all been accomplished much more simply and efficiently if the debate was on Medicare enrollment criteria. Instead, this all became convoluted, and the waters were muddied. A lot of the reform will actually expand the percentage of people covered by the private market, shifting a percentage of the covered away from the socialistic services already in place (Medicare, VA, Federal Employees Benefits).

If this was truly a benevolent reformed aimed at improving the system, covering people and cutting costs, why didn't they take the simplest approach and focus on Medicare enrollment? Isn't that a strong clue about its nature?

Yeah, I guess in 10+ years we will have a clearer idea if this will "work", but right now we should have a good idea what good policy and bad policy is.

[truedelphi]

14. +1 n/t

[billyoc]

5. Well, unless festivus falls sometime in 2013, you ain't getting it.

The bill is wrong for everyone.

[Cronus Protagonist]

11. Well, so I'll just die then. Actually, I'll be eligible for Medicare in ten years

Maybe I'll be able to hang onto my life until then.

[billyoc]

13. You'd better be able to hang on, because this bill wouldn't have done SHIT for you.

[Oregone]

17. And hopefully, this bill won't significantly "trim" Medicare to "help reign in costs"

Which it may--I think it may cut as much as 38 billion.

Its a silly notion. For every dollar Medicare spends, its probably saves 30% that would of been spent through a private insurer. Taking money away from Medicare actually makes the entire health system cost more because the other ways the money is spent is far less efficient than Medicare's 3% overhead.

[bvar22]

22. I currently have no Health Insurance.

I have been without Health Insurance for 7 years.
I simply can't afford it.
I also OPPOSE HR 3200 (the current Bill in the House).
It WILL make things worse.

[Quantess]

6. How? Like this?

[Cronus Protagonist]

12. hahaha

Yeah, metaphorically speaking, only stomping would be more accurate.

[Union Yes]

7. I second that! recd

[Bjorn Against]

8. If there is not a viable public option then it is not "our" healthcare bill

[onestepforward]

9. Count me in! n/t

[pleah]

15. K&R

[Fridays Child]

18. Roger that.

[Autumn]

19. You bet your ass

I'm with you all the way.

[onethatcares]

20. I'm with you

for as much good as it does.

[Thickasabrick]

21. I'm not sure which Healthcare bill is ours. It's been really confusing

lately. :(

[mmonk]

23. No, I have to see the final Bill and know the consequences.

[WyLoochka]

24. I'm there - kick 'em out n/t

[Better Believe It]

25. What healthcare bill? The weak one proposed by the House or Senate?

The bills that have a bogus "public option" that few employers or individuals will be eligible for?

You want to kick out of office liberal politicians that might vote against a bill that guts a public option?

Why do you want to do that?

[Bluenorthwest]

26. What bill is that? Does it treat my family equally to others?

If it discriminates, my message will be the opposite. Vote for it and I will not vote for you ever again, nor for anyone or anything you promote in the future.

[pampango]

27. Those seeking "the perfect" (single payer) may join the enemy (repubs) to oppose "the good".

Those seeking "the perfect" will believe that rejecting "the good" will generate support for "the perfect" in the next round. The repubs will believe that if they can defeat any reform of the health care system now, Obama will lose any momentum for reform (as happened to Clinton) and they can relax for another 20 years. Rejection would be a high-stakes gamble for both sides. I only hope that the repubs don't win (again) that gamble.

[OneBlueSky]

28. let's see what the final bill looks like before committing to support it . . .

from all indications, it's going to provide little or no improvement over what we have now -- only more dollars for the insurance and pharmaceutical companies . . . the LAST thing we need is a "reformed" system that maintains insurance companies and HMOs as the gatekeepers to healthcare for Americans -- and that pays them hundreds of billions of dollars for their "services" . . .