Why did Obama start the Health Care debate with a compromised position? (We have socialized med....

[Libertas1776]

we already have socialized medicine in this country...to an extent)


Let's look at it this way (Mind you these are my unscientific, rough estimates):

There are at least 100 Million people on some form of Government run health care in this country right now (Medicare, Medicaid, S-Chip, Tricare, VA)

Then there are roughly 50 Million (more like 46-47, but for a clean estimates sake, lets say 50) uninsured Americans.

That would leave about 150 Millions Americans remaining that have private, for profit health care.

Then you add up the millions of people who have private care but are on crappy HMO's, or the thousands who are going to lose their care because the cost will rise exponentially or the they will simply be dropped or denied coverage, adding to that 50 Million of uninsured.

I really do not see how the big insurance industries should have had such a major bargaining position to begin with in the first place. It pisses me off that Single Payer was taken off the table from the get go. We were fed the same BS from the President downward that most Americans like their private health care and don't want to be rid of it, when in reality most do not have private care with it roughly split down the middle (I lump uninsured with government insured into one group for the sake of my argument).

I understand that if he had started with a strong single payer and compromised from there (as is necessitated in politics) we would have been in a far better off position. But instead, Obama compromised an already compromised position, so that it could be further watered down and "compromised" even more to the point where we might not have a strong public option, or one that is severely watered down and is available to few, while the current system is further preserved only further delaying its eventual collapse at the weight of its own immense greed and corruption. It is going to happen and when it does it will be disastrous.


The administration started off this national health care dialogue, not by hitting the ground running and flooding the debate with talking points and facts in favor of reform, but rather compromised and let the right hijack the debate and spew caustic vitriol and misinformation. IMO, the way the bill is forming (a poor public option and mandated insurance from private for profit corporations and not tax funded single payer) I would rather see it fail miserably and start off again somewhere down the road with someone more ready and willing to take the challenge.

Flame away.....

[bread_and_roses]

1. Why? Maybe cause he's in hock to the "Health Industry" giants?

Why else does anything happen in Washington? Money.

[Libertas1776]

2. Quelle surprise!

"he's in hock to the 'Health Industry'giants," I am shocked I tell you, shocked. :sarcasm: I have literally dropped my monocle into my glass of champagne.

[laughingliberal]

3. There's really only 2 possible explanations

1) He wasn't smart enough to realize the strongest starting position
2) He was trying to create an industry friendly plan

[HughMoran]

4. Nothing to flame - this is an old argument here

It doesn't matter any more - it's a matter of getting it done from this point onward...

[Libertas1776]

6. An honest qestion to you,

what exactly are we getting done from this point onward? :shrug:

[Libertas1776]

5. Ouch...

here come the unrec's. Did I hit some kind of nerve :sarcasm: :rofl:

[MarjorieG]

7. Not just Obama, but many felt there was a less confrontational path to achieve reform. Kennedy

included, after so many failures of Medicare for all. Now with economy tanking, burying insurance industry. If we don't do strong public option, then we need strong regulation, caps, which industry will fight, as always. It's a problem, but not all failure (why assume will end a failure) or decisions rest with Obama. Do remember that Social Security, Medicare needed adjustment, and we need a new structure, and a sliver of a public option better than none, with self-employment and unemployment rising.