Jon Walker: It‘s Not That the Health Care Bill Does Too Little Good, It’s That It Does Too Much Harm

[seafan]

Amen, Jon.


March 17, 2010

The greatest problem with the Senate health care bill is not that it does “too little” to help people. The problem is that the bill does too many terrible things to help all the bad actors.

The Senate bill further entrenches the private health insurance system. It continues the terrible pattern of privatizing our social safety net in such a way that business skims 20% off the top. It makes sure the big, life saving medications of the future remain incredibly expensive, so as to enrich the drug industry. It takes a giant step towards eroding women’s reproductive rights. It wastes hundreds of millions to fortify the same, broken health care system that is crushing our economy. The worst part is I don’t see anything in this bill that might serve as a path to real reform. There is no public option or Medicare buy-in. There is no proper state single payer waiver. There is no mechanism to move to an all-payer system and/or a clear path to force for-profit companies out of the health insurance market.

I would gladly fight for a smaller health care bill that just gave Medicare to people over 50 who don’t want to keep their current insurance. That would help fewer uninsured people, but would do it the right way. It would be real help, and it would be done in a simple, cost effective, and fiscally conservative manner. It would be a small step, but, importantly, it would be a step in the right direction. That would actually be a health care reform foundation I would be proud to build on.

I have no problem fighting for incremental reform as along as it is improvement done the right way, or at least with a pathway in the right direction. What I do have a real problem with is taking big steps if they are steps in the wrong direction. If anyone can actually explain how this bill, which will funnel hundreds of billions of dollar into private hands, and force millions of Americans to be customers of the same private health insurance companies that helped ruin our health care system, will actually serve as a vehicle for the real reform we will eventually need, I would love to hear it. Personally, I just don’t see how the fight will be easier in the future, once the health insurance industry is a few hundred billion dollars richer, and already has a captive market thanks to the IRS.

These things have not been explained to the American people. And the administration wonders why there is so much confusion and anger.

There is a reason these horribly regressive parts of this health care bill have not been clearly pointed out to people. It's because the corporate actors have a vested interest in making sure people will not be informed until it is too late.



Washington has underestimated the level of rage that will be forthcoming from an angry populace in the coming days, weeks and months.

[babylonsister]

1. fdl? Color me shocked! nt

[Faryn Balyncd]

5. Mockery sure is a great opiate, is it not?

[babylonsister]

16. I've lost a whole lot of respect for fdl. Too bad if you don't like it. nt

[joeybee12]

30. I know, they're awful over there! They don't bend over backwards for Obama's Lies!

Shame on them!

[sabrina 1]

33. I never had much respsect for them or most bloggers for that

matter. But if one of them is right about an issue, it's pretty foolish to become blinded by that.

What is he wrong about? I don't know who he is as I don't read most of the affiliated blogs but he is certainly making a lot of sense on this regardless of where it is posted. Unless of course, you disagree with him on the issue itself.

[jonathon]

38. Much easier to mock, belittle, ignore then address the content of the actual post

This bill is a travesty.

[slipslidingaway]

11. Same comments made in this thread, but Walker might have been right

back in February.

Obama’s New Health Insurance Rate Authority: New Policy or Just More Cynical Politics?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7770000&mesg_id=7770000

"...Anything in a reconciliation bill must not violate the Byrd rule (unless Joe Biden is willing to play hardball). After extensive study of the matter, I find it very likely that this new Health Insurance Rate Authority would be ruled in violation of the Byrd rule.

If Joe Biden is unwilling to play hardball, the Byrd rule can still be waived to protect the new agency by a vote of 60 senators. I doubt any Republican will vote to waive the Byrd rule for this new agency, and suspect even a few Democrats, like Ben Nelson, would also vote against it. As a result, the prospects of this Health Insurance Rate Authority becoming law seems remote. It would likely get stripped from the bill at the last moment. Although it would provide Democrats with an good talking point to attack Republicans who took a standalone vote against this one provision.

Personally, I’m upset about the potentially cynical politics of this move. There are several things that could likely be passed through reconciliation that might hold the insurance companies honest. Things like a public option, Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare buy-in, possibly tougher minimum medical loss ratios, and/or maybe even a national exchange. That fact the Obama’s health care proposal contains none of these potentially Byrd rule-proof ideas to “hold the insurance companies honest,” but instead contains a new agency unlikely to become law, is highly disappointing..."

[sabrina 1]

34. Sounds like he knew what he was talking about back then.

They lied, iow when they thought they get their 60 votes for the corporate bill. Mass. voters sent them a message, which they chose to read the wrong way.

So, they couldn't use Reconciliation to get what they, as a majority party, the American people and their own base wanted, but when their Corporate Bill was threatened, all of a sudden it was no longer a problem or a cynical move.

Anyone who still believes a word they say, is just willfully blind at this point.

[slipslidingaway]

43. Totally agree about believing anything they say and yes so far it

appears that he was correct, but people buried their heads because it was from FDL.

[girl gone mad]

25. ad hominem? Color me bored!

[Edweird]

2. +1 They are fucking up big time.

[coti]

3. Yes. This is the problem.

Our Democratic leadership and those supporting them have a hard time understanding it, though.

[bvar22]

9. Oh, they understand.

They just don't care.

[glitch]

15. Oh they care.

Just not about reforming Health Care.

[Faryn Balyncd]

4. "What I do have a real problem with is taking big steps if they are steps in the wrong direction..."

could not have been said better

[ProSense]

6. "It takes a giant step towards eroding women’s reproductive rights." What a crock of BS.

Planned Parenthood

“As a trusted provider of health care to millions of women and families, Planned Parenthood is committed to fixing our broken health care system and guaranteeing quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

“Nobody knows better than the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals in local Planned Parenthood health centers how urgently families need affordable, quality health care. If enacted, President Obama’s proposal would extend health care coverage to tens of millions of women and families, guarantee access to affordable preventive screenings for cancer and other life-saving tests, protect women against gender discrimination by private insurers, end the practice of dropping coverage because of pre-existing conditions, and significantly increase access to reproductive health care. The proposal also includes a commonsense provision to expand family planning under Medicaid, which would significantly increase access to essential preventive health care for millions of women.

[seafan]

8. Here are the accompanying paragraphs 3-7 at your link that you did not include:

And they indicate that Planned Parenthood is quite concerned over the potential loss of access to this legal medical procedure.

.....

“Given the promise of health care reform to extend coverage to millions of Americans, it would be a travesty if the current health care reform effort resulted in the loss of reproductive health care coverage, including abortion, which most women currently have under private health insurance plans. If the current Senate language introduced by Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) is maintained, it would result in the most significant restriction in access to abortion coverage in the nearly 35 years since the U.S. Congress first adopted the Hyde Amendment.

“Under the burdensome Nelson provision in the Senate health care reform bill, it is anticipated that most private health insurers would no longer offer coverage for abortion. Since most women with private health insurance have coverage for abortion, the Nelson provision would take away coverage that women have now. For that reason, Planned Parenthood opposed the Nelson provision when it was proposed and continues to oppose it.

“Congress must fix the Nelson provision as part of health care reform and guarantee that reform will not result in women losing benefits they currently have.

“Planned Parenthood is also deeply concerned about increased pressure by Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) and his anti-choice allies in the House to reintroduce the Stupak abortion ban. The Senate already rejected the Stupak abortion ban because women across the country spoke out in opposition to it.

“The White House and congressional leaders must ensure that the Stupak ban will not be enacted through any legislative bill or amendment related to health care reform or any other legislative or regulatory vehicle.

.....

Here is another statement about this from Planned Parenthood.



We must all speak out against deliberate obfuscation of the truth.

[ProSense]

10. That says if, and neither of those amendments are in the bill. Also

"significantly increase access to reproductive health care" is not about abortion coverage.

Some guy over at FDL needs to get a clue.

[Ignis]

20. Disingenuous cherry-picking to support an agenda? Quelle surprise! (nt)

[laughingliberal]

40. Not the first time I've seen that same copy and paste with the same paragraphs ignored

Am I surprised? Not at all.

[kenny blankenship]

7. You guys can have a reform and call it anything you want, as long as

it results in a trillion dollar transfer payment to one of America's most powerful industries. A trillion bucks, every ten years, to be renegotiated at our pleasure. If you can manage to wedge some helpful changes in around the sides somewhere that's fine we don't care- but the sine qua non is THE TRILLION DOLLARS.

Don't forget we like cash.

Sincerely,
Your Owners.

[Winterblues]

32. How much are they getting now?

Did you get your 39% increase? There will be more over the next decade without reasonable restraints such as are in this Bill. Right now Insurance can make you pay thirty five percent of the Bill, that is going to change to no more than twenty percent..It has been decided we are going to have a Private Health Care Industry...Nothing we can do about that now except run candidates that promise to create a different approach. However we can not just let the Industry go hog wild.. This Bill puts some reasonable restraints and it is only the beginning.. Every year new Bills will be introduced to address more of our concerns..Those that just want to keep the status quo are not thinking right...

[laughingliberal]

41. They'll be back to those kinds of increases in no time

The 30 million new customers mandated to purchase their products will give 'em a nice boost but it will soon not be enough to satisfy them. Too bad no one thought of putting in a public option where people would have a choice and the greedy bastards would have had to compete for customers.

[slipslidingaway]

12. knr nt

[Individualist]

13. K&R

[amborin]

14. K&R

[troubledamerican]

17. K&R

[leftstreet]

18. K&R

[Better Believe It]

19. Next Up: "Reforms" to reduce deficits by cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

Any more "reforms" and we'll be crushed!

[laughingliberal]

45. This bill is set up to perfectly dovetail with the deficit commission's recommendations

If we had gotten some form of public option in the bill it would have been much harder to really push the dismantling of these programs. Now, the infrastructure for that will be in place.

[Political Heretic]

21. I've been saying over and over that this bill will harm working families over the long run

And that's why I oppose the Senate Bill as-is without critical fixes. Not because its not "good enough" but because its bad enough to oppose.

[Lorien]

26. Absolutely. I've been opposing it because I know EXACTLY what comes with the kind

of "affordable" health insurance they want to force to poor to purchase; sky-high deductibles and no paid claims. Just endless red tape and sleepless nights. Having no insurance ain't great, but at least you can put that $350.00 a month toward paying down debts or buying a little preventative care. Some of my doctors won't take insurance anymore anyway because they simply can't get the insurance companies to pay out the claims. That's what drove several of my family members out of practice. This was our one big chance for REAL reform. It won't come again for a long time, and as a result many more will die or lose everything attempting to get what they thought they had paid for.

[laughingliberal]

47. +1000 nt

[laughingliberal]

46. This is the point I keep hammering on but it's not getting through.

I guess a whole lot here are more sure of their future security than others.

[emilyg]

22. K/r

[Tutankhamun]

23. K&R This bill could become the straw that broke the camel's back.

The corporations and their politicians have been bullying the American people relentlessly. It's all too clear that lately they've become much more brazen and far more damaging.

This is a pattern bullies always follow, RIGHT BEFORE THEY MISCALCULATE.

[BlueIris]

27. The *straw*?

More like the huge, warty tree branch that crushed what was left of the camel's twisted spine.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

24. yes, it will make the insurance companies even more powerful

as if they don't already own our govt.

[Jakes Progress]

28. K&R Of course if all you want is to pass something

you take a laxative to unblock the constipated congress. This bill is what the colon of our government has passed. It's a crap bill in more ways than one.

[seafan]

29. The fallout continues.

Chris Floyd:



March 17, 2010

.....

Anyway, in the end, Dennis proved to be no menace at all to the Boondoggle Express. He got on board offering the same lame justification for junking his principles that a plethora of progressives have served up: the idea that passing the current HCR (High Corporate Returns) bill is somehow a step forward toward real reform somewhere down the road someday. The usual line is something like, "If we don't pass this horrible bill, we won't get another shot at real health care reform for 20 years." Or as Kucinich himself put it (somewhat inelegantly): "This is a defining moment for if we will have any opportunity to move off square one on health care."

This seems to me to be the exact opposite of the truth. In reality, if this horrible bill passes, we will be stuck with it for 20 years, because no Democratic politician -- "progressive," "pragmatist," or otherwise -- will want to go near the issue again. You can already hear the "savvy" counsel party bigwigs will dispense if anyone tries to "move off square one" on health care in the foreseeable future: "For God's sake, don't rake all that up again! Don't you remember the hell we went through getting that damn thing passed in 2010? You want to give the Republicans another club to beat us over the head with? We've done 'reform.' Leave it alone."

However, if this bill (which almost every "progressive" has declared is a misbegotten, corruption-ridden, botulistic glop of indigestible legislative sausage -- even as they threaten to wage holy war against anyone who votes against it) is defeated, then the ground will be cleared for genuine reform. A real leader could then say: "OK, we tried it your way. We brought in the corporations. We courted the Republicans shamelessly. We gave away the game on day one, took all our cards off the table, compromised every value we profess to hold. We backed down, we turned tail, we sold out. And it didn't work. Now, we're going to do it for real. Single-payer, universal: that's where we start, and by God, that's where we finish, or somewhere damn near to it. And if you don't like it -- well, let us refer you to the famous words uttered by Dick Cheney to Patrick Leahy on the floor of the Senate on that historic day in 2004."

If the bad bill is defeated, you can bring up a good bill in every Congressional session -- yes, for the next 20 years, if need be. Hell, you can bring it up every week. And if you beat the drums for genuine health care reform with even one-tenth of the strength and fervor that the Obama team lavishes on demonizing Iran, protecting torturers and enriching the criminal rich, then you wouldn't need 20 years -- or 20 weeks -- or 20 days -- to get it passed.

That's what a real leader could do. But of course, there is not even the shadow of a semblance of a real leader within 500 miles of the festering core of the Potomac Empire.

If this genetically-engineered monstrosity of a bill passes, we will be stuck with an enshrined, catastrophic system that further fuses relentless corporate control over our government while ensuring massive corporate profits, while breaking the backs of the people who tried to exercise democracy.

[ProSense]

31. Floyd is spewing idiotic drivel

However, if this bill (which almost every "progressive" has declared is a misbegotten, corruption-ridden, botulistic glop of indigestible legislative sausage -- even as they threaten to wage holy war against anyone who votes against it) is defeated, then the ground will be cleared for genuine reform.

Every progressive said or implied no such thing.

[pundaint]

35. You mean it's not three-dimensional chess - This is all there is?

[frylock]

37. ALMOST every "progressive"

[sabrina 1]

53. Excellent analysis from Chris Floyd. He has been right

about everything for the past ten years. He predicted the capitulation of Democrats to Bush's vile policies way back when everyone, including me, still had hope.

I've learned to listen to people like him. Not to apologists for every wrong move made by the party that claimed we'd see 'change' if only they could get us to work hard to get them a majority. Well, it was worth the effort to find out exactly what would happen, and now we know.

And yes, he IS right about 'every progressive' being against it. There are an awful of people around claiming to be progressives who are no such thing. The game is over, no more politics of fear of Republicans. This was the test that put an end to the myth that are two parties in DC.

It's time to move on and get some real democrats elected while ridding this Congress of the sell-outs and pretenders. And I doubt it will be too long after people see the celebrations for this victory for the Private Ins. Industry, before the reality of what it means to the average working person becomes crystal clear. Romney care didn't even take three years to cost the Democrats Ted Kennedy's seat so scared were people of an even bigger version of that Republican Bill.

[GinaMaria]

36. nice description

a misbegotten, corruption-ridden, botulistic glop of indigestible legislative sausage

[Cherchez la Femme]

39. Naw, it's just the loony left

that tiny group of crazy, stupid, non-wanted non-needed non-entities.

That's all it is! Heck, everybody knows that, except the loony left themselves of course,
because they're too stupid! heh heh

Hey! Let's denigrate
--too nice a word: Make FUN of them all some more!


:sarcasm:


Saddest thing is, that's the increasing attitude even here on DU.

[mzmolly]

42. Why hasn't Walker heard that Stupak isn't in the final legislation?

:nopity:

:yoiks:

[laughingliberal]

44. Funny how I never read FDL or many of the other blogs but I have drawn the same conclusions from my

study of the bill. But carry on with the killing the messenger tactic. Won't matter too much once we're living under the oppression of the system they're setting up for us. IOW, we're living under the oppression of the system created by for profit insurance and hospital systems. Now, we're going to let a whole lot more people live under their oppression.

[Moondog]

48. K&R

[LibDemAlways]

49. I have been saying much the same thing on other threads.

The corporate media is keeping the mandate under wraps. They won't spring it on the American people until the bill is signed. Then the Dems will have lots of explaining to do, while the R's can sit back, laugh, and say, "Don't blame me. I didn't vote for it."

Being forced under penalty of law to buy insurance from these crooks is not the change people voted for. How anyone can call this anything but a scam is beyond me.

[sabrina 1]

55. So true, Most people do not know about the mandate. Or the

fines and possible jail terms if people cannot or simply exercise their right not to accept being forced to buy from a private industry, especially one that has bribed Congress to pass this law. I'm sure that will be an issue, taking pay-offs from private businessess to pass laws, especially for those who have accepted money from Private Ins. and then voted for this bill. Graft is the only word I can think of to describe it.

I talked to several people recently and assumened they did know about this but they did not and a few actually didn't believe me. I had to give them links to go look it up themselves.

[LibDemAlways]

56. The best we can hope for is that the multiple lawsuits that will be filed

challenging the mandate will put an end to it. Proof positive that the Dem. politicians in Washington are clueless.

[sabrina 1]

58. I can't imagine it holding up to a SC challenge. Otoh,

with the current SC who knows? It is a Republican idea after all. But, hopefully the lower courts will rule against it. There will be challenges, many of them. 38 States are already preparing to challenge it and it hasn't even passed yet.

Clueless? Possibly. But to be honest, I'm not sure what they are, capitulators, appeasers, cowards or just plain deceiving profiteers.

[LibDemAlways]

60. I think they are all of those things. The "clueless" part is their

complete lack of understanding of how the mandate is going to go over with the American people and the price they will pay at the ballot box for their stupidity.

And I agree about it being an R idea. And, frankly, it's probably the only facet of the bill the R's won't remove when they gut the thing in the future.

[newspeak]

59. it's kind of funny, but I just heard Obama on TV

that this bill would save the government over a trillion dollars. My first thought was that all of those who couldn't afford the shitty product would be paying the government the penalty.

[fascisthunter]

50. Washington and the wealthy elite

[KoKo]

51. This Administration has not sent out their folks to EXPLAIN Anything!

And, that's a huge part of the problem. They've allowed Mis-information from the right to inform the public on Faux and the rest of the News.

They sent out Axelrod a few times but he's such a downer one feels depressed listening to his weak defense of anything.

This Administration has allowed this "Yo-Yo'ing" of the bill and manipulated the Democrats who from one day to the next never knew if anyone had their back...(unless it was Lieberman or Stupak) and the rest be damned.

They sent out Rahm Emmanuel to call those working hard for a better bill "FUCKING RETARDS!" ...they did everything they could to marginalize those fighting for a real Public Option after rewarding the Insurance Companies and Big Pharma with deals cut before the Bill was even working through the House.

They don't want the "dirt" of this bill to touch their hands. They've distanced themselves from it and laid waste to all the rest who were involved with it. It's really incredible to watch this. It's sickening, also.

[branders seine]

52. I don't know when or if the American populace will wake up and rise up,

but this bill is one thing that will push them closer to it.

[LibDemAlways]

57. I suspect millions will pay the fine rather than pony up for the insurance.

It would take a lot more than this to get the American public riled up enough to fight back.

[LiberalLovinLug]

61. And the Repukes will be right there with them.

I can just see it. The Republicans will be bearing all of their faux tusks. The party of no will latch onto the independents and others concerns of the private insurers and big pharma gouging in the years to come. They will blame it on ObamaCare. Even though none of this is their concern now, in fact those provisions are the last thing they would take out of the bill. It just puts one more bullet in their guns.

All the Democrats needed to do was pass, at minimum, a public option provision. Some polls say 80% of the public WANTS them to do this. They had that kind of backing. They could have used the same procedural process to pass it and claimed rightfully so, that the public was behind them. Now, when premiums rocket, and yet more people loose homes or DIE, they have nowhere to run. They snubbed the will of the people and they will be trounced and Obama, who started out with such promise, will go down in history as the one term corporatist that screwed the nation with ObamaCare.

[starzdust]

54. I have health Insurance and posted my thoughts here before...

and, I can tell you this insurance sell out will do nothing, repeat nothing for me except insure that my health insurance costs will continue to rise and drown me in debt. I have chronic medical conditions along with costs related to out patient care. I'd be better off dead, than continue if the current insurance bill atrocity passes.