How Right-Wing Pundits Would Spin News That Obama Had Rescued A Child From Drowning

[rb336]

Why not instead simply remove the regulations which RESTRICT competition? Under current laws, insurers are so highly regulated that there are basically small insurance monopolies in every state..open up the regs and allow interstate commerce [[competition) and prices will drop.

partially yes, but the biggest barrier to competition is the industry itself - which lobbied FOR many of thos regulations, but also has, in every facet of the business, an exemption from most anti-trust laws. Effectively, insurance is run by a monopolistic cartel.

Add in some tort reform so that doc's & hospitals don't have to spend half their income on malpractice insurance, prices will drop.

another red herring -- it is less than 3% of the cost. once again, malpractice rates are set by the monopoly cartel. yes, let's strip patients of the right to restitution when a doc F's up.

People don't seem to realize that the vast majority of the high cost of medical care is caused by the very government which is now complaining about it.

care to submit an example?

Open up Medicare for the "uninsurable" rather than creating a whole new system, or destroying the current one by forcing private companies to assume excessive risk.

Seriously, there are at least four Republican health care plans out there, none of which are given the time of day, but all of which are infinitely more fiscally responsible than anything the Dems have put on the table so far.

seriously, the republican plans are nothing but a pure gimme to the insurance industry. your plan? throw all the risk to the tax payers, let the esuriant insurance industry reep the benefits, while the rest of us get stuck with 25% annual increases

[elganned]

As I mentioned in another thread, all this discussion about the insurance industry is focusing on the wrong problem.

We need to tackle the cost of health care, not the cost of health care insurance. If we "fix" the insurance problem, it will do nothing to stem the cost of health care.

What we need is more competition in the health services industry to lower cost, not competition in the insurance industry.

[rb336]

As I mentioned in another thread, all this discussion about the insurance industry is focusing on the wrong problem.

We need to tackle the cost of health care, not the cost of health care insurance. If we "fix" the insurance problem, it will do nothing to stem the cost of health care.

What we need is more competition in the health services industry to lower cost, not competition in the insurance industry.

ah, yes. let's get rid of the limitations on med school students imposed by the thugs at the AMA

[elganned]

The AMA is nothing more than a glorified, "genteel" union for doctors.

They create an artificial shortage of doctors so their prices stay high.

The DeBeers of health service.

[rb336]

great analogy!

[ccbatson]

Examples of socialism's failures? USSR, East Germany, soft european socialism, etc. Domestic examples? Medicare, Social Security, etc.

[Detroitej72]

How has Social Security and Medicare failed?

[ccbatson]

82 Trillion in unfunded liabilities by 2018. An unsolvable fiscal disaster....that is a COLOSSAL failure.

[gazhekwe]

One reason for potential funding problems for SS is the fact that surplus funds that are supposed to be used for future payments are loaned to the Federal Government. So, as we suffer economically, those funds are depleted and the chances of paying them back are diminished. WE paid in the money, the government borrowed it and now we can't get it back.

[elganned]

82 Trillion in unfunded liabilities by 2018. An unsolvable fiscal disaster....that is a COLOSSAL failure.

I'm sure you're wringing your hands in glee. Atlas Shrugged in the flesh.

[rb336]

82 Trillion in unfunded liabilities by 2018. An unsolvable fiscal disaster....that is a COLOSSAL failure.

82 trillion? $82,000,000,000,000? and where, exactly did you get that figure?

sorry, it doesn't wash. While the Concord Coalition puts it at $24T, even that is specious. the best debunking was done by the Century Foundation:

http://www.socsec.org/publications.asp?pubid=496

even that doesn't mention the fact that the bushies have looted both trusts to mask their debts.

the answer? dump the ceiling and make it a fair tax rather than a purely regressive one that places the burden on lower income people

[ccbatson]

MSMS Past President Michael Sandler is my first source [[for the 62 Trillion from Medicare/Medicaid). Glen Beck had the same number and references on his site.

Flat tax? Yes, I couldn't agree more.

[elganned]

He said "fair tax", not "flat tax". Your selective reading is showing again.

[ccbatson]

I, of course, realized that, and corrected you with a little bit of a trap built in [[the one you just fell in).

[elganned]

Funny, it didn't feel like a trap; it felt like your common blunder. Please be sure to inform me whenever I fall into another such "trap". They're so effective I may miss it altogether.

[Detroitej72]

Glen Beck had the same number and references on his site.

Flat tax? Yes, I couldn't agree more.

Whenever you use Glen Beck as a source, you loose all credibility and objectivity, and thus forfeit the argument.

[ejames01]

Glenn Beck is the only person that I have seen that will contradict himself in the same show. I have literally seen him spend 30 minutes ranting on a subject and actually refute him claims by the end of the episode.

Whenever you use Glen Beck as a source, you loose all credibility and objectivity, and thus forfeit the argument.

[rb336]

You don't have to wonder about the intellect of people who rely on beck for their information. It is remarkably self-evident.

I notice, as usual, some people refuse to link to their claimed sources. he claim beck links to sandler on his web site -- so why is it a search for sandler comes up with ZERO hits?

lie much, Bats?

[ccbatson]

I think you [[Ejames) misunderstand him [[Beck)...I have not noticed much, if any, internal inconsistency.

I am not in lock step with him either...he seems to be auguring for a libertarian uprising and this is a lost cause as a third party will most likely help the evil socialists by splitting votes. The most viable solution is to reform and support republicans.