From mcjoan's live blog of President Obama's press conference:
Tapper, ok, we know the benefits, what about the costs? The sacrifices? Are Americans going to have to give up anything in the process?
From SmileySam's diary of today:
Welcome to Rationed Health Care as it exists today. My Dr. informed my wife today that Medicare (Note: See Update below) was forcing him to cut every patients Pain Meds to save money. I am a Chronic Pain Patient, actually disabled because of the amount of pain I endure on a daily basis. The Dr. asked my wife to have me make a appt. so he can explain to me the plan to cut my insufficient pain meds by 2/3s in the next couple months. I cannot believe this can happen in the US where we are bombarded with " America has the best Health Care in the World ". The next time you hear someone claim that call them a liar because it is no longer true.
(Updated: Turns out it was Part D, the private plan, that was to blame, not Medicare, for those who rightfully pointed out this sounds like a criticism of a government program.)
Who do you think you're fooling, Mr. Tapper? We already have rationed health care. And all of us know that so well that I don't even have to provide links and statistics to prove it.
If you don't have health insurance, or you have poor health insurance, you are getting rationed health care.
So millions of folks in the USofA are getting rationed health care.
Health care rationing is now the status quo -- and it will only get worse if we don't seize this moment and go for health care reform.
All the questions in that press conference, hell, I couldn't even watch it for very long. It was a farce. Who in the USA doesn't know that our system is broken? Even those of us who have good health care plans have seen our premiums go up and little deductibles sneaking in where there were none previously. Do any of those who are adequately covered today really believe they will continue to have that good coverage if we continue with the status quo? Because if you do, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
buhdydharma put it well in his diary of today, "Media Blood Sport: Killing Health Care:"
And Health Care is the New Michael Jackson, and every anchor is eager to do the autopsy, LIVE!!! and to top every other anchor for the stridency, urgency and spectacularness of declaring the patient dead. In mysterious circumstances. Which can be speculated upon in lurid sound bites. With clever graphics. And stern august experts, picked off of the menu of stern august experts, all willing to say whatever the anchor wants them to say so that those stern august experts can get more face time, so they can be even more of a stern august expert on their resume.
Health Care must be in trouble, the expert intones augustly, because I heard someone else say Health Care is in trouble, so I better repeat that Health Care is in trouble because if health care is in trouble and I don't say Health care is in trouble too I will lose my gig as an expert....even though I am wrong all the time anyway, but if I say what the anchor wants me to say and fluff his pillow he will have me back on no matter how many times I am wrong!
Is there anything new here? If I recall correctly, President Obama, in his conference call to some prominent bloggers said something to the effect that we are the best at debunking biased news stories.
Well he's right. We are.
If we want health care rationing, then let's choose the status quo. It'll guarantee continued rationing and more severe rationing as time goes on.
If we want to fix our health care system so that folks get the care and medicine they need, then let's pressure our government to stop fucking around and produce and pass legislation that will fix it.
Rationing. Meh.