As a single payer advocate I've been salivating over the idea of universal coverage in the United States. Naturally, I'm disappointed at all the concessions made to people intent on killing even the smallest reforms. Ever since the legislation was drafted my Republican uncle, my "moderate" cousin as well as a liberal friend and I have been going at it back and forth on emails sometimes 15 times a day. Today's entry from my cousin was so exasperating that I had to post our little dialogue. I apologize if this raises your blood pressure to dangerous levels. I am amazed that I am related to wealthy, conservative people who think Sarah Palin might make a good President. Here is this morning's entry:
From My Cousin:
(errors included)
"we just watched partisanship at its worst, led by the majority party. a true sham of a bill, put thru for ideology only, not caring about what is in the bill. shady tactics, that if used by the repubs, we would have not heard the end of it on the main stream media, msnbc, etc, their liberal bias is so blatant, the networks are doing such a poor job of reporting
and seniors are duped by aarp in supporting this,....read between the lines they sell senior supplemental insurance, which will sell even more.
the dems must be in bed with insurance companies, the run up in stocks yesterday was by insurance companies as they will make out with this bill because of mandates
the public gets what a boondoggle this is, because obama is polling worse than ever, and the congress even worse
we do have a big chance to get back the majority party, and with the weakness of obama, maybe the white house...if we find a viable candidate
hospitals are already preparing for service cutbacks and layoffs, as they can't make it with medicare payments now. labor is the highest expense in medical care, so the cuts have to come from some where
the ama, which represents only 20% of the physicians, supports this because just like the two senators they were bribed , in this case reversing the 21% medicare fee cut, which by the way is unfunded and hidden as true cost of reform which it is.
I understand the far left does not like this bill
when this passes it has to go to reconciliation, so we will see what comes out.
so no health care bill this year, as obama said he would have, he is so arrogant, which also showed in his copenhagen speech. He is not impressive."
My Response:
"I agree that this is crazy to push the bill through but I don't know what all your fears are about. The minority party (the Republicans) are against change under any circumstances. The spineless Democrats caved into the Republicans and gave them everything they demanded making the health care reform a very minor change (such as eliminating the ability to refuse insurance to people for having pre-existing conditions) and yet the Republicans still are against it. I've lost all respect for the Republicans, they do not represent the majority of the country who is desperate for relief regarding health care. I realize this bill isn't it - but to simply oppose all reform with nothing positive to offer and to force the hands of the Dems only to try to vote down the bill in the end is absurd.
The Republicans are so in bed with the insurance companies that they support the insurance companies denying patients with pre-existing conditions, they refuse to help younger people to buy into a universal health care system and they even oppose eliminating caps on insurance. At least this bill will allow young people (like all of my students who were cut off health care at 18) to continue to be covered by their parents for a few more years. It's incremental, minor change - exactly the thing Republicans claimed to want.
The Republicans support the insurance companies that deny a sick person health care as soon as they get sick. I can't imagine anyone voting for them but then again the Republicans can always rely on the Southern toothless contingent, the gun-toting wackos and the dim-witted racists who join together with the super rich (thinking falsely that they too will be rich some day). Luckily, they are not a majority.
Yes, the far left, the medium left and the center left all oppose this bill because it will not do what was promised - cover the 47 million uninsured and help the underinsured so they don't have to mortgage their house when someone gets cancer. Neither the Democratic nor the Republican party seem that interested in regular people. At least the Democrats think about them whereas the Republicans just piss on them. Shame on all of them for not bringing real health care reform in this time of economic crisis and devastation for the average working majority."
Sigh.