Senator John McCain is snug in his Congressional Health Insurance, but he has no problem taking health insurance away from millions of hard-working Americans. He wants to scrap employer-based health insurance, and throw everyone into the cesspool of individual health insurance, where people are rejected for pre-existing conditions, occupation (firefighter, policeman, roofers, etc.), and medications (Allegra, Celebrex, Prevacid, etc.).

(Link) Wall Street Journal
John McCain’s plan for a health-care system built around consumers shopping for their own insurance comes with a significant downside: for people with a history of illness, it can be impossible to find coverage on their own.

looks like the link is broken

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121236916701936663.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

– Studies have shown about 33% of people who apply for individual insurance are rejected

– Since 158 Million people have employer-based insurance, McCain’s plan could force 52 Million people to lose their health insurance

– That would result in 1 of 3 Americans being uninsured!!!

(Link) Before Medicare, Sticker Shock and Rejection
New York Times, April 21, 2008
“Trying to buy an individual policy is tough,” said Stephen L. Wyss, the managing director of Affinity Group Underwriters in Glen Allen, Va. “About 40 percent of people in the 55-to-64 age group that we try to place are getting turned down because of pre-existing conditions.”

Lisa you believe in abortion for inconvenient children, why not just allow euthanasia so we can alleviate our society of burdens with medical histories and pre-existing conditions.

Or how about we acknowledge evolution and embrace Darwin’s other theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest? Then we let the ill that can’t afford care perish. Problem solved.

amazed: Or how about we acknowledge evolution and embrace Darwin’s other theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest? Then we let the ill that can’t afford care perish. Problem solved.

Nice summary of the Republican/McCain philosophy.

Also, let the babies of moms who can’t afford formula starve. Let the babies of moms who can’t afford shelter freeze to death. Let the babies of moms who can’t afford health care perish.

Thanks. I’ll save that for future reference.

Lisa, maybe if the government has ever run anything successfully, there would be faith that they could run a healthcare system. But the facts are that government cant run a damn thing successfully and efficiently. Hell their own restaurants have lost $18 million and only offered 20 new items since 1992. Faced with this fact, DiFi, who;s husband made of fortune off of defense contracts when she was on a committee overseeing defense contracts, commissioned three studies on what to do about them! You and I paid for three separate studies on restaurants for the senate. When faced with overwhelming evidence, she reported to fellow dems they needed to privatize it, they laughed at her. Yes, they agreed it would be cheaper, hell real people could actually turn a profit and PAY the senate, but it would offend the $37,000 a year (plus full government benefits) coffee clerk. And you think these idiots can run a system as large and complex as healthcare for the entire country? You’re high.

svppb: And you think these idiots can run a system as large and complex as healthcare for the entire country?

Not “healthcare” …. “health insurance”.

And, actually, the government is already doing a darn good job of it. Medicare has administration costs of 3-4%, while private insurance has administrative costs of 30%. Surprise! The government is more efficient than the private sector.

And furthermore, Medicare patients are very satisfied patients:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12703587
However, evidence from this 2001 survey demonstrates that Medicare beneficiaries are generally more satisfied with their health care than are persons under age sixty-five who are covered by private insurance. Medicare beneficiaries report fewer problems getting access to care, greater confidence about their access, and fewer instances of financial hardship as a result of medical bills. Making the program more like private insurance runs the risk of undermining a program that is working well from the perspective of beneficiaries.

Medicare/Medicaid is in dire financial times and will probably be broke in a few short years. Government dictates how much doctors will be paid to see a Medicare/Medicaid patient. Many doctors are refusing to accept Medicare/Medicaid patients because the payout isn’t enough to cover their costs.

Yup, seems like a great system to me. Can we have more please.

“Government dictates how much doctors will be paid to see a Medicare/Medicaid patient. Many doctors are refusing to accept Medicare/Medicaid patients because the payout isn’t enough to cover their costs.”

Surprise! All insurance companies dictate how much doctors will be paid. What they call “negotiations” are really just dictates. Also, Medicare & Medicaid are anything but the same thing. Medicare (for seniors & disabled) pays at a rate that is moderately competative (although it is set to drop by 15% in the next 6-8 months unless Congress fixes the payment formula). Medicaid (for the poor) pays at a rate that is about 1/3 that of Medicare. This is the rate that that doesn’t pay expenses. The doctors who accept Medicaid often do so simply to provide the community service that we should feel obligated to provide.

The administrative costs by physicians & hospitals to deal with private insurance carriers are immense. Responding to underpayments, late payments & denials, and processing claims costs about 7% of total reciepts. The administrative costs (by the physician) of dealing with Medicare are much lower. While I wouldn’t describe the rules & requirements of Medicare as exactly “user friendly” they are, at least, fairly consistent as compared to the private insurers.

Also, let the babies of moms who can’t afford formula starve. Let the babies of moms who can’t afford shelter freeze to death. Let the babies of moms who can’t afford health care perish.

Thanks. I’ll save that for future reference.
— Lisa12
4:15 pm June 10th, 2008

Lisa, how about if the moms who can’t afford babies stop cranking them out for others to support? How about if concerned people donate through private charities instead of stealing from wage earners to enable dependence on a wasteful bureaucracy? How about using the compassion of giving instead of the tyranny of government? Or is it more about power than compassion?