Thursday, December 17, 2009

Senate Health Reform Bill in Tatters

The Senate health reform bill has now reached the point, after weeks of debate and compromise, where even some of the biggest supporters of health reform are now calling for it to be scrapped in favor of trying to create something under the less comprehensive Reconciliation process. A few nights ago Howard Dean, a long time reform proponent, finally threw in the towel on support of the Senate Bill, saying that continued attempts to appease conservatives have striped the bill of most of its benefits leaving mostly gifts to the health insurance industry it was meant to reform. This can be blamed on many. There are the Republicans who never even pretended to care about health reform of any kind, no matter who proposed it or what it involved. Add in the Conservative Democrats who do nothing but give speeches and bask in their moment of notoriety and power who are seemingly determined to protect insurance companies against the slightest check to their power. And don't forget the far right conservatives who have fought this every step of the way with absurd slogans about the Government between you and your doctor, completely ignoring that we've had profit driven insurance companies in this exact role all along. Does anyone really think a company beholden to investors and Wall Street is more compassionate? Do you really think Cigna's CEO is going to lose any sleep over your lack of health coverage as long as he gets his million dollars in bonus money this year?

Last night on Countdown, Keith Olbermann gave an editorial about the current health reform bill being considered in the Senate. It was somber, direct and unfortunately accurate. I highly encourage you to read the text and/or watch the video:  Olbermann: Ruined Senate Bill Unsupportable

2 comments:

  1. It is so unbelievably frustrating that the people we elect to be our voices in OUR government, the amount of tax-payer money paid for them and their staff by OUR people, and the fact that the majority of the country is screaming for a change seem to have no effect on getting anything done on this issue other than some souped-up scream fest. In China, the family doctor is paid something by each family in the village as long as every family member is healthy. As soon as someone is sick, the payments stop. It's too bad we can't apply the same principal to our elected government officials' salaries and/or benefits. Results=pay. No results=s.o.l.

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  2. Something needs to be done. I'm a single parent working 3 jobs, 1 full-time and 2 part-time, to support my kids. I cannot afford health insurance for myself, although I make sure my kids are covered.I recently spent a full week in the hospital with a collapsed lung due to pneumonia, and I just got the hospital's bill. $43,255.33 and another almost $5,000 for various services. I am afraid I will never be able to pay this off, as that is more than I make in a year.

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