So fucking typical; Iraqis didn’t ask for their sacrifice, nor do they want it.

When you can wrap your brain around the idea of an occupying army not securing the love or respect of the people whose country they have invaded, whose brothers and sisters they have killed, and whose lives they have destroyed for the sake of their one lucrative resource, maybe you’ll have your answer. Particularly when you factor in the ever so irrelevant fact that IRAQ DID NOT ATTACK THE UNITED STATES.

I suppose you want them to pay for your kid to go to college too?

Sorry, Willie. I didn’t disappear after you came back–I disappeared before then. I got tired of waiting around for you.

Can somebody help me puzzle out what Willie thinks he’s found here? This is supposed to represent…what was it again?

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/July%20-%20August%20Combined.jpg

I didn’t want to speculate that specifically. I’m sure that his small business owning friend is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being he has ever known. A fine American and a great patriot.

Of course, that would have nothing at all to do with a majority of the Baby Boom generation getting older and sicker and availing themselves of Medicaid and Medicare. That number can ONLY go up over 800% every twenty years. Population density has Absolutely nothing at all to do with anythingOMG LOOK OVER THERE!!!! IS THAT A RAPTOR?!

great. Now add back in the $400 billion a year in administrative costs, executive salaries and bonuses that WON’T be paid to private insurers.

That alone would cover most of it.

Of course not, silly. They’re all undocumented Messicans.

Seriously? Which one has Down’s Syndrome again? She just upped the stoopid.

Dr. Zauis explains it all.

Current HCR Proposals of Interest to the End-of-Life Care Community

The following proposals have been voted upon and agreed to during the legislative action on health care reform. Please note that the process is still in early stages and this does not represent what will be in the final package.

In the House Proposal, HR 3200, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009”:

1. Hospice Annual Market Basket increase reduced by Productivity Factor Adjustment beginning in fiscal year 2010 (Sec 1103)

2. Extension of Moratorium on BNAF Rate Cuts (Sec 1113 – in Chairman’s Mark)

Extends the moratorium on the removal of the hospice budget neutrality adjustment factor through fiscal year 2010.

3. Advance Care Planning Consultations (Sec 1233)

Provides coverage for consultation between enrollees and practitioners to discuss orders for life-sustaining treatment. Consultations would be provided every 5 years, or more frequently if the enrollee is diagnosed with an advanced illness. It also instructs CMS to modify the “Medicare & You” handbook to incorporate information on end-of-life planning resources and to incorporate measures on advance care planning into the physician’s quality reporting initiative. Read the legislative analysis of this provision.

4. Programs to Increase Awareness of Advance Care Planning Issues (Agreed to – Baldwin/Burgess Amdt)

Establishes a grants program to maintain an information phone line and clearinghouse for state-specific advance directive materials, and an additional grants program to fund an advance care planning educational campaign. Grants cannot be made to any government or non-government organization that promotes suicide, assisted suicide, or the active hastening of death.

In the HELP Committee Proposal, “Affordable Health Care Choices Act”:

1. Allows for utilization of CLASS Independent Benefit Plan for advance care planning (Agreed to – Isakson Amdt)

Within the establishment for a national voluntary insurance program for purchasing Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) available to individuals with functional limitations, program funds can be used for advance care planning.

Isakson in part was apparently inspired to get involved on these issues thanks to the thorny questions raised by the ‘debate’ around Terry Schiavo.

AAAAAAACK!!!! DEATH PANEL!!!! DON’T KILL TRIG PALIN!!! ARGLE BARGLE BUREACRAT BLOGGLE KILL GRAMMAW!!!!!!

As was pointed out somewhere, the reason for some of these gargantuan suits (which are actually quite rare) is because the victims are unable to work and purchase insurance. So insure everyone and the “damages” diminish automatically.

“2. Put a reasonable cap on needed medication like antibiotics and pain killers. If they want to charge $50 a pill for cialis and viagra I dont really care as long as the patient is on the hook for those recreational drugs.”

Well, maybe but many anti-biotics are reasonably priced as it is. Doesn’t your pharmacy give them away? Mine does.

“3. Put a reasonable cap on hospital and doctors fees, no more charging a patient $20 for a pair of $2 socks or 10,000 for a CAT scan.”

A lot of this is because of non-payers- the inflated costs are to subsidize the people who won’t or can’t pay the bill. Anyway, insurance companies get a better (though high) rate. Take away the non-payers and all of a sudden the hospital rates will come down. The published rates for hospitals are kind of like rack rate in a hotel- no one pays those rates except the people with the least options.

“4. Give doctors and pharmacies tax deductions for treating the uninsured.”

You may want to do a little more research. There already are tax deductions. Very few doctors practices I know pay any tax because of the work they do for the uninsured. It actually can be quite profitable because IIRC they can write off the “rack-rate” for their care.

Example: Jim doesn’t have insurance, so he goes to the local practitioner, who agrees to treat him for free. An office visit at this doctor is $100. The doctor writes off $100, which saves him about $35-40 in state and local corporate taxes. Meanwhile Joe, who has insurance, goes to the same doctor. His insurance company pays only $28 for the office visit plus makes the doctor wait 3 months for payment. Also, the doctor’s staff spends time filling out forms (in triplicate) in hope to get paid.

You know, fallacies aside, this statement would be alot more meaningful if Sarah Palin actually loved her children.

You asked me to show my cards in a previous thread. Any comment? You seemed to disappear after I showed you a royal flush.

Too bad you were playing blackjack.

All politics aside, it a power no government should have over a free people. There are far better ways to provide healthcare to those who can’t afford it, and even better ways to drive down costs.

Of course when asked about these magical remedies, you guys run with your tail between your legs.

I can agree with you on the costs and coverage, I am staring at thousands in medical bills because of an accident my daughter was in.

I think that we should start small, kind of like the constitution. Come up with a solution that tackles the big issues, while still keeping it simple. Give it time to see what works and what does not and then come back and make changes. We need something the majority of the public wants. I would be happy with a bill that 65 – 75% of the public supported.

That is one of the things that really pisses me off about Washington, look at the original constitution and ammendments. They were pretty simple and while I understand we live in more complicated times a 65,000 page tax code is just absurd; and so is 1,000+ page legislation, just because they want the average person totally confused or they want to hide funding to something unrelated.

Im not saying do nothing, and I dont think anyone is. I think government can legislate change without carrying the burden of insuring 300 million people. I think this plan would be alot smarter with alot less financial liability.

1. Put a reasonable cap on malpractice suits.

2. Put a reasonable cap on needed medication like antibiotics and pain killers. If they want to charge $50 a pill for cialis and viagra I dont really care as long as the patient is on the hook for those recreational drugs.

3. Put a reasonable cap on hospital and doctors fees, no more charging a patient $20 for a pair of $2 socks or 10,000 for a CAT scan.

4. Give doctors and pharmacies tax deductions for treating the uninsured.

That is just a start from what I can think of, I am sure someone who is in the medical feild can make a much better list than that. The goverment can force change, with a minimal investment on manpower and a minimal burden on the economy.

jrfunkenstein,

So it is my fault for Congress’s poor numbers? You did read the part that read adjusted for inflation, right?

Why isn’t it being paid by thier oil? I would love to hear the answer to that question, and I am sure the families of Soldiers who have and are currently serving over there would also love to hear the answer. It is the least that Iraq could do for their sacrifice, as well as the U.S taxpayers.

If only there were some way of influencing the government or in some way choosing who might make decisions about how a public plans works… You’re right, we should probably make sure there is some system in place whereby the public could in some way sway the decisions of government on this matter.

In the mid-Sixties a gallon of gas was 30 cents and the average US income was $2,800.

If you’re so worried about costs, why isn’t the Iraq war being covered by Iraqi oil, as promised?

Having Michelle Bachmann as your Rep. IS the opposite of woot.

My condolences brother.

Your friends’ business is grossing more than 4 hundred grand a year, and you think he’s suffering?

WTF?

And, we also don’t know how that fares against private insurers. I can’t exactly find those numbers, but I’m guessing they didn’t go up a few percentage points in 30 years.

We have much different philosophies on this, I’m afraid. The private insurers have had considerable time to attend to the criticisms leveled against them, and they have gotten worse. Granted, a government can become exploitative as well, but that is an issue of the public taking an interest in increased transparency and participation. Private sectors are rarely so benign to public interaction, though there are exceptions.