Hudson Institute’s Diana Furchtgott-Roth Gets Pwned By Sen. Al Franken

October 22nd, 2009 Health Care 28 Comments


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Health care industry shills run into the buzzsaw.

More of this please, thanks. (via)

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28 Responses to “Hudson Institute’s Diana Furchtgott-Roth Gets Pwned By Sen. Al Franken”

  1. mambochicken23 says:
    October 22, 2009 at 2:00 am

    I do love this man.

  2. Quaker in a Basement says:
    October 22, 2009 at 2:22 am

    Franken is a rare fellow who actually troubles himself to know what he’s talking about.

    Ninety nine more like that, please.

  3. Jaim says:
    October 22, 2009 at 2:28 am

    Franken is smarter than most US senators. He’s making Minnesota proud.

  4. Frank DiSalle says:
    October 22, 2009 at 3:42 am

    She is cherry picking when she points to cancer survival, but he is not when he points to medical bankruptcies*.
    And who controls Federal bankruptcy legislation? Lemme think… Wait a minute … It’ll come to me … No, don’t tell me !

    Oh, yeah! I remember now…

    *Franken to staff member: “Check and see how many countries in Europe have zero medical bankruptcies — I need it for Wednesday morning.”

  5. Jaim says:
    October 22, 2009 at 3:58 am

    People in developed countries other than America don’t live in fear of losing their houses and savings due to sickness.

    What’s so hard to understand about that?

  6. Mike says:
    October 22, 2009 at 6:53 am

    Nothing’s hard about that, Jaim. Frank and his fellow wingnuts just don’t care. Of course, they care about nothing and no one but themselves, so that’s consistent.

  7. jrfunkenstein says:
    October 22, 2009 at 9:12 am

    ‘She is cherry picking when she points to cancer survival, but he is not when he points to medical bankruptcies*.’

    The point of the hearings WAS medical bankruptcies, not cancer survival rates, which by the way is not the strongest argument to make in favor of preventing health care reform, as all of those Western industrialized nations that have universal health care have some of the highest rates of cancer survival in the world.

  8. Frank DiSalle says:
    October 22, 2009 at 10:02 am

    Hey, Mike , speak for yourself. If you don’t care, say you don’t care. I am certainly strong enough to say I don’t care if I don’t. Now read what I wrote. Congress writes Bankruptcy legislation. If they want to write up special legislation for medical bills, they could.
    That would be better than grandstanding in front of a television camera.
    THis is not about who cares the most, this is about who has the best idea to solve the problem.
    If you were hit by a car, and you were lying in the middle of the road, unconscious, would you want to be taken care of by an EMT or by Sen Franken?

  9. Wilbur says:
    October 22, 2009 at 10:11 am

    If they want to write up special legislation for medical bills, they could.

    Point is, Frank, other countries avoid medical bankruptcies not by writing special legislation to exempt a certain class of debt, but by making healthcare universal and affordable.

    It’s amazing what a frightening concept that is to some people.

  10. mambochicken23 says:
    October 22, 2009 at 10:22 am

    If you were hit by a car, and you were lying in the middle of the road, unconscious, would you want to be taken care of by an EMT or by Sen Franken?

    Frank, you make less sense every day.

    Point is, Frank, other countries avoid medical bankruptcies not by writing special legislation to exempt a certain class of debt, but by making healthcare universal and affordable.

    COMMUNIST!

  11. MH says:
    October 22, 2009 at 11:04 am

    THis is not about who cares the most, this is about who has the best idea to solve the problem.

    Wait, are you suggesting that conservatives have solutions to the problem (that won’t just make it worse)?

    Ahahahahahahahahaahahhaahhahahaha

    Excuse me, I must have something caught in my throat…

  12. Links of the Day - 10/22/2009 | Heretical Ideas Blog says:
    October 22, 2009 at 11:45 am

    [...] Senator Al Franken is frighteningly good in [...]

  13. Frank DiSalle says:
    October 22, 2009 at 3:40 pm

    mambo, stow it, will you? Can you ever — ever — address a point without insulting me ? Consider it a personal challenge, an academic exercize.

    My point was clear — providing medical care at the national level, whether you are Kaiser Permanente, or Sen Franken, is not about how much you care — it is about what you are able to do…

    Just because people don’t go bankrupt to pay medical bills, doesn’t mean that on a per capita basis , medical care is cheaper, nor does it ensure quality. It’s like asking how many sick people own a blue shirt in Norway, compared to Denmark.

    Health care is only affordable at the “point of sale” because it was paid for in advance , or because it will be paid for in the future.

    TANSTAAFL

  14. Jody says:
    October 22, 2009 at 5:25 pm

    See, because medical care is not cheaper in other nations, there is no reason to reform our system.

    Except, of course, for the fact that it IS cheaper over there, and we in the US pay more per capita than every other nation on earth.

    And we don’t cover everyone.

    And nobody goes bankrupt in those other countries just trying to not die.

    But at least this way Frank doesn’t have to worry about Senator Franken driving him to the emergency room, so it’s all good.

  15. Zython says:
    October 22, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    And who controls Federal bankruptcy legislation? Lemme think… Wait a minute … It’ll come to me … No, don’t tell me !

    The Republicans, since they’re the ones that changed it in 2005.

    Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

  16. Wilbur says:
    October 22, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    affordable at the “point of sale” because it was paid for in advance , or because it will be paid for in the future.

    Or, because you standardize and simplify your paperwork, use economies of scale to control costs, and make the goal of the system affordable healthcare rather than maximizing corporate profits.

    Frank, you’re talking as if there aren’t a number of health care systems in the world that have universal coverage, provide comparable health outcomes, and are demonstrably cheaper per capita than ours. Get your head out the litterbox of two-bit economic just-so stories and take a look at what’s going on out here in reality!

  17. Frank DiSalle says:
    October 22, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    you’re talking as if there aren’t a number of health care systems in the world that have universal coverage, provide comparable health outcomes, and are demonstrably cheaper per capita than ours.
    “Universal coverage” as in everybody, or universal as in “wait ’til you see how long the line is”?
    “comparable health outcomes” as in similar, or comparable as in “here in the US, you can get a triple bypass” , or “under national health care systems, you end up on the back porch of a convalescent home for 25 years?
    “demonstrably cheaper” as in less cost per person, or cheaper as in a greater ratio of tax to GDP to pay for national health care.

    TANSTAAFL

  18. Jody says:
    October 22, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    How about “demonstrably cheaper” as in “every other nation pays less than we do”.

    …and “universal” as in “they cover everyone”.

    …and “comparable health outcomes” as in “comparable health outcomes”.

    …and “we’re the only nation where people go broke from health care”.

    …and “Frank is amazingly, deliberately, willfully obtuse, and he knows it. But he can’t bring himself to stop, because to do otherwise might cause him to admit that he’s wrong, has been wrong, and will continue to be wrong.”

  19. Jody says:
    October 22, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    …and just so we’re clear, and so Frank can have something else to deliberately misinterpret in his neverending quest to throw shit all over the truth:

    http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_hea_car_fun_tot_per_cap-care-funding-total-per-capita

  20. Jaim says:
    October 22, 2009 at 9:34 pm

    “wait ’til you see how long the line is?”

    Funny, but when I’ve needed medical attention my waits have always been much shorter in countries with universal health care.

    You could be bleeding to death in an American ER and they’re still going to make you fill out the paperwork first.

  21. Wiz says:
    October 22, 2009 at 11:12 pm

    “…in his neverending quest to throw shit all over the truth:”

    That line is funny, sad, and true….

  22. jrfunkenstein says:
    October 23, 2009 at 12:51 am

    ‘“Universal coverage” as in everybody, or universal as in “wait ’til you see how long the line is”?’

    What lines are those exactly? Where do you get the idea that waiting your turn in the emergency room or at a doctor’s office, based on severity of injury/illness and priority equates to not being attended to?

    ‘“comparable health outcomes” as in similar, or comparable as in “here in the US, you can get a triple bypass” , ‘

    You can’t possibly be suggesting that the only place on Earth to have timely triple bypass surgery is in the U.S., where it will cost you your salary for the next 5 years?

    ‘or “under national health care systems, you end up on the back porch of a convalescent home for 25 years?’

    Of course, because in every industrialized nation on the planet that offers universal health care, no one is diagnosed, treated and healthy again in under a quarter of the average lifespan.

    ‘demonstrably cheaper” as in less cost per person, or cheaper as in a greater ratio of tax to GDP to pay for national health care.’

    How about demonstrably cheaper in costs to patients AND in overall expenditure of domestic GDP?

  23. Dr. Psycho says:
    October 23, 2009 at 6:44 am

    Clearly, Frank is afraid that access for everyone will mean that working-class people, indeed, unemployed people, will get served ahead of him, just because they showed up before him, or have more serious problems. Since Frank is accustomed to being at the head of the line thanks to hugely-expensive insurance, it feels to him as though universal access is cheating–and cheating HIM.

    This is not rational, but it is understandable. Frank is afraid that if everybody gets a piece, his piece will be smaller, maybe not big enough for him.

    Frank, this is a prosperous country. There can be enough for everyone. Just as nobody needs to starve in order to ensure that you and your children are fed, so also nobody has to sit on the porch for 25 years in order for you to get your cyst lanced.

  24. cj says:
    October 23, 2009 at 8:02 am

    I find it funny that the right wing nuts are going crazy about us getting health care reform or trying to get health care for all, and thinking that the Republicans are in the right with this.

    I wonder how they will feel to know that Bush and his aids guaranteed that Iraqis would have universal health care(single payer) be helping to put it into their Constitution.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-dorlester/guaranteed-health-care-in_b_280528.html

    And they also helped fund it(somewhat)….

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001870042_iraqdig03.html

    So weird for a US President to make sure a another country citizens is given health care, but refusing to do the same for his own citizens.

  25. Frank DiSalle says:
    October 23, 2009 at 10:34 am

    Dr. Psycho: I am not at all surprised that, given your name, you worked out the absurd psycho drama that you did. I strongly suspect that you go to a doctor where the appointments are evenly spaced, everyone has a chair , and you watch CNN until your name is called. When universal health coverage comes in , you will experience what I have experienced for nearly 4 decades at the Veterans’ Administration , and on Medicaid.

    What’s that like?

    Well , you figured out what was in my head before — now figure this out…

    • fafaroo says:
      October 23, 2009 at 1:33 pm

      When universal health coverage comes in , you will experience what I have experienced for nearly 4 decades at the Veterans’ Administration , and on Medicaid.

      4 decades on government health care? Jesus, Frank, get off the dole! Where’s your pride? Have you never held a real job?

  26. Jody says:
    October 23, 2009 at 1:22 pm

    Yeah, because going to the doctor is never a chore if you aren’t on government care. If you can afford to go at all.

    This has been another episode of “Throwing Shit all Over the Truth” with Frank DiSalle.

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