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  1. #1
    Veteran DarrinS's Avatar
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    Asked today whether private insurers would be able to compete with the government plan, Obama responded:

    "They do it all the time," he said. "UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. ... It's the Post Office that's always having problems."






    Not exactly helping his own cause.

  2. #2
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    Does he have a Postal Service bill he's selling?

  3. #3
    Dancing Machine Gino's Avatar
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    I saw that too and was surprised. Mostly because what he was proposing is DIFFERENT than whats in the current House plans.

    The current "private option" would be an extention of medicaid for those who are uninsured. But Obama goes into the town hall and basically says he wants a giant non-profit that is sustainable on its own which is a far cry from whats coming down from the hill.

    Its easy to say whatever he wants when there is no "actual" bill.

  4. #4
    Believe. SonOfAGun's Avatar
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    Side note, but UPS is actually putting pressure on FEDEX to create a union as is Government.

  5. #5
    Orange Whip? Orange Whip? Viva Las Espuelas's Avatar
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    bricker bracker fire cracker
    sis coom bah
    o-bam-a o-bam-ah rah rah rah!!!!!!!

  6. #6
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    Does he have a Postal Service bill he's selling?
    He said this during a sales pitch for why we need more government involvement in healthcare.

    That was a pathetic sham of a "townhall". It was pretty funny how in his opening speech he said how medicare is messed up and going broke and then his first staged question was from a state rep saying how much he liked "government run medicare" and Obama then started talking about how great medicare was and used it as an example of why we should trust government to fix healthcare.

  7. #7
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    He said this during a sales pitch for why we need more government involvement in healthcare.
    Weren't board Republicans saying that the government drives all its compe ion out of business without fail?

    That was a pathetic sham of a "townhall". It was pretty funny how in his opening speech he said how medicare is messed up and going broke and then his first staged question was from a state rep saying how much he liked "government run medicare" and Obama then started talking about how great medicare was and used it as an example of why we should trust government to fix healthcare.
    I don't see anyone protesting to repeal Medicare. Many of the blue-hair protesters said they are afraid their Medicare will be taken away or reduced by a new plan.

  8. #8
    Displaced 101A's Avatar
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    Weren't board Republicans saying that the government drives all its compe ion out of business without fail?
    No. A public option will (eventually) drive heatlh insurance carriers out of business.

    I don't see anyone protesting to repeal Medicare. Many of the blue-hair protesters said they are afraid their Medicare will be taken away or reduced by a new plan.
    Can't stop govt. programs once they begin (depression era programs notwithstanding).

  9. #9
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    No. A public option will (eventually) drive heatlh insurance carriers out of business.
    Says who?

    Can't stop govt. programs once they begin (depression era programs notwithstanding).
    Sure you can.

  10. #10
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    Really, I have a hard time believing that a public option run by death squad bureaucrats is going to put private insurance out of business.

    But I could be wrong, maybe the free-market should fear everyone flocking to the plan that goes out of it's way to euthanize re ed babies and retirees.

  11. #11
    Displaced 101A's Avatar
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    Also, private companies ARE NOT allowed to compete with the USPS (anymore).

    They did, and were kicking the post office's ass in the 1840's - until Congress passed laws making all that compe ion illegal.

    First class mail is where the huge $$$$ are, and that is where compe ion is forbidden; UPS and Fed Ex et al. MUST charge at least $3 to deliver a first class letter; to charge less would be illegal. SO the postal service continually raises its rates on its monopoly slice of the pie (first class) to subsidize its competing services at the higher end (and is still getting its ass kicked).

    So, no, that is NOT an example of company's "competing" with the govt. - it only looks that; the govt. did not, and does not, want any part of REAL compe ion with the private sector.

  12. #12
    Displaced 101A's Avatar
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    Really, I have a hard time believing that a public option run by death squad bureaucrats is going to put private insurance out of business.

    But I could be wrong, maybe the free-market should fear everyone flocking to the plan that goes out of it's way to euthanize re ed babies and retirees.

    Ummm, the law requires EVERYONE past age 65 to see an end of life counselor.

    You really have no idea what you're talking about most of the time, do you?

  13. #13
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    First class mail is where the huge $$$$ are
    Eh, that volume and the money is shrinking every day and a bug reason for the losses. The USPS inadvertently did them a favor by keeping them out of the first class business.

  14. #14
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    WTF are you talking about? I'm not the one who's been characterizing those end-of-life counseling sessions as Obama's personal attempt to destroy the least productive members of our society.

  15. #15
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    Ummm, the law requires EVERYONE past age 65 to see an end of life counselor.
    Wrong.

    We have read all 1,000-plus pages of the Democratic bill and examined versions in various committees. There is no panel in any version of the health care bills in Congress that judges a person's "level of productivity in society" to determine whether they are "worthy" of health care....The truth is that the health bill allows Medicare, for the first time, to pay for doctors' appointments for patients to discuss living wills and other end-of-life issues with their physicians. These types of appointments are completely optional, and AARP supports the measure.
    http://politifact.org/truth-o-meter/...-o-meter-fire/

    You really have no idea what you're talking about most of the time, do you?

  16. #16
    Displaced 101A's Avatar
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    Eh, that volume and the money is shrinking every day and a bug reason for the losses. The USPS inadvertently did them a favor by keeping them out of the first class business.

    See the govt. can't get anything right.

  17. #17
    Real Warrior Warlord23's Avatar
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    No. A public option will (eventually) drive heatlh insurance carriers out of business.
    How're you so sure? There are examples of countries which have public and private health insurance coexisting. Brazil and India come to mind. Brazil, in particular, has what I think the US should aim for. People who can afford it buy private insurance and get better quality care and shorter wait times. People who get left out of this because they can't afford it or won't be covered by private insurers have access to public healthcare.

    What's more, Brazil has a fully electronic medical records system that allow doctors to access patient information over the web within 30 seconds.

    James Gosling (founder of the Java programming language, using which the entire Brazilian system is written) admires the Brazilian healthcare system so much so that he thinks he'd love to live in Brazil.

    I see no reason why a public presence in healthcare causes any harm to either the industry or the consumer. The only party that gets affected are the insurance firms which arbitrarily grant/decline coverage with their bottom-line in mind.

  18. #18
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    See the govt. can't get anything right.
    So you're saying the right thing would have been to stifle the proliferation of the internet.

    Nice.

  19. #19
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    So you're saying the right thing would have been to stifle the proliferation of the internet.

    Nice.
    Can you name some govt programs that deliver efficient and cost effective results?

  20. #20
    Displaced 101A's Avatar
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    So you're saying the right thing would have been to stifle the proliferation of the internet.

    Nice.

    Strawman much?

  21. #21
    Real Warrior Warlord23's Avatar
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    It's no coincidence that between 2000 and 2007, the top 10 US health insurers saw a 428% growth in net profits. On the other hand, as consumers, we have had to pay more for less coverage over these years (87% increase over the last six years).

    Another clue: the health care industry has seen around 400 mergers in the last decade or so. What we have here is an oligopoly (a near-monopoly controlled by a few players).

    I understand the value of free enterprise in improving quality and lowering cost. The healthcare industry unfortunately does not exhibit any of these benefits, the reason being little or no compe ion. GM and Chrysler got their asses kicked by Toyota and Honda, and we all agree that they deserved what they are going through. This sort of thing will never happen the way healthcare is set up. I don't see any harm in the government trying to get them to shape up.

  22. #22
    Displaced 101A's Avatar
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    How're you so sure? There are examples of countries which have public and private health insurance coexisting. Brazil and India come to mind. Brazil, in particular, has what I think the US should aim for. People who can afford it buy private insurance and get better quality care and shorter wait times. People who get left out of this because they can't afford it or won't be covered by private insurers have access to public healthcare.

    What's more, Brazil has a fully electronic medical records system that allow doctors to access patient information over the web within 30 seconds.

    James Gosling (founder of the Java programming language, using which the entire Brazilian system is written) admires the Brazilian healthcare system so much so that he thinks he'd love to live in Brazil.

    I see no reason why a public presence in healthcare causes any harm to either the industry or the consumer. The only party that gets affected are the insurance firms which arbitrarily grant/decline coverage with their bottom-line in mind.

    There's a thread somewhere where I described how it would/will happen - besides/once healthcare is a "right" in THIS country; a two class system wouldn't be long for this earth, would it?

  23. #23
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    The VA prescription drug program seems to do well for one example. It has some advantages over Medicare Part D with the ability to negotiate prices.

  24. #24
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    Strawman much?
    I agree you set up a nice strawman.

  25. #25
    Alleged Michigander ChumpDumper's Avatar
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    There's a thread somewhere where I described how it would/will happen - besides/once healthcare is a "right" in THIS country; a two class system wouldn't be long for this earth, would it?
    It's already a right for the most part, and it's already a two-class system.

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