Rudy Giuliani on MTP said that reform will be the death of the health insurance business

[eleny]

I couldn't imagine a better outcome.

Like another pundit asked, "What do they produce?". Insurance Companies are fiscal agents between doctors and patients. It's an accounting function that found steroids.

Partly I blame myself for only grumbling and griping privately when the premiums escalated. As usual, Americans wake up when it's late in the deal. Now, nothing less than hammer and tong will fix this mess.

[PhilosopherKing]

1. and?

What's his point?

[eleny]

9. We're supposed to give up on reform because profits rule

:shrug:

[gratuitous]

2. Was there any response?

Or, as I suspect, just a lot of furrowed brows and frownie faces at the prospect of insurance companies going under (which most assuredly, they wouldn't)?

[eleny]

7. Oh, he was talking over Harold Ford

Ford was making good points but he didn't respond directly to RG's assertion.

I can't believe I just supported Ford. But he did make good points. And Tom Friedman said about the rude behavior at town halls that they were just plain "stupid". And he was pretty animated about that.

But you're right. Ford wasn't willing to say, "Too bad."

[av8rdave]

3. Did Rudy even realize he was just promoting one of the best reasons for reform?

[eleny]

10. Nope

[veritasvg]

4. Sure...

...but that's precisely why it won't be allowed to happen. They own the country.

[rusty charly]

5. And he said it without saying "9/11"?

[eleny]

12. I was shocked that he didn't

But he had his chance later when the panel discussed Afghanistan. Btw, he completely supports Obama's decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Catshrink]

17. He did bring up 9/11 later on

when the conversation shifted to the war in Afghanistan:

MR. GIULIANI: I'm not sure the strategy has changed. I just heard David Axelrod say the main strategy there is to disrupt the Taliban, disrupt al-Qaeda, that's the place from which the attack of September 11 emerged. I hope they, I hope they remain focused on that goal, because that is a worthy goal, a necessary one, and it probably needs more troops. I think the president in this instance is living up to his campaign promise. I support him completely. I think he's got the right focus. I think we have no choice. And we can't become Afghanistan centric.

more a bit later:

MR. GIULIANI: If it continues to be, if our intelligence tells us that continues to be the place we have to be the most concerned about, then we have to do whatever is necessary to eliminate it. And if that requires some form of village building, town building, nation building, then for our own safety we're going to have to do it. But the main thing is, is your intelligence correct, are the premises correct? I think they are. I think we're safer than we were. We're not as safe as we would like to be. I think--it's indisputable that we're safer than we were before. We've got much better intelligence. We've got a much more active pursuit of terrorism. We've got them much more on the run. Thank God we haven't been attacked. The day that it happened, I was told that we were going to get attacked multiple times, both that day and in the next week, and for three months I was waiting for the next attack and getting intelligence from every source imaginable, every one of the agencies we talk about, that New York should be ready for multiple attacks over the next two to three years, and the United States should be.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32703935/ns/meet_the_press/page/4/

(the second quote is on p.5 of the transcript)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

6. Wanna chip in and send flowers to the funeral?

:bounce:

[eleny]

13. I've got some garden weeds I can contribute!

:rofl:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

33. Great idea! I can go across the road and dig up some golden rod!

:rofl:

[eleny]

34. Ex-Cellent!

[xchrom]

8. ...

:rofl:

oh that rudy -- always a kidder!

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. bob dole says the answer to the health care mess is for insurance to "shape up"

which I'll have to suppose (the interviewers aren't allowed follow up questions apparently) means that they would have to fundamentally change their business model voluntarily.

[eleny]

15. I kept thinking he was invited for comic relief

[Jack Rabbit]

14. Think of it as an artificial guillotine for an articial person

Photo: Schmier Grafx.de (Germany)

[eleny]

16. Those losing their jobs would have health insurance

:thumbsup:

[OffWithTheirHeads]

18. Hey! They are killing us. Kill or be killed.

Seems fair to me.

[eleny]

22. Our home owners insurance company has been very good to us

We had a major hail storm recently and the claims really added up. I can't imagine what we'd do if they treated us like I've read how health insurance companies treat their customers.

Insurance companies are the accountants who process claims and pay the bills. They need enough money to meet the payouts and pay their employees. The insane profits they've engineered requires an extreme response.

In other words, I agree with you.

[Vidar]

19. And that would be a good thing.

[eleny]

27. Absolutely

The employees who deal with the claims are probably overworked and underpaid, to boot.

[lunatica]

20. Good. health insurance is a racket and criminal

[eleny]

25. All these years it's been like the "boiling frog syndrome"

:cry:

[Stinky The Clown]

21. eleny .......... ?

Judy Riuliani is Doody Head

[eleny]

23. Never again will I see him on tv without his doody hat

:spank:

[spanone]

24. rudy cashed in on 911, now he's a healthcare expert???? he's an american joke

[eleny]

26. Yeah, a joke who laughs all the way to the bank

[spanone]

31. let him have all his money and all his misery

[Coventina]

28. We can only hope! n/t

[eleny]

29. Or we can kick some ass

:kick:

[Coventina]

32. Yes, of course. I was trying to be funny!

:hi:

[eleny]

35. Back atcha!

:hi:

[donheld]

30. fine with me

[cascadiance]

36. GOOD!!!

[bemildred]

37. Yippee! Finally! nt

[glinda]

38. Get me a shovel. I am ready to bury the health industry right now.

[jmowreader]

39. He said that like it's a bad thing!