Why Compromise on Health Care is unacceptable

[ThomWV]

There is no room for compromise on the health care financing debate. The reason is simple enough, nobody wants it. The Republicans, a diminished bunch, are against reform of health care financing and no bill no matter how watered down will satisfy them. Democrats, on the other hand, where they want health care finance reform universally want robust change. No one is looking for anything in the middle; this is truly a polar debate - a stick with two ends and no middle.

And this is why no compromise position is acceptable; no watered down reform , no half measures - its either robust Government involvement to assure health care for all Americans (and visitors I might add) or nothing at all.

And to add a point; the biggest fools in this debate are the Blue Dogs. They fear for their own reelection in their southern homeland, not being able to comprehend that the people who they think will desert them should they stand up for health care reform never voted for them in the first place - they just can't understand that it will enhance, not harm, their chances for reelection next year. Damned fools.

[stray cat]

1. Absolutely - we should not pass any health care reform plan - no compromise!

It is not going to be single payer so we don't want to pass any reform if we can't get Medicare for all in this one bill. :sarcasm:

[CTyankee]

2. Just a thought on one of your points: health care for "visitors."

If you go to an EU country and need medical care you get billed (albeit a LOT less than you would here)since they only accept EU countries health care insurance. Here of course we have a different situation. Obviously, people in need who are not U.S. citizens get at least some care.

If you assure health care for non American workers who are here and it is passed by the Congress, there is an opportunity to hold this over the heads of governments of those countries from whom workers are fleeing, many (but not all of course) from Mexico and South America. Could we in effect "bill" these countries for workers from them who have come here and needed our health care?

It seems to me that if this were the case, we would help solve the issue of "health care for illegal aliens." Since that is a BIG issue with the right wing, we could neutralize it with a measure in Congress requiring such a billing procedure. It might take some wheeling and dealing with our State Dept. and those countries, but we could at least stall it as a political issue here in the U.S.

[ThomWV]

6. I really can't get a solution to this problem sorted out for myself

Its not the tourists, business travelers, that sort of visitor that I'm worried about, I think we could cover them for whatever might befall them while they are visiting us (not care for chronic problems other than to tend to emergencies arising from them) but what do you do about the long term undocumented workers. I think they already pay into the system even if no cash is taken out of their pockets for the work they do. They pay enough by accepting the low wages they are paid for the work we won't do.

Now, as much as I hate to say it, here the right may have a bone to pick. With estimates as high as 12,000,000+ we are talking about the costs being a significant part of the total. Does provision of health care force us to take an honest look at our guests and how to deal with them fairly and with dignity?

[CTyankee]

7. Of course, this is the issue. But can we not work something out with the country of their origin?

We have to think anew with this, where we haven't gone before. I encounter workers from all sorts of countries every day in my daily dealings in New Haven, CT. I am sure you do too. Are we just not innovative enough to hammer out some kind of agreement with their countries about what happens to their citizens when they are living here?

[Cant trust em]

3. Appox. 12 million people don't have insurance because of pre-existing conditions

If we could get care for those people only, would that not be significant?

If your answer is no, please tell that to my friend Justin. Justin did some self-research and thought that he might have colon cancer. He didn't have insurance so he couldn't get it checked out. He knew that if he went to a clinic, they would diagnose it and then he would be screwed. As a result, he waited until he could buy some insurance. When he finally got in to get examined, he was at stage 4.

[BlueDemKev]

4. Why Compromise?

The reason for the compromise is to get more Blue Dog Democrats to support the bill. We know that the Republicans don't want any reform whatsoever as they always prefer the status quo. We don't have the votes in either the House or Senate to enact a public option.

As I've said many times, if we don't compromise, we will get NOTHING. And we'll have shown the American people that we are incapable of governing.

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. Fuck the BlueBalled cowards, and fuck the DLC they rode in on.

Their previous "compromises" gave us NAFTA, the "Patriot" Act and illegal wars that have NOTHING to do with the United States of America in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And that's just a few of their "compromises".


Why the FUCK would anybody ever let these corrupt Repukes posing as "Democrats" (and not very convincingly) control the agenda ever again?? :grr:

[placton]

8. yeppers

say it with me: wholesale primary challenges in '12 - top to bottom

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Don't forget 2010!

All of the sellouts in the house and 1/3 of the senate sellouts can be primaried out then.

[BlueDemKev]

10. Put up Liberal Dems in Rural Districts.....

..and all of those seats will be lost to the most right-wing, fanatical bunch of Republicans you could imagine. Remember former Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX)? Pain in the ass that he was, do you remember the Republican nutjob who defeated him in '94--Steve Stockman?

BE PRAGMATIC! Half the pie is better than nothing!

[Sebastian Doyle]

11. Republican nutjobs defeated a lot of people in '94. Do you remember WHY?

Because the goddamned motherfucking useless DLC let them derail health care reform, THAT's why!

[BlueDemKev]

12. No Sir.....

May I remind you that Bill Clinton was the chairman of the DLC before he ran for president??

It's because the Clinton Administration played its cards all wrong in the way it presented health care reform to Congress. He demonized insurance companies, causing them to immediately unite against any reform and used their resources to scare people into opposing the bill.