Etheridge speaks on Raleigh health care rallies
Washington, D.C. -– U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) issued the following statement in response to opposing rallies on health care reform in front of his district office Raleigh today:
“I continue to hear from thousands of folks in North Carolina about the future of America’s health care system. We know that middle class families continue to get squeezed by skyrocketing health insurance premiums and without action the situation will only get worse.
“North Carolina families need a common sense health care system. We need to get costs under control, assure quality of care, prohibit denials for pre-existing conditions and preserve individual choices.”
Etheridge also said that Democrats and Republicans have found much common ground on health insurance reform and that many of those proposals will be included in the final plan. This week, Etheridge is continuing to work with key groups in the insurance reform effort, including North Carolina’s community pharmacists and AARP, representing millions of North Carolina senior citizens.
Considering that healthcare “reform” will be funded in part by huge cuts in medicare, keep on working with key groups in the insurance reform effort, Bobby, such as AARP, which is essentially nothing but an insurance company now and is looking to grab a bigger share of senior insurance under Obamacare.
If we really wanted to cut costs, there are better ways of doing it than for the government to take over 17 percent of the GDP.
Comment by oxford observer — March 12, 2010 @ 12:11 am
“The Christian Science Monitor – Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said this week he’d go to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Congress passes proposed reforms to the US healthcare system.”
I guess he would, Costa Rica has the best universal healthcare system there is. What does that say about Limbaugh? Perhaps he could advocate for our health system to match theirs. Wouldn’t that be what you’d do?
Comment by Warden — March 12, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Let’s be fair and quote the parts of The Christian Science Monitor article that describe the healthcare tourism industry in Costa Rica:
“Lower labor costs and fewer malpractice suits keep the prices down here. In Costa Rica’s private system, a teeth-cleaning might run $40 and a general check-up costs $50.”
“But there’s another arm of the country’s medical system – the public system – which is relied upon by a majority of the population. While celebrated by Costa Ricans for “universal access,” it’s often criticized for long wait times and delays in treatment.”
AND THE BIGGIE:
“There’s a difference between the healthcare system that serves people living in Costa Rica verses [sic] that which is known to foreigners,” said Robert Book, a healthcare economist for the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. “It’s the private option for foreigners that Mr. Limbaugh was referring to when he said he would go to Costa Rica.”
Comment by oxford observer — March 12, 2010 @ 7:30 pm
I just love it when people who have hardly ever listened to Rush Limbaugh, but will quote him when it suits their purpose?
(or should I say, misquote, or take his remarks out of context)
Too often people get these “quotes” from other sites, such as The Huffington Post, etc..
After Rush’s recent hospitalization, he said the American health care system is still the best in the world.
Be assured, Rush Limbaugh is NOT for government controlled health care anywhere.
Why don’t people understand that part of the reason for the high costs of health care (and increasing insurance premiums) are because of government interference of the system’s economic structure?
This is similar to what happened with the housing market..too much government intervention created spiraling housing prices by increasing demand, making homes cost more then they were really worth..a false economy..
Comment by ziggy — March 12, 2010 @ 10:46 pm
sometimes those left wing blogs take bits and pieces of Rushes show to try to make him look bad. I am sure they are still mad about their radio station going belly up while Rush gets paid over 20 mil a year.
Comment by kevin osborne — March 12, 2010 @ 11:36 pm
The Heritage Foundation is a known republican propaganda front. The attempt to control the propaganda for healthcare opposition is not only on the national news, its in our local blogs as well. Your mamma, a wide known think tank, said “Rush meant he wanted to live in Coasta Rica to purchase underage girls, in addition to oxy and hydrocodone.” There’s a large group of people in our community who see posts by you guys here and just shake their heads with disbelief. It’s not even worth the attempt anymore to discuss issues. It’s been fun to lurk here and watch you guys continue the FUD. But occasionally I like to come and stir it up. Carry on.
Comment by Phil Hart — March 13, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
Yes its hard to discuss any issue with anyone who’s IQ is so low they voted for Obama.
Comment by kevin osborne — March 13, 2010 @ 1:52 pm
Phil Hart (any relation to the now deceased Senator Phil Hart from my home state of Michigan?): I can’t vouch for the Heritage Foundation, but as a Christian Scientist who is very familiar with the running of The Christian Science Monitor, I can tell you that The Christian Science Monitor double checks its facts. If the statement Robert Book made about Rush Limbaugh and Costa Rica’s private high quality health tourism industry were untrue, they would not have printed it.
The real point of that article, however, is this: Costa Rica allows people who can afford it to buy private health insurance. Great Britain has allowed people who can afford it to buy private health insurance for years. Those with private insurance there receive more timely and better care than they receive through the NHS. I cannot speak of Costa Rica but speak from first-hand knowledge on this issue as it is in Great Britain.
Canada does not allow its citizens to buy private insurance and that is why many of them come to the USA for the high quality of care they can pay for here and receive in timely fashion.
The reason Rush Limbaugh said he would go to Costa Rica for health care is because he believes that under Obamacare we will all have to buy into a government-regulated/essentially government-run health insurance system and, like Canadians, we will not be able to buy private insurance or pay our own way as we do now. Many of us will be denied care for various reasons or will receive it too late to be of benefit and there will be nothing we can do about it in the USA.
Since your admitted purpose here is to stir up the forum rather than to contribute actual knowledge of an issue or to learn, I hope I have not confused you too much with the facts.
Comment by oxford observer — March 13, 2010 @ 7:16 pm
You have given us the differences between other national health systems in an easy to grasp way. Thanks. So let’s go for the Costa Rica plan. Sounds equitable to me.
I haven’t heard much about preventive healthcare and health education. Our children would learn better with proper nutrition, exercise and rest. Work their bodies and their minds work better.
Comment by Warden — March 13, 2010 @ 7:27 pm
Phil Hart…so, The Heritage Foundation is a “known Republican propaganda front”?
why..? because they are conservatives? that’s what makes whatever info they send out propaganda?
so, what do you call liberal leftist organizations?
Your problem is that you are convinced you are right, and anyone with a different opinion is wrong…and not just wrong..but stupid and uninformed. (falling for all that “propaganda”)
Ever think YOU are the one who has fallen for the “propaganda”?
“It’s not even worth the attempt anymore to discuss issues”?
why, because we don’t all fall in line with your way of thinking?
Typical leftist..your way or the highway.
It kills me when leftists claim they are the tolerant ones.
and BTW…another typical leftist habit…you all just love to reach down as low as you can go to scrape up the crap and hurl it at anyone you deem as the enemy..and the more disgusting it is, and the lower it is, the better you like it..
and by doing so…the attack is also meant for people like me, and anyone who differs with you.
indulge yourself at “Your Mama”..which I’m sure is chock full of intelligent articles and discussions.
in your case..I “DITTO” Kevin..#7.
You have a nice day.
Comment by ziggy — March 13, 2010 @ 11:53 pm
“so, what do you call liberal leftist organizations?” I call them propaganda fronts also. My point is CSM, Heritage Foundation, any ‘think tank’ like entity, are organizations paid to do research and write up documents. You are very naive if you take a single grain of salt in regards to anything coming out of them. Yet, they are quoted everywhere, from your local blog, Reutuers and AP articles, to the nightly and 24 hour news and opinion shows. Even worse, their documents are used to shape official government policy and laws. They’re lobbyists, paid by the corporations that would like to help themselves. My point is a quote like that from some organization is just as valid as a quote from your or anyone elses mamma.
My ‘problem’ isn’t that I’m convinced I’m right, it’s that I feel I see a much larger picture. I don’t know if that picture is right or wrong, but I do feel that when people repeat propaganda for the sake of repeating then yea I feel they are very uninformed.
What I know and can quantify is I can’t afford to provide medical insurance to myself, wife and 3 year old child. If I was in pretty much any other country, that wouldn’t be an issue. The cheapest plan from BCBS is $332.67 for us. That’s a weeks pay. Our house is 2 weeks pay. Utilities combined is a weeks pay. Not to mention food, and supplies. The plan is $5000 deductible. Which is over 3 months pay before we even get any benefit of the plan. My wife and child are not eligible for medicaid. So what’s the great suggestion that I can join? I’ve been to the emergency room without insurance. $600 for a 15 minute visit. Doctor looked down my throat, said whatever I ate swelled up my throat, gave me a glass of ice water, said I’d be fine and sent me on my way. So we should go into debt to pay $600 every time our 3 year old gets a problem for a basic trip to the ER? We went to an urgent care facility for him because he needed antibiotics for an infection, that cost almost $200.
Maybe you don’t need a public option, but I and millions others do. And to read propaganda here denouncing it as terrible sickens me. That’s why it’s not worth it anymore to come on here and say otherwise, the email forwards and predetermined debate points are just repeated every time. Certain commenters come here and just throw out a bunch of news bits they’ve received. There’s no intent of discussion, or debate. Even the slightest hint of it leads to offensive remarks about peoples low iq, misspellings or grammar or other nonsense. It’s tactics of propaganda. Just because you do not get replies to your opinion shaping attempts doesn’t mean we agree. Your attempts just aren’t worth it anymore.
Comment by Phil Hart — March 14, 2010 @ 12:54 pm
Phil Hart, your point is certainly well taken and irrefutable as an example of someone who cannot afford to buy health insurance for himself and his family. I am probably old enough to be ‘your mama’ and this is a trend I have seen in my lifetime: the increasing costs of medical care and medical insurance out of proportion to inflation.
Example: When we were first starting out, a dental visit cost $20.00 and our income was approximately $20,000/yr. Today, as retired people, our income is not much more than that and a dental visit costs $150.00.
When our children were the ages of your child, we also had to pay our own way. We paid for every doctor visit and every prescription. We did not make a lot of money but those things were affordable! There were no insurance policies that covered doctor visits or prescriptions but we could also afford a “major medical/surgical” health insurance policy for the family.
We also paid for all dental care out of pocket as there was no such thing as ‘dental insurance’ then.
Today, I cannot find a major medical/surgical or ‘catastrophic’ plan to buy.
With the advent of insurance plans that cover doctor visits and prescriptions and dental insurance, I have seen the costs skyrocket. I haven’t done a scientific survey so I don’t know what the “experts” say about this but it appears to me that since insurance began covering everything with just a small co-pay, people are encouraged to run to the doctor with every little thing and doctors and dentists and pharmaceutical companies charge what they used to charge “back in the day” and then they tack on top of that what the insurance companies will pay.
There are ways to make insurance affordable that are not included in “Obamacare,” e.g. institute tort reform, give people the ability to buy insurance across state lines, and make catastrophic plans available. These free-market solutions will result in a natural lowering of costs without lowering the availability of care, the quality of care, and our freedom to make our own choices of care, without government interference.
I understand your desire to have the government give you free health insurance or subsidize your health insurance as Obamacare promises to do. But over time, this will result in a raising of costs for insurance and medical care as well as a raise in taxation for all the generations in the future. Your child and grandchildren will be paying all of their lives and with a vastly decreased standard of living for the Obamacare of today, if this law passes.
Comment by oxford observer — March 14, 2010 @ 4:48 pm
Phil Hart atrip to the doctor wouldn’t cost so much if everybody paid, we pay for the ones with no insurance and refuse to pay. Then there are those frivilous law suits that run up the price of the malpractice insurance.
As long as quack judges keep rewarding crooks medical cost will keep on escalating.
Comment by Catfish — March 14, 2010 @ 5:29 pm
Phil Hart- Polk in Butner is hiring for Correctional Officers , its not that hard a job and it has health insurance. The pay is low but heck with all the hope and change its not like there is much of anything out there anyway.
I was in your shoes for over 2 years with no healthcare but at least I was lucky my wife had a job and the kids were on her insurance. It is not easy and I wish you the best of luck but at no time will I ever support the public option because everything the government touches they screw up. Post Office–broke
Social Security–Broke Medicare–Broke Medicade—Broke , They will not do any better with healthcare- we need reform but not what the dems are suggesting.
Comment by kevin osborne — March 14, 2010 @ 6:43 pm
“we need reform but not what the dems are suggesting.”
I agree, we need single payer.
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 14, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
Phil Hart…your first post..#6..did not attempt to discuss the problem of health care costs, or any attempt to exhange ideas..it was an attack against a conservative think tank foundation and a conservative talk show host..so don’t blame anyone but yourself for stirring things up, which you said is your intent.
Oxford Observer posted several intelligent discussions..yet still, in your second post ..#1…you continue to attempt to demean us for being “naive” and “uninformed”..and on to the last paragraph…I, for one, don’t try to embarrass people by correcting grammer or spelling.
Everyone, including me, makes mistakes and typos..
so, I don’t know what “propaganda tactic” you’re referring to..
Maybe you should consider trying to be civil, instead of making snide pot shots right out of the gate. And if you get your kicks by coming here to stir things up..you need to grow up.
Think tank organizations might be trying to shape the agenda, but so what? They are reflecting the ideas and opinions of their members and subscribers, who want them to shape the agenda. Not all lobbying is a bad thing.
What makes you think that none of us have had problems regarding health care costs?
You’re not the only one..
We all agree that health care costs needs to be reformed, but many of us do not think that the present bill will do what’s needed, and, could make matters worse overall..
Comment by ziggy — March 14, 2010 @ 10:52 pm
edit isn’t working again.
your second post was #11…
and BTW…it might come as a shock to you, but some of us also see the “much larger picture”.
Comment by ziggy — March 14, 2010 @ 11:00 pm
FTWLOTR– I agree so long as the single payer is you and not me the tax payer.
Comment by kevin osborne — March 15, 2010 @ 5:21 am
ziggy, I willingly pay the costs of government intervention in my housing costs. It prevents me from getting electrocuted, ripped off by jack leg (non regulated) contractors and it assures that I get what I pay for even though I am not trained in construction or engineering practices. In the long run I get affordable and safe housing rather than living in a shack.
Comment by Candace — March 15, 2010 @ 8:42 am
ah, but i too, am the taxpayer, and i look forward to your pay ins.
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 15, 2010 @ 9:39 am
Interesting reading from “Power Line” at http://www.powerlineblog.com/
In Ohio today, President Obama tried to sell the Democrats’ health care takeover bill by personalizing it:
President Obama, declaring that “every argument has been made” on his health care overhaul, sought to seal the deal with Congress and the American people on Monday by focusing on a single patient: a self-employed cleaning woman who had dropped her costly insurance plan, only to discover she had leukemia. …
“The reason Natoma is not here today is that she’s lying in a hospital bed, suddenly faced with this emergency — suddenly thrust into a fight for her life,” Mr. Obama said. “She expects to face a month or more of aggressive chemotherapy. …” The crowd grew momentarily silent, and the president added: “So you want to know why I’m here, Ohio? I’m here because of Natoma [Canfield].”
The Times bought it hook, line and sinker, describing Canfield’s story as a “health care drama that could not have been better scripted for his purposes if he had written it himself.” That’s questionable, however. Under Obamacare, it would be illegal for Ms. Canfield to drop her health insurance, and the taxpayers would subsidize her legally required insurance policy. But not until 2014. I suspect Ms. Canfield can’t wait that long. The Republican plan, on the other hand, would immediately subsidize or initiate state high-risk pools, and can also be expected to lower, rather than raise, individual insurance costs.
In the meantime, of course, Ms. Canfield isn’t lacking for medical care–she is in a hospital undergoing “aggressive chemotherapy.” Her bills will be paid, presumably, by some combination of taxpayers and patients who have insurance, much as they would be under Obamacare.
Comment by oxford observer — March 15, 2010 @ 5:42 pm
Oxford Observer..it’s one sad story after another..
the only thing is…it’s never the whole story..
did you see the presentation by a young boy named Marcallus (sp?)..about his mother having pulmanary hypertension?..he said that after she became ill, she started missing time at work, and lost her job, and her health insurance, and eventually, her life. (he said due to lack of health care/insurance)
So, he was there to continue her fight for health care..
know where she worked?
a Social Justice organization in DC!
News checks on the lady revealed she did get care..both in-hospital and out patient..and under her circumstances (unemployed, ill (disabled), and with children) presumably would have qualified for Medicaid..
so….what are we talking about here?
I do not believe that this is about health care..it’s more about growing government power and control.
sad stories or not.
Comment by ziggy — March 15, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Candace…so…what do building codes and inspections have to do with health care?
for one thing…these codes are usually state or county/local codes..and state licenses..
not federal.
Comment by ziggy — March 15, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
22. Right on the mark, ziggy! This is not about healthcare. It’s about turning the United States into the kind of socialist country Michelle O can be proud of. Europe has already tried that and proved it doesn’t work.
I did see the young boy telling the sad story of his mother. And yes, they did not reveal that she had received good care in the hospital. The fact is: Nobody in this country has ever died from lack of health insurance.
Comment by oxford observer — March 16, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
Study links 45,000 U.S. deaths to lack of health insurance
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE58G6W520090917
And Europe has proven that socialized health care coverage “doesn’t work” how exactly?
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 16, 2010 @ 5:58 pm
I’ll copy and paste here this recent find:
As soon as Democrat proposed health care passes, the American people will see immediate benefits. The legislation will:
* Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children in all new plans;
* Provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool;
* Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all individual plans;
* Lower seniors prescription drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole;
* Offer tax credits to small businesses to purchase coverage;
* Eliminate lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all plans;
* Require plans to cover an enrollee’s dependent children until age 26;
* Require new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;
* Ensure consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions;
* Require premium rebates to enrollees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and require public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs.
Source: http://www.dems.gov/blog/the-top-ten-immediate-benefits-you-ll-get-when-health-care-reform-passes
Can someone on the republican side please post their immediate benefits?
Comment by Phil Hart — March 16, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
Ah yes, not a “side” per se, however, be ready for some surprises that aren’t mentioned.
I can’t be specific because I haven’t seen all the 2000 plus pages, has anyone? Be assured the government will do about as well with this as they have with sticking their nose in public education.
Doctors will lose their autonomy. I agree that the insurance companies can blame themselves for sticking it to patients with preexisting conditions, etc. but it will be something else.
Comment by north star — March 16, 2010 @ 8:51 pm
I seriously ask to see the benefits not to stir up commotion, but to see what they are offering in contrast to the dems.
Thoughts about Grayson’s plan to allow anyone to buy into full medicare coverage at cost? http://www.medicareforall.org
Comment by Phil Hart — March 16, 2010 @ 9:09 pm
Medicare For All’s website looks a lot like the Federal Medicare.gov website, but it is not. It is propaganda for healtcare reform in my opinion–just saying.
Comment by north star — March 16, 2010 @ 9:14 pm
Medicare For All’s website looks a lot like the Federal Medicare.gov website, but it is not. It is propaganda for healthcare reform in my opinion–just saying.
Comment by north star — March 16, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
Ziggy, In post #4 you wrote and made the jump from housing costs/government interference to the health care debate. Here is your quote:
Why don’t people understand that part of the reason for the high costs of health care (and increasing insurance premiums) are because of government interference of the system’s economic structure?
This is similar to what happened with the housing market..too much government intervention created spiraling housing prices by increasing demand, making homes cost more then they were really worth..a false economy..”
I don’t resent government regulation in causing an increase in the cost of my house. I would appreciate some help as a consumer in order to get medical insurance at a regulated price.
Thank you, Phil for the list of benefits.
Comment by Candace — March 16, 2010 @ 9:16 pm
I like that plan Phil Hart. As far as autonomy, doctors will have no less autonomy under the reform than they have right now.
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 16, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
25. Read with discernment: the operative word in that Reuters headline is “links.” The fact is lack of health insurance does not cause lack of care. Everybody who wants medical care in this country receives it. What causes problems for people without health insurance is that they “choose” not to get care because they don’t want to spend the money on it.
I said Europe tried “socialism” and proved that it does not work. I didn’t say they proved that socialized medicine doesn’t work. But I know for a fact that it does not work in England. If you are on NIH there, you will wait sometimes years for surgery and if you are an elderly person you may be deemed unworthy of receiving surgery at all. The same will happen here if Obamacare passes. Of course this is not made known in the actual legislation but it will be one of the many “unintended consequences” of this bill if it becomes law. The law is designed to destroy private insurance and make the federal government the only insurer. 45 percent of physicians in this country have already said they will like ‘retire’ if this law passes, which will result in rationed care right up front.
Comment by oxford observer — March 17, 2010 @ 12:49 am
Who has told you that the NHS doesn’t work in England? The Brits brag about the system and Stephen Hawking credits it for his very existence.
And 45 percent of physicians will not retire if the bill passes. You’re talking about an Investors Business Daily poll here. Why on earth would you trust that?
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 17, 2010 @ 9:09 pm
I have many friends in England and most despise the NHS. In fact, several families that I know regularly go to France for dental care rather than wait for years through NHS.
Comment by Chairman of the Board — March 17, 2010 @ 10:49 pm
I have many friends in England and most love the NHS. In fact, several families that I know never go to France for dental care.
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 17, 2010 @ 11:09 pm
34. My mother is British. All of my relatives on her side of the family live there. My cousin died under the NHS, in hospital, after a routine knee replacement surgery for which she waited 2 years. When another cousin needed an operation, her husband bought private insurance so that she could go to a “good” hospital, not under the NHS.
It is not only IBD that is reporting the percentage of primary care physicians who say they will leave the practice if Obamacare passes. This was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
I’m finished commenting on this. If Obamacare passes, it will speak for itself, and if you do not believe it will cause things to get very bad very quickly in this country, you will find out for yourself that those of us who are saying this speak the truth.
Comment by oxford observer — March 18, 2010 @ 1:21 am
#36 – how can your friends “love” something that they are being so heavily taxed to be made to feel they are getting “free” care, and how can they “love” NHS when they will more than likely have to wait at least a year to get something that they need?
Sorry, that does not make a bit of sense to me. They must not “love” themselves very much.
Comment by Interesting — March 18, 2010 @ 9:53 am
Oxford observer, my grandfather was American. He died after a misdiagnosis from an American health care professional.
I never saw any record of this in the New England Journal of Medicine, which I access through Ovid Technologies for job purposes, so I did a Google search and found that your claim that they reported this is a complete falsehood:
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201003170036
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 18, 2010 @ 10:02 am
If this isn’t an example of propaganda being spread I don’t know what is.
Comment by Phil Hart — March 18, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
I agree Hart, in fact, I find it scary how many people got fooled by that false reporting. Anyone even remotely familiar with the New England Journal of Medicine knows that it’s one of the most reputable peer-reviewed journals in the world. So it should have been obvious to people that such a journal didn’t accept an unscientific, agenda-driven survey.
Comment by Follow the White Lines on the Road — March 19, 2010 @ 9:29 am
I always make sure that my family gets Health Insurance from very reputable companies. health insurance is very important these days.,”
Comment by Justin Campbell — May 11, 2010 @ 9:22 pm