Millions of middle-class families across the country are one illness away from financial ruin including me, maybe you as well; but we can prevent that from happening.
The Healthcare Reform that President Obama wants to sign is pretty easy to understand — it is designed in such a way that it will enable Americans who have coverage to keep it and Americans who need coverage to purchase it. It is designed to build on the healthcare system we have today by getting rid of waste, fraud and abuse.
Opponents of healthcare reform are making outrageous claims about healthcare, twisting words and facts to scare many non-thinking Americans. Republicans are even claiming that healthcare reform will kill seniors?! W.T.H! Does anyone exist in America who really believes that absurdity? That ludicrousness? That joke? Really, does anyone believe that healthcare reform will kill seniors!?
Last week was the 44th anniversary of another landmark moment in our nation’s health-care system. President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law 44 years ago but before the bill was signed he was taunted, criticized and ridiculed by political hecklers of health-care reform who claimed that Johnson and our government would takeover healthcare and create a socialist healthcare system and it would be the worst possible healthcare system in the world. We are in the middle of what seems like déjà vu.
Forty-four years later our 44th President is hearing the same ‘echo’ from Republicans who have AND ENJOY a government run healthcare system similar to Medicare for themselves and their families. How hypocritical.
1. Medicare ensures that our parents and grandparents have access to affordable health care.
2. Medicare protects seniors and their families from backbreaking health expenses.
3. Medicare operates more efficiently than any other health care coverage – public or private – in our country.
4. Medicare is a government run healthcare system.
President Lyndon Johnson’s Medicare experience with Republicans taught us that progress does not come easily – especially in the face of big-name campaign contributions and big-dollar ad campaigns.
President Lyndon Johnson’s Medicare experience also taught us that progress is not always a function of bipartisanship.
Of the key congressional votes on Medicare 44 years ago only 13 Republican senators and only 70 House Republicans joined the overwhelming Democratic majorities to vote for it.
We’re seeing the same kind of opposition today as we fight for healthcare reform. Republicans in Congress are claiming that defeating healthcare reform would break President Obama; that a defeat on this issue will be Obama’s Waterloo.
I don’t care about Obama’s Waterloo (I hope he never gets one though); I care about millions and millions of Americans having access to healthcare that is affordable and healthcare that will make us healthier. I believe that’s what thinking Americans want.
The drug industry and the health insurance industry are spending millions of dollars to influence Congress. The health insurance industry is camping out at the Capitol and spending lots and lots and lots of money to organize non-thinking Americans to go to town hall meetings and scream and shout and ‘protest’ healthcare reform and the public insurance option.
These non-thinking Americans fail to realize that private insurers will have to cut premiums and increase the quality of healthcare if there is a public insurance option since Americans will have a choice and can decide who we want to give our business to.
Despite being mocked by Republicans 44 years ago, Medicare has proved itself.
1. Medicare has pulled millions of seniors out of poverty.
2. Medicare has helped retirees live long and healthy lives.
3. Medicare has helped to fuel our economy.
4. Medicare has proved just how important health insurance is.
5. Medicare works.
And healthcare reform will work.
1. Healthcare reform will cut healthcare costs for millions of middle class families and small businesses across the country.
2. Healthcare reform will end uncertainty about health coverage because both private and public insurance will always be available.
3. Healthcare reform will confront the needless red tape, medical errors, and fraud and abuse that inflate health-care costs and compromise health-care quality.
4. Healthcare reform will prevent insurance companies from covering you when you’re healthy and dropping you when you’re sick, and from denying you coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
5. Healthcare reform will keep the insurance industry honest and will make Americans healthier.
We have work to do to get healthcare reform signed and we must do it together. Inaction doesn’t protect your health coverage or push healthcare costs down.
We must take action to turn things around. Special interests, worn-out cynical politicians, and insane talking heads are going to pull out all the stops to freeze our health-care system in time.
Don’t let them win; fight for your right to have a good healthcare system with a public option.
Go to http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml and contact your Senators and Congresspersons.
Let your elected officials know that you want healthcare reform with a public option.
Watch Rachel Maddow take on the hypocritical Republicans:
Let Us Talk 
LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Thomas Paine)
We have the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed world. Conservative estimates are that over 120,000 of you dies each year in America from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Insured and uninsured. Men, women, children, and babies. This is what being 37th in quality of healthcare means.
I know that many of you are angry and frustrated that REPUBLICANS! In congress are dragging their feet and trying to block TRUE healthcare reform. What republicans want is just a taxpayer bailout of the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry, and the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare industry. A trillion dollar taxpayer funded private health insurance bailout is all you really get without a robust government-run public option available on day one. Co-OP’s ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION. They are a fraud being pushed by the GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry that is KILLING YOU!
YOU CANT HAVE AN INSURANCE MANDATE WITHOUT A ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION. MANDATING PRIVATE FOR PROFIT HEALTH INSURANCE AS YOUR ONLY CHOICE WOULD BE A DISASTER AND UNETHICAL, CORRUPT, AND MORALLY REPUGNANT. AND PROBABLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AS WELL.
These industries have been slaughtering you and your loved ones like cattle for decades for profit. Including members of congress and their families. These REPUBLICANS are FOOLS!
Republicans and their traitorous allies have been trying to make it look like it’s President Obama’s fault for the delays, and foot dragging. But I think you all know better than that. President Obama inherited one of the worst government catastrophes in American history from these REPUBLICANS! And President Obama has done a brilliant job of turning things around, and working his heart out for all of us.
But Republicans think you are just a bunch of stupid, idiot, cash cows with short memories. Just like they did under the Bush administration when they helped Bush and Cheney rape America and the rest of the World.
But you don’t have to put up with that. And this is what you can do. The Republicans below will be up for reelection on November 2, 2010. Just a little over 13 months from now. And many of you will be able to vote early. So pick some names and tell their voters that their representatives (by name) are obstructing TRUE healthcare reform. And are sellouts to the insurance and medical lobbyist.
Ask them to contact their representatives and tell them that they are going to work to throw them out of office on November 2, 2010, if not before by impeachment, or recall elections. Doing this will give you something more to do to make things better in America. And it will make you feel better too.
There are many resources on the internet that can help you find people to call and contact. For example, many social networking sites can be searched by state, city, or University. Be inventive and creative. I can think of many ways to do this. But be nice. These are your neighbors. And most will want to help.
I know there are a few democrats that have been trying to obstruct TRUE healthcare reform too. But the main problem is the Bush Republicans. Removing them is the best thing tactically to do. On the other hand. If you can easily replace a democrat obstructionist with a supportive democrat, DO IT!
You have been AMAZING!!! my people. Don’t loose heart. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy saving the World. 🙂
God Bless You
jacksmith — Working Class
I REST MY CASE (http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/why-markets-cant-cure-healthcare/)
Republican Senators up for re-election in 2010.
* Richard Shelby of Alabama
* Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
* John McCain of Arizona
* Mel Martinez of Florida
* Johnny Isakson of Georgia
* Mike Crapo of Idaho
* Chuck Grassley of Iowa
* Sam Brownback of Kansas
* Jim Bunning of Kentucky
* David Vitter of Louisiana
* Kit Bond of Missouri
* Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
* Richard Burr of North Carolina
* George Voinovich of Ohio
* Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
* Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* John Thune of South Dakota
* Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
* Bob Bennett of Utah
Comment by jacksmith — August 5, 2009 @ 10:05 pm |
Jack Smith – Well said and I agree with you.
What is amazingly hypocritical about the Republicans is that they continuously say that they have a solution and a better option for healthcare than the Democrats.
However, whenever the Republicans are in power they NEVER EVER produce a healthcare bill – NEVER EVER.
They are getting paid millions (collectively) each year by the private health insurance companies and they want to continue to get paid so they are willing to fight healthcare until they bleed because it’s all about the mighty dollar for them.
Many of the Republicans from smaller states, cities and counties get the maximum donations from the private health insurance companies. When these elected politicians represent a smaller and less expensive community the dollars they receive from the insurance companies S-T-R-E-T-C-H further so they don’t have to campaign as hard and struggle to get $20 donations from their constituents. Therefore they depend more on the insurance companies and therefore the insurance companies own them.
Plain and simple the Republicans have freely SOLD THEMSELVES to the insurance companies and can’t survive without monies from the insurance companies.
Comment by Paulette — August 7, 2009 @ 9:50 am |