Obama Revives Senate's Dead Health Reform

A solid majority hopes Congress will completely abandon its existing proposals for health care reform and "start from scratch" instead, according to a recent Gallup poll. Yet last Monday, the president tabled a plan that's different in only three significant respects from past congressional bills: It's bigger, it's more expensive, and it's more complicated than the last version.

Perhaps you didn't like ObamaCare because it included billions in unaccountable grants (read pork) to community health groups.

If so, the president's "new" plan is about the same. The Senate bill spent $8.5 billion on grants over five years. The House bill spent $12 billion over the same period. The president's "new" plan: "Bridging the difference, the President's bill invests $11 billion." Why didn't he just split the difference 50-50 to make it easier?

Maybe you didn't like the Senate's version of ObamaCare because it set up 50 weak state health exchanges instead of a competitive national market, giving consumers no chance to outflank costly state regulations to save on premiums.

If so, Mr. Obama's "new" plan includes the same Senate's state-based formula. Don't be fooled: The White House is now spinning it as a single "competitive health insurance market" to try to hide the details.

If you hated ObamaCare because there was too much spending, take note: The estimated cost of the "new" plan is $1 trillion, more than either version passed by Congress.

I forwarded an article I saw earlier to someone I correspond with in the U.K. who is working on health issues. The article was about people left starving in the hospitals. Only a few months ago this person was arguing that the U.S. should adopt the British health plan system because she is a Thatcher-hating lefty who hates corporations and loves the government. Yet, this is what she wrote back to me about the conditions she now sees in the UK:

I had a shock when visiting Alli in Addenbrooke’s Hospital - a world leader for reserach but the nursing “care” was non existent and I had a few words with some of the nurses when I was there - it was a disgrace...

This is all on the back of “reforms” in the health service in UK in recent times - idiot politicians closed all schools of nursing, stopped the enrolled nurses - and now all nurses must attend university for 3 years. They come out with a degree, and highly skilled academically, but with no experience and no knowledge of hard work. From what I saw - the new generation of nurses are “bone idle”. I walked into the corridor where 5 nurses were standing talking & laughing with each other... meanwhile there were red lights outside all of the patient bays - but the nurses were ignoring them... I wasn’t impressed.

Latest news is that a care home has been closed where patients were left in bed for A MONTH without a wash..... due to a shortage of nurses!! Unbelievable!!

***It is something to think about! Do we really want this for us...really???

Grants to community health centers are not unaccountable. These non-profit organizations provide care for the uninsured, and under-insured on a sliding scale fee for service.

It is one of the few places around that accepts medicare and medicaid patients. Also provides dental services. It will work with people to set up payment plans.

These health centers are one of the best reasons why there is no need for the crappy health care bill for universal insurance. Our local center provides good quality care at reasonable cost for all without regards the ability to pay.

The organization is governed by a local volunteer board. For every $1 of federal funds our local center provides more than $3 of services. Reports are sent in quarterly on results and productivity of the providers.

Our local center also assists patients who can not afford drugs to get them, by sending applications to the drug company showing their financial status. These patients then get their prescriptions for $10 for a 3 month supply.

If our local center closed, all these people would wind up at the emergency rooms for primary care, which costs the taxpayer way more than the amount the clinic costs.

It fills the waiting rooms with non-emergency contagious patients thereby hampering the treatment of “real emergencies.”

I would not consider this “pork”. I reserve that label for things like the bridge to nowhere, and studies of the amount of methane gas produced by cow patties, and money to wall street which winds up in the fat cats pockets as a bonus.

Health centers provide access to health care. Universal health insurance does not provide access to health care. It does no good to have insurance, if the doctors do not accept you as a patient.

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