Free Republic

Barack Obama’s healthcare reform, the signature policy of his presidency, looks likely to clear its most formidable obstacle by Christmas. Within the next few days, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office will give its fiscal “scoring” of the compromise reached on Tuesday between five moderate and five liberal Democratic senators. IF the CBO were to pronounce the package at least deficit-neutral – a big if, given the body’s ­Jesuitical approach to bud­get accounting – the way would probably be cleared for a rapid vote in the Senate. Since the House of Representatives has already passed its own 1,990-page bill, only a...

Under the "health care" heading on the White House Web site, a paragraph reads: "The President has vowed that the health reform process will be different in his Administration – an open, inclusive, and transparent process where all ideas are encouraged and all parties work together to find a solution to the health care crisis." But after dozens of televised hearings, round tables, markups and press conferences, top White House officials are now meeting in the Capitol with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Max Baucus of Montana, away from Republicans and the press,...

Health Reform Subsidy Calculator -- Premium Assistance for Coverage in Exchanges This tool illustrates premiums and government assistance under the types of reform proposals being considered in Congress for people under age 65 who purchase coverage on their own in an Exchange or Gateway and are not covered through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid. While the proposals considered would not take effect until 2013, the results are presented in terms of 2009 premium and income levels to enable better comparisons to current circumstances. The tool allows the user to start with the provisions from one of several proposals and examine...

Britain's vaunted nationalized healthcare system is bankrupting the nation and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is warning that if the UK doesn't start charging for healthcare and raise the retirement age above 65 the country will not be able to get out from under the widening fiscal disaster. The IMF is telling the British government that she must instigate a wholesale revamping of its pensioner and healthcare system to "help keep a lid on the debt." Treasury officials admitted recently that the deficit is expected to rise "£200billion this year - £25billion more than the Chancellor predicted in the Budget."...

"As soon as I sign this bill," President Obama promised in his prime-time address to Congress, "it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick." Thunderous applause followed. It's easy to understand why - no one wants to lose their insurance coverage when they need it most. But here's a news flash: It's already illegal for insurance companies to drop patients once they become ill. It has been for over a decade. The American people should take note, as President Obama is using this non-existent crisis to justify massive federal intervention in...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A top black pro-life advocate says there is nothing racist about opposing the health care plans pending in Congress because they force taxpayers to finance abortions. Dr. Alveda King is responding to critics who say such opposition is racist and point to the outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson. During President Barack Obama's health care speech two weeks ago, Wilson shouted "You lie," as Obama ticked off a list of complaints about the bills he thought were false. The Wilson comment has prompted some political observers to suggest that opposition to the three main bills -- HR...

The White House's handling of the health care debate has been nothing short of a disaster, and if you have any doubts, let's take a look at the latest Gallup Poll. Support for President Obama among senior citizens is in a free fall. In only one week there was a 5-point drop-off from 48 percent to 43 percent. Gallup also found that for the first time since his inauguration, more seniors now disapprove of the president than approve. I guess all those seniors attending town halls across the country are not Republican operatives after all! Off the Hook The brave...

Amidst questions of whether or not any Senate Republicans will support a health care reform bill, Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., today said that the “White House and the Senate Democratic leadership still prefer a bipartisan bill.” The Reid spokesman said that “neither the White House nor the leadership have made a decision to pursue reconciliation,” the somewhat controversial legislative process by which a bill is introduced in such a manner so that it requires merely 50 votes instead of 60 to proceed to a vote, thus removing the threat of filibuster. Manley said that...

The war room, designed to pass through legislation that the public doesn't want...Hey if Democrats get in power, I wonder if they will overreach?

The First Lady helped create a notorious program that dumped poor patients on community hospitals, yet the national media ignore the story. Imagine if her husband were a Republican. The University of Chicago Medical Center has received a good deal of justly opprobrious press over its policy of "redirecting" low-income patients to community hospitals while reserving its own beds for well-heeled patients requiring highly profitable procedures. Substantial coverage was given to a recent indictment of the program by the American College of Emergency Physicians. ACEP's president, Dr. Nick Jouriles, released a statement suggesting that the initiative comes "dangerously close to...

How to Cure Health Care By Milton Friedman Archived Issue - Winter 2001 Since the end of World War II, the provision of medical care in the United States and other advanced countries has displayed three major features: first, rapid advance in the science of medicine; second, large increases in spending, both in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars per person and the fraction of national income spent on medical care; and third, rising dissatisfaction with the delivery of medical care, on the part of both consumers of medical care and physicians and other suppliers of medical care. Rapid technological advance...

SEATTLE - All of us want extra attention from our doctors, we want to get in to see them quicker, and we'd love more one-on-one time when we're sick. Now, you can get that -- if you pay a special fee. But now, the state is trying to figure out if that fee is legal. Insurance paid for Meg Clara's major back surgery. But she pays extra to get extra attention from her doctor. A monthly $25 access fee on top of her insurance premiums buys her extra perks. "Longer appointments, more timely appointments, providing emergency care on site when...