Posted on 09/10/2009 9:40:26 AM PDT by ResistorSister
President Barack Obama’s nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night, billed as an effort to explain his health care proposals to the American people, was largely devoted to reassuring the health care industry and conciliating his Republican opponents.
Obama sought to repackage his proposed overhaul of health care to better conceal from the public its reactionary content, but the bulk of his speech focused on the need to slash health care costs, both those born by private companies and government outlays for Medicare and Medicaid, the government programs for the elderly and the poor.
“The problem of rising costs,” he said, places “American businesses that compete internationally, like our auto makers” at “a huge disadvantage.” The reference to US auto companies was significant, since Obama forced General Motors and Chrysler into bankruptcy in large part to push through a drastic lowering of health benefits for auto workers. With this remark, Obama sent a signal that, despite his “reform” rhetoric, the assault on auto workers’ health benefits was the model for the kind of cuts his health care proposals would effect more broadly.
He went on to declare that his health care plan was essential to reining in the ballooning federal deficit and national debt. “Put simply,” he said, “our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else comes close.”
This is a lie. It ignores the far greater role of the multi-trillion-dollar bailout of the banks, the hundreds of billions spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the half-trillion-dollar annual military budget in bankrupting the federal treasury.
Obama went further in seeking to secure right-wing support for his plan. He declared that he would “not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits—either now or in the future.” ...”
(Excerpt) Read more at wsws.org ...
The insurance companies are probably in love with Obama’s plan. Think of all the married couples where one’s employment provides the insurance - now *both* employers will be required to provide insurance.
Which speech were they watching? Conciliatory? Explaining?
But they do know Obama's a liar, like the kid knows the football is shaped funny.
Here's why the insurance companies are in fact afraid of the mandate provision: the penalty for non-compliance is 8% of individual earnings. That in most cases is far less than the employer's share of premium, which will incentivize employers to drop coverage wherever possible, forcing people into the "public option".
In addition, provisions in the current House bill would prevent private plans from adding new members (killing them slowly but surely) and disqualify participants from continuing in their plan if any element of the plan (such as premiums) changed from year to year - which is almost all of them.
That is precisely why Joe Wilson was 100% correct last night: Obama lied, private health care companies will die.
All the SEIU signs say “Take the Profit out of health care”. How’s that working for newspapers?
Excellent point. But I'm sure they'd like to nationalize the newspaper industry as well.
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