Herman Cain PING! "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." Posted on 12/09/2006 7:15:12 AM PST by K-oneTexas
Dem Health Care Plans: Piecemeal Socialism By Herman Cain
Future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) "Six in '06" policy agenda includes just one health care provision – allowing the federal government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. In truth, Pelosi and her big government allies are taking a piecemeal approach toward their larger socialist goal of universal health care. As some conservatives in Congress have shown, however, the only way to lower health care costs is through free market solutions.
Universal health care is as much a sacrament to liberalism as protecting abortion on demand and ensuring that no changes are ever made to the failed Social Security structure. The Executive Summary of the 1993 National Health Security Plan, better known as HillaryCare, stated "The Health Security plan guarantees comprehensive health benefits for all American citizens and legal residents, regardless of health or employment status." Also in 1993, Hillary Clinton said at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis, "...every American should have the right to necessary health care." The Founding Fathers were so concerned about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness they forgot to guarantee health care for all. Three out of four provided a pretty good foundation.
Since HillaryCare failed, liberal policymakers have had to be as patient as a Chicago Cubs fan on health care issues. But they now sense a public ready to accept a repackaged HillaryCare program. A November 11 Rasmussen poll found that 54 percent of respondents "might be receptive to Democratic health care proposals," versus 35 percent who "currently trust the GOP more on the issue." In a November 12 Gallup Poll, 71 percent said the nation's health care system was in a "state of crisis" or faced "major problems." In the same Gallup poll, 69 percent agreed that "It is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have health care coverage." If you tell people for 40 years that they have the right to free health care, that is the answer we should expect.
Conservative think tanks and pundits have done a great job explaining the massive threats to the economy and the quality of health care delivery posed by a universal health care system. Now is the time for conservatives to discuss their market-based health care proposals, instead of ceding the bully pulpit on the issue to liberals. The November 12 Gallup poll also found that when respondents were asked if they favor maintaining the current health care system based on private health insurance or replacing the current system with government run health care, 51 percent favored maintaining the private insurance-based system. Connect the dots, Republicans. A majority of Americans want a more efficient and affordable health care system, but they reject HillaryCare.
What the voters want is members of a political party, any of the two major parties, to fix the broken health care system. The public does not necessarily agree with liberal health care proposals, but liberals are at least talking about the issue. A majority of today's Republican office holders lack the courage to espouse free-market, private insurance solutions, even when polls indicate that is the public's preference.
The same dynamic occurred last year during debate over restructuring Social Security, abolishing the estate tax and making the tax rate cuts on capital gains and dividends taxes permanent. One strong gust of liberal hot air and the Republican leaders in Congress collapse like a straw house.
One conservative solution pending in Congress is the Self-Employed Health Care Affordability Act (HR 4961). The self-employed were given the ability in 2003 to deduct the cost of their health insurance premiums, but they must still pay payroll taxes on the income used to purchase health insurance. This inequity imposes a 15.3 percent tax on the self-employed's health insurance premiums. Corporations are allowed to deduct their health insurance costs as a business expense. HR 4961 eliminates the inequity by allowing the self-employed to deduct health insurance costs when computing their self-employment taxes.
Another conservative solution introduced this year is the Health Care Choice Act (HR 2355). The HCCA would allow individuals who reside in one state to purchase an insurance plan licensed in another state and frees health insurance companies to sell their policies in all 50 states. The HCCA will increase competition among insurance companies, reduce regulations and their associated costs and increase individual choice of the competing health care plans.
Perhaps now that Republicans are the minority party in Congress they will find the intestinal fortitude to speak candidly about market-based solutions to rising health care costs. Introducing legislation alone is constructive, but not an adequate solution to combating the liberals' populist rhetoric on the health care issue.
The 2008 presidency can go to the candidate who most effectively details a common sense approach to fixing the health care system that does not include further expansion of entitlement programs and limits on choice. Control of Congress in two years may similarly rest on Republicans' ability to communicate their health care solutions.
Herman Cain PING! "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." Try this on for size. To control the people, control their money. If you can't tax them to death, find another way to get at their money. How many of you pay $400-$600 a month on health insurance?
The key to lower health care prices is tort reform. Doctors pay about 3 times my annual income on malpractice insurance premiums.
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
So that's how I got ten children.
Yes. But, as so many on this forum would say: At least they're not RINOs. (/sar)
I can't argue with anything you've said. But I'm angry we didn't get anything like you're talking about when the Republicans controlled Congress.
For the record, I held my nose and voted R in the election. Then I went home and showered.
"How many of you pay $400-$600 a month on health insurance?"
Huh, I should be so lucky. From 2003 to last August, I was paying $2000/Mo. for me and my wife. I am now on Medicare and she has 3 months to go. We are stilll paying almost $1000/Mo.
Oh, all this on a monthly income of SSI ($2500/Mo.)
Don't send tears, send cash.
Funny experience yesterday ... I was returning from a London business trip, arriving in Charlotte, NC (my hometown). As is usual, the immigration lines are divided into US-citizen, and non-citizen lines. Our flight arrived within minutes of another flight from Frankfurt, and a long queue quickly formed to get through, and on to customs. I was standing in line directly in front of a guy and a girl, who apparently were liberals (from their style of dress, and some overheard comments).
The line was snaking back and forth and, after 8+ hour flights, we're all quite anxious to get home. When we're finally close enough to see the actual immigration gates, we see that there are 5 active gates for the non-US passengers, and only 3 for the US-citizen passengers ... even though the US-citizens are making up about 3/4 of all the arriving passengers.
Well, the liberals behind me start complaining to one another about the inefficiency; the lack of immigration officers; the assignment of 5 vs. 3; etc. I interjected: "Remember this when you start hearing about government health-care. I'm sure it'll be just as efficient, and with all the compassion.".
You could've heard a pin drop ... I obviously struck a nerve, and neither said a word. They looked at me, looked at each other, and quickly changed the subject. I just turned and quietly smiled to myself. I doubt I converted them, which would've been an optimal outcome. But ticking them off seemed a good alternate!
In what way do you, or Mr. Cain, think the health care system is "broken"?
And in what way would it be different if it were "fixed"?
And who, in your imagination, has the credentials and the wisdom to do the fixing?
The key to lower prices is doing less.
Tort reform is important in its own right, but it will only lead to lower prices if doctors are free to do less because they can't get sued, and they act on that freedom by doing less, EVEN THOUGH THEIR PATIENTS WANT MORE.
The major driver in my experience is that people don't WANT less - they want more, and lots of it, and for free.
A RADICAL CURE:HOW CAPITALISM CAN SAVE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE
New York Post ^ | 3 December 2006 | Sally Pipes
Posted on 12/09/2006 9:29:44 AM CST by shrinkermd http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1750919/posts
I like it. Keep up the good work.
You DO understand that hospitals are not allowed to charge for most things they are required to provide, don't you?
For example, if you offer open-heart surgery, you must pay a full team (or two) to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The cost of these teams is only reimbursed when they are operating.
The overhead cost, which is typically 150-200%, is built into the price of the aspirin.
The RAT Congress is going to f*ck all of us. The only question is how bad will it be.
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