This should be a no brainer... family doctors and others are right, when they ask on the capitol steps, "Do you want accountants or doctors deciding your medical care?"
The Republicans want you to think it's government accountants. But they're lying. It's Blue Cross and Aetna and Cigna and the other companies who cut you off to save their profits. They take your premiums and then pay only the part of the bill they want!
You bet big insurance is scared... Obama wants to get them out of our pockets!
So are the big medical and pharmaceutical companies who sell us overpriced drugs and equipment just because we don't know what we're really buying.
Fact is, most of us have no clue who pays what or how much, and who rips us off in our payroll deductions and for our drugs. We don't much care and we don't even ask, so long as we get the care. Then later, we're afraid to open the bill to see how much is our share to pay. The fact is, if we get REALLY sick, we'll be facing bankruptcy because insurance companies will cut us off. So what we're paying won't keep the wolf away as it IS.They cap our insurance, or refuse to take us at all when we change jobs. Or if we lose our jobs, the retail sticker-price of COBRA is so high, we go without insurance and risk everything. Losing our house and our future over one unexpected surgery is a way bigger catastrophe than any theoretical bull about whether the US is suddenly become socialistic or government is scarily too big.
- Having shepherded both of my parents through Medicare, and nursing home Medicaid, I'll just say that the feds and states handle paying for care way better than insurance companies! Pressure to withhold care came -- not from Medicare -- but from the small-amount, private "supplemental" insurance part of their bills.
- Big Government - Bribed Government. Medicare has been a no-hassle program from OUR standpoint (we the patients.) The government runs it as smoothly as the Post Office and Social Security... and Republicans who claim otherwise are lying through their teeth. Why? Because they take pharmaceutical and big medical company campaign contributions!! Keeping things as they are is what the corporations are doing when they try to buy our Congress.
- Don't be afraid that our taxes will go up. Of course they will. We'll pay our health care through government deductions like Social Security, as health care costs move away from our employer and also hidden inside other federal, state and local taxes and the huge insurance premiums. We will no longer pay for people who don't pay their part.
- Every taxpayer will pay for their health care, as they should. And yes everyone pays taxes one way or the other. A one-place payment system will make it much more honest and reduce the chance for free ride and hidden costs.
- Hospital bills and doctor fees will go down because they won't be slipping the cost of the poor's care into YOUR bills by charging you ten bucks for an aspirin!
- I'm just fine if the Government program runs for-profit insurance companies out of business because they don't deserve to dictate how much of my medical bills they'll pay. Doctors should not have to prescribe care based on what our insurance company is willing to pay. We shouldn't have to argue with our insurance company over paying a bill. Or pay huge premiums because we're not part of some big employee group.
- Republicans say 'keep our choices' and they're lying. I have no choices with insurance companies. My boss chooses my carrier, not me. I only get to choose between bad plan and worse plan, after he chooses the carrier and hands me their rate card. They won't really go out of business... they'll administer the payment systems as contractors for the federal program... but their boards of directors won't be deciding what care they'll pay for and they'll have to bid to handle that paperwork!
Time to end this piecemeal payment system that is so unequal and is a paperwork nightmare for us and our doctors. Like hidden in insurance premiums, state and federal taxes for Medicare and medicaid, special programs for the poor and the kids, and free clinics supported by other providers who are paid by us anyway. Support Obama on this one... this time. Lets fix it once and for all.
Write your Congressman, demand reform, make him do his JOB! Make Congress create a government payment plan good for the People, not the Providers!
Don't let him vote for a HALF-ASSED FIX to get the Republicans to go along with it. Let's do it right this time!
- Don't be misled...about fears over "big government" from commercials paid by big business. Or the AMA... AMA doesn't speak for doctors when it says theyre against it.
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