Comments on: What Ron Wyden Thinks About What President Obama Thinks About Wyden’s Health Care Proposal

By: Citizens for Americas Solution

Citizens for Americas Solution — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:15:29 +0000

In the past nine months, the federal government has taken control of major banks, taken a stake in the restructuring of General Motors and Ford, and instituted salary caps on executives. Now Congress and the President have shifted their focus to health care and are considering a plan to offer publicly-run healthcare. I agree that health care reform is necessary, both for the benefit of covering the uninsured, and for reducing the spiraling costs of health care. However, I do not believe the government should be in the business of offering health care policies. For example, how does the federal government plan to reform one-sixth of the nation’s economy when it cannot control the fraud that occurs within Medicare and Medicaid. And what about the low-reimbursement rates our state receives for the already existing government run plans? Will Oregon continue to receive significantly lower reimbursements than other states under the new government plan? Reforming healthcare is obviously a very challenging goal—one that I do support. But the government offering its own plan to accomplish reform is just another instance of wasting our tax dollars in the name of unproven cost-savings, and the perpetuation of punishing states that already operate healthcare efficiently. I hope that Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley oppose a public option in a health care reform package, and draw a clear distinction between private businesses and government policy.

By: james

james — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:31:42 +0000

@John Williams. Maybe if you could join the comment thread in focusing on health care reform you’ll eventually be able to get the psychiatric help you need.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:10:18 +0000

The large majority of Americans support a public option? I guess that depends which poll you’d like to believe and how the questions were presented.

Rasmussen Reports- 41% support a public option

2009 Health Confidence Survey- 68 to 88% either “strongly” OR “somewhat” support a public option. ???

I wouldn’t put too much faith in either, though the 09 HCS sounds contrived.

By: Joe Ballas

Joe Ballas — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:59:44 +0000

It would be wonderful if we could get good medical care for everyone.

But first we need a plan we can afford.

Second, we need a plan that controls fraud by Doctors, Insurance Companies and Pharacuticals.

Third we need administrators that are better than the ones currently running Medicare.

Fourth, we need to maintain and hopefully improve the quality of medical care.

I doubt we can achieve these goals, but we should demand that congress kick the politicians and special interests out of the conference rooms and forbid congressmen and women from loading the bill up with the usual non-related earmarks.

Realistically this will never happen and we will end up with a system that you wouldn’t send your dog to for medical care. Too Bad isn’t it?

By: John Williams

John Williams — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:17:28 +0000

I wouldn’t doubt that Obama wants nothing to do with anything from Oregon as long as Sam Adams is around. Sam Adams makes Democrats look bad. Here is a guy that lied to get elected, had others lie for him to get elected, gets caught, admits to it, but still thinks he can keep the job? The whole time he has been mayor all we have had was to suffer his scandal, no time to enjoy the Obama election, no moving forward, no nothing but this self-interested scandal plagued fraud of a mayor’s dramas. Sam Adams makes Democrats look real bad, he is a scab on the party that needs to be picked off.

By: torridjoe

torridjoe — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:24:51 +0000

It doesn’t sound like the Senator is willing to consider the alternative–a polite but fairly obvious request to stand down and join the majority of the caucus. I mean, Obama compared Wyden’s plan to single-payer, which he’s also called too radical a change…and which notably he’s placed off the table. I don’t think it’s an unfair speculation to suggest that the President was speaking to the Oregonian about Wyden’s plan with the intent to throw cold water all over it, in the competing arena of plans. It doesn’t offer what a large majority of Americans say they want–a full and robust public option. If the Senator is open to that, and he appears to claim he is, however vaguely, if I’m the President I’d like him to start backing that explicitly and put the nonworkable plan aside finally.

By: Matt Davis

Matt Davis — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:49:00 +0000

I was struck by one thing: Pope seemed to completely miss the glaring disparity between Obama’s plan (public option to keep health insurers honest) and Wyden’s plan (no public option).

By: brad

brad — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:45:56 +0000

ha ha, somebody hasnt heard “Kokomo” in a while…

By: Spike

Spike — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:29:32 +0000

Sick and sickerer. Both these back-stabbers are working their butts off to kill public medical insurance, which is the only solution to this outrageous lack of basic civilization in the troubled country.

By: brad

brad — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:22:26 +0000

also if anybody has any other favorite Kokomo-based songs i’d certainly like to know of them, i’m trying to fill a mixtape here.