wminfield, I know we disagree on some things, but I do appreciate your response and civil discourse. We can disagree on word to use to describe people’s unhappiness with what we have, but we agree that majority of people recognized the need for reform.
I can’t and won’t defend the bill as it is now. But I will disagree with calling it rushed, because it hasn’t been rushed, more time spent on this than medicare prescription drug plan in 2003, as I’ve written about elsewhere. I also disagree that it’s been craft primarily behind closed doors, because both the Senate and House committee hearings have been televised on C-span, floor debates televised on C-span, etc. I’ve watched so much of the committee hearings and debates that even the news junkie with a real interest in the topic as I am is sick of it.
I think the public is worn out by the 11 months of this. I think the public is disappointed in Congress and the process. I think the public has been ill-served by those intent on spreading distortions (e.g., death panels). I know it is a complex subject that most do not understand in its full complexity so false charges and claims by both sides have a greater chance of being perceived as factual.
I say there’s been tweaking for a number of reasons. Managed care began to take over healthcare from the big non-profits starting back in the ’70s. (it developed first on both coasts.) So we’ve had a good 30 years of “tweaking” with things like COBRA and the health portability laws, development of SCHIP (insurance for children) to fill the growing gap in coverage, and many regulations enacted to prevent some of the most abusive and discriminatory practices by the private insurance market. (I’ve written elsewhere about them, so won’t repeat here.)
It shows how far apart opposing sides are when one side wants to increase patient protection by banning retroactive recision w/o cause and the other wants to eliminate all state laws that have already banned retroactive recision.
That’s just one example, there are others. (Getting rid of interstate commerce regs usurps state rights to regulate insurance within its borders.)
There is a majority of Dems on board with healthcare reform, but not a super majority of 60 in the Senate. Again, appreciate the dialogue.
wminfield, I know we disagree on some things, but I do appreciate your response and civil discourse. We can disagree on word to use to describe people’s unhappiness with what we have, but we agree that majority of people recognized the need for reform.
I can’t and won’t defend the bill as it is now. But I will disagree with calling it rushed, because it hasn’t been rushed, more time spent on this than medicare prescription drug plan in 2003, as I’ve written about elsewhere. I also disagree that it’s been craft primarily behind closed doors, because both the Senate and House committee hearings have been televised on C-span, floor debates televised on C-span, etc. I’ve watched so much of the committee hearings and debates that even the news junkie with a real interest in the topic as I am is sick of it.
I think the public is worn out by the 11 months of this. I think the public is disappointed in Congress and the process. I think the public has been ill-served by those intent on spreading distortions (e.g., death panels). I know it is a complex subject that most do not understand in its full complexity so false charges and claims by both sides have a greater chance of being perceived as factual.
I say there’s been tweaking for a number of reasons. Managed care began to take over healthcare from the big non-profits starting back in the ’70s. (it developed first on both coasts.) So we’ve had a good 30 years of “tweaking” with things like COBRA and the health portability laws, development of SCHIP (insurance for children) to fill the growing gap in coverage, and many regulations enacted to prevent some of the most abusive and discriminatory practices by the private insurance market. (I’ve written elsewhere about them, so won’t repeat here.)
It shows how far apart opposing sides are when one side wants to increase patient protection by banning retroactive recision w/o cause and the other wants to eliminate all state laws that have already banned retroactive recision. That’s just one example, there are others. (Getting rid of interstate commerce regs usurps state rights to regulate insurance within its borders.)
There is a majority of Dems on board with healthcare reform, but not a super majority of 60 in the Senate. Again, appreciate the dialogue.