I'm naturally disappointed the bill passed. The pay offs were too great for many of the most principled democrats.
Being in the Finance industry and having a very firm grasp on how economies work and how the economics of insurance companies work, I can say with complete certaintly that this plan is a not going to benefit but a few at the cost and downgrade of quality for many if not most of everyone else.. I'm ashamed of this country when our politcal parties, Democrat or Republican, create and offer up a villan for victims who usually are responsible for their own lot in life, to blame for their woes. In this case, the insurance companies and any one making more money than you. It's a very Hitler-esque approach that obviously proven it's value even in modern times.
Some of us here have reviewed the bill. I defy that most if any Congressmen and women can truly get their head around such a volume of law in just the 70 or so hours it was there to review. I'm a well educated, experienced, Sr. Analyst and I know I can't. What details we did look at create a very clear picture of just how distorted the cost structure really is. As a business person, or even someone running a household, you wouldn't ever consider running your finances in any way, shape, or form akin to what they've done. It would be like sitting at your kitchen table planning to buy something you can't possibly hope to afford and not really having a firm grasp on what it is you even want to buy, how it works, or what it will do for you... while at the same time creating the most absurd assumptions about money, performance, and benefit to somehow justify your thought process.
I'm all for health care reform, but not this. I was part of a think tank here in FL about 10 or so years ago and we talked about the causes of skyrocketing cost. Very little is being done to address those factors... namely serious tort reform. A large amount of the financing for this plan is predicated on savings from fraud and abuse of the medicare and medicaid... to the tune of $500 billion plus. Does anyone really believe that in the next year or two all of that fraud and misuse will end? If so, why not do that first and put that money in the coffers? Do that and I will listen.
What this does do is give some people insurance who didn't have it... many of which who can afford it but would rather not pay for it because their priorities tell them a vacation, a flat panel tv, or other luxuries are more important. However, if you get me and other Americans to subsidize those people, I guess they can now have their TV and watch it too and get health care. Also, no one has addressed who's suddenly going to take care of the supposed tens of millions more people who can now have coverage... if that even happens. I don't know about you, but I already wait a couple hours if I go to the ER with a gash on my head and I wait 2-3 months to get a physical at my primary or at least a few days if I'm sick and need to get into see him. I'm wondering how that's going to change.
We need change, but not like this. It seems nothing is ever done with common sense anymore. It's lies, demonizing, victimization, and finger pointing. I'm disgusted with our Administration for the corruption associated with getting this past not to mentiion the pure fundamental impurity of the plan, angry with the Republicans for once again dropping the ball and not getting people behind a complete redo of the plan. It's certainly not over, not by a long shot, but this is not anything to rejoice about. I do applaud Obama for getting this to the forefront, but beyond that, it's a failure for our country.
