Cons questions Kerry health plan.........

from RNC..........they are giving this a once over and bet you anything this will be on the talking heads for bush media shows..........

Washington, DC—

“After re-releasing his health care plan yesterday, Senator John Kerry has yet to provide answers to the following questions. Here are a few questions for the Kerry campaign,” said RNC Communications Director Jim Dyke.

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain the hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from health care industry employees, including flights on drug company planes. They won’t.

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain the Senator’s ‘thin record,’ according to Congressional Quarterly, on health care. They can’t.

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain why he voted against medical malpractice reform at least ten times yet campaigns on reforming the system. They don’t.”

Yeah, their healthcare plan is so much better. In the GOP plan, we will have ~40-50 million uninsured. :crazy:

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain the hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from health care industry employees, including flights on drug company planes. They won’t.

- Ooh, can I ask some questions about Bush's campaign contributions??? Pretty please?!!

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain the Senator’s ‘thin record,’ according to Congressional Quarterly, on health care. They can’t.

- There's no way it's thinner than Bush's. He's been in office for what, 3 years now, and the number of uninsured has increased (along with costs), hasn't it?

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain why he voted against medical malpractice reform at least ten times yet campaigns on reforming the system. They don’t.”

- I guess it must be like Bush said in his 2000 campaign, that people should be "responsible for their actions." ? Has Bush flip-flopped on this issue?

Yeah, I can hear the apologists now..."Sure the abuse in Iraq is terrible, but not nearly as bad as Senator Kerry's health plan...blah, blah, blah.

medical malpractice reform = doctor removes the wrong limb, that's just too damn bad!

It's not FREE, it costs billions upon billions of tax dollars and will raise the taxes of every business in the country; many small mom/pop businesses who can't afford health insurance NOW. Shut down more local businesses and make room for more corporate America. Good plan.

See, I can play the bashing game too.

unless you think that 'premiums' are good and holy and 'taxes' are evil and bad.

It would require a new 7.7% tax on employers, many of whom are small mom/pop businesses who can't afford health coverage for their employees now. They're having a hard enough time competing with corporations, this could be the final sinker. In addition, he assumes a $286 billion annual savings on paperwork. What if it doesn't work out that way? Higher taxes, that's what. Nothing is free and there would be consequences to single payer that nobody is talking about. Because nobody holds Dennis to the same level of accountability as a real Presidential candidate.

This is just one financing proposal. There could be individual taxes, reductions in rates based on the size of the business, etc.

The point is WE ARE ALREADY PAYING FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. Every goddam industrialized country in the world has it, mostly at 1/2 to 2/3 of what we are paying per capita. The notion that we can't do the same is horseshit.

If Dennis doesn't know how he's going to pay for it and implement it, then it's a campaign slogan, not a real proposal. And Nader says absolutely NOTHING about paying for it, which is even worse.

You think America is going to vote for this when they have absolutely no idea how much it will cost, how it will be funded, or how it will be implemented?

What is so hard to understand about that? Our total per capita expenditures dwarf those of any and all countries that provide universal care. Actual legislation is going to get revised enough through the process.

It's a campaign promise based on faith. That's it.

The plan will cost small business 7.7% on each employee's salary. The cost of the plan is dependent on almost $300 billion in annual savings on paperwork. The plan doesn't take into account that when health care is "free", more people use health services. It doesn't address this increase in services AT ALL. We have a nursing shortage as it is, who is going to treat all these people? What do you think all those employers would do about that 7.7% when they can't afford health insurance now? What do you think their employees would do if they found out they would lose their jobs? Then add in all the people who are never going to want government health care. The legislation will get revised? You better believe it, it'll be revised down to nothing and we'll be right where we are today.

The people will support access to the Federal health insurance plan, with subsidies for low income people. It's easy to understand, it's not socialized health care, it's affordable. People are dying and it's time to act.

We pay $4000/capita for health care. 18,000 people a year die because they can't afford it. This happens in NO other country of similar wealth in the whole goddam world!

There will be no increase in service. People forced into extremely expensive emergency rooms will be able to have regular office appointments instead. BTW, Canada only had a minor blip in 1973 when full coverage was implemented.

People don't want government health care? Fuck 'em. They are required to pay property taxes for the fire department even it their houses don't burn down. They don't want to buy car insurance in order to drive either, but they go to jail most states if they are caught without it. Tough shit.

How nice that the people will support access to Federal insurance. Too bad that the shitstain private insurance companies supplying it won't--not when they find out that means they have to include a bunch of actual sick people in their risk pools. The only reason they are willing to underwrite federal employee insurance now is that employed people are far healthier statistically than the population as a whole. If they are forced to insure sick people, it will instantly become unaffordable.

And single payer isn't socialized health care either. It's socialized insurance. Publicly financed, privately delivered.

If we're paying $4,000 per capita now, how much is it going to be when somebody can go to the doctor any time they want. I would bet the amount of health care delivered would double within a month. First all the people without insurance, second human nature to use free services more often than services you pay for. There's problems with single payer and it doesn't matter how many times you repeat the same few facts, they don't make the problems go away. And they'd have to be answered before single payer could ever be passed. People who are running for President have a responsiblity to answer all these questions, unfortunately nobody requires Nader or Kucinich to answer the questions because at least 95% of the country doesn't take them seriously.

This is being seriously stupid. Most people put off going to the doctor even when they should, simply because they'd rather be doing other things. Prior experience in countries which actually have universal health care show that you are wrong, period. People can go to the doctor for free, and utilization is not too different from what you see here now, except that seriously sick people don't delay care.

People don't want to be sick, and they won't go to the doctor just because the service is there. That is about as stupid as saying they will set their houses on fire just because the fire department is available as a tax-supported public service.

82% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans say they prefer universal health care to the Bush tax cuts. It is Kucinich who is with this majority, not idiots who believe Harry and Louise babbling.

If I were a senior, I probably could get a better discount with the Golden Buckeye card here in Ohio.

Remember all the hoopla about Gore's "tax cut plan"? The one where the GOP said: "You have to be a lawyer to figure out whether or not you get a tax cut"? Now, they want all the senior citizens to do homework on 40+ different options.

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain the hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from health care industry employees, including flights on drug company planes. They won’t.

health care industry employees cover all bases - it is just the 10 to 1 contribution ratio in favor of the GOP that might point to who is in bed with the insurance industry (oh, wait - that was not "industry" that was for Kerry - it was the workers - so what was the problem - and Bush/GOP plabe rides from Health types are how many more than the Dems ever got?)

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain the Senator’s ‘thin record,’ according to Congressional Quarterly, on health care. They can’t.

Given GOP control of late, plus the fact "thin" has no meaning as to fact and is only the usual asserted by GOP put down ....

“Ask the Kerry campaign to explain why he voted against medical malpractice reform at least ten times yet campaigns on reforming the system. They don’t.”

Given the health pricing actuaries saying Kerry is correct - lawyers are not the problem - even as noted today in the Hartford Currant today - why is the above of interest except to show what liars the GOP is as to their intentions.desire for better health care?