I am aware of that. I live here.


Whilst the competence for its healthcare system rests on the Member State, any transition to a system which bears a similarity to that of the US remains quasi because Member States are bound by their obligation under the EU to provide equal access to universal healthcare. So, a rose by any other name is still socialised medicine.


The success of socialised healthcare is not reliant on such a narrow margin. It must be judged on a broader spectrum. There is contentment more than discontentment with the NHS over here.


No one would dispute that (in terms of the medical/clinical aspects). But, does everyone have access to it?


The proposed health reform bears those changes. Unfortunately, partisan politics threaten to subvert any progress towards them.

Josie, I don't understand the angst of having the healthcare money misused. In Germany, they have a simple system. The money for healthcare goes in one fund, and this fund is used only for healthcare. It's not complicated at all. There has never been any corruption or scandal concerning where the money goes.

If there is so much corruption going on, then I would think it would make more sense to focus on that problem, and how to correct it.

Seems to be that Obama will be criticised either way...in which case, I think that if this health reform bill fails, it's failure will not only be the result of partisan politics. I am inclined to think it will also be greatly because folks are just...unkind.

If the health reform passes, what difference does it make that it happens on Obama's watch? It's long overdue and Obama is the duly elected President afterall.

Since we live in a representative democracy, we elect representatives to do this work on the national level. I can't think of a time that there's been a national referendum. Do you think we should change the system?

I totally agree with you about the immediate need for correction, Edelweiss. The Republicans and the Democrats in this country have corrupted our health & social welfare programs to the point of bankruptcy. In this country they borrow from one fund to use for their own pet projects. This is done all the time.

And they've done it with the help of some companies and certain unscrupulous private citizens, both foreign and domestic.

What is worse, our government has had DECADES to correct the problems. But they haven't.

WE THE PEOPLE need to take an active stance in letting our legislators know they work for US, not the other way around.

There is no reason on earth why BO, Pelosi, and Reid need to RUSH a hastily-thrown-together healtcare plan through this very second, with absolutely no thought to how it would affect all Americans.

The CBO, an organization which is non-partisan and which tells the truth about the financial end of any proposed government plan, has stated over one half of all senior citizens will have benefits removed if this latest healthcare plan passes. Additionally, the plan as it stands now will cost much more than what we already have in place.

BO has told us a few times before that if we don't pass his massive EMERGENCY spending bills, our country would fold quickly. The bills passed because of the pressure and the fear mongering, and most of that money is still unspent but ready for whatever BO and his team want to use it for.

While our country is VERY slowly self-correcting its financial ills, we need to carefully design a healthcare plan which will not ruin our economy further than it has already been ruined.

I support improvements to our healthcare system which will benefit all citizens. Not everyone in the government feels that way, which I find disgraceful.

The Republicans asked for THREE days of public scrutiny before any final healthcare plan is voted upon, and that bill got quickly voted down by the Democrats.

Why is that! Why can't the American people find out what Harry Reid said he will force upon them if need be, with his version of a 51 vote reconciliation process.

Why are the American people being shut out of knowing the fine details of what will be in the final healthcare vote?

Would they do that in MODERN Germany? I doubt the lovely German people would put up with that.

Once again, BO speaks with forked tongue......

Last month, when the Obamas hosted an event on the White House lawn to rally support for Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics, BO was against making the trip.

"I would make the case in Copenhagen personally, if I weren't so firmly committed to making -- making real the promise of quality, affordable health care for every American," the president said.

Yet off he went (the Mrs.traveled to Denmark 12 hours earlier in a separate plane) to sell the IOC on Chicago for the 2016 sports games. I have no idea how Mayor Daley got there. Maybe Oprah let him bum a ride in her 47 million dollar non-USA-made luxury plane?

Forget health care. Forget the soldiers dying in Afghanistan because of equipment and manpower shortages. BO had Chicago's special interests on his mind. And he can be an excellent shill when money & power are in play.

Then oops. The IOC were not impressed with collective Chicago star power and easily dismissed Chicago from the 4 cities being seriously looked at. Rio won, as the first city in South America to host an Olympic event.

Thoroughly humiliated that the shill had stunningly faltered, the BO spin machine went into high gear. I wonder if General McChrystal was thrown quickly onto Air Force One from London, because the minute Rio was announced the winner, BO's spinners said in effect, "Oh well. BO was REALLY in this area to talk Afghanistan strategy anyway."

....And General McChrystal who was hired by BO (and who had told 60 Minutes and other media sources that he really needed more manpower and equipment to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and no one was talking to him) suddenly found himself on a plane and having a face-to-face chat with BO.

I would not be surprised if BO did another major round of healthcare marketing over the next week. Expect a lot of, "If healthcare legislation is not passed IMMEDIATELY, we are all going to die soon and the government will collapse...."

He does that scare thing really well, whenever he wants to spend more and more taxpayer money for things his party considers important to their staying in power. Only the party is getting nervous now. Everyday Dems, Republicans and Independents like me are not buying what they are selling. And they know it.

No matter much how you try and scare people about the alleged need for Obamacare, the Chicago debacle is yet one more example where legislators and everyday people alike are starting to know what is really important to BO and his close-knit far left group.

Like I said, the middle class is not stupid. The expense of these latest "Baucus" plans are being shuttled on the states, where things like the VAT will shock our wallets into nothingness. Funny thing about that Value Added Tax being discussed. When applied to ALL store goods, the stores in Europe don't have to tell you how much of that $50 item is a VAT. (Clue: about 25% of the item's price)

Do we really want "Chicago BO" to tell us that he won't raise the federal taxes, but in reality we will be paying so much more tax-levy-surcharge-ect on the state and local level for political special interests. I do not think that is what we thought he was selling us during the primaries.

Thanks to the NEA, crooked politicians and Corzine in NJ, we are almost broke. We do not need BO to heap his over-spending out the federal back window to the states.

(Harry Reid's state of Nevada and 3 others may get a special pass for 5 years since they are having big trouble getting re-elected, and BO could end up signing off on a special break so they can keep their Dem-seats. The other states will have to pay the difference.)

Will Harry, Barney and Nancy continue to get their way and destroy what is left of a free America by using BO as their hand-picked puppet? Time will tell.

Lots of people screwed up Medicare and it's expected to go broke within 2 years, Shouldn't THAT and other broken programs be fixed before the newer costlier entitlement programs get started????

As the single largest buyer of medical products, you'd think Medicare would at least get a volume discount. But it doesn't even get the best price.

By William LaJeunesse

FOXNews.com

Monday, October 05, 2009


From wheelchairs and walkers to orthopedic shoes and needles, Medicare buys tens of thousands of products every day for elderly Americans. And as the single largest buyer of medical products, you'd think it would at leastget a volume discount.

But it doesn't. In fact, Medicare doesn't even get the best price.

According to their own auditors, Medicare knowingly overpays for almost everything it buys. Examples include:

-- $7,215 to rent an oxygen concentrator, when the purchase price is $600.

-- $4,018 for a standard wheelchair, while the private sector pays $1,048.

-- $1,825 for a hospital bed, compared to an Internet price of $1,071.

-- $3,335 for a respiratory pump, versus an advertised price of $1,987.

-- $82 for a diabetic supply kit, instead of a $47 price on the Web.

Last year, the Health and Human Services Department tried to replace its archaic fixed-price fee schedule for 10 commonly purchased products with a competitive bidding program in 10 cities. The department said the program could save Medicare $125 million in a single year, or $1 billion if adopted nationwide. But Congress stepped in to stop it.

"There were products that we had as much as 75 percent savings. The average was 29 percent," said Mike Leavitt, the former HHS secretary who oversaw the program.

"It would have saved billions if we could've actually implemented it, but Congress deferred it. In Washington speak, that means we put it off forever," he said.

Leavitt blames Congressmen Pete Stark (D-Calif.) and Dave Camp (R-Mich.) for introducing legislation that terminated the contracts and postponed the program for 18 months. Leavitt says the congressional intervention helps explain why many are suspicious of claims that Washington can cut enough waste to actually pay for health care reform, as President Obama told a joint session of Congress last month.

"Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan," Leavitt said.

"The problem here is one man's waste is another man's living, and whenever there is an effort put forward to actually make an efficiency, someone goes on the offensive and hires lobbyists and does what they can to constrain Congress from doing it," Leavitt said.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the health care industry is currently spending $2 million a day lobbying Congress. Leavitt's pilot program died after small business suppliers claimed it would have put them out of business. Eventually, industry agreed to help pay the cost of terminated contracts that Medicare had already negotiated.

Industry officials argued the new system would unfairly disqualify some suppliers, and others with little experience would get the business, causing a decline in quality and service.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/05/tracking-taxes-medicare-waste/

This fraud, waste and corruption is something we have known about for years. Our government wastes more money then any other business in this country.

Make no mistake: it is a business. Legislators sell the American people the illusion that they are working for us, and we are forced to allow them to take whatever money they want from our paychecks.

Medicare and Social Security are in DEEP trouble because of government corruption. As long as we continue to ignore the problem, the worse it will get. Where are the people who are supposed to keep costs down? Who is watching the money?

Most of us Americans work hard for our pay and we have to manage our budget with what we earn. You won't find us paying $400 dollars for a hammer. Why isn't something done about the government crooks who are stealing taxpayer money!

People are getting rich ripping off the American people and I'm one who is glad more people are starting to notice.

Are you listening Charlie Rangel???? Pelosi: You promised to do something about this scoundrel.... Have you lost all sense of ethics?????? Are you too busy calling the American people un-American and Astro-turfers so they won't notice what you and your cliques getting away with behind closed doors?

Well, maybe SOMEBODY is noticing: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.co...eeds.php?ref=mp

The Wall Street Journal October 6, 2009 Lachlan Markay

MEDIA OUTLETS NEGLECT TO MENTION THAT DOCTOR PHOTO-OP WAS STAGED

In his latest push for a health care overhaul bill, President Obama spoke to doctors in the White House Rose Garden yesterday. Painting a nice picture of the event were many media outlets that neglected to mention the White House's doctoring (forgive the pun) of the audience in an attempt at a powerful photo-op.

Doctors attending the event were instructed to show up in white lab coats to give observers the feeling that doctors stand behind the President's health care plans.

"White Coats in the Rose Garden, as Obama Rallies Doctors on Health Overhaul," read a New York Times blog post headline. "The roughly 150 doctors assembled wore white lab coats under the brilliant fall sun," the Washington Post recalled. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Obama faced rows of smiling doctors, all wearing white lab coats." NBC News also noted the white coats donned by the doctors in attendance.

But none of these media outlets mentioned that the White House had to hand out lab coats to a number of the doctors in attendance who showed up in business attire. Apparently trying to drive home the image of medical professionals applauding the President, the White House would not start the press conference until all of the doctors were dressed in the "spiffy" outfits, in the President's words.

The Washington Post and the New York Times included pictures in their respective stories showing white-coated doctors listening to and conversing with the President.

According to the Associated Press, the Obama offered nothing new in his address to the doctors, so the event was clearly an opportunity to show the country that medical professionals support his plan. Many major media outlets declined to note the botched attempt to enhance the 'doctors-support-the-plan' image of the event, playing right into the White House's objectives.

Rather than cover the clear attempt by the President to use visuals to enhance the public perception of support from the industry, media outlets chose to rehash White House talking points.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298004574457173300814790.html