Health+Care

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Health - Jobs - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Admin. Clueless About Modern Medicine

September 4, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

With each passing day we see mounting proof that President Obama and his White House really haven’t a clue about modern medicine. Doctors all across the nation are finally starting to realize this, too. Cardiologists and Oncologists, for instance, are beginning to understand that President Obama and his takeover of our healthcare system is based on power and not service to patients.

Bloomberg is reporting that a group of Cardiologists and Oncologists are protesting the planed Medicare cuts in their services. The “Medicare proposal, announced July 1, slashes projected spending for care by cardiologists and oncologists by more than 10 percent each, while paying family doctors 8 percent more and nurses an additional 7 percent.”

The thought was to push preventative care but these cuts will have “unintended” consequences: rationing.
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Obama Admin. Clueless About Modern Medicine”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Europe - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Sweden’s Healthcare Failures: A Warning to U.S.

September 3, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

David Hogberg of the National Policy Center has an interesting, in depth study of the mess that is Sweden’s single payer healthcare system from 2007 that is very relevant to today’s discussion of Obamacare because much of what Obama wants has already proving a failure in Sweden.

“The experience of Sweden demonstrates,” Hogberg says, “that when a nation adopts market-oriented reform for its health care system, the reforms will fail if the market is not permitted to work.”

Hogberg discusses some of the detailed changes that Sweden made to its system in the 1980s. These changes were made because costs were getting out of control and the government felt some market forces needed to be added to the system to help balance it. But the efforts were half measures that didn’t work.
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Sweden’s Healthcare Failures: A Warning to U.S.”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Ready For the Newest Obamacare Messaging?

September 2, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

ABC’s Jake Tapper has an interesting look inside the Obama messaging factory as it appears to be making plans to change its way of trying to sell Obamacare to the country. This change is in the offing because Obama is thus far losing the debate and they are all painfully aware of this in the White House.

Tapper has a revealing quote from former Senator Tom Daschle (D, SD) that presages the new, new way of selling the snake oil that is Obamacare.

“I think we have to do better at making this issue a moral imperative,” Daschle told the New York Times Magazine.

“I don’t think we’ve succeeded at that yet. I think the more we can bring everybody to an understanding about how this, in many respects, is the civil rights battle of the early part of this century — it’s a fight for the disabled, it’s a fight for the sick, it’s a fight for equal rights when it comes to health.”

So we’ve gone form calling it a “healthcare” plan, to calling it “insurance reform,” now, it seems, we are about to retool the debate into a “civil rights” issue.
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Ready For the Newest Obamacare Messaging?”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Warner Todd Huston

Obama to Offer His Own Plan?

September 2, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Marc Armbinder of The Atlantic is reporting that President Obama will be unveiling his own healthcare plan in the coming week as a way to kick start the debate back in his favor.

One of the easy digs against Obama until this time has been that he not only had nothing to do with the various plans floating around Congress (at least three bills thus far) and, worse, that he hasn’t seemed to really know what is in any of them.

Now Obama is about to offer his own plan. Some of it will be ideas already in play and others will be new.

He plans to list specific goals that any health insurance reform plan that arrives at his desk must achieve, according to Democratic strategists familiar with the plan. Some of these “goals” have already been agreed to, including new anti-discrimination restrictions on insurance companies. Others will be new, including the level of subsidies he expects to give the uninsured so they can buy into the system.

Obama will also specify a “pay for” mechanism he prefers, and will specify an income level below which he does not want to see taxed.

He will insist upon a mechanism to cut costs and increase competition among insurance companies — and perhaps will even specify a percentage rate — and he will say that his preferred mechanism remains a government-subsidized public health insurance option, but he will remain agnostic about whether the plan must include a robust public option. Officials won’t say whether the president intends to endorse a specific “trigger” mechanism if the competition mechanism fails, but they say he will make it clear that the final bill must contain language that increases competition.

But here are the real questions. So Obama has his own “new” plan to offer. So what? Does it have the force of law, has he found a few Congressmen or Senators to sign on, is it actual legislation of just his blather that has no force of law?
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Obama to Offer His Own Plan?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama to Offer His Own Plan?

September 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Marc Armbinder of The Atlantic is reporting that President Obama will be unveiling his own healthcare plan in the coming week as a way to kick start the debate back in his favor.

One of the easy digs against Obama until this time has been that he not only had nothing to do with the various plans floating around Congress (at least three bills thus far) and, worse, that he hasn’t seemed to really know what is in any of them.

Now Obama is about to offer his own plan. Some of it will be ideas already in play and others will be new.
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Obama to Offer His Own Plan?”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Security/Safety - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

U.S. Government Killing Dialysis Patients

September 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Want an example of why government healthcare in the U.S. is a dangerous proposition? USA Today has a lengthy story on kidney dialysis and how new research is showing that having dialysis treatments more often seems to be keeping patients alive and healthy longer than the traditional thrice weekly treatments. The piece also sadly shows that the U.S. has higher rates of early death of dialysis patients than other western nations.

Why is that, you might wonder? It’s because Medicare won’t pay for more than three treatments a week so the national standard has become thrice weekly because that is what government will pay for. Not only that but government won’t pay for medical services ancillary to dialysis causing patients to succumb to other problems that often accompany or presage kidney failure.

Barry Straube, chief medical officer at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medcaid Services, says 25 million Americans have kidney disease, but Medicare benefits don’t kick in until patients are at the most advanced stage. Many patients with earlier-stage kidney disease aren’t treated for high blood pressure or diabetes, which cause two-thirds of kidney failures.

In other words, medical care is rationed by government to keep down costs based on a one-size-fits-all system. This rationing kills patients sooner than necessary and stifles life-saving innovation in treatment.
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U.S. Government Killing Dialysis Patients”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

A Patriot’s Reply to a Pro-Government Takeover of Healthcare Supporter’s Video

August 31, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

This is a fantastic video. Some half-informed, leftist made a video in support of Obama’s socialist takeover of our healthcare system and a great patriot found it and then took the time to reply point for point against this fool’s anti-capitalist, un-American talking points.

The original video was made by Andy Lubershane and called “Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance.” But patriot and smart guy Lee Doren saw it too and he felt that the lies, misconceptions, and half-truths were so thick that he just had to respond.

I only wish that the Patriot’s voice was a bit more distinguishable from the left-wit’s voice. The two fellows have a similar timer to their voices which makes it a tad confusing at times. If you aren’t listening closely, there are times when you miss the fact that one guy stopped talking and the next started. But, that is a mere quibble. This video does a great job to show why the healthcare socialist is basically lying with every one of his talking points.

In any case, Mr. Doren does a great job showing that the rhetoric used by the leftist is misleading and full of false dichotomies and misdirection. This video should be passed around.
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A Patriot’s Reply to a Pro-Government Takeover of Healthcare Supporter’s Video”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Speech - Health - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Feingold: About That Bill, Did I Say It’s Doomed? On Second Thought…

August 31, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last week Senator Russ Feingold was heard to lament that there would be no Obamacare bill to vote on before Christmas. The liberal Feingold even said he wondered if there would ever be a bill at all because the divisions were so deep.

Well, only six days later, Senator Feingold is playing a different tune. Suddenly he’s quite upbeat and jubilant about the bill saying how he’ll work hard to get Obamacare passed and that he’s sure it’s all just over the horizon. Gone is the gloomy guss of a week ago and in is the happy Russ for this week. Suddenly the “no bill before Christmas, if ever” Russ is saying he’s sure it’ll come just before Christmas.

Check out these two quotes back-to-back:
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Feingold: About That Bill, Did I Say It’s Doomed? On Second Thought…”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - Capitalism - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Jobs - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Republicans - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Obamacare to Force Restaurants to Post Health Info

August 26, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Another great piece by CNSNews reveals that Obamacare will force restaurants to post nutrition information on menus throughout the country. This is more of the amazing overreach that Obama is attempting to force upon all Americans as he launches a full assault on the American character in order to push his nanny state ideals.

If Obamacare passes, Congress has taken upon itself the power to force millions of businesses to reprint their menus. Congress expects any restaurant with 20 outlets or more to observe a provision in section 325 of the House healthcare bill that demands nutritional information to be printed on menus.

Section 325 of the bill says the listings must be placed “(i)n a nutrient disclosure statement adjacent to the name of the standard menu item, so as to be clearly associated with the standard menu item, on the menu listing the item for sale, the number of calories contained in the standard menu item, as usually prepared and offered for sale.”

The nanny state strikes again.
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Obamacare to Force Restaurants to Post Health Info”

Abortion - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Health - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Despite Obama’s Claim, Obamacare WILL Fund Abortions

August 26, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Obama has accused opponents of abortion of “fabrication” when they say that Obamacare provides federal funds for abortions. He’s calling them liars despite the fact that FactCheck.org basically sides with abortion opponents claiming that the president’s polices will fund abortion.

So, who’s fabricating now, Mr. Obama?

On August 19, Obama made the assertion that federal funding for abortion is a “fabrication.”

You’ve heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortion. Not true. This is all, these are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation…

(Hear audio of Obama’s speech HERE.)

So what does FactCheck.org say of the president’s outrageous claim?
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Despite Obama’s Claim, Obamacare WILL Fund Abortions”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Publius Podcast

August 25, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Why do they let him get away with it? That is the question I ask this week on the Publius podcast. Why do they let President Obama lie repeatedly during his snake-oil sales pitch for healthcare?

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Michael Kent Curtis: Just Another Sold-Out Leftist Professor

August 25, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Michael Kent Curtis, the Donald Smith Professor of Constitutional and Public Law at Wake Forest University, has not only proven his ignorance of the facts, but he has also shown that truth does not matter a whit to him if it gets in the way of common liberal propaganda. He proved this in his blather in the Houston Chronicle on August 22.

Curtis, just another prosaic left-wing professor infesting an institute of higher learning, started his opinion piece off with an outright lie by claiming that “[O]rganized mobs recently have disrupted public meetings.” By this the lefty prof means the thousands of angry citizens that have shown their contempt for Democrat lawmakers at townhall meetings all across the country are not real. They are but dismissible false fronts for anti-Obamacare groups. This refrain is assumed by such as professor Curtis and his fellow leftists so that they can comfortably ignore the outrage against this socialist takeover of nearly 20% of our economy by Obama’s government bureaucrats. Consequently, this refrain of “organized protests” is the left’s talking point du jour.

But have you noticed that we haven’t seen any proof that the angry Americans that have taken the time out of their lives to confront their federal representatives at townhall meetings are not common citizens acting on their own initiative, but are merely “organized mobs”? Have you noticed that no proof of the purported “organized” nature of the protests has once been presented? Have you noticed that the left has not bothered to detail how these protests were organized, that they have not bothered to try and connect the dots? These leftists simply say it is true and then move on as if their case is self-evident.
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Michael Kent Curtis: Just Another Sold-Out Leftist Professor”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Immigration/Immigrants - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

By His Own Statistics, Obama Wants Illegal Aliens Covered by Obamacare

August 25, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a July interview with Katie Couric, President Obama was asked if “his” plan would cover illegal aliens. He responded with a simple “no.”

To be sure there is language in House bill 3200 that says illegals aren’t covered.

Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

But who cannot realize that all it will take is the next Congress to take out the red pen to strike out this little provision so that the government can then begin covering illegals? There is nothing at all keeping any subsequent Congress from doing so as no matter what this Congress does it cannot bind any future Congress.

Representative Lamar Alexander (R, Texas) has even said that, prohibiting language or no, there are so many loopholes in HR3200 that illeglas can easily find government funding for healthcare, anyway.
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By His Own Statistics, Obama Wants Illegal Aliens Covered by Obamacare”

Barack Obama - Britain - Budget - Business - Canada - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Europe - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

The Diminishing Returns of National Healthcare

August 24, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Now even The New York Times is admitting that Obamacare means rationing and also means a cutting back of Medicare proving that fears of America’s elderly are “not entirely irrational.” The Times is admitting that the original guarantee that Medicare is forever and that the government won’t interfere between patient and doctor is fading fast.

Again, as we’ve said in the past, one of the chief ways we can judge if we should allow Obama and his Democrats succeed in forcing a government takeover of our healthcare is to look to see how government controlled healthcare works in other countries — or doesn’t, as the case may be. We’ve had many examples already of how badly nationalized healthcare works in England and Canada, and here are two more.

Let’s start with our northern neighbors who, it seems, flood across the border seemingly on a monthly basis to get their healthcare here in the U.S. because they can’t get it in a timely manner in their own country.
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The Diminishing Returns of National Healthcare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Why Do They Let Obama Get Away With it?

August 24, 2009 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Supposed conservative talk show host, Michael Smerconish, let President Obama lie repeatedly in last week’s celebrated one-on-one interview. Obama laid his lies right out there and Smerconish didn’t say a word. But the talk radio host isn’t the only one to sit back and let this president get away with it. In fact, not a single soul has confronted President Obama on these out right lies that he’s made a staple of his snake-oil sales pitch for heatlhcare “reform.”

Early in the interview, Smerconish asked Obama about the fear many Americans have that deep down he really wants a single payer, socialist healthcare system, a government takeover of our healthcare. Here was the president’s reply.

Now, as far as health care goes, I’ve consistently said I would love the private marketplace to be handling this without any government intervention. The problem is it’s not working. What we’re seeing is about 14,000 folks lose their health insurance every single day. We are seeing health care inflation go up about twice as fast as regular inflation. Businesses are being crippled by it. Small businesses especially have almost no access to the marketplace because they’ve got no leverage with insurance companies.

So all we’ve said is let’s keep the private system intact, but let’s make sure that people who right now can’t get health insurance — about 46 million — that they’re able to buy into the market. And number two, let’s have some consumer protections to make sure that those of us who have health insurance don’t end up getting a bad deal because we didn’t read the fine print and we think that we have coverage; when we finally get sick and we need it, it turns out that we’re vulnerable because insurance companies aren’t operating in the interests of their customers.

Actually, the president lied several times here.
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Why Do They Let Obama Get Away With it?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Heritage Foundation - Video - Warner Todd Huston

Four Videos Serve as Dose of Reality on Obamacare

August 21, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Heritage Foundation has four excellent videos each taking on an injurious and troublesome aspect of Obamacare that are a must view for those looking for ammunition with which to shoot down the president’s policies.

Rather than debate the substance, the White House is in full campaign mode in order to label any opposition to its government-heavy health reform agenda as “misinformation” or “myths you’ve heard.” Case in point: The White House now has a taxpayer-funded Web site to “reality check” credible criticisms and arguments. Problem is the videos “debunking” each “myth” are low on facts. See our response below.

First up is a video addressing the many millions that will lose their health insurance quite despite what the president keeps telling us. Far from being able to keep our insurance “if we like it,” the truth is that 88 million will lose their policies whether they like it or not upon the passage of Obamacare.
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Four Videos Serve as Dose of Reality on Obamacare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

A Difference Without A Distinction

August 21, 2009 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel has simply changed the way he proposes to ration healthcare.

Dr. Emanuel, the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, is Special Adviser for Health Policy to Peter Orszag, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sara Palin and others annoyed proponents of a National Socialist Healthcare scheme by noting the Dr. Emanuel has opined that rationing medical care is a necessity. In an effort to douse what has become a raging forest fire of disapproval, White House spinmeisters have concocted the following statement from Dr. Emanuel, quoted in the Washington Times:
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A Difference Without A Distinction”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - House of Representatives - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Dems Now to Go it Alone on Healthcare, Dumping Bi-Partisanship?

August 20, 2009 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The New York Times is reporting that Congressional Democrats and the White House are now completely abandoning the claim that they want a bi-partisan healthcare “reform” bill thereby confirming conservative claims that no compromise is coming from the left with healthcare policies.

The spin from Democrats is that Republicans are at fault for the lack of bi-partisanship because if their “strident” stance against Obamacare.

Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans’ purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month’s Congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair.

Of course, the truth is that the GOP has not been included in any meaningful way since the beginning. Democrats have reached out to just the few Republicans that they think they can cajole to join their ideas, but there has been no effort at all to include GOP leaders in the healthcare debate.
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Dems Now to Go it Alone on Healthcare, Dumping Bi-Partisanship?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

20 Things Obama Was Wrong About

August 19, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Keith Hennessey did some great analysis work on President Obama’s claims made during his Portsmouth, New Hampshire townhall event on August 11. Hennessey has identified 20 different claims that the president made that don’t seem to be in the least bit true.

Hennessey’s work confirms that the President doesn’t seem to really understand what he is selling. Either that or he simply doesn’t care if his claims are accurate, but that they sound good is good enough if it helps win him passage of his healthcare policies.

Starting off by debunking Obama’s constant claim that we can “keep our health plans if we like them,” moving on to Obama’s absurd claim that he doesn’t want to put “government in charge of your health insurance,” Hennessey does yeoman’s work exposing Obama’s false claims.

Here, for instance, is Hennessey’s reply to Obama’sclaim that we can keep our plans “if we like them.”
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20 Things Obama Was Wrong About”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Thousands Quit AARP Over Support for Obamacare

August 19, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

CBS is reporting that as many as 60,000 members of AARP have cancelled their memberships in the elder’s organization over the fact that the organization is moving to support President Obama’s healthcare plans.

CBS also reports that a conservative seniors organization, the American Seniors Association, is adding thousands of new members each week. Some of the letters asking for membership were filled with “cut-up AARP cards.”

(CBS) CBS News has learned that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1, angered over the group’s position on health care.

“I think that probably the seniors are most upset with cuts in Medicare,” said ASA President Stuart Barton.

The American Seniors Association is flat-out against President Obama’s plan, which calls for $313 billion dollars in Medicare cuts over ten years. The AARP is widely viewed as supporting the President.

Of course, AARP is claiming that this is no big deal and that the loss of members is a “drop in the bucket.”
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Thousands Quit AARP Over Support for Obamacare”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Most Bankruptcies Because of Medical Debt? Uh, no.

August 18, 2009 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Early in June The New York Times was all aghast that overwhelming debt from medical bills will cause “nearly two out of three bankruptcies” in the US. Since then the White House has also used the statistic as a way to sell Obamacare policies and frighten voters into accepting a nationalized healthcare system. But is it true? Are medical bills the culprit of more than 60% of American bankruptcies?

The stark claim that medical debt is the scourge of citizens everywhere comes from a study published in The American Journal of Medicine. Its findings are certainly alarming with an outrageous rate of 62% of bankruptcies being caused by medical bill debt, such debt supposedly having risen 49% between 2001 and 2007. If true, this is a disastrous finding.

But is it true? Not according to the American Enterprise Institute’s Aparna Mathur. Mathur finds a very different story when looking over the available studies and statistics. In testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary in July, Mathur finds a far less threatening picture.
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Most Bankruptcies Because of Medical Debt? Uh, no.”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Britain - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Europe - Free Trade - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Brit Hospital Manager Warns Against Obamacare

August 18, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Who better to inform us of how wonderful a socialistic healthcare system is than one who ran the very hospitals enmeshed in such a system? Well, the Wall Street Journal gave some space to just such a fellow in its August 12 edition.

Alan B. Miller’s piece in the Journal is enlightening and a bit scary, honestly. He assures us that “we don’t want to go the government route” and be foolish enough to institute Obamacare. And Miller should know, too, as he is the chairman and CEO of Universal Health Services Inc., a company responsible for running some of Britain’s hospitals. As we know, Britain has a nationalized healthcare system and has since just after WWII.

A single-payer system may appear attractive to some. But as someone with more than 30 years of experience running a leading hospital company with international operations, I have firsthand knowledge of the hidden costs.

Miller reminds us that Medicare does not fully reimburse hospitals for costs incurred by its patients leave 7 cents on every dollar unpaid. He then says that the reason Medicare “works” to the degree it does — while still a failing concern — is because the hospitals rely on those with private insurance to make up the loss incurred by Medicare. But if the whole system becomes a government owned enterprise we will have major problems; chiefly rationing and cuts in service.

If hospitals had to rely solely on Medicare reimbursements for operating revenue, as would occur under a single-payer system, many hospitals would be forced to eliminate services, cut investments in advanced medical technology, reduce the number of nurses and other employees, and provide less care for the patients they serve. And with the government in control, Americans eventually will see rationing, the denial of high-priced drugs and sophisticated procedures, and long waits for care.

Miller then points to his experience of precisely that situation in England.

He warns us not to emulate the mess that has happened in Canada and England. Let’s hope people are listening to actual experience.
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Brit Hospital Manager Warns Against Obamacare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Security/Safety - SEIU - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Obama’s Shock Troops: In God… Uh, I Mean Unions… We Trust

August 18, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Washington Times has a great piece that coincides with several we’ve had here on the blog that shows that unions have become Obama’s healthcare shock troops. From the SEIU announcing its drive for Obamacare and sending one of its own to beat up citizens at townhalls, to the mountains of cash that unions have given to Obama and his efforts, to the AFL-CIO’s drive for Obamacare, unions have suddenly become the president’s shock troops filling audiences at townhalls and beating the streets for his policies.

Members of the nation’s labor unions have made up a hefty segment of the audiences that flocked to town halls Mr. Obama held in the past week, and they have played an even larger role in a nationwide campaign for an insurance overhaul. Financially, and with boots on the ground, unions have become the backbone of the president’s effort.

Of course, this hadn’t happened until that last week. In previous weeks, Obamacare opponents had held sway over the news cycle by protesting Obama’s healthcare ideas at townhalls across the country. But now the unions have kicked into gear.
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Obama’s Shock Troops: In God… Uh, I Mean Unions… We Trust”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Government Rules All it Surveys With House Bill

August 17, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A fellow named John Lewis has put up on the web a few aspects of House Bill 3200 that raises many a few red flag about the overarching power that the federal government is attempting to accrue unto itself should the so-called “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” pass into law.

Wondering what sort of effects the bill would have on his “freedom as an American,” Lewis identifies some extremely un-American powers that will be suddenly bestowed upon government with this act. At the outset Lewis discovers that this bill will be onerous, indeed and paying for it will fall on every American whether involved or not.

Higher taxes, more borrowing, printing money, cutting payments, or rationing services–there are no other options. We will all pay for this, enrolled in the government “option” or not.

Lewis does an outstanding job pinpointing some of the worst parts of the House bill by excerpting the actual language of the bill and then giving a bulleted, point-by-point explanation of what will occur upon passage.
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Government Rules All it Surveys With House Bill”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union Pensions Getting BIG Payoff From Obamacare

August 14, 2009 by 5 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

It isn’t just out of the goodness of their hearts that Big Labor is gearing up to spend millions to help President Obama to jam Obamacare down the throats of the American people. The unions stand to get a big payoff of $10 billion to supplement their failing pension plans.

The President of the AFL-CIO recently announced that the union would jump into the healthcare fight to help out “working people.” John Sweeney also said that the healthcare fight is “the next big step in our march to turn around America.”

But unions already have their own healthcare plans and Obama promised — for whatever an Obama promise is worth — that union plans would be untouched by Obamacare. So, what are the unions in the fight for if it doesn’t really touch them?
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Union Pensions Getting BIG Payoff From Obamacare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Children - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Family - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Obamacare Will Take Away Your Children

August 12, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Do you want government healthcare? OK, then you shouldn’t mind if the government comes knocking at your door to see if you are raising your child in the government approved manner, right? Well that is just another of the authoritarian provisions of Obamacare.

Former Hollywood tough guy and current conservative columnist Chuck Norris found another one of Obama’s little Chicago styled, thuggish provisions tucked into the House healthcare bill that should make everyone worry about government overreach.

In sections 440 and 1904 on page 838 of the House bill, government aggregates unto itself the right to invade the home of any citizen with minor children in order to institute “home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children.” The supposed goal is to “help” train parents in the government approved style of child rearing.

Now, you do understand what this means, don’t you? This means that if the government perfunctory that enters the home decides in her wisdom that the children in the home are not being raised in the government approved way, why then the Department of Children and Family Services will be called in to remove the children from the home. (Side note: I say “her” above because it will likely never be a male government employee in such a position. I am not violating the standard practice of using the male pronoun.)
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Obamacare Will Take Away Your Children”