"But wait," you say..."Obama did his best." Yes he did. Did his best to kill the public option and not have the blood on his hands. But this is about the Senate, at least until the end of this rant. The "liberals" in the meeting came out smiling because Medicare got extended. This sounds great, but it isn't. It was opposite of how Medicare should have been expanded. But let's look at what they did:
- Medicare will someday start when Americans pass 55 years of age, instead of the current 65. It can be argued that any expansion of Medicare is a good step in reform.
- A "non-profit" option will be triggered at some point if insurance companies don't behave by keeping costs under control.
- Subsidies for Americans who can't afford health insurance.
- That ridiculous abortion shit was scratched.
- Some other stuff that I was too lazy to look up.
- More Americans WILL be covered, especially because the mandate for coverage will still be there.
The Medicare expansion is a cherry on the top, and will allow Dems to declare victory. But it is all bullshit. Without serious revisions by the House this is a preemptive bailout for health insurance companies. Billions more of our tax dollars will flow into the corporate coffers without actually lowering costs, or improving the health coverage product. We are tired of the fight, and as progressives, not used to standing our ground when friends turn on us. Even Howard Dean (my choice for Chief of Staff) was feigning satisfaction with this deal. He's just happy the blue dogs didn't blow the whole 2010 election up by nuking any reform. And, everyone gets paid...except us.
Why is this deal so bad? Well...
The Medicare expansion is ass-backwards. By extending Medicare to those over 55, taxpayers take the burden of the most potentially health-impaired population off the backs of the insurance companies. The coverage mandates will drive tens of millions of younger, healthier customers to take their places. The +55 age group is also the highest wage earning group in the workforce - the most able to afford their own insurance. They are the last group we should cover.
To do this right, we should have started from age zero through nine. This is the group that suffers from the least coverage right now, thus doing the most good. This also takes the burden off of working families and makes kids healthier. Healthier kids are higher achieving kids in schools. The benefits to America are huge on the low end, and make 100 percent more sense if you care about what's good for America, instead of what's good for Primera.
Finally, if your politics are truly oriented towards health reform, this is the gateway to Medicare for all. When those kids get close to turning ten, millions of families will collectively turn to their representatives and say "you're gonna' take away my kid's health insurance? How quick can you pack up your office?"
The "non-profit" option is a sham. Do we really trust the same companies that have been providing us with an overpriced product that under-serves us to sell insurance that would be priced at public rate? No way. And waiting for triggers? Please! And do we really think they will change practices on preexisting conditions? Not without disastrous cost consequences. Either the final version will have small loopholes that allow complete disregard of all new regulations, or the Health Care Industrial Complex will just ignore them. You don't think so?
Look at the Wall Street crowd. They were given billions to fix over 700,000 mortgages. They have taken the cash and just sat on it. Paid themselves millions in bonuses because they are showing record profits. They say "oh, yeah. That mortgage thing, we'll get right on that..." Then they smirk as they wire our money to the Bahamas. Or hows about AIG executives that had to be rescued to the tune of almost 200 billion when they nearly took down the entire global economy? They paid themselves over 160 million in bonuses, and when we got pissed said they would give 46 mil back. But it turns out they didn't. This week they said they were thinking about giving just 19 million back. And, fuck us if we don't like it.
And our federal government, the entity that handed the bankers all of that public cash, says "yes sir, may I have another." And by that they mean another campaign contribution. Health care companies donate many millions too, and this deal shows how solidly the fix is in.
Mandates and subsidies are insane without a true public option. Are senators really going to mandate that tens of millions of Americans purchase a shitty, overpriced product from the evil health hooligans that are in turn feeding millions into senate campaign funds? C'mon, this is like something out of a bad 80's movie about the future gone horribly wrong. It is such a blatantly corrupt idea that it wrenches my guts to think that my government would do this.
Look, I get the need to spread the risk among a larger and healthier pool of insured people. It makes complete sense IF you are doing it responsibly. Responsibly means controlling the costs, and having those who are elected be accountable for these kinds of mandates in a democracy. Government has to play a large role in this kind of mandate, or we the people are so much meat for the corporate lions.
Finally, I hope I've seen the last of that abortion shit that was plugged in by Blue Dog Dems. But I am not holding my breath. That crap started in the House, and this still has to go through conference.
And finally finally, I am tired of being told by Obama sycophants to just be patient. And I swear to Jupiter, if one more pundit, blogger or caller to a talk show tells me that Obama is playing chess while we are playing checkers, I will desire to shove chess pieces up their ass! I supported Obama, but I am not blind, nor am I as stupid as he seems to think I am. It seems to me that the American people are playing Go Fish, hoping for a good card while Obama and the Senate are running a three-card monte hustle on the American working class.
Max Baucus and Kent Conrad tried for months to kill the public option, and they couldn't - even with the teabagger heat being poured on them. Obama only needed 30 minutes. There is no question that he killed the public option. No question that he killed the last vestige of real reform. Why? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$...
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM! NEW #1 ISSUE.
No comments:
Post a Comment