Bill Frist sells out

[ugonow]

Frist turns traitor to country and tells republicans not to repeal Obamacare--------politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/18/frist-dont-repeal-health-care-bill/

[billisonboard]

We need to consult doctors to let us know this health care bill is bad unless their answer is that it isn't and then they are traitors.



Got to love it.

[floridayankee]

It doesn't really matter much anyway since the repubs don't have the votes in the Senate to push a repeal through anyway. And, even if they did manage to get it through Senate, the POTUS would almost certainly veto any bill to repeal his crowning leap toward socialized medicine.

We need to consult doctors to let us know this health care bill is bad

Why? Obamacare deals more with coverage (who pays the bill) and does very little to address any actual health care issues or costs.

[ugonow]

Either get a job with benefits if you don't have insurance,or if your company's insurance they give you is bad,get a new job.It is easy as that. As long as you are productive,and provide value to your employer,they will continue to pay the premiums for you.

[billisonboard]

...get a new job.It is easy as that...

Unemployment rate, United States
9.1% of the labor force - Not seasonally adjusted - Dec 2010
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

[ugonow]

Or there is no law you can't buy your own policy if you really want insurance.

[billisonboard]

Jan 19, 2011 10:18:25 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

We need to consult doctors to let us know this health care bill is bad

Why? Obamacare deals more with coverage (who pays the bill) and does very little to address any actual health care issues or costs.

I agree with you on this. However, I just heard yesterday some Congressman who was a doctor whining that the doctors in Congress weren't consulted on the healthcare bill when it was passed originally.

[b2r]

Bill Frist, invested in Obamacare, tells Republicans to let it be

By: Timothy P. Carney 01/18/11 1:19 PM
Senior Political Columnist
If you're a Republican, and you don't want the media to pry into your financial conflicts of interest, there used to be a simple method: support Democratic big-government policies.

The latest Republican to try this rule is Bill Frist.

Sam Stein at the Huffington Post reports:

As congressional Republicans ready themselves for a largely symbolic effort to repeal President Obama's health care reform law, at least one former GOP leader is urging them to drop the charade and build on the legislation instead.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who caused a stir during the construction of health care reform when he said he'd vote for the bill, said it was important to consider the bill the "law of the land" and move on from there.

Frist called for some reforms in the form of "public private partnerships."

But Stein (citing a tweet by me this morning), reports, "He has made a fortune as a result of stock ownership from the family-founded Hospital Corporation of America, the for-profit hospital chain."

Also, as I wrote in my column last year:

Frist is a partner in a private investment firm that bets on health care companies -- and on regulation.... So Frist gets rich by helping pick the health care companies that will get rich. Now he's backing Obamacare -- and winning praise for it.

Look at some of the language on Cressey & Co's webpage. "The Cressey & Company strategy applies unique insights and experience to produce extraordinary results" [emphasis added]. What "unique insights" do you think Frist provides? Another page on the site gives us a hint: "With deep expertise in the healthcare reimbursement and regulatory environments, the Cressey & Company team has invested in almost every for-profit niche of healthcare."

Stein noted Frist's conflicts of interest, but don't expect the rest of the media to be as thorough -- after all, last year, Frist got a free pass as did health-care lobbyist Bob Dole.

Sharing the stage with Frist was Tom Daschle, a K Street consultant for many health-care companies. The venue: The Bipartisan Policy Center.

That's a clue -- if you hear the word "bipartisan," there's a good chance everyone on the marquee is getting paid.
.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/bill-frist-invested-obamacare-tells-republicans-let-it-be#ixzz1BUpACfEs

[Deleted]

Everybody has their own agenda, as usual. This whole repeal thing seems dumb, since we all know it will not pass the Senate, or be vetoed. At what point does the opportunity to make major changes come in? Would be nice if everybody could just cast their votes today and skip the bull, but we don't do that, have to play by the rules. Does anyone know at what point in this process the real work starts, so we can get down to the business of repairing this monster if they refuse to throw it out? Of course we all know also that the House will not approve funding for this as it is when it gets down to it. Then there is the lawsuit out of Florida, growing all the time as more states jump in. Anyone have any idea when or how this will end?
A year later the only one I have heard admit they read the entire bill is Jamie Dupree, a journalist out of Washington. Maybe he should run for office.

[b2r]

www.defendyourhealthcare.us/

[marjar]

Jan 19, 2011 10:23:14 GMT -5 ugonow said:

Either get a job with benefits if you don't have insurance,or if your company's insurance they give you is bad,get a new job.It is easy as that. As long as you are productive,and provide value to your employer,they will continue to pay the premiums for you.

No, it isn't that easy. Have you looked at the unemployment numbers? Have you tried to get a job, lately?

Wow! Just wow!

[Deleted]

Funny thing about the jobs thing. I was helping a pregnant teenager we know check out the welfare medical online to see if she qualifies. In reading over it I noticed that people my age, over 50, do not even have to register for employment as a condition of getting any benefits. After putting in at least 30 job apps in the last 2 months with no calls for interviews, then I saw that-- I'm not feeling really hopeful about being able to get a job at my age right now. So, no health insurance for me. It's pretty scary to me thinking I am not able to find a job while I am really healthy and 100% willing and available to work long, hard hours as I have done for a long time now.
Oh, well, at least I can't be fined or jailed for not having insurance since I have no income now. By this time next year if I'm not working my daughter and her husband can actually claim me as a dependent. What an odd thought. So-- because I am safe with my family and not on the streets, no state help, either. It is pretty weird that you have to qualify for welfare to qualify for medical care after working an entire life, and paying taxes, and raising 5 kids that all work and pay taxes. Sucks. Something has to be done, starting with tearing that bill down and building one that will actually HELP and not bankrupt the country. Can it be done?? I don't know.

[floridayankee]

Jan 19, 2011 10:40:26 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

However, I just heard yesterday some Congressman who was a doctor whining that the doctors in Congress weren't consulted on the health care bill when it was passed originally.

Even this conservative can agree there are some good parts to this bill. Relax libs...I said some. A couple...I like being able to keep my 19yo DS on our policy because he works PRN as a transporter at a local hospital and has no benefits. Like life insurance...I think a health policy should cover whoever the policyholder is willing to pay for. I surely expect it to be free. I also like the idea of being able to get coverage for pre-existing conditions....if one is willing to pay for it.

My problem with Obamacare is first and foremost, they way they shoved it through without even knowing what the hell was in there. Whether you're hard left, hard right or middle of the road, you have to acknowledge that this in not the way it should be done in DC....especially with something as important as our health care. This is such a monstrous bill, I can almost guarantee there are a ton of traps that are going to cost us all a lot of money and time.

At the same time, I can also agree that it is a waste of time for congress to even bring repeal up because, beyond a symbolic gesture, it is nothing but lip service. They've wasted enough time up there in DC. If congress wanted to spend their time going through this thing with a fine tooth comb and really analyze the bill, remove the useless, costly crap and special deals and as well as analyze the cost and effectiveness of the good parts, I would say go for it.

[ChiTownVenture]

Frist turns traitor to country and tells republicans not to repeal Obamacare-

You mean he's listening to what the American people want? Isn't that exactly what conservatives said the Dems didn't do when they passed it?

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of Likely U.S. Voters want to change the law, while only 18% want it left alone. Those figures include 20% who want the law repealed and nothing done to replace it, 28% who want it repealed and then have its most popular provisions put into a new law and 27% who say leave the law in place but get rid of the unpopular provisions.

It is worth noting that a majority (55%) take one of the middle ground approaches—repeal and replace or leave it and improve. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Overall, 48% take an approach that starts with repeal.

www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/january_2011/75_want_health_care_law_changed

[bean29]

Krickett: Sorry to hear you are unemployed. I thought you were working as a cab driver?

Your post seems to be indicating that your age (over 50) would allow you to qualify for health insurance if you lived on your own, but because you live with one of your children, you do not qualify - did I understand that correctly?

Count me in the group that feels we should fix or build on the current legislation not take it away. The Republican's should have participated and tried to make a meaningful contribution the first time around. The system we have is broken in a lot of ways. More and more employers will stop offering family health insurance as a benefit in the future. Forget "I got mine to hell with everyone else". It is not going to work as a long term strategy.

[handyman2]

Naturally Frist is playing footsy with Obama care. His family started HCA a company I am very familier with and did a lot of work modernizing many of their facilities. They also get large sums by contracting the building and operating for profit prisons around the country.
The real problem is the Bill has a lot of non-sensical garbage in it that will be costly not only to the people but the government. You read the fine print and you say what does this item have to do with making healthcare affordable. They started out with a noble cause and it went down hill from there. It does not address many of the inhouse issues that drive up the costs.
Even thiough it most likely will not be defeated they can still cripple it by not funding the previsions in the bill making it basicly useless.

[ugonow]

So Frist is for socialist healthcare for a profit? I read an article saying insurance companies are ready for Obamacare now and are looking for the new business that comes with mandated insurance.So they are in on the socialist agenda also? I am getting confused.

[rockon]

The problem in this case is you are asking horse owners which horse to bet on. The health care providers, the insurance companies, and all others should be consulted and their concern understood but one has to be careful how much creditability you give to their opinion on what is best in terms of our national health care costs. These are for profit industries they may weigh the affect on their bottom line as a higher priority then the long term benefits of the person who is paying for it.

[safeharbor37]

I don't think there's much chance of taking away the "entitlements" provided in the bill. Remember the seniors demanding that the Government not touch their Medicare? ["Leave our Medicare alone!"]
There are some "good" parts to the bill, but virtually all of them are expensive and we can't possibly address the deficit while piling on new entitlements. [Remember the deficit?]
Still, I don't have a problem with some of the bill's provisions. What concerns me is what's in the other 2699 pages. I can assure you that no single person knows what's in the bill ~ that's why it needs to be repealed and replaced with a 27 page bill [Actually, since the Congress insists on writing laws in "lawyerese," it would take a few more pages ~ but not 2700.].
This is a good example of the intransigence of "entitlements." Once they are enacted, no one wants to have their entitlement taken away. The hole never gets any shallower so the only solution is to stop digging [that is, in case we don't want the hole to get deeper].

[Tennesseer]

Bill Frist is a private citizen.

[rockon]

and a surgeon

[Tennesseer]

Of Course! My point was he is no longer an elected official.

[marjar]

Jan 19, 2011 10:37:21 GMT -5 ugonow said:

Or there is no law you can't buy your own policy if you really want insurance.

I respectfully submit that you are woefully clueless regarding health insurance and the ability to obtain it. It might behoove you to do some research on the subject. What you discover may come as a surprise.

[deziloooooo]

Jan 19, 2011 13:31:26 GMT -5 safeharbor37 said:

I don't think there's much chance of taking away the "entitlements" provided in the bill. Remember the seniors demanding that the Government not touch their Medicare? ["Leave our Medicare alone!"]
There are some "good" parts to the bill, but virtually all of them are expensive and we can't possibly address the deficit while piling on new entitlements. [Remember the deficit?]
Still, I don't have a problem with some of the bill's provisions. What concerns me is what's in the other 2699 pages. I can assure you that no single person knows what's in the bill ~ that's why it needs to be repealed and replaced with a 27 page bill [Actually, since the Congress insists on writing laws in "lawyerese," it would take a few more pages ~ but not 2700.].
This is a good example of the intransigence of "entitlements." Once they are enacted, no one wants to have their entitlement taken away. The hole never gets any shallower so the only solution is to stop digging [that is, in case we don't want the hole to get deeper].

I heard or read, can't remember which yesterday, that the administration is stopping the pitch that it will save money, the health inititive , more the coverage for so many who were not covered as all the features of protection by stopping refusal of past , insurence as a right, moves with workers..a lot of the positices..lots more along those lines...

[floridayankee]

Jan 19, 2011 14:35:51 GMT -5 @marjar said:

Jan 19, 2011 10:37:21 GMT -5 ugonow said:

Or there is no law you can't buy your own policy if you really want insurance.

I respectfully submit that you are woefully clueless regarding health insurance and the ability to obtain it. It might behoove you to do some research on the subject. What you discover may come as a surprise.

He is? So there actually is a law that says ou can't buy your own insurance?

[marjar]

Jan 19, 2011 15:02:25 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Jan 19, 2011 14:35:51 GMT -5 @marjar said:

I respectfully submit that you are woefully clueless regarding health insurance and the ability to obtain it. It might behoove you to do some research on the subject. What you discover may come as a surprise.

He is? So there actually is a law that says ou can't buy your own insurance?

One can be refused coverage for having ADD, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and depression are reasons to deny coverage.

Also, if you omit item on your application - your medical history, such as having a wart removed twenty years ago, and the insurance company discovers this - usually when scrutinizing your history because you've filed a claim - they can rescind your coverage, retroactively. You lied on your application and therefore they have to right to cancel and rescind your coverage. Do you recall every single medical treatment you've had, in your entire life? Every cold, sore throat, in-grown toenail? This is not about those who purposely try to defraud a company, but those who do not recall every time medical care was obtained over the course of their lifetime.


Part of rescinding your coverage includes collecting monies they have paid to medical care providers in the past. Leaving you liable for those payments to the providers.

[floridayankee]

Jan 19, 2011 15:17:55 GMT -5 @marjar said:

Jan 19, 2011 15:02:25 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

He is? So there actually is a law that says ou can't buy your own insurance?

One can be refused coverage for

But he never said nobody could be denied coverage.

Today at 10:37am, ugonow wrote: Or there is no law you can't buy your own policy if you really want insurance.

Also, if you omit item ....... the course of their lifetime.

Oh the drama.....

Personally, I don't know anybody that has ever been denied coverage (including a former roommate with a stent and taking heart meds) or that has been cancelled after a claim for omitting a 20 year old wart removal from their application....I'm also not saying that nothing like this has ever happened.

I simply do not believe that these sort of things are as commonplace as whatever source of talking points you're getting these ideas from.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

I wasn't sitting in my living room waiting for some establishment Republican to save us all. We The People are going to have to save ourselves by continuing the primary challenges and defeating these jerks.

[marjar]

Personally, I don't know anybody that has ever been denied coverage (including a former roommate with a stent and taking heart meds) or that has been cancelled after a claim for omitting a 20 year old wart removal from their application....I'm also not saying that nothing like this has ever happened.

I simply do not believe that these sort of things are as commonplace as whatever source of talking points you're getting these ideas from.

I was denied coverage - I took anti anxiety meds for 4 years and had carpal tunnel -several years prior to applying. I hadn't been on medication for 2 years prior to applying for insurance Excellent blood pressure, good cholesterol, never had cancer, not diabetic. Other than being pregnant, I've not spent a night in the hospital since I was a child.

My doctor's son- he graduated college and was having trouble finding a job, two years ago. Their policy didn't allow him to be covered after he turned 23. They applied for a policy, and because he was ADD, he was denied coverage.

Shall I go on?

And, no, they are not talking points. Unlike SOME, I've done ample research.

[deziloooooo]

Jan 19, 2011 16:12:51 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Jan 19, 2011 15:17:55 GMT -5 @marjar said:

One can be refused coverage for

But he never said nobody could be denied coverage.

Today at 10:37am, ugonow wrote: Or there is no law you can't buy your own policy if you really want insurance.

Also, if you omit item ....... the course of their lifetime.

Oh the drama.....

Personally, I don't know anybody that has ever been denied coverage (including a former roommate with a stent and taking heart meds) or that has been cancelled after a claim for omitting a 20 year old wart removal from their application....I'm also not saying that nothing like this has ever happened.

I simply do not believe that these sort of things are as commonplace as whatever source of talking points you're getting these ideas from.

They happen, my late brother was a diabetic for many years, turned down..even on company insurence when worked for companys, big ones, a year waiting on his coverage, family was ok on one I remember and when went into his own business, forget it, pre problems, no coverage.
I ran into a problem when looking to by long term coverage, not health, but in case need live in, come in type help. At the time, smoker, most turned down and one or two would take me rates were crazy.