On Healthcare reform

[moominmuppet]

Pleased at the step forward, at least, if not ecstatic overall. Better than I feared, worse than I hoped, miles from what I'd ideally like. I'll still let Obama have his cowboy hat back, though.

Comments

[rhonan]

I won't. I find his lack of leadership in this fight to be a disgrace. I will support any progressive who challenges him for the nomination. I'm also through with the Democratic party as an institution. I will vote for progressive Democrats when ever they are running, but given the choice between a corporate Democrat and a Republican, I will not support the lessor of two evils. I'll be voting for the socialist.

[jajy1979]

If that man is a "progressive" I'm a flaming raspberry tart. I like Obama but he is, was, remains, a centrist.

These idiots on the right calling him a socialist have NO idea what socialism is except as a conceptual bogeyman that they've been told to hate and fear.

[moominmuppet]

*nod* He's always been too conservative for me, and I did/do support him anyway. Anyone who's going to be right for this country is going to be way too conservative for me. I'd hoped he'd do a bit better than this, but am I surprised he's not fighting tooth and nail for my ideal single-payer system and such? Nope.

[moominmuppet]

Yes. This.

[marnanel]

I am still hoping for a public option. Then again, I'm still hoping for a socialist in the White House one day.

Also: I find it hard to get my head around the idea that one of the best concise summaries I've seen of the issue was delivered by a pipe-smoking dog on 4chan (here.)

Also: http://didtheypasshealthcarereform.com/

[moominmuppet]

Ha; the links are fabulous!

(and agreed on the rest)

[qualistarian]

It bothers me greatly that passing this reform required catering to Bart Stupak.

[jajy1979]

I can't stand Stupak, but the truth is that he actually got hosed. The executive order carries no actual legal weight and can be overturned by any act of congress which overturns Hyde itself, which already prevented most of what Stupak was bitching about. So basically Obama gave him some lip service, and Stupak is walking around like he won 1st prize rather than a dishonorable mention.

I'm certainly not happy mind you, I want Hyde and all the other conservative bullshit about abortion thrown out. But that's going to take more time and a less confrontational style than this bill set up.

[qualistarian]

Of course it was lip service and carries no weight, but the problem is that, if Hyde ever comes to a vote, there will be cries of "You promised!"

[jajy1979]

Yes, but Obama isn't in the House or the Senate and thus his promise carries no weight as to the voting behavior of the congress. Checks and balances and all that rot.

[lordperrin]

Does anyone know what this bill actually DOES except require every American to buy health insurance? I've asked alot of people and I still haven't gotten an answer on how this bill in any way benefits the people who have been asking for universal healthcare. All it seems to do is force people to give insurers money...

[jajy1979]

It does several things. The best two things it does are

[lordperrin]

Thanks for the rundown :) Im still researching and working on my opinion of this. I have serious reservations with the government forcing every person in the country to buy health insurance (people keep bringing up car insurance which is not an adequate comparison due to the fact that owning a car is a choice, thus it's not a mandate on every person, not to mention that car insurance mandates are state governed not federally governed and dont exist in every state.)

The whole thing smacks of unchecked corporatism to me and seems more interested in benefiting the insurance companies than the American people.

[moominmuppet]

I'm extremely frustrated about the mandate without a public option. It does feed way too much power back to the insurance companies, and is probably my biggest issue with the current bill.