A Disturbing Absence

The prominant numbers that I've seen thrown around online were: 1) $85k as the upper income limit and 2) children up to 25 years of age would be covered.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA Prius @ Oct 5 2007, 11:56 AM) [snapback]521773[/snapback]</div>

No problem, thank you for the apology. i tend to be sensitive about that name seeing how its has been abused over time - its so well worn it has affected lots of peoples reasoning.

Have a nice weekend.

David

 

Bottom line? There is never enough money for health or education of US citizens. There seems to be no limit to how much we can spend in destroying or financially aiding OTHER countries.

Hell... what's so important about having healthy and educated kids? I mean... how do they contribute to the bottom line this quarter?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(McShemp @ Oct 5 2007, 12:40 PM) [snapback]521817[/snapback]</div>

Thank you. Even the $63,000 mentioned earlier is far from poor. And if you are 25 and don't have health insurance, here's a hint. McDonald's is always hiring and and they have insurance available.

The cigarette tax. It doesn't matter if an industry or the consumers of that industry are hurt if liberals don't like that industry. Someone said that it would not cost taxpayers anything. Are smokers not tax payers, too? Then it was said that the tax may reduce smoking. Wonderful. As smoking declines, so does the revenue from the new tax. The program will not reduce (government programs never do). Now where will the funding come from. From tax payers (smokers and non smokers alike).

Ya just gotta think things through.

 

Isn't this the same bozo and political party that gave us Medicare part D, lest consumers try to shop for cheaper medicines outside the US ?
Anxiety over socialized medicine my nice person.

And in other news, bozo wants another 200 billion US$ to pursue his wartime pleasures.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(roryjr @ Oct 6 2007, 08:42 PM) [snapback]522346[/snapback]</div>

McD has health insurance "available"? Meaning, they will sell it to you? And if a McD's burger-flipper takes them up on that and buys their health insurance, how much of his salary does he then take home? $50 a week?

Health insurance is "available" to anyone with the money to pay for it. The whole point is that on a minimum-wage job like McD's (or Walmart!) you don't have enough money to pay for it.

I actually agree that the cigarette tax is the wrong way to pay for health care. Cigarettes should be outlawed, just like cocaine. While tobacco's mood-altering effects are unlike those of cocaine, its addictive properties are equal or greater, and its overall damage to society is greater. Alternatively, tobacco should be taxed at an astronomical level to stop people from using it, and health care should be funded from general revenues, and should be universal.

But that is not a reason to veto the bill. The bill should be signed into law. And then the prez should pressure Congress to expand it and change the funding to a sustainable source.

Vetoing this bill was the act of a barbarian.

 

A politician said s(he) was amazed at how much it is going to cost for this program, and I must agree. I don't mention this as ammunition against SCHIP per se, as much as further evidence that US healthcare is so, so backwards.

I just wish the money was spent on preventive health, reinstatement of compulsory athletics and removal of junk food from our schools, rather than psychiatric bandages and obesity.

 

Even Jon Stewart was left speechless. When commenting on this issue, all he could say was "... Pass"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Oct 7 2007, 09:04 AM) [snapback]522410[/snapback]</div>

Anyone who wants healthcare can get great medical treatment at their local VA by joining the military and fighting in the 'war on terror'. Bush sure isn't going to veto any funding in that area.

Healthcare for poor American non-military slackers? Piss on 'em. As someone else already pointed out, they can get all the healthcare they need by paying for it at their minimum-wage McJobs.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 7 2007, 10:40 AM) [snapback]522429[/snapback]</div>

Exactly. And just think, those that sign up will be the strongest since the weak will already have died off long ago. The US will have the best <strike>Aryan</strike> military, ever.

And who needs medical healthcare, anyway? Isn't Bush's whole constituency rooted in the ideology that modern science is bunk? It should come as no surprise that Bush is going to veto anything that even remotely supports the idea of modern medical science. Faith-based initiatives, you know.

Maybe if there was a bill that advocated returning to applying leeches for medicinal purposes, Bush might consider signing that one.

In a medieval, feudal class society comprised of lords, freemen, and serfs, that is the dream. See above comment about leeches...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Oct 7 2007, 07:37 AM) [snapback]522428[/snapback]</div>

Where you been living lately? Health care at the VA is a travesty! The VA is the worst health care system in the country. And the Bush administration has consistently denied it funding. Apparently, once you've served your country and are out of active service, you can die in the gutter for all G.W.B. cares.

I had a friend in Fargo who is a Vietnam-era veteran. (Yes, he fought in Vietnam as a grunt.) Two or three years ago (when I was still living in Fargo) he and I both had flexible sigmoidoscopy (sp?) procedures within a few months of each other. I had mine at Meritcare, the local private (not-for-profit, I think) hospital. He had his at the Fargo VA. For mine, there was a specialist MD present throughout the procedure. The procedure is uncomfortable, but not too painful if done properly, as mine was. For my friend, at the VA, there was only a P.A. (physician's assistant) present. They screwed up the procedure and he wound up in the emergency room and nearly died. There is no excuse for screwing up this relatively straightforward procedure.

The VA is one very good reason why nobody in his/her right mind should ever join the armed forces.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(roryjr @ Oct 6 2007, 10:42 PM) [snapback]522346[/snapback]</div>

You have no idea of reality do you? I will repeat it again, the cap of $63,000 does not apply to all families and all states. That would be the maximum a family of 4 in a high cost of living state such as California could make and still be eligible for SCHIP.

Lets take California. When I looked at transferring to the San Bernardino area in 2000 the average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment was $1200 per month. That was 7 years ago. When I visited my sister-in-law in LA this year I looked online at reality prices. The cheapest single family house I found was $425,000 and is was 800 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath and listed as a good fixer-upper project. Someone with a McJob in California is McPoor and will not be supporting a family let alone buying McDonald's insurance.

Someone living in North Carolina may do just fine making $63K per year. In fact my brother lives in Raleigh and I believe his 3 bed, 2 bath, 1400 square foot house (new construction) was only about $120,000.

The cap of 25 years old is for dependents that are enrolled in college, just like many private insurance providers currently allow. For example, my wife and I were both covered under our respective parents employer provided insurance until we graduated from college at the age of 23.

Paying for this by upping the cigarette tax is stupid. However, this is a bi-partisan bill and that was the only way that house Republicans would sign onto the bill. It was Bush's own party that insisted that this new spending be covered by a new sin tax instead of coming out of the general fund as supported by both parties in the Senate and House Democrats.

 

Why ?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Oct 7 2007, 12:29 PM) [snapback]522446[/snapback]</div>

Ask any Bushie and they'll tell you that treatment at the VA is the best care available, anywhere. All those VA horror stories are just 'isolated incidents'. Ergo, no need for Bush to sign a healthcare bill for all those indigent, thieving, welfare bastards when they can simply join the military for their great, 'free' VA healthcare. They even get free clothes, food, and housing. And they get paid (with big bonuses), on top of all that. Such a deal.

Of course, they also get to go fight their questionable wars for them, too, which isn't really such a great thing, but, hey, they knew what they were doing when they signed up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jhinton @ Oct 5 2007, 10:24 AM) [snapback]521744[/snapback]</div>

Well, there you go.

New York and California didn't vote for him. He said he'd make sure they paid the price.

Petty Vendictive Dictator.

Although I prefer to use the term Moron since his mental faculties are so limited he can't see the big picture. The man DOESN'T READ. Not books. Not newspapers.

BTW why did you feed Doh-Berman? You gave him what he wanted. If he's really a Doctor he can find the answer himself. In fact, if he was really a Doctor he should have known exactly what this bill entailed before it even got to the President's desk. I'm a teacher and I know what the education bills entail when they get to the President's desk. And if he vetoes any, I know the reasons.

Just another reason I think Doh-Berman isn't a Doctor and is jerking all of your chains.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ Oct 7 2007, 09:39 AM) [snapback]522449[/snapback]</div>

A cigarette tax is a bad way to finance health care because we should be eliminating tobacco, not depending on the people addicted to it for revenue.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Oct 7 2007, 09:42 AM) [snapback]522452[/snapback]</div>

I see. You were being sarcastic. I missed that the first time around. Sorry about that. And thanks for the clarification.