Journalists, consider yourselves warned.
Columbia Journalism Review worries government-run health care might not come to pass; indeed, ideas for consumer-driven health care could "seep" into media coverage.
CJR's Trudy Lieberman announced it was "ominous news" that a government health insurance plan might be delayed:
"Ezra Klein over at The American Prospect’s blog was right on point last week when he sent along some ominous news. Klein, quoting a story in Congressional Quarterly, said that John McDonough, the former head of a Massachusetts advocacy group who now works for Ted Kennedy, seemed to be backpedaling on the public option..."
On the other side, Lieberman warned, "right-wing think tanks" are "on the march," illuminating problems with a government-controlled approach to medicine. She noted The Heritage Foundation's criticism of a federal health board, a top idea of Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle. Lieberman's warning:
"Heritage health policy guru Robert Moffit argued that a powerful board plus a 'controlled' market dominated by a government health plan would end existing private coverage for people and 'ensure unprecedented government interference in the delivery of care.' Heritage uber health guru Stuart Butler made similar arguments in a Washington Times op-ed on Thursday. Such thinking is likely to seep into mainstream reporting."
She then pointed to an ABC News story she deemed "reasonable," which focused on one Democratic congressman's endorsement of a Medicare-style public plan for all.
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Which is why Hillary Care
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 17:04 ET by dscottWhich is why Hillary Care failed as well, few people are so naive as to believe government bureaucrats have the depth of understanding to run the health care system. At least with a fragmented system with competing parts such as we have, if one party says no, there will be someone else who will say yes. The point of competition is choice, as soon as the government gets involved you have no choice but the one they leave you with. A choice (fait accompli) is not a choice when someone else does the choosing.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
Well, as I used to tell my
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 19:36 ET by motherbeltWell, as I used to tell my kids when they didn't like what was for supper:
You have two choices: Take it or leave it.
God forbid we should let
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 17:09 ET by mattmGod forbid we should let anything seep into the discussion that might lead to policies that might actually work!
GMTA, matt..... On the
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 19:35 ET by motherbeltGMTA, matt.....
On the other side, Lieberman warned, "right-wing think tanks" are "on
the march," illuminating problems with a government-controlled approach
to medicine.
Notice she says illuminating (not claiming or alleging) problems, as in shining a light on them. That means the problems are there, they are just calling attention to them.
Can't have that, can we????
Government-run hospitals here in LA
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 19:44 ET by Gary HallWell Amy.. the folks here in Los Angeles have some experience with government-run healthcare. In the last few years, two local government-run hospitals have been shut down, permanently, because.. well, because they can't run them well enough to keep 'em going, and.. well, little incidents like people being left unattended on the waiting room floor for hours.. well, until they die. (;~/ gary
Knowing full well that the
Mon, 12/22/2008 - 20:44 ET by R D HelmKnowing full well that the Social Security/unfunded-mandate/Medicare/Medicaid/entitlement/God-only-knows-what-else train wreck is just around the corner, and of late, the approaching collapse of the housing market/financial system/economy and the resulting hideous gazillion dollar bailouts, all of which were and are directly or indirectly caused by blatant government incompetence, if not more than a little corruption, I only have one teensy little question:
HOW IN THE HELL COULD ANY RATIONAL, INTELLIGENT PERSON WANT TO SEE THIS EXACT SAME GOVERNMENT, RUN BY THE EXACT SAME INCOMPETENT BOOBS WHO HAVE ALL BUT RUN THIS COUNTRY INTO THE GROUND, TAKE OVER SOMETHING AS VITALLY IMPORTANT AS OUR NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?
If you want our health care system to be efficient and actually work once again, then get the government out of it entirely. I do not believe it has been by mere accident that the deeper the government involves itself in our health care system, the more inefficient and expensive it becomes.
-Dave
Merry Christmas everybody!
Well, RD, don't you know -
Tue, 12/23/2008 - 09:29 ET by dscottWell, RD, don't you know - Liberal ideas don't fail, we just failed to spend enough money to make them successful. <sarcasm>
Liberal ideas fail because there is insufficient public support (tax revenue), shame on the public for being so stingy, unpatriotic and not giving their last dime or sacrificing their standard of living to allow politicians to take the credit for solving everyone's problem. Bad public, bad... Evil, bigoted conservatives for voicing opinions contrary to the PC policy, evil I tell you, positively evil...
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
We already have socialized medicine!
Tue, 12/23/2008 - 08:42 ET by moderncommentaries83We already have a version of socialized medicine in tying our healthcare to employment. Your employer is "the government", deciding on plans and coverage, and you (and your co-workers) are taxpayers, paying into a single-payer system tied to a company that can limit your treatment or deny you coverage (just like government-run healthcare!).
This conservative things the way to go is total free market, with a very limited government/charity program to assist those who truly cannot afford healthcare (read: not people making 500x the poverty level). Completely disconnect healthcare from any and all employment and make insurance companies compete - in the free market - for your insurance dollars, thereby lowering rates and offering deals on coverage.
If an employer wants to offer, as a benefit, money toward insurance, that would be fine. Say your employer pays $1000/mo toward your plan now, they could give YOU that $1000 each month either as part of your salary or specific monies set aside for your health insurance.
THIS is the only way it will work. Everything else has serious flaws, and socialized medicine is a total failure...
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam