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Showing posts with label Congressional Budget Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Congressional Budget Office. Show all posts

Thursday, January 20, 2011

January 20, 2011. A House Divided


Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to repeal Universal Health Care. Republican members of the House, without presenting any economic theory, claim that it's too expensive. The Congressional Budget Office, Congresses Nonpartisan Budget referees have estimated that repeal of The Health Care Bill will increase the deficit by $230,000,000,000.00.

"The U.S. currently spends about 40 percent more on health care per capita than any other industrialized nation that has a universal health care system. There are federal studies, which show that universal health care in the United States could save $100-200 billion per year, even with additional coverage of all the currently uninsured people. Also, universal health care in the U.S. would incur less expenditure because of lower administrative costs. The U.S. currently spends 50-100 percent more money on administration than universal health care systems. http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/the-5-big-lies-about-universal-health-care-in-the-united-states/

Their grandstanding has no chance of making it through the Senate.

There have been many lies told about universal Health Care. Remember the Death Panels. The thought of it is absurd. so why does the Republican Party want the system to remain unfettered? After all, they still haven't proposed a system of their own.

Is it because Health Care is so good it shouldn't be changed?

"Currently the U.S. is in 20th place for women’s life expectancy and 21st for men’s, down from 1st for both in 1945. Also, the U.S. ranks between 50th and 100th in immunizations, taking 67th place, right behind Botswana." http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/the-5-big-lies-about-universal-health-care-in-the-united-states/

Is it because Congress is worried about depriving the citizens of services?

Research has shown that with universal health care systems citizens have more hospital stays and more doctor visits than in the United States. Currently about 30 percent of Americans have trouble with health care access because of payment problems, which is a far larger percentage than in any other industrialized country. Around 17 percent of Americans live without health insurance and about 75 percent of uninsured people who are sick suffer difficulties with paying for or even accessing health care. http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/the-5-big-lies-about-universal-health-care-in-the-united-states/

What is the real reason? Look at who benefits most from thee current system remaining. The biggest beneficiaries are the Insurance and Pharmaceutic industries. Ironically they are also the two biggest spenders on lobbying in the Country.

Don't think, for a minute, that members of Congress, who get health care insurance for life, have our best interests at heart. Democracy is dead. The Corporation survives.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

January 9, 2011. Legalized Bribery

The Two Industries spending the most money on Lobbying were in 2010, 1) Pharmaceutical and Health Products at $2,019,336,707 and Insurance at $1,462,880,244. http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=i

I spent over 25 % percent of my income last year on Health Insurance, Doctors and Medications. (If I were to include Malpractice insurance, Auto Insurance and Disability Insurance it would climb to over 35%.)

The Congressional Budget Office, Congresses Nonpartisan Budget referees have estimated that repeal of The Health Care Bill will increase the deficit by $230,000,000,000.00.

So why does the Republican Majority in the House of Representatives want to repeal the Health Care Bill. After all didn't they run on a promise that they would decrease the deficit? The answer lies in the opening sentence. With the ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission the unfettered bribery of the elected officials will continue.

What is the result of this debacle? Thankfully for now, repeal will never make it past the house. But the Insurance industry and the Pharmaceutical industries will still have its hands firmly on the neck of all Americans.

As a result we will have fewer Doctors (strangely not too much of the insurance money "trickles down" to the Doctors), Drug prices are controlled, forcing people to either chose breaking the law, by going to Canada or Mexico or chosing between the medications and other necessities of life.

I don't pretend to know the answer. However, I do know, that with the Roberts Court the way that it is currently constituted, it will only get worse.