Arkansas Blog

That anyone who does not garner big money from either health care deliver, prescription drugs or the health insurance industry can oppose a good form of complete national health care delivery is just mind boggling.

The cries of 'Socialism' are about as stupid as anything can be.

We will continue to spend much of our healthcare money on salaries for CEO's and shares for shareholders of big insurance companies. There would be a big temporary hit to the economy if health insurance co's went away and I think that scares our politicians. However, in the long run there would be much more free money to spend on all sorts of consumption if we had single payer healthcare for all. In the long run the economy would be much more stable with insurance cos.

But, we won't get it. Because of idiots we will continue to spend on stuff that has nothing to do with health and call it healthcare.

correction.........economy would be much more stable 'without' insurance cos.

ci ci is exactly right.
The insurance industry is way to entrenched.

One example: (from 1997)

United Health Group
CEO: William W McGuire
2005: 124.8 mil
5-year: 342 mil

That way I look at that, United Health customers paid $350 million in premiums for which they received ABSOLUTELY NO HEALTH CARE!

The insurance companies serve themselves and their stock holders.

I've been trying to keep up with the ever-morphing healthcare discussion. I actually had a few seconds when I thought we might get something that's an improvement to the selfish insurance-run scam we have now. But now hubby, a well-informed internet geek, tells me that 'they're' now seriously talking about taxing employee healthcare benefits and taxing the healthcare benefits that employers furnish to their employees. I've got an ugly whiplash from going from my dream of insuring the millions of uninsured to a horrid plan that will toss millions more onto that uninsured heap. I'm hoping this is just another Obama ruse.

ONCE AGAIN...I am ashamed of the way my country treats sick folks...and allowed torture/defends torture. If all those family-values spouting politicians truly believed all their family-loving words, they'd support something that's as crucial to families as basic healthcare.

Guess our country/healthcare system is more interested in sustaining a system that directs healthcare resources on stuff like heart transplants for 90-year-old billionaires/foreign big wigs rather than to providing basic 'boring' healthcare for EVERYONE. What a fucked-up immoral system.

"The cries of 'Socialism' are about as stupid as anyting can be." -- Alligatorgar

Paul Krugman has pointed out that what Canada, France, and Germany have is not socialized health care or socialized medicine, but socialized health insurance. Only Great Britain's government actually owns hospitals and employs doctors. (Great Britain still gets better results for less cost than the United States.) In other European systems doctors and hospitals are still private providers; the government is simply the single-payer (as with our own Medicare), cutting out the administrative waste and counter-productive incentives that for-profit insurance naturally entails. Neither the Obama administration's nor any other current proposal for the U.S. is to socialize health care delivery.

Maybe we liberals and moderates should frame this debate as being about "socializing health insurance." Movement conservatives will certainly try to frame it as about "socialized medicine."

Mudturtle, your presentation of the UHC's CEO salary reminded me of what one of my economics professors said back in the 70's when Nixon levied wage and price controls on the economy. My prof stated there were better ways to control wages - with a truly progressive income tax. As their boards decided to raise CEO salaries [and other corporate employees as well] simply apply a higher tax rate to that increase. As I suggested regarding the recent Wall Street bonuses, at some point 100% tax is warranted.

Until insurance companies are killed by government, not championed above all else.. until single payer is at the top of the discussion.. the suffering of millions will continue and the rest will pay far to much for dwindling results in their own care as well as the nation.

"Competition" and "public" are now two dirty words in this non debate.

You can read Mark Pryor's position on Health Care on his website.

About 500,000 Arkansasans without coverage etc. and so forth.

His answer is tax credits. How Republican.

Does he seriously believe that people need less taxes to be able to have health care?

He should read his own page. It would embarrass me but I guess not him.

If you want to kill Wall Street health insurance just pass one law: No discrimination in eligibility or premiums for anyone based upon their physical condition or age.
That would do it.

Mr McGuire's hourly salary (per hour, 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year) is $37, 104 per hour. You can't spend money this fast! He goes to teh bathroom and makes $200,000 while there!

I like the old Swediah system where the tax rate goes up to 110% over a certain income level. Rationale-not sure but probably they couldn't have made the money without using (abusing) the rest of the nation. Unless you have the printing press, you make money by someone else making or using your product or service.

BTW, UHG, is the AARP Medicare D carrier.