Obama stuttered through this challenge in today's Labor Day speech in Cincinnati:
"I've got a question for all these folks who say, you know, we're going to pull the plug on Grandma and this is all about illegal immigrants -- you've heard all the lies," Obama said. "I've got a question for all those folks: What are you going to do? What's your answer? What's your solution?
"And you know what? They don't have one."
An out and out lie. Only about 15 million citizens (not 47 million) are without health insurance and no one is denied access. Those trumped up numbers include illegals, people between jobs, people who could buy it but don't, and people who are already eligible for government care and are having trouble applying (which can sometimes create 4 years of documentation and expensive lawyer fees to get declared disabled). He just flat out ignores all the other possibilities, like creating more competition by allowing sales across state lines for health insurance; the tort reform that Democrats run from because of their lawyer buddies (did lawyers write all these rules and lobby for this bill?); reduction of federal mandates that few people need; and reducing fraud and waste in Medicaid and Medicare and SCHIP; kick out the lobbyists, like you promised.
Your turn Mr. President. Take the plugs out of your ears. You'll hear lots of solutions.
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7 comments:
It's really hard to figure out where to start on this one. I guess Mark Twain said it best.."Figures don't lie, but liars figure". While the exact number of uninsured is probably impossible to calculate. It certainly far closer to 47 million than it is to 15 million being tossed around on this blog. That 15 million uninsured statement fits well into the author's "An out and out lie" category. The numbers quoted are more than likely from the discredited report of the conservative think tank PRI. Who got many of their statistics from a 2003 report by the insurance company Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Besides being out of date and not factoring in the damage caused by the Bush recession. It's packed with lots of other suppositions. Such as the mindless argument that 13 million of the uninsured can't be counted because they had incomes of at least $50,000 and simply chose not to buy insurance. For this argument to be believable, one must be simple enough to accept the ensuing notion. Which is, that from a yearly income of $50,000. These people would have, free and clear and not needed for any other expenses. The estimated 8-12 thousand dollars needed to purchase a health insurance plan and they just chose not to. So goes the reasoning of Blue/Cross and the far right.
After reading that claim on this blog. I conducted an informal survey of my own this morning down at coffee shop. I asked nine acquaintances, who I'm fairly certain have incomes in excess of $50,000. This question...can you afford to take $10,000 out of your yearly budget and spend it on something that more that likely, could be of great benefit to you? Only one said they could afford to do so. But, Blue Cross and PRI think they all can.
In addition to the preceding 13 million people. Blue Cross doesn't feel the almost 6 million they call "short-term uninsured," should count either. These would be people who are either between jobs or are just entering the work force. Another well thought out argument, since we all know these people never have need of insurance, since no health problems ever strike members of this group.
No concrete numbers are given for the following group of uninsured, but it has to be a bunch. These are the low-wage workers in firms that have 10 workers or less. People Blue Cross said "COULD obtain coverage IF the government offered tax credits for small businesses or grants to states." Or they could take the advice of Sen. Colburn of OK. If a health emergency comes up, go see if the neighbors can help out. When you lump this last group in with the previous 19 million excluded, the illegals and add in the confused and frustrated. There you have it,the imaginary number of 15 million uninsured.
New Math, the Republican solution to the Health Care Crisis.
Depends if you're talking people, or citizens.
If you want to survey your coffee clatch, be my guest, but my figures come from the Census report, which says 7.8% of those with income over $75,000 do not have health insurance. What do you want to bet they have mortgages, cars, pizza and beer? It also says that almost 10 million foreign born not a citizen do not have insurance (although most do). No one is denied access to health care--it's a federal mandate--and you and I are paying, which is why OUR insurance rates are so high. Your figures are indefensible, as are Obama's. I don't understand why you would buy into such a lie. There are many programs to protect the weak, helpless, ill and unemployed, and boy do they have the red tape and regulations to try to qualify for it. Something you apparently want for all of us.
But whether it's 15% or 5%, it's a very small percentage; the question is why not fix that part?
If, as you say, you're basing your comments on figures you got from the Census report. It becomes just a tad bit puzzling as to why you would choose to ignore the portion of the report that says there are 47 million uninsured.
Perhaps, you will be kind enough to point out where in the Census report I can find all this other stuff you wrote about. The things about " people between jobs, people who could buy it but don't, and people who are already eligible for government care and are having trouble applying (which can sometimes create 4 years of documentation and expensive lawyer fees to get declared disabled. I've read that darned report over and over and can't seem to find it anywhere. Though, as I stated before, I did find similar information in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield report.
Though it is appreciated, you probably don't need to concern yourself too much about my having bought into a lie. If I had done that, I would be offering up the same kind of arguments you do.
Of course the census report doesn't say 7.8% of the people making over $75,000 choose NOT to buy insurance, but my pension is about $18,000, and let me tell you, there are many choices to be made, the first being, to prepare for this when younger and pass on many baubles and bangles. But it's also possible that for a year or two, someone making what would have been a fabulous salary in my field was taking risks and chances to start a business, and yes, chose to forego insurance. Maybe it paid off, like the 2 guys who formed Google. And it doesn't say some people are tied up for months and years in constant appeals to qualify for their gov't benefits, that just comes from people I know and talk to at my coffee shop and my relatives and other bloggers. (Go check out 3 Score and 10 and his story of his son's disability.) It's amazing that you are so articulate, let can only see the splinters in others and not your own log jams. Did you learn that in college, or have you always been contrarian? But if you read the Census charts which are carefully divided by gender, age, race, insured and uninsured, etc. (hard to do on screen but you can) you can determine that the 47 million figure makes up many categories, like people without insurance for a few weeks, or maybe just a day, or people who don't work, or people just entering the labor force. And it is "people" and not Americans, btw. The Census doesn't count just Americans. Analyzed, it shows a very tiny percentage of people/Americans do not have health insurance, and no one goes with out health care. A much higher percentage of illegals (i.e. foreign born not citizens which could mean a green card or special visa) go without insurance, and considering the requirement for documentation, it's surprising to me how many DO HAVE insurance.
Do some have better care than others? Absolutely. Even the fabulous insurance that Ted Kennedy had as a senator couldn't cover every specialist and test for his brain tumor and he had to use some of his inherited wealth from his bootlegger father. But it was his decision to fight to the end with whatever resources he had, something Ted from the grave and Obamacare will deny the rest of us. You want us all at that level of long waits, no personal physician, no specialists, generic drugs made in China, lost e-records, constant battles with bureaucrats, and lower life expectancy at age 50. Why would you want that? Perhaps because in your mind, "that's justice."
Murray sez:
Maybe I missed it but I can't recall if any news reporter ever ask Obama or Gibbs to break down just who was included in "their" 47 million. Seems to me it would be a likely question! Regardless, it simply doesn't make sense to overhaul the entire healthcare system for 15% of the population. Obama knows what needs to be fixed and so do the special interests.
"There are now more than thirty million American citizens who cannot get coverage," the president said in 9/9 speech. Looks like he's dropped the non-citizens which is where that 47 million came from. But "cannot" is a lie too. Many choose not to. Many can't figure out the gummit red tape.
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