We recently discussed the stinging criticism of Sen. Chuck Schumer who called Obamacare a colossal political mistake and something that was not a priority for the American people. It was a remarkable admission from the third ranking and one of the most liberal Senate Democrats. Now, perhaps the most liberal departing member has given his own departing shot at the White House and Democratic Leadership. Retiring Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa has gone public with criticism that the Affordable Care Act was badly written and should not have been passed. Like Schumer, he is not questioning the value of health care but said that the current law was not worth doing because of its inherent flaws.
Harkin’s criticism was a bit different from Schumer, who indicated that he would have preferred not to have passed health care in the first term at all. Harkin told The Hill newspaper that ObamaCare that the leadership and White House blew it when they had the majority and should have gone all the way to guarantee funding and a more logical structure to the program: “We had the power to do it in a way that would have simplified healthcare, made it more efficient and made it less costly and we didn’t do it. So I look back and say we should have either done it the correct way or not done anything at all.”
I spoke on Capitol Hill before the passage of the ACA and remarked that the legislation was in the worst condition that I had seen in 30 years in terms of a major piece of legislation. As someone who supports national health care, it was very disappointing, if not alarming, to see the condition of the law. The few sections that I reviewed read like a first draft from a LA’s computer. Democratic staffers told me later that they agreed and that the legislation was not ready. However, with the death of Kennedy (and the replacement by Brown), the Democratic leadership and the White House decided to push through the poorly crafted law on a muscle vote — which led to a number of Democrats being defeated on the marginal vote. The result is that the ACA has been a continual struggle as hundreds of serious drafting errors and flaws have had to be addressed.
Harkin is the retiring chairman of the Senate health panel and helped write the law.
Your situation and mine aren’t the same
BINGO!!! and this is why the ACA is a disaster. It took away the choices that people could make in their insurance coverage and forced everyone to have “qualifiying” policies that provide for things that people…..in their different situations…..don’t need or want.
Your situation and mine aren’t the same, moron.
You should be nicer to the people who are so heavily subsidizing your health insurance. But I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve been ungrateful.
From USA Today
Some good proposals to fix the monstrous ACA
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/12/04/obamacare-king-burwell-supreme-court-repeal-alternative-republicans-column/19922353/
The first line of any such bill should be the complete repeal of each and every word of the Affordable Care Act. This monstrosity must not be allowed to survive in any form. In its place, the new Congress should write a replacement bill that would:
Restore the private insurance market using actuarially based insurance priced according to risk. For example, young people would pay much less than older people.
Restore consumer choice to buy true private insurance limited to the terms they want to pay for, including policies insuring only against the catastrophic health care costs, and medical savings accounts.
Increase competition by allowing state-regulated insurance to be sold across state lines so consumers can keep their policies when moving from one state to another.
Increase equity by extending the tax benefits now available only to employer-based insurance to all health insurance. Like car insurance, you shouldn’t have to change health insurance policies when changing jobs.
With the Democrats now in the minority, such a bill is very likely to be bipartisan if it contains a “refundable” tax credit for health insurance for all Americans, regardless of income — essentially extending to everyone the very subsidies that the court will strike down.
Not perfect, but certainly a start to return to sanity and good business practices.
http://open.salon.com/blog/kanuk/2011/11/14/medicare_is_not_a_single-payer_system_get_it
Medicare is not a single payer system, get it?
“alankdkd, I cited a stat from my own personal experience.
So you’re just making up crap. I’m guessing it’s not the first time for you.”
Your situation and mine aren’t the same, moron.
Inga, please explain how “Medicare for all” wouldn’t constitute a “single-payer” system.
…my guess is that you’re cherry picking your data…
I gave you a link to a complete international study. The US beats every single other country on nearly all types of cancer. How is that cherry-picking?
I picked cancer b/c 1) there are good int’l statistics, 2) it’s important, and 3) it’s a very good indicator of the overall contribution of the health-care system (as opposed to individual behavior) to health outcomes.
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/july/‘medicare-for-all’-would-cover-everyone-save-billions-in-first-year-new-study
Medicare for All would cover everyone, save billions in first year: new study.
LOL! Yeah riiiiiiggghhht. You are as partisan as they come.
See. Here is the problem and why it is difficult to have a conversation with liberals.
I don’t have a side or a team mentality. I have positions based on the individual merit of ideas and not in a lock step mentality of picking sides.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/676
Medicare for All
DBQ, your side owns it every single bit as much as mine. Your side had NO ideas, except status quo.
Inga – the status quo is often the right decision. And on Obamacare it certainly was.
http://www.medicareforall.org/pages/Home
Medicare for All
but I guess that would be too simple, make too much sense.
Right on!. Take that up with the Democrats who shoved the ACA through all on their own and refused to listen to any other concepts.
They OWN this monstrosity.
MediCARE for All is an option. Medicaid should be saved for the VERY poor. In Medicare for All people pay a premium and buy a private health care supplemental policy. Its not free. It works very well NOW, people like it very much. The infrastructure is already in place, but I guess that would be too simple, make too much sense.
BTW: not having insurance is not to deny health CARE. Those are two completely different concepts. There were, and probably still are, methods and sources in place to provide health CARE to the uninsured.
Medicaid is one.
people being denied health insurance and thereby healthcare, because of preexisting conditions?
Yes!! Because that is what insurance IS. Insuring against an event before it occurs. Not after.
For those who are/were un-insurable, the more effective plan would have been to set up a common pool to provide either a high risk insurance outside of the commercial insurance providers or a pool similar to Medicaid to provide health care for the ALREADY sick.
Instead of blowing up everyone else’s private health insurance.
Chip S. — my guess is that you’re cherry picking your data, and there’s lots of illnesses where Spain’s outcomes match ours. Also, what about France, whose medical outcomes are reported as good as ours. Also, what’s the cancer survival rate among the 41 million Americans with no medical coverage — my understanding is that they are 40% more likely to die than people with a medical plan. And let’s not forget, America has had the highest percentage, for some years, in the industrialized world, in the sad category of deaths from preventable causes. There is a reason that every other nation in the industrialized world has a national health plan, and the reason is not that they secretly want to die.
Vixpix, I hope so, but people like Pogo are very entrenched, if Democrats like it they will automatically fight against it.
Didn’t see your comment, Chip. Was posting mine.