Coakley-Brown Senate Race in Mass on Jan. 19 - Dems could 60 seat Majority !

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Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
Weather is not great today it seems in a lot of MA. Good news for brown, and the other tea party person.
 

MrMatt

Banned
Mar 3, 2009
3,905
7
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I am afraid your first paragraph misunderstands the point of my post. I am not arguing that Congress should ever pass a bad bill just to pass something. I really do want to know if those who oppose the bill have any idea of what *good* healthcare reform according to their own analysis of the issue.

Your second paragraph is a good start in answering my question. Sounds like an interesting idea that would promote choice. However, doesn't employer based insurance create larger risk pools that lowers the cost of the premiums? Wouldn't the premiums go up if everyone bought insurance as individuals?

Is there anything in the current bill you do like? Should insurance companies be permitted to deny coverage to sick people, or drop current customers on the basis of anything other than fraud in their applications?


- wolf

With regards to risk pools; I think that if an insurance company created attractive enough plans they've have larger groups coming to them, and keep the premiums lower. i.e. if your client base is too small, there's something wrong with your plan.

As for denying coverage: That's a tricky issue; on one hand I don't think they should be able to drop customers for any reason other than fraud. However if you have a pre-existing condition I understand both sides; A) The person NEEDS help but B) the company KNOWS it'll lose money providing to this person. Not sure what to do in that case, maybe THERE the government could step in.
 

nobodyknows

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2008
5,474
0
0
Just quoting what a long time lib on these boards once said to me when I made a less harmful comment about an Obama win back in the day, funny how there is this seeming double standard.

You seem to be very well versed in double standards.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
Currently snowing here, it was raining earlier. Roads are slippery, for driving and walking. Miserable weather to be out.


Yep, bad weather always helps the weaker/underdog person running.


If this turns out to be as close as they say the weather alone could shift it toward Brown.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
This would be huge if a Republican senator wins Kennedy's former Democratic seat. No democratic seat will be safe if economy continues to derail as it will until debt is cleared from system.
 

wwswimming

Banned
Jan 21, 2006
3,695
1
0
Currently snowing here, it was raining earlier. Roads are slippery, for driving and walking. Miserable weather to be out.

it seems like that would be good for the Republicans.

can't believe i'm rooting for Scott Brown.

never had much of an opinion about the Patriots but i definitely got an opinion about Obama-care.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Obama "not pleased" by closeness of election. Of course not. The people don't want what you are pushing and reject it!

President Barack Obama was "not pleased" by the political situation in Massachusetts, the White House acknowledged Tuesday.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the president was far from pleased about how close the Senate race in Massachusetts has grown.

"He was both surprised and frustrated," Gibbs said, adding the part about how Obama was "not pleased."
 

Specop 007

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
9,454
0
0
An interesting thought.

UHC could have just as well died with Kennedy. His sit-in's vote no longer counts and Brown will vote against it. That means if Brown wins he could torpedo HC unless another congresscritter is bribed for the yes vote. I found it interesting that UHC died with Kennedy. Ironically fitting I suppose.
 

FerrelGeek

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2009
4,669
266
126
I am afraid your first paragraph misunderstands the point of my post. I am not arguing that Congress should ever pass a bad bill just to pass something. I really do want to know if those who oppose the bill have any idea of what *good* healthcare reform according to their own analysis of the issue.

Your second paragraph is a good start in answering my question. Sounds like an interesting idea that would promote choice. However, doesn't employer based insurance create larger risk pools that lowers the cost of the premiums? Wouldn't the premiums go up if everyone bought insurance as individuals?

Is there anything in the current bill you do like? Should insurance companies be permitted to deny coverage to sick people, or drop current customers on the basis of anything other than fraud in their applications?


- wolf

Separating employers from health insurance would be a very good thing if done correctly. Health insurance needs to be made portable from job to job and across state lines. Basically, everyone in a given insurance company, nationwide, should become part of one large risk pool. Making insurance separate from employment should also eliminate a lot of administrative overhead for both employers and insurance companies as neither would have the hastle of managing insurance at the employer level. We should also try to get to some kind of standard electronic medical records (EMR) format along with universal diagnostic/test/treatment codes. This would make it easier for doctors and hospitals to deal with multiple insurance companies, again (hopefully) lowering admin overhead.

There are things that we can do to fix the worst of the problems with the current system without resorting to a .gov takeover.
 

woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,153
0
0
With regards to risk pools; I think that if an insurance company created attractive enough plans they've have larger groups coming to them, and keep the premiums lower. i.e. if your client base is too small, there's something wrong with your plan.

As for denying coverage: That's a tricky issue; on one hand I don't think they should be able to drop customers for any reason other than fraud. However if you have a pre-existing condition I understand both sides; A) The person NEEDS help but B) the company KNOWS it'll lose money providing to this person. Not sure what to do in that case, maybe THERE the government could step in.

Good thoughts. I note that your idea would seem to improve choice for those who already have insurance from their employers. What about people who work for small business or are self-employed and do not have insurance because they or their employer cannot afford it? Would you provide tax credits to small businesses to help those employers pay the stipend to their employees for health coverage, or would you leave them uninsured?

- wolf
 

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
11,465
1
0
I guess repubs haven't had much to cheer about lately, you would think the future of the earth depended on this senate race :) And whats really comical is they don't give a rats ass about Mass or even know what the local issues are they just see it as their last best chance to serve up a defeat for Obama. And the 60 seat majority is a farse to begin with, if the dems truly had a super majority we wouldn't still be discussing UHC it would be a done deal already, the blue dogs are nothing more than repubs with blue hats.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
Just wait until the Democrats try and push a change to the Senate rules.

The Republicans have already pushed through a rule change. The filibuster is no longer a delay for a few issues. Now it's a veto for 40 Senators over pretty much everything.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
The Republicans have already pushed through a rule change. The filibuster is no longer a delay for a few issues. Now it's a veto for 40 Senators over pretty much everything.

Well it may be time to *gasp* negotiate with those 40 senators instead of locking them out like the Dems have been doing.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
This would be huge if a Republican senator wins Kennedy's former Democratic seat. No democratic seat will be safe if economy continues to derail as it will until debt is cleared from system.

It's like England expressingits furstration with Neville Chamberlein not with Churchill, but with a Nazi.
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
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Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but Pelosi and Reid have formally invited President Obama to give his State of the Union address on January 27. This is earlier than reports I'd read suggested the speech was going to be.

Is this an indication that Democrats will try to push through health care before Brown is theoretically seated, and respond to criticism of thwarting the will of the people by saying their timeline was always to get it done before the State of the Union address?

In other words the health care deadline has been tied to the address since Christmas, and now the address is coming earlier than anticipated and in time to get Kirk's vote.
 
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werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
I guess repubs haven't had much to cheer about lately, you would think the future of the earth depended on this senate race :) And whats really comical is they don't give a rats ass about Mass or even know what the local issues are they just see it as their last best chance to serve up a defeat for Obama. And the 60 seat majority is a farse to begin with, if the dems truly had a super majority we wouldn't still be discussing UHC it would be a done deal already, the blue dogs are nothing more than repubs with blue hats.

The Dems do have a super majority; not everyone with (D) after his or her name is a full-blown socialist, and some of those who are know they can only get elected by pretending to not be what they are. A power grab of this magnitude necessarily shines light on the process and the cockroaches must scramble accordingly.

Farang - you are probably dead right. The thinking here is that getting all these panels and bureaucracies in place is worth falling on the sword now, because they can kill private health insurance with it and when government takes over health care, Democrats will have a built-in broad constituency simply by saying "The Republicans want to take your health care!" The beauty is that the adverts are already 3/4 written, just substitute "health care" for "Social Security". And like Social Security the Dems can keep increasing taxes on it whilst screaming that the Republicans want to cut it.
 
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