Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on the health care debate

[ZebuluniteV]

An interesting interview with Former Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) on the current healthcare debate. I was not aware that Frist had worked as a doctor for a year in the British National Health Service. The most relevant portion, in my opinion injecting some sense into the debate, is here:

"So first of all, what the Obama administration is doing is not socialized medicine. You hear a lot of people on the extreme say that socialized medicine is going to come in and control everything. Socialized medicine is where the government owns the hospitals. They own the doctors and they decide how much people are getting paid. And that?s not what?s in these bills."

The full segement on cspan is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...eature=player_embedded

 

[SammyJr]

He's absolutely right.

If the Baucus bill passes and doesn't include a public option, we'll have a Corporatist Health Care plan with prices exploding every year. If this happens, the Democrats deserve to lose badly.

 

[BarrySotero]

This reminds me of what Thomas Sowell said about Obama and Co. He said socialism is when they gov owns the means of production. Fascism is when the people still own production but the gov tells them what to do - therefore Obama was more fascist. There's no doubt the gov will have health-care and the people by the nads even if it doesnt own everything.

Thomas Sowell: Our Government is Fascist Now


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVxT3HCRAI

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
This reminds me of what Thomas Sowell said about Obama and Co. He said socialism is when they gov owns the means of production. Fascism is when the people still own production but the gov tells them what to do - therefore Obama was more fascist. There's no doubt the gov will have health-care and the people by the nads even if it doesnt own everything.

Thomas Sowell: Our Government is Fascist Now


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVxT3HCRAI

He is neither, but you are a Failist.

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: sandorski
He is neither, but you are a Failist.

Well thought out counter-argument

If the government controls the money, the government will eventually control those on the other end.

Each plan appears to lead directly to the insurance companies going out of business. I know that's what many of "the left" want. If and when that happens, again it all depends on how the government chooses to operate. It could choose to not be socialized medicine, but history dictates it will want to impose whatever controls it wishes and use the money to get it done.

The first example I can think of is how the alcohol & driving laws came to be, the federal government cannot make laws against drinking & driving, so they decided to keep collecting everyone's taxes, but not pay out to states for road repairs until the state passes the laws the fed gov't wanted. One by one all states passed the law the federal government dictated.

Say whatever you want about the worth of that law, the point is that controlling the money can be just as powerful as owning those who you pay. You know just as much as I do, if it gets to a single payer system, the government will create provisions that tell hospitals they must do things a certain way or face either fines or no $$ at all.

 

[Adrenaline]

Originally posted by: sandorski


He is neither, but you are a Failist.

Yet another post in this section of the forums with no point other than personally attacking someone without even looking up anything.

When you opt to enter into a discussion and try to counter-point someone, at least come to the table with something.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
This reminds me of what Thomas Sowell said about Obama and Co. He said socialism is when they gov owns the means of production. Fascism is when the people still own production but the gov tells them what to do - therefore Obama was more fascist. There's no doubt the gov will have health-care and the people by the nads even if it doesnt own everything.

Thomas Sowell: Our Government is Fascist Now


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVxT3HCRAI

Our government is definitely not fascist.

The corporations and extremely rich have been running this show for quite some time now.

It is just down right laughable that you would even consider that our politicians have control over these people....try the other way around.

 

[fallout man]

Oh Barry, you so CRAZY!!1

Back on topic: Dr. Bill Frist was the Senate Republican "medical expert" who just a few years ago promised that Terri Sciavo had promise of dancing again... based on his video-tape diagnosis.

I want to hear Bill Frist's opinion on healthcare as much as I want to hear Miss Cleo's opinion on the potential of the LHC.

 

[JKing106]

Originally posted by: Zeppelin2282

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
This reminds me of what Thomas Sowell said about Obama and Co. He said socialism is when they gov owns the means of production. Fascism is when the people still own production but the gov tells them what to do - therefore Obama was more fascist. There's no doubt the gov will have health-care and the people by the nads even if it doesnt own everything.

Thomas Sowell: Our Government is Fascist Now


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVxT3HCRAI

Our government is definitely not fascist.

The corporations and extremely rich have been running this show for quite some time now.

It is just down right laughable that you would even consider that our politicians have control over these people....try the other way around.

You are aware that fascism is synonymous with corporatism to earlier generations, right? It wasn't always exclusive to totalitarian, Nazi-esque dictatorships.

 

[Lemon law]

Two points to make, when we are comparing two things or over all plans, its not a valid argument to simply list all the negatives in brand X without listing on the negatives in the plan that we have. Yet, this is what has happened in the recent health care debate and its why we are now somewhat paralyzed. And we will not make progress until the American people demand a fair comparison.

The second point should not merely be my personal opinion, it should be a logical fact that there is no place for for profit health care insurance companies in medicine. The entire concept of insurance is pooling the risk, basic risk at birth, and then to later on deny people on the basis of pre-existing conditions is grossly unfair. And the other point to make is that teh private health insurance regulations and Byzantium increase health care costs a great deal. Worse yet, our current employer based health insurance system is dangerously close to collapse. And if we do not transition fairly soon, all private employrs will have no choice but to opt out.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Zeppelin2282

Originally posted by: BarrySotero
This reminds me of what Thomas Sowell said about Obama and Co. He said socialism is when they gov owns the means of production. Fascism is when the people still own production but the gov tells them what to do - therefore Obama was more fascist. There's no doubt the gov will have health-care and the people by the nads even if it doesnt own everything.

Thomas Sowell: Our Government is Fascist Now


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVxT3HCRAI

Our government is definitely not fascist.

The corporations and extremely rich have been running this show for quite some time now.

It is just down right laughable that you would even consider that our politicians have control over these people....try the other way around.

The other way around is still pretty much fascism. Not text-book definition, but either way you have a government/business amalgamation running everything towards its own self interest. In fact it's bordering a fascist dictatorship since the business never gets voted out.

Lord help me, not only am I agreeing with Barry, I'm agreeing with Glenn Beck.

Let me fix that by saying I'd like to see a public option because I think that socialist move would be an improvement over the current fascist system.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: cubby1223

Originally posted by: sandorski
He is neither, but you are a Failist.

Well thought out counter-argument

If the government controls the money, the government will eventually control those on the other end.

Each plan appears to lead directly to the insurance companies going out of business. I know that's what many of "the left" want. If and when that happens, again it all depends on how the government chooses to operate. It could choose to not be socialized medicine, but history dictates it will want to impose whatever controls it wishes and use the money to get it done.

The first example I can think of is how the alcohol & driving laws came to be, the federal government cannot make laws against drinking & driving, so they decided to keep collecting everyone's taxes, but not pay out to states for road repairs until the state passes the laws the fed gov't wanted. One by one all states passed the law the federal government dictated.

Say whatever you want about the worth of that law, the point is that controlling the money can be just as powerful as owning those who you pay. You know just as much as I do, if it gets to a single payer system, the government will create provisions that tell hospitals they must do things a certain way or face either fines or no $$ at all.

How exactly is the government going to put insurance companies out of business? Part of the anti-health UHC viewpoint is that health insurance companies are doing a fine job, and the government is going to be predictably incompetent. If that's true, it seems like the market should pretty much guarantee the health care companies stay around for people who want superior health care and can afford to pay for it. If the government program is as crappy as you all are predicting it will be, NOBODY who has health care now is going to switch, and the program will just get health care to people who don't have it now...which is basically what it was intended for anyways.

Basically, the dire predictions of the end of private health insurance make no sense.

 

[heyheybooboo]

'What The Obama Administration Is Doing Is Not Socialized Medicine'


GOP: "Liar! Let's get him!"

DIMs: "LOL"

Typical American: "Who is Bill Frist?"

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
'What The Obama Administration Is Doing Is Not Socialized Medicine'


GOP: "Liar! Let's get him!"

DIMs: "LOL"

Typical American: "Who is Bill Frist?"

One thing I find interesting is that he's a doctor, which might be a reason he's not so foaming at the mouth opposed to UHC as a lot of Republicans are.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: Rainsford

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
'What The Obama Administration Is Doing Is Not Socialized Medicine'


GOP: "Liar! Let's get him!"

DIMs: "LOL"

Typical American: "Who is Bill Frist?"

One thing I find interesting is that he's a doctor, which might be a reason he's not so foaming at the mouth opposed to UHC as a lot of Republicans are.

Pure supposition on my part, but IIRC Frist has rekindled his connections to BigHealthCareCo since his retirement from the Senate. He has the jam to work any health care legislation to his own interests.

It's cynical of me, but I imagine Doctor Bill is looking out for the bottom line of Dollar Bill ...