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[sonerohi]

Does anyone understand the entirety of the bill. It is thousands of pages long and makes references to other, thousand page long bills. Even if you can wrap your mind around that, no person can predict the entirety of the ramifications of this bill. When this passed, shit got real.

[RichardTheWizard]

I've seen alot of news on this on British TV showing images of all these people protesting and complaining that they were setting up "Death panels". I'm not exactly sure how they came to that conclusion unless I'm mistaking what the health care reform actually involves, anyone mind clearing me up on that one?

I don't see how this reform can be that bad but I probably don't know enough about it to have a valid opinion.

[LegoLord]

all these people complaining that they were setting up "Death panels".

That was Sarah Palin.  You know, the silly inexperienced lady McCain chose as his VP in '08, aka McCain's Bane.

[KaelGotDwarves]

The "death panels" were rather blatant fearmongering, pretty much from conservatives, about plans to have people talk to seniors about end-of-life planning - hospital/healthcare costs, funeral cost/planning, wills, property transfer, when is it time to pull the plug on a bodily/braindead person. Somehow this got misconstrued into a liberal plot to mercy-kill people's grandmas. End of life planning is good, right? We all die and there has to be a plan for those still living to take care of what happens after.

Unfortunately people are idiots. The propaganda hit some of the elderly pretty hard.

The second link I posted is an independent new organization's report on what the legislation is supposed to do - not a blog, rant, or slanted article.

Don't take my word for it, if you really want to be more informed I suggest you listen to NPR.

[Kagus]

While it's nice to see someone trying to patch up the health care system here, I think that this plan was probably not the best way of doing it...

In fact, I find the basic premise to be utterly ridiculous.


However, since my family technically falls below the poverty line by the standards of this bill, we're entitled to an easier run of it than some other people. Still though, it's a silly program.


...man, I should just move back to Norway...

[RichardTheWizard]

Thanks for the info guys, good that's been cleared up.

I don't see what is so bad about free healthcare.

I also heard that health insurance companies could drop patients cover if they got ill, doesn't that kind of defeat the whole purpose of health insurance?

[dreiche2]

As a European who has followed the US healthcare debate quite a bit, I can say that a lot of what has been brought forward against reform was mindbogglingly ignorant/evil/insane. Not saying there aren't points worthy of critique, but oh boy...

[alway]

I've seen alot of news on this on British TV showing images of all these people protesting and complaining that they were setting up "Death panels". I'm not exactly sure how they came to that conclusion unless I'm mistaking what the health care reform actually involves, anyone mind clearing me up on that one?

I don't see how this reform can be that bad but I probably don't know enough about it to have a valid opinion.

Well you see, the conservative talking heads got their talking points mixed up with a trailer for Resident Evil 5... And it was all downhill from there.

[Kagus]

As a European who has followed the US healthcare debate quite a bit, I can say that a lot of what has been brought forward against reform was mindbogglingly ignorant/evil/insane. Not saying there aren't points worthy of critique, but oh boy...

Yeah, well, most of our arguments are like that.  It's a long-standing tradition.

[Duke 2.0]

As a European who has followed the US healthcare debate quite a bit, I can say that a lot of what has been brought forward against reform was mindbogglingly ignorant/evil/insane. Not saying there aren't points worthy of critique, but oh boy...

Yeah, well, most of our arguments are like that.  It's a long-standing tradition.

Good god, I can't wait for another 200 years for when we make those crazy European traditions about old politics.

[Cthulhu]

I don't see what is so bad about free healthcare.

Nothing is free.

[Euld]

I'm just hoping this works and that we don't go broke doing it.

I'm also hoping Obama follows through with his promise (ha!) with that particular executive order.  I'd prefer that my taxes didn't go to women who can't find the free condoms... or can't just say, "here, let me help you" to the men who refuse to use them.

[inteuniso]

Ha! Like every other promise he's made good on.

Anyways, What Cthulhu said. Nothing is ever free. We might not pay in 5 years, we might not pay in 20. But somewhere down the line, those 45 trillion dollars of debt will have to be paid off.

[RichardTheWizard]

Ha! Like every other promise he's made good on.

Anyways, What Cthulhu said. Nothing is ever free. We might not pay in 5 years, we might not pay in 20. But somewhere down the line, those 45 trillion dollars of debt will have to be paid off.

Good gosh you're right, well you may as well enjoy it while you don't have to pay for it.

[Andir]

I don't see what is so bad about free healthcare.

Nothing is free.

And this is most definitely not free.  In fact, it makes you pay for something you had a choice not to pay for before.  So now those 35 million that didn't (or didn't have to) pay for Health insurance are force to.  The family just making it by with house payments, car payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities, etc... now they have to have total coverage.  You can't say, maybe this year I'll eat better and be more careful... that's not a choice.  You are forced by law to get health insurance if you can afford it or not.  And if you happen to be "lucky" enough to make under a certain amount you can wait until April 15th to get some of that money back so you can live another year for the next deduction.  Not even to mention, people are going to care less about their health and what they eat.  They have health insurance!  That's what it's for!

Giving 35 million people another bill is not worth it.  Especially if they are a healthy family living a healthy life and put back money of their own for emergencies.  It's a game of screw the man that saves and plans to feed the man that spends $20k on fancy new rims for his car and a shiny new big screen.  (and no, that's not racist... I know plenty of people of all races that do this...)