The Universal Seduction: HANDS OFF MY HEALTH CARE...DANGER OF GOV/RUN SYSTEM--update to 05/24/10

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

'Angelico Tapestra'
(Authors)

This is a list of authors who have contributed to the three volumes of The Universal Seduction:

Allan, Rayelan (CA)
Angelicus, Marcus
Berran, Todd (USA)
Bartley, James (CA)
Beckley, Tim (NJ)
Bielek, Al (FL)
Bowers, Nadine (AZ)
Bruce, Alexandra ìChicaî (NY)
Casteel, Sean (CA)
Chevalier, Remy (CT)
Colaw, John (KS)
Dr. Coleman, John (NV)
Cooper, William
Corrales, Scott, (PA)
d'Arc, Joan (RI)
DeVeto, Theresa (OK)
DeWalton, Alan (Branton) (UT)
Fahey, Todd Brendan
Finkle, C. Lee (MI)
Gerstrom, Ole (Denmark)
Golgerth, Jan (Australia)
Gosling, Tony (UK)
Grover, Dennis (NV)
Gurney, Ian (UK)
Hanzel, Robert (AZ)
Harkins, Don (Idaho)
Hartwell, Barbara (NY)
Hennessey, Andrew (Scotland)
Howarth, Dean (Australia)
Johnston, Colleen (USA)
Jones, Alex (TX)
Jones, Nicholas (Canada)
Kruse, Neal Owen (CA)
Lebeau, Byron (USA)
Lorgen, Eve (CA)
Dr. Makow, Henry (USA)
Malone, Guy (Roswell, NM)
Martin, Rick (CA)
Mattey, Angela (OR)
McCall, Marguerite (NV)
Miller, Rebecca (MI)
Molloy, Nicky (New Zealand)
Montalk (VA)
Morrow, Helga (AZ)
Morton, Sean David (CA)
Nance, Steve (USA)
Nichols, Sandy (FL)
Orwill, Dean (WA)
OíClery, Tony (Canada)
Patterson, Dana (AZ)
Patton, Ron (WA)
Pollaro, "Cassie" Linda (TX)
Redman, Brian (USA)
Rense, Jeff (CA)
Rivero, Mike (USA)
Ross, William Dean (W. Va.)
Dr. Salla, Michael (Australia)
Schnoebelen, Bill (USA)
Schroeder, Paul (NY)
Simms, Derrell (TX)
Skolnick, Sherman (USA)
Smith, Jerry (NV)
Dr. Snow, Chet (AZ)
Galen Southard (CA)
Steadman, Kent (WA)
Svali (USA)
Swartz Tim (IN)
Swerdlow, Stewart/Janet (MI)
Thomas, Kenn (MO)
Van Toorn, Jan (Holland)
Tros, Gerardus (Canada)
Verismo, Christi (Australia)
Watkins, Leslie (New Zealand)
White, Mack (TX)

MORE AUTHOR INFORMATION

Special Presentations

HANDS OFF MY HEALTH CARE...DANGER OF GOV/RUN SYSTEM--update to 05/24/10

5/24

Crunching the Numbers

"Amid the final push to adopt health reform legislation earlier this year, Congress' fiscal advisers weren't able to complete all of the cost estimates lawmakers requested. Republicans warned that Democrats and the Obama administration were moving too quickly to understand the law's impact. Now a new Congressional Budget Office report estimates that the law authorizes at least tens of billions more in spending than previously thought, and Republican leaders are saying they were right." - American Medical News

Burden of Cost

"About one-third of employers subject to major requirements of the new health care law may face tax penalties because they offer health insurance that could be considered unaffordable to some employees, a new study says... It suggests that a little-noticed provision of the law could affect far more employers than Congress had assumed." - The New York Times

Joke's on You

"One of the few "funny" stories to come out of the sweeping health care legislation to go through Congress was that the majority who wanted reform -- but did not want it applied to them -- woke up finding themselves subject to those laws. They, too, will eventually find themselves burdened by the same burden of taxes, regulation, and rationed care that the rest of us will suffer. This was not the only thing they failed to notice, but also the fact that this bill is an easy target for attack in the courts." - Examiner

5/3/2010

Bad Medicine
"You don't have to be an economist to know President Obama's promise to lower the federal deficit by passing a nearly $1 trillion health care bill is a lie. Since when do you reduce debt by spending more money? In fact, the thousands of pages of so-called health care reform legislation are chock full of really bad news for everyone from the elderly to children in the womb. Included among those who will suffer substantial negative consequences as a result of this bill are present and future physicians." - Mansfield News Journal

This Could Be You
"And, of course, during the health care debate, no presidential speech was complete without a promise that 'if you have health insurance today, and you like it, you can keep it.' But the Congressional Budget Office now says that as many as 10 million workers will lose their current insurance under Obamacare. Some of those workers will have to buy new insurance through the government-run exchanges. Millions more will be thrown onto Medicaid." - The Orange County Register

Let's All Move to Georgia
"A bill that would prohibit mandatory participation in any federal healthcare system is headed to the desk of Gov. Perdue for his signature. The bill, originally proposed as SB 317, was attached as an amendment to SB 411, the Healthy Georgians Act of 2010... 'I want to thank the entire General Assembly for helping me protect all Georgians from being compelled to participate in the federal healthcare program,' Hill said." - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Harry Reid - Spin Doctor
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is hoping to reshape the health care overhaul's narrative in Nevada as an accomplishment for small businesses and the middle class, not the big-government tax burden his opponents have labeled it. His campaign has started a 'substantial' round of media touting the election-year benefits of the overhaul as he struggles to retain the seat he's held since 1986. But the ads don't address the most controversial features of the overhaul - the mandates and the cost - that his Republican opponents are undoubtedly going to continue to talk about until Election Day." - Politico

4/22

One Small Step for Justice

"An attempt to nullify the federal health care overhaul in Louisiana, by declaring no one can be mandated to pay a penalty if they don't have insurance, edged out of the House Insurance Committee on a 5-4 vote Tuesday. The proposal by Rep. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, is backed by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal and is modeled after legislation pending in more than 30 states." -

Add One More to the List

"Invoking the Founding Fathers with a dramatic statement that it is 'time for us to breathe deeply this American air,' Gov. Sean Parnell announced Alaska will join 19 other states suing the federal government alleging the recently passed health insurance legislation is unconstitutional. Citing the 'unprecedented' expansion of Congressional power requiring all citizens to purchase health insurance as a condition of legal U.S. residence, Parnell and Attorney General Dan Sullivan held nothing back in declaring the individual mandate coercive and a threat to the liberty of both Alaskans and Americans." - Alaska Journal of Commerce

How Quickly He Forgot

"Three months ago, at a private meeting of nervous House Democratic lawmakers, President Obama promised to put the full weight of his office behind the marketing of the health-care bill once it became law... But since April 1, the subject has hardly escaped his lips publicly, and it looks like the entire month of April might go by without a presidential event focused on health care." - The Washington Post

A Doctor's Gripe

"Now that health reform is law, many physicians are complaining that while it may help their patients, it doesn't go far enough to help doctors. Among their gripes, doctors say the legislation continues to leave them vulnerable to lawsuits and decreasing Medicare payments.

CNNMoney.com fact-checked their concerns and here's what we found..." - CNN.com

4/16/2010

The Doctor is In - - Take a Number

"Health policy experts and medical societies are concerned about a shortage of primary care physicians, which will be even worse when the Affordable Care Act unleashes an estimated 32 million newly insured patients on the healthcare system. And if you're wondering what effects that might have on hospitals, a new study of striking hospital nurses suggests that the short-term result won't be pretty." - The Bulletin

Romney Not Helping Repeal

"Over the past several weeks, political observers have speculated about how passage of the national health care law modeled after the one Mitt Romney signed in Massachusetts could hurt his presidential ambitions. But more significant for conservatives is how Romney's presidential ambitions could stymie the effort to repeal ObamaCare." - American Spectator

Redefining 'Tax Cut'

"As protesters rallied outside, Democrats and Republicans engaged in a battle over taxes in the Capitol, with Democrats claiming credit for massive tax cuts while Republicans accused them of actually raising taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars and breaking President Obama's pledge to not raise taxes on the middle class... Democrats are also touting the new health care law as a tax cut because many people will get tax credits if they purchase health insurance. Incredulous Republicans disputed the claim, saying much of what Democrats call tax cuts is actually government spending, and that the party has passed middle class tax increases and is planning more, including a potential fuel tax, a tax on those who do not purchase health insurance and a tax on expensive insurance plans." - Washington Examiner

4/13/2010

Rollercoaster Ride

"Covering the debate and passage of health care reform legislation has been thrilling and disappointing... Yet, reform backers always found a way to keep the legislative drive going, culminating in final passage last month. With exhilaration also came disappointment, broad and deep... I just hope Republicans, Democrats and the administration will find a way to work together again to make whatever changes are needed to improve the health care reform law." - Jerry Geisel, Business Insurance

Will We Ever Know?

"The health care bill passage was landmark legislation for more reasons than one. In spite of taking more than a year to draft the bill behind closed doors, there never was a definitive explanation of what the bill contained and they are still trying to interpret it. The real cost is still unknown." - Kelly Niemi, The Daily News

A Radical Shift

"'I think these policies are among the most radical we have ever seen in the history of the country. I mean, clearly, the country has never gone this far in taking over this much of the private economy. And it is changing the way that we're doing business in the United States forever. And I don't think it's going in a good direction.'" - Michele Bachmann, FOX News

3/23/2010

Sign, Then Change

Today, President Obama will sign into law the big expansion of government control over our health care. But don't think that means this mess is over. A separate compromise package of changes also passed the House on Sunday and still needs to be approved by the Senate who can't begin debate until AFTER Obama signs the underlying bill into law. Sound fishy? We think so too. Sound off at PPF.org.

Let the Lawsuits Begin

Officials in a dozen states who oppose the health care bill say they hope to block it in court by arguing that requiring people to buy health insurance is an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into people's lives - the equivalent of going a step beyond simply regulating automobiles to requiring people to buy a car. - The New York Times

Purple People

The health care reform bill was a partisan Democrat smorgasbord of taxes, regulations and entitlement. There was nothing bipartisan about it, but there the Democrats were, wearing their purple and attacking Republicans for uniformly opposing the bill that didn't have any Republican votes because it didn't earn any. - American Spectator

Excluded at Every Turn

As for the White House, House GOP leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor in May sent a letter to President Obama "respectfully" requesting a meeting to discuss ideas. The White House didn't respond. Mr. Obama's first deadline for House passage was July, and only after public opinion turned against the bill did he begin to engage Republican ideas. Yet in his September address to Congress attempting to revive his bill, he made no concession save pilot projects for tort reform." - The Wall Street Journal

17/10

Slaughter House Rules

"Pelosi signaled on Monday that she favors Rep. Louise Slaughter's proposal to pass the health care bill, in the words of the Washington Post, 'without having members vote on it.' That's an awfully peculiar step to take for a party that has spent the last few weeks clamoring about how democratic it would be to do away with the filibuster so we could at last have a simple majority vote on the health care bill in the Senate. What's democratic about voting on a bill without voting on it?" - The American Spectator

Power Trip

"Republicans condemned Pelosi's idea -- in which House members would make a final decision on broad health-care changes without voting directly on the Senate version of the bill -- as an abuse of the legislative process. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) called it 'the ultimate in Washington power grabs.'" - The Washington Post

Steny Hoyer Thinks You're Dumb

"The move would allow skittish Democrats to avoid going on record in favor of the original health care bill, which was authored by the Senate and includes many provisions they don't like such as special deals carved out for certain states and a tax on expensive insurance policies. 'Other than the people in this room, do you think any American is going to make a distinction?' House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md." - The Washington Examiner

From the Doctor - Prognosis Not Good

"The American people have good reason to be concerned. The bill that may become law in a few days is not a collection of so-called fixes or compromises but the exact bill the Senate passed on Christmas Eve that was filled with backroom deals such as the Cornhusker Kickback. The Senate bill also still contains half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, half a trillion dollars in tax increases, job-killing penalties for employers, provisions that will cause premiums to spike, and radical provisions to fund abortion and ration health care." - Op-ed by Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D.

3/16/2010

Definition of Trojan Horse

"By a vote of 21 to 16, the House Budget Committee on Monday advanced a budget reconciliation bill to the next stage of the legislative process. As yet, the bill contains no specific language related to health care; those provisions are to be added by the House rules committee later this week. Instead, the bill establishes a legislative framework by which to modify the Senate-passed health care bill... Under a procedure being considered by House Democrats, the Senate bill would be 'deemed passed,' without actually being voted on, when the House adopts rules for debate on the budget reconciliation bill." - The New York Times

Slow Your Roll

"WE UNDERSTAND the administration's sense of urgency on health-care reform. But what is intended as a final sprint threatens to turn into something unseemly and, more important, contrary to Democrats' promises of transparency and time for deliberation... These changes -- the so-called reconciliation bill -- are not all minor 'fixes'; some could have far-reaching consequences. Such changes deserve to be fully understood and debated before they are voted on." - The Washington Post Editorial

Fudging the Facts

"In Cleveland, Obama said his plan 'essentially' does three things: It ends insurance company practices such as denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, creates market choices and makes insurance more affordable. Not mentioned: Federal government regulation of the industry, mandates to obtain coverage or face a tax penalty, new taxes on investments for upper income taxpayers and a tax on high-value benefits plans, among other things." - Washington Examiner

Socialized Medicine - A Losing Record

"Hiding in the dark halls in our nation's Capitol is a bill some call 'Obamacare,' a government-funded health plan. Government health care has been attempted before and defeated every time... Comparing the systems of three individual nations, the one with the least amount of government interference is the one that is the most successful. That system is here in America." - Dick Little, Paradise Post

3/10/10

An Alternative to Nuclear Reconciliation

"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wants to revive the bipartisan Gang of 14 - this time for health care reform, not judicial nominees... 'Many Republicans who were ready to pull the trigger on the nuclear option on judges are now glad they didn't,' Graham said. 'This place would have ceased to function as we know it. If they do health care through reconciliation, it will be the same consequence. So if you are a moderate Democrat out there looking for a way to deliver health care reforms and not pull the nuclear trigger, there is a model to look at.'" - Politico

Far-Fetched Claims

"Having failed to excite the majority of American about covering 30 million of their fellow citizens at the expense of jeopardizing their own medical care, the Obama Administration has settled on an even more implausible reform argument -- extending these benefits will lower medical costs." - American Spectator

Better Off Dead

"There's a lively debate going on in the blogosphere and the press about whether Democrats would be better off passing or not passing a health care bill. Some liberals claim that Democrats would be better off passing a bill, any bill, even if it's unpopular with the general electorate... Others, mostly conservatives but also some liberals speaking privately, figure that Democrats would be better off letting the issue drop... But sometimes in politics there is no course that leads to success. Disaster lies ahead whatever you do. In this view, the Democrats' mistake was making government-directed health care a priority in the first place." - Washington Examiner

Kink in the Plans

"The White House and Democratic Congressional leaders said Tuesday that they were bracing for a key procedural ruling that could complicate their effort to approve major health care legislation, by requiring President Obama to sign the bill into law before Congress could revise it through an expedited budget process." - The New York Times

3/4/10

Is That a Threat?

"Two senior administration officials said the White House is telling Democrats reconsidering their support for health care reform that they will pay the price for their original vote no matter what happens, so they should reap the political benefits of actually passing a law." - Politico

Who Cares What the Public Thinks?

"With polls showing that the legislation is unpopular and congressional Democrats bracing for big losses in this fall's elections, the president urged them to ignore the politics. 'I do not know how this plays politically, but I know it's right,' he said. 'Let's get it done.'" - The Wall Street Journal

(Ignore the President-He's one term)

No Takers

"President Obama's Republican-flavored health-care proposal landed with a thud on Capitol Hill, where backers face a brutal fight to get it passed... 'The fact is, reconciliation wasn't designed to be, and has never been, used as a partisan political tactic to force wildly unpopular policies on America,' said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele." - Washington Examiner

Predictions for November

"Republicans seem pretty certain about how they think it will play with voters: 'This is politically toxic in the extreme,' said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 'What we know about the healthcare bill is that the people don't want it passed. It's overwhelmingly unpopular. I assure you that... there's an overwhelming likelihood that every Republican candidate will be campaigning to repeal it,' McConnell said." - The Hill

3/3/10

Subtle Endorsement

"Obama is expected to stop short of formally calling for the use of reconciliation when he addresses his plans for health reform in remarks at the White House Wednesday, but officials say his message will be clear - Congress should take an up-or-down vote on a comprehensive plan." - Politico

Something Up His Sleeve

"In a bit of political sleight of hand, Obama said he might include four GOP-sponsored ideas in his plan, even though virtually no one in Congress or the White House thinks it will procure a single Republican vote. The move is aimed instead at wavering Democrats, especially in the House. Some of them might find it easier to vote for the health care package if they can tell constituents it had bipartisan elements that Republicans should have supported." - The Associated Press

A Little Fact Checking

Over the last year, Obama has offered three rationales for reform: cutting costs, curbing insurance industry "abuses" that undermine middle-class security, and insuring the uninsured. In his riposte to Barrasso, though, the old community organizer really seemed to be speaking from the heart. This was a case for health reform as social justice, and Obama made it with conviction. Just one question: Does it correspond to the facts?" - Charles Lane, The Washington Post

Ready or Not

"Americans do not want this massive government takeover of our health care. Fearing that Cajun extraterrestrial James Carville is correct, Obama is intent on ramming it down our throats. This is not about what's right; it's about politicians perpetuating their power." - Ron Hart, The Daily Caller

2/24/10

Reconciliation Gaining Steam

"An idea that seemed toxic only weeks ago - using a parliamentary tactic to ram health reform through the Senate - is gaining acceptance among moderate Democrats who have resisted the strategy but now say GOP opposition may force their hands... Democrats remain hesitant about using the procedure, fearful that Republicans will be successful in convincing voters that it is an end-run around the normal legislative process." - Politico

'Protecting' America's Victims

"You are victims. You are helpless against the wiles of big corporations and insurance companies and you need protection. You need the government to take over and do things you cannot do for yourself.

That is the thinking of what David Brooks calls 'the educated class' that favors the Democrats' health care bills... But voters quickly sniff out what this means. The government will use the 'science' of comparative effectiveness research to achieve cost savings the only way government can: denial of care." - The Washington Examiner

Optics are Everything

"The official objective of Thursday's health care summit at Blair House is to air a frank, public exchange of ideas that could lead to a thus-far elusive bipartisan compromise demanded by the American people. The Democrats' unstated goal, of course, is to make congressional Republicans look like a bunch of whiny, cynical, ideologically bankrupt crybabies who don't have a plan of their own." - Politico

In Memoriam

"After months on life support, the public option died Tuesday. The White House and House leaders on Tuesday pronounced the government-run health program dead even as some Democratic senators continued their effort to resurrect it." - The Hill

2/23/10

'Politically Acceptable' Price Fixing

"Make no mistake: having a White House-appointed panel set prices in health insurance is - effectively - government-run health insurance, and far more onerous than the so-called 'public option' rejected by Congress and the American people over the past year." - Tony Fratto, CNBC

A 51 Vote Plan

"'[T]his bill is a 51 vote plan and not a 60 vote plan - that is great news,' Weiner said in a statement. 'Democrats wasted a year bowing to the altar of Olympia Snowe, Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson and it got us nowhere.'" - The Hill

Painting a Distorted Picture

"Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) says of this week's bipartisan health-care summit: 'Sounds like the Democrats spell summit: S-E-T-U-P...' The president's real objective is to paint GOP leaders as obstructionists -- so that Democrats have an excuse to ram through their health-care legislation using extraordinary parliamentary procedures." - Marc Thiessen, The Washington Post

The Same Old Song

"The White House opened its last-ditch push for health reform Monday by releasing a $950 billion plan that signaled a new phase of hands-on presidential involvement. But by day's end, President Barack Obama was staring down all the same old problems. Republicans called it a retread of the same bills Americans have panned, even though it included some GOP ideas. "Déjà vu all over again," said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)." - Politico

A Bipartisan Contradiction

"Republican leaders fiercely criticized the proposal, declaring it a partisan document that contradicts Obama's claim that he will enter Thursday's healthcare sit-down with an open mind. 'The president has crippled the credibility of this week's summit by proposing the same massive government takeover of healthcare based on a partisan bill the American people have already rejected,' House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) said. 'This week's summit clearly has all the makings of a Democratic infomercial.'" - The Hill

2/22/10

Gov't Run Health 2.0 (or is it 3.0?)

This morning, the White House released the President's $1 trillion, 10-year health care plan that would establish a national health insurance authority. What's included? Medicare cuts, tax increases and federal price controls are just the beginning in this new government-run health care plan. While this is no revelation, it does draw a line in the sand for congressional negotiators coming into Thursday's televised "National Health Care Summit," which is likely to be more political theater than a substantive policy debate. Stay tuned to PPF.org for more updates.

2/15/10

Will: Progressives Should Brush Up on Their Math

"Most Democrats favor a 'public option' -- a government health insurance program. They say there is insufficient competition among the 1,300 private providers of insurance...For congressional Democrats, however, expanding dependency on government is an end in itself. They began the Obama administration by expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It was created for children of the working poor, but the expansion made millions of middle-class children eligible -- some in households earning $125,000." - OpEd, George Will, Washington Post

Gregg: Republicans Support Real Reform

"I think it is possible for a fair number of conservative senators, like myself, be willing to sign onto a bill that unalterably bends in the odd year the cost of health care and uses Medicare savings to make Medicare solvent. There is extraordinary fertile ground there. We are talking not hundreds of billions but trillions of dollars of potential adjustments in the unfunded liability and Medicare." - Senator Judd Gregg, Hardball with Chris Matthews

Pulling the Plug

"Healthcare reform is clinically dead. It is like a patient who has unexpectedly slipped into a coma without a do-not-resuscitate order. No one wants to disconnect life support. What was once so promising and vibrant is suddenly lifeless...There are many reasons why reform has failed. Here are my top 10...Reform must be bipartisan...'What's in it for me?' was never adequately answered...It never was true health reform." - OpEd, Steve Jacobs, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Only Place Where "Reconciliation" Means Strong-arming the Opposition

"Reconciliation is a seldom-used and controversial tactic that allows bills to be passed in the Senate with only a simple majority of votes, and Democrats said this week they are considering it as part of a plan to push through their stalled health care reform legislation in the face of entrenched Republican opposition...some Democrats believe the threat of reconciliation will be an effective negotiating tool going into the bipartisan health care reform summit scheduled for later this month." - FOX News

2/9/10

The Ultimate Ultimatum

"Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they might refuse to participate in President Obama's proposed health care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over." - The Washington Post

Setting Up for Failure?

"Even as Republicans publicly welcome President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan confab on health care, some privately worry that he might be laying a trap to portray their ideas as flimsy. If so, a shaky showing by GOP leaders could possibly embolden congressional Democrats to make a final, aggressive push to overhaul the nation's health care system, with or without any Republican votes." - The Associated Press

No Great Expectations

"Immediately after President Barack Obama announced a bipartisan health reform summit, Democrats and Republicans made clear they have almost no expectation the half-day meeting can break a bitter yearlong standoff." - Politico

2/3/10

1 in 10 Canadian Leaders Say YES to American Medicine

Canadian Premier Danny Williams will be making his way across the border later this week to undergo heart surgery in the United States. Why not stay in Canada? The Premier and his doctors agreed that he'd get better care in the U.S. and would have access to a procedure that they may not even offer in Canada. Let's give him a big, hearty welcome to America, land of the greatest health care system around.

Rewriting History

"With the broader health care bill still perilously close to collapse, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to take a shot at the health insurance industry next week by scheduling a vote on a smaller bill to revoke its half-century-old exemption from antitrust laws." - Politico

One Last Binge

"By now, it ought to be obvious why President Obama has wanted his health-care overhaul passed quickly. It would be (and now will be) inconvenient to promote expanded government health spending while simultaneously pledging to rein in future budget deficits -- when unrestrained health spending is a major cause. It's like promising to go on a diet but first treating yourself to one last binge." - The Washington Post

Keep Your Lips Sealed

"Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke at an event on health care in Rochester, Minnesota, where she warned that with government involvement in health care, critics of the system can have their own health care revoked... 'They wouldn't get in, they wouldn't get seen, and so people are afraid, they're afraid to speak back to government. They're afraid to say anything. Is that what we want for our future? That takes us to gangster government, at that point.'" - TPM

1/29/10

Health Care on Life Support

"Democrats in Congress said all the right things Thursday to show they were dutifully heeding the president's call to keep plugging away on a health reform bill... But listen more closely, and it's clear health care is already falling to the back of the legislative line, behind the Democrats' feverish new focus on jobs and the economy." - Politico

Lights Dimming on Health Care Front

"President Barack Obama's health care appeal failed to break the congressional gridlock Thursday, dimming hopes for millions of uninsured Americans. Democrats stared down a political nightmare - getting clobbered for voting last year for ambitious, politically risky bills, yet having nothing to show for it in November." - Associated Press

Pelosi's Got a Plan

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday described a two-track healthcare strategy, in which House Democrats will look to move a number of smaller measures that can gain widespread support as they try to pressure the Senate into adopting, through reconciliation, a package of House-made changes to the Senate healthcare bill." - The Hill

1/28/10

The Last Public Option Cheerleaders

"To save their big health care legislation, the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress are considering a hardball procedural maneuver known as budget reconciliation to adopt a health measure despite losing their 60-seat super majority in the Senate... The Progressive Campaign Change Committee, which claims more than 300,000 members and Democracy for America... sent a strategy memo to top Senate aides urging them to push the health care measure further left, by reviving the public option that was dropped from the Senate bill." - The New York Times

Another Deadline They Won't Make

"Senate Democratic leaders said Monday that they don't expect to have a decision on how to move forward with health care reform in time for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday... The absence of a clear way forward could create significant challenges for Democrats, who would lack a unified message to present to the nation in time for Obama's speech." - Politico

One Year of Work (and Tax Dollars) Out the Window

"Democrats have precious few options left to pass health care reform - and one of their top choices is drawing fire from some of their biggest supporters, complicating an already tough situation... After more than a year of work, lawmakers are trying to finish reform quickly, and a new bill would have to be written and approved by both chambers, essentially redoing months of work." - Politico

1/25/10

Who Should Politicians Really be Listening To?

"Ignoring Brown's huge upset victory and the fact that half of those who voted for him cited his stance on healthcare reform as the reason they did so, they are now arguing that the election results was not a referendum on health reform... Americans want affordable, understandable health care reform. To respond to that demand, legislators should stop listening to 'experts' who shaped the health care bill and excuse the deals needed to ram it through." - Robert Goldberg, The American Spectator

Not Getting the Message

"President Obama's top adviser and senior Democratic lawmakers on pledged to push forward with health care reform, insisting that the nation still wants legislation despite weakening poll numbers and a Republican win in a Massachusetts election that became a referendum on their proposal... Axelrod insisted that Scott Brown's victory over Democrat Martha Coakley in the race to fill the seat long held by Ted Kennedy was not a signal from voters that they reject the $1 trillion Democratic health care proposal." - The Washington Examiner

Adjusting Expectations

"The White House, with its health-care initiative in doubt, on Sunday zeroed in on several elements it hoped would survive, including measures to extend the life of Medicare, lower prescription drug costs for seniors and cap consumers' out-of-pocket medical expenses... White House officials notably didn't emphasize that any revised legislation should include a major expansion of health insurance. Expanding coverage to the uninsured was the key plank of the separate health bills passed by the House and Senate last year, but such efforts largely accounted for the about $1 trillion cost of the bills, and Republicans decried them as too costly." - The Wall Street Journal

Make Some Room at the Table

"Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Sunday that Congress needs to hit the reset button on health care reform and that Republicans will work with their counterparts on new legislation -- if Democrats allow it. 'I don't know one Republican who does not want health care reform,' Hatch said on CNN's State of the Union. 'I don't know one Republican who wouldn't try to work together with the Democrats. We weren't even involved in this process. We weren't even asked.'" - The Salt Lake Tribune

1/22/10

No Easy Way Out

"As Democrats continued to grapple with the consequences of their loss in Massachusetts, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday eliminated the most obvious avenue for completing health-care reform, saying the House will not embrace the version of the legislation already approved by the Senate." - The Washington Post

Health Care's Last Breath

"Health care reform teetered on the brink of collapse Thursday as House and Senate leaders struggled to coalesce around a strategy to rescue the plan, in the face of growing pessimism among lawmakers that the president's top priority can survive. The legislative landscape was filled with obstacles: House Democrats won't pass the Senate bill. Senate Democrats don't want to start from scratch just to appease the House. And the White House still isn't telling Congress how to fix the problem. " - Politico

Public Option Seeing California Revival

"A key legislative committee in California revived a bill Thursday to create a government-run health care system in the nation's most populous state, two days after Massachusetts elected a senator who opposes the president's national health care plan... Republicans mocked majority Democrats for reviving the bill as health care reform flounders in Washington, and California struggles with a new $20 billion deficit. 'California Democrats are either tone-deaf or delusional,' California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring said in a statement." - The Associated Press

Changing the Rules

"Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) soon intends to introduce legislation that would take away the minority's power to filibuster legislation. Harkin's bill would still allow senators to delay legislation, but ultimately would give the majority the power to move past a filibuster with a simple majority vote." - The Hill

1/21/10

Chaos on the Hill

"Obama added to the confusion Wednesday when he seemed to endorse one option: having both the House and the Senate start from scratch, by voting on a scaled-back package of popular provisions that would crack down on insurance companies but provide health coverage to far fewer additional people... That message alarmed House Democratic leaders who had been seeking to round up votes for the Senate bill -- Obama's first choice, they had believed." - The Washington Post

Whistling a Different Tune

"The White House's stripped-down plan would include provisions such as tighter insurance regulations and moderate coverage expansions, according to Democratic officials. But it would amount to a major retreat from Obama's initial vision of near-universal coverage - a stunning comedown made necessary by Republican Scott Brown's Senate win." - Politico

Glass is Half Empty According to Barney Frank

"Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on Wednesday walked back comments he previously made that the current healthcare reform negotiations are 'dead.' ... 'I have realized that my statement last night was more pessimistic than is called for, although I still regard the fact that the Republicans have now elected a 41st Senator as a serious obstacle to getting health care done,' Frank said." - The Hill

Time for a Fresh Start

"Winning Republican support for even a modified version of the bill also seemed unlikely. 'You can't drive a policy that doesn't have the support of the American people,' said Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, the Republican who had shown the most openness to passing the bill during last year's health negotiations. Republicans said the election results were a clear order to stop the health bill and start over. Asked whether he thought the bill was dead, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said: 'I sure hope so.'" - The Wall Street Journal

1/20/10

You're a Good Man Scott Brown
"Democratic leaders are scrambling to save healthcare reform legislation in the wake of a shocking Republican victory for the Senate seat held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)... Brown's triumph over Coakley, however, means that Democratic leaders need to recalibrate their plans. That's because Brown gives Republicans 41 seats in the Senate - enough to block healthcare reform legislation." - The Hill

Backed into a Corner
"Congressional Democrats faced only unpalatable options for salvaging their health-care overhaul after Republicans clinched the additional Senate vote they need to thwart the legislation-a turn that had some Democrats suggesting they abandon the health effort. House Democrats signaled their most feasible alternative after Republican Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts was to pass the Senate version of the bill and later put through additional modifications that require fewer votes to clear the Senate." - The Wall Street Journal

Falling Short
"Democratic leaders insisted they planned to press ahead with health reform, and met late into Tuesday night in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office... Their options are few, and extremely complex, mostly involving legislative tactics that would be difficult to pull off in the best of circumstances... And already Tuesday night, Democrats were being forced to come to terms with the prospect that their decades-long goal of health reform might once again fall short, despite getting closer to becoming law than ever before." - Politico

More Transparency, Please
"C-SPAN is now not the only major news organization to make a formal request that talks on health care reform legislation occur in the open, as promised by President Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) on Tuesday demanded 'more openness and transparency' over the massive, $900 billion legislation... The group... criticized what it called 'back-room negotiations' over health care that should take place in full, open committee proceedings." - The Washington Times

So Long, Lady Liberty
"The House and Senate have passed their respective versions of the legislation to take over the healthcare system, and a common bill is being hammered out, once again behind closed doors. The essential elements that we know will be in the final product are bad policy for America and, perhaps worse, a threat to liberty itself. The courts may have to enforce the constitutional boundaries that Congress has ignored." - Op-ed by Orrin G. Hatch and Mark Shurtleff, LA Times

1/19/10

Higher Prices, Fewer Choices
"Both the House and Senate health-reform bills create health insurance exchanges, and both, I hope, will be scrapped by Democrats who are forging the final legislation. Of the two versions, however, the House plan is by far the worse. It is both national and more sweeping in scope, severely limiting choices and driving up premiums for everyone -- especially for the young and healthy." - Op-ed by Merrill Matthews, Arizona Daily Sun

Mass. Spells Trouble for Dems
"Ever since health care reform flamed out in the 1990s, Democrats thought lots of things might derail their longtime dream this time around. Losing a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts was not on the list. But that is the harsh reality sinking in among Democrats - that a Republican victory Tuesday could spell the end of health reform because there is no good option to rescue the plan from this latest brush with political death." - Politico

Mad Dash to the Finish Line
"Congressional Democrats are considering passing healthcare reform before the winner of the Massachusetts special election is seated in the upper chamber, Democratic sources say... This would be complicated enough in normal circumstances, but if Brown wins, they would have to do it within a span of seven to 15 days... 'Trying to delay the seating of duly elected senator to jam through a bill that is tremendously unpopular would be met with outrage,' said [a Congressional] aide. 'The perception of this would be catastrophic.'" - The Hill

Repeal It Campaign
"A group of Utah politicos have signed a pledge to help repeal any health reform bill that Democrats may get into law... Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is the most prominent politician from the state to sign the one-sentence pledge that says the signer promises 'to sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010 and replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government.'" - The Salt Lake Tribune

Real Reform Not on the Radar
"Critics, especially Republicans and doctors, had long complained that the medical malpractice system showered huge fees on attorneys, did little for ordinary Americans and added billions of dollars in costs... Even President Obama in a speech to the American Medical Assn. said he recognized the issue as a problem. But after a massive lobbying campaign and party-line votes in Congress, the malpractice system is largely untouched by the Democrats' healthcare overhaul." - L.A. Times

Pass at Your Own Risk
"Americans are already mad, but if the Democrats in Congress shove this unconstitutional, buy-off-their-union-friends, Nationalized Health Care Bill down the collective throats of free Americans, we can't predict the level of the unintended consequences or the fierce backlash that will result." - Canada Free Press

1/14/10

Down to the Wire

"'Getting it right is more important than just getting it passed. I have great respect for our president but I'm sorry if getting it right means we delay the State of the Union,' said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)... Not all liberals want to see the healthcare debate linger, however. 'If it doesn't get done in the next few weeks it's hard to see how it will,' said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus." - The Hill

The Heat is On

"The White House has been eager to show substantial progress on the legislation before Mr. Obama delivers his State of the Union address in late January or early February. And the apparent tightening of the Senate race in Massachusetts - a special election to replace the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy is Tuesday - has left some Democrats nervous about the risk of losing the crucial 60th vote they need to pass the bill in the Senate." - The New York Times

Last Push by Business

"Nine business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and National Retail Federation, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi today asking them not to merge the two bills." These nine understand the significance of the legislation that is in the works and want to defend Americans' health care choices. Read the full letter on Politico's Web site.

Predictions from a Czar

"With Congress grappling to unify House and Senate health bills, Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader, was on the West Coast Wednesday, making his predictions for the final bill... Mr. Daschle, of course, was to be President Obama's health czar, before his appointment was derailed last year by a tax scandal." Read his predictions on the New York Times Prescriptions Blog

1/13

White House Supports Creation of Health Czar

"The White House wants to include a national health-insurance exchange in the health bill, which would give House Democrats one of their top remaining demands, according to an official involved in the discussions... President Barack Obama has told House Democrats that he intends to use the Senate bill as the framework for the final legislation. But the administration is pushing for a handful of House-backed provisions, including the federally run exchange, according to the official." - The Wall Street Journal

Pelosi and Hoyer Running the Show

"House Democrats have opted to send five of their biggest guns to the healthcare negotiating table to iron out a deal with the Senate, according to a House leadership aide... No Republicans are expected to attend the closed-door meeting... The absence of a formal bicameral conference committee leaves Reid and Pelosi with much leeway in determining who should be in the room when the last of the deals are cut between the two chambers." - The Hill

A Botched Job

"There is a growing consensus in both the right and the left that the individual mandate provision, which is almost certain to be part of the final bill, represents a kind of neo-feudalism. Liberty-lovers (like myself) hate it because it will mean that for the first time ever, Americans will be forced to buy a service as a condition of lawful residence in this country. Americans will lose control over their money without the government even having the decency to formally call for a tax increase." - Shikha Dalmia, Forbes.com

What Happened to "Do No Harm?"

"It will do no good to reform the system if it ends up degrading the quality of care most of us currently receive or saddling future generations of Americans with unconscionable debt. As always, the devil is in the details, and we'd better be paying very close attention to their rich potential for unintended consequences... A treatment that leaves the system in worse shape isn't a cure." Op-ed by Bob Dole, The Wall Street Journal

1/11/10

The Lesser of Two Evils

"The House version of ObamaCare is more destructive than the Senate version, though that's like comparing Krakatoa and Mount Vesuvius... The House prefers one national exchange and a new federal regulator called the Health Choices Administration... The sole purpose of this office is to obliterate health choices: What really will be universal about 'universal coverage' is that all consumers will have to buy essentially one standard product that Washington decides is best. Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave a flavor of what she expected of the new health choices commissioner when she said at a recent press conference that insurance companies 'will be crying out for a public option.'" - The Wall Street Journal

Unprecedented Power

"Republicans are attacking the legal premise of the legislation, saying Congress has no power to make people carry health insurance or pay a penalty or tax. Constitutional-law scholars say that if the health-care overhaul becomes law, it could give courts an opportunity to test the limits of congressional authority in areas that haven't been examined since the New Deal era... But the court has never considered a federal program structured like the health overhaul, which would require people without insurance to buy it or face a tax or penalty. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in July that it was a "challenging question" whether the commerce power extends that far." - The Wall Street Journal

How Long Will We Wait?

"President Obama may break a decades-old tradition of delivering the State of the Union address in January in order to give Congress more time to pass a health care reform bill that he would be able to tout in his speech... If Obama moves his speech, however, it would be for the political reason of sparing him from having to tell the nation that the yearlong health care reform effort was still in progress even as Americans are clearly anxious for the White House and Congress to tackle jobs and the economy." - The Washington Examiner

1/06/10

Trouble in Paradise?

"A reporter reminded the San Francisco Democrat that in 2008, then-candidate Obama opined that all such negotiations be open to C-SPAN cameras. There are a number of things he was for on the campaign trail, quipped Pelosi, who has no intention of making the deliberations public... The House aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Pelosi has been miffed with Obama's tilt toward the Senate plan and his expectation the House will simply go along with the Senate bill out of political necessity." - Politico

Never-Ending Debate

"Arguments over the massive overhaul of the health care system -- which congressional Democrats hope to pass by next month -- are expected to keep shaking up the country long after the vote... Congress' plan could be the first legislation of its kind passed along strict partisan lines. In modern history, legislation of such scope -- including Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965 -- has had at least some support from the opposition... 'It's sign of the unhealthy quality of our politics that a bill this significant in our social history is passing with only one party in favor,'" - CNN.com

Is Your Hospital 'High-Value?' Better Hope So

"Language in both the House and Senate bills would reward hospitals for efficiency in their Medicare spending, a dramatic change in the formula for parceling out the public dollars, which can account for as much as half of a hospital's budget. That could prove to be a windfall for some hospitals but a significant loss of funding for others, mostly those in big cities and the South." - The Washington Post

Let Us In!

"Obama pledged he would be 'bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.' That has not occurred, and C-SPAN released a letter yesterday that its CEO, Brian Lamb, sent last week to congressional leaders. 'Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American,' Lamb wrote." - The Associated Press

A Health Care Ping-Pong Game

"The decision to bypass the conference committee, which the aides said came during an Oval Office meeting Tuesday, formalized what many Democrats had long known: If they have any hope of passing the health care bill quickly, they would need to circumvent the normal order of business... The decision means that the White House, Senate Majority Harry Reid, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will attempt to reach an agreement through private negotiations with key lawmakers. Once a deal is struck, the bill will go back to the House for passage, then to the Senate and onto to the president's desk - a legislative path that has been described as 'ping pong.'" - Politico

Unsafe and Unnecessary Government-Run Care

Waves of Canadian women are getting extra ultrasounds during pregnancy, often three or more -- a rate that appears to be climbing for no apparent medical reasons... Ultrasounds are widely regarded as safe. But the scans expose the fetus to a form of energy, "and there remains a theoretical risk for subtle effects on fetal development," according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada." - National Post

1/04/01

Time for the Big Push

Happy New Year from your friends here at PPF! As we move into the new year, with all of our ambitious resolutions, let's not forget one of the most important resolutions for the new year: meaningful health care reform. As Congress nears the finish line of reform, it is important to make our voices louder than ever before. Your support is critical to telling Congress to keep their hands OFF our health care!

What's Up in 2010

As you know, the Senate passed its version of a health care reform bill on Christmas Eve. But this thing still isn't over yet. The Los Angeles Times gives a run-down of what's next as this legislation continues to work its way through Congress.

Not in Their Job Description

"In a signal example of being a day late and a trillion dollars short, several key senators have recently admitted that healthcare 'reform' is unconstitutional. That's right. Just in time to do absolutely nothing about it, several lawmakers have decided to cop to the fact that nowhere in the Constitution they have sworn to uphold is Congress (or any other branch of government, for that matter) empowered to establish a new healthcare system, overhaul an old healthcare system, or do anything at all regarding the purchase of insurance for medical treatment." - Joe Wolverton, New American

Focus on the Senate

"Senate Democrats will have the upper hand as U.S. lawmakers return to Washington this month to confront the last major hurdle in the effort to overhaul the nation's health-care system... Senate Democrats have more clout because they have no room for defections, analysts and lawmakers said. Even so, House members will push for their provisions, including the public insurance program, likely making the negotiations among the most complex in congressional history." - BusinessWeek

12/21

In the Dark of Night

Senate Democrats won a crucial test vote on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, putting them on track for passage before Christmas of the historic legislation to remake the nation's medical system and cover 30 million uninsured. All 58 Democrats and the Senate's two independents held together early Monday against unanimous Republican opposition...The vote came shortly after 1 a.m. with the nation's capital blanketed in snow, the unusual timing made necessary in order to get to a final vote by Christmas Eve presuming Republicans stretch out the debate as much as the rules allow.

"Historic Mistake" - "A Mess" - "Concerned"

Not a single Republican voted to advance the measure, including Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, the one GOP lawmaker who had backed an earlier version. The Maine moderate was lobbied heavily by President Obama, but announced Sunday night in a statement that she remained "concerned" about the measure, while objecting to "the artificial and arbitrary deadline of completing the bill before Christmas." Though admittedly outflanked, Republicans declined to relent. In the hours before the cloture vote, GOP lawmakers took turns condemning the bill in impassioned speeches on the Senate floor. Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) called it a "historic mistake." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) accused Democrats of producing "a mess" that represented "a blind call to make history." Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who ran against Obama for president last year, vowed to "fight until the last vote," a threat that could keep senators at their desks until well into the night on Dec. 24.

Can't Touch This

Do not mess with this bill. That was the message Senate Democrats sent to their colleagues on the House side over the weekend, warning them not to make any significant changes to the health care package heading toward a vote in their chamber if they want the bill to survive past Christmas....Liberal Democrats are eager to negotiate and try to win back items that were stripped from the Senate bill like a government-run insurance plan. But the final version would again need 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster, and Senate moderates warn that any big changes in conference could erode that bloc. Fox News

Careful What You Wish For

Barack Obama's quest for historic health-care legislation has turned into a parody of leadership. We usually associate presidential leadership with the pursuit of goals that, though initially unpopular, serve America's long-term interests. Obama has reversed this. He's championing increasingly unpopular legislation that threatens the country's long-term interests. "This isn't about me," he likes to say, "I have great health insurance." But of course, it is about him: about the legacy he covets as the president who achieved "universal" health insurance. He'll be disappointed. Robert Samuelson

12/18

Why the Rush?

Many Americans, including us at PPF, have been wondering why Congress is so eager to rush through what is arguably the most important piece of legislation of our generation. They're not giving themselves much time - just a fraction of the time they took to deal with other major legislation. Get the numbers on other major bills and tell us what you think of the rush at PPF.org.

Health Reform Decided by Just One Vote?

"The White House and Senate Democratic leaders seem willing to give Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, just about anything he wants to win his support of major health care legislation. Anything, that is, but the item at the top of Mr. Nelson's wish-list: air-tight restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions." - The New York Times

A Tight-Lipped Reid

"As Reid works furiously to line up the 60 votes he needs for the most sweeping health care bill in generations, the majority leader is playing an insider's insider's game. He's having private, one-on-one conversations with colleagues, and he's not sharing the contents with others. He's floating proposals to congressional budget analysts that not even members of his leadership team have seen. And he's keeping his strategy largely to himself." - Politico

Only in Socialized Medicine...

"A woman who was constantly approached by strangers asking when her baby was due has told of her distress after learning she had a 17 lb ovarian cyst.When Janet Delaney went to the doctors after her stomach swelled from 32 inches to 49 inches, she was told she was suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and given medication." - Daily Mail

12/14

This week, the Senate announced plans to advance so-called "compromise" health reform.

While we applaud the Senate for removing the public plan option (at least for now) from their reform package, it clear their plans will still include an unprecedented role for government over future health care decisions between doctors and patients.

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interests-Advance has been on the frontlines of this debate and will continue to ensure your voice is heard in support of reform that increases access, rewards wellness and prevention, promotes choice and improves quality, and does NOT create new government bureaucracies that will bring our country one step closer to government-run health care.

Winning this debate will require each of us to give everything we can, starting right now.

I urge you to stick with us and make a donation to support the fight. You can make donations online via our initiative BigGovHealth.org.

We truly appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Robert Goldberg, Ph.D.
www.HandsOFFMyHealth.org

12/11

Redressing or Retreating from Government Control?
The new Senate plan would create a private insurance arrangement to be supervised by the federal agency that oversees the system through which lawmakers purchase coverage - with the possibility of greater government involvement 'if needed.' Yes, the 'if needed' bit should definitely make you worry. Learn what it means and tell us what you think at PPF.org.

Expanding Government-Run Programs - To the Few Who Can Afford it
"Millions more Americans could get access to Medicare under the latest health proposal by Senate Democrats. But the program may not be cheap enough to entice some of them to sign up." - The Wall Street Journal

Anything BUT Fair
"President Obama has called it a 'core ethical and moral obligation.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced her bill by saying, 'We also have a moral responsibility to pass health insurance reform and we will do so this year.'' And Senate majority leader Harry Reid has opined that 'health care is a moral issue.' Strong words on ethics and fairness. But the actual bills are unimaginably unfair." - Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Boston Globe

Isn't it Ironic?
"The 11th-hour "compromise" on health-care reform and the public option supposedly includes an expansion of Medicare to let people ages 55 to 64 buy into the program.... However, the last-minute introduction of this idea within the broader context of health reform raises numerous questions -- not least of which is whether this proposal is a far more dramatic step toward a single-payer system than lawmakers on either side realize." - Editorial, The Washington Post

Was it Worth it?
"The idea of an immediate plan to offer government insurance for all effectively died in the Senate this week of a thousand cuts... Also in the past month, some progressive health policy thinkers began to openly question whether the public option was really worth all the fuss, at least in the form envisioned by Congress." - Politico

12/9

Public Option - Resolved?
"Senior Senate Democrats reached tentative agreement Tuesday night to abandon the government-run insurance plan in their health-overhaul bill and to expand Medicare coverage to some people ages 55 to 64, clearing the most significant hurdle so far in getting a bill that can pass Congress." - The Wall Street Journal

Trigger is Back
"Many senators and their aides believed that the compromise would be a version of the public plan proposed by Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine... And behold: the tentative deal includes a public option on a trigger - similar, if not identical, to what she originally proposed." - The New York Times

Jack Up the Price
"While details of the package remain fluid, people aged 55 to 64 who were uninsured or could not afford employer-sponsored health insurance would be allowed to enroll in Medicare... more people would compel hospitals, doctors and others to jack up charges to private insurers and employers to make up the difference." - Kaiser Health News

12/4

Wyden Willing to Ditch Public Option. For Another Public Option

"A key liberal Democratic senator in the healthcare debate on Thursday said he would be open to considering a proposed alternative public option to be unveiled next week... Wyden -- a member of the Senate Finance Committee -- has long supported measures that allow more people to participate in the government-run public healthcare plans." - The Hill

More Than They Can Chew
"The Senate's slow-moving health bill is colliding with other legislative priorities on the economy, raising chances that Democrats won't meet their goal of pushing a health-care overhaul through the chamber this month." - The Wall Street Journal

Senators: What Will Your Legacy Be?
"Healthcare is one of those votes. One of the big ones. When this Senate bill comes up, your Yea or Nay vote will be remembered -- not just when you're up for reelection in 2010 or 2012 or 2014, but forever... We know it doesn't matter whether it has a 'public option' in it or not -- there's only one underlying purpose behind this onslaught on the American system, to drive the insurance companies out of the healthcare business so that the government can move in and take it over." - John F. Di Leo, Chicago Daily Observer

Timing Isn't Right
"The large price-tag attached to the health care reform legislation and lack of new jobs has soured the majority of Americans who would like to see the White House concentrate on job creation. The polls tell the tale of an unpopular health care package. Rasmussen Polls show the margin widening for those who do not favor this legislation - 36 percent favor what Washington is offering, while 59 percent do not want this bill." - Kimberly Dvorak, Examiner.com

12/2

The Carnival is Coming to Town!
"American medical care over the past 60 years has come under increasing government regulation, control and economic dominance, thanks in part to Medicare and Medicaid. Each of these programs has overrun its initial cost estimates, not by a mere 10 percent or 20 percent, but by a factor of 10 to 20...the budget-balancing act assumes Congress won't renege on imposing new taxes and spending cuts. This is like watching a skilled carny operator shift the three walnut shells, in hopes we can find the one that contains the pea. Problem is, the fellow palmed the pea way back at the start." - Editorial, Las Vegas Review-Journal

You WILL See a Drop in Health Care Costs, Just Give it 50 Years . "Yes, that's certainly what most 'working families' would like to see: an end to hefty boosts in their insurance premiums. Unfortunately, they won't see relief for seven years at a minimum, even with the bill Bennet supports. Who says? The Congressional Budget Office, in an analysis released this week. And while the CBO is hardly infallible in its forecasts, it at least tries to keep its feet on the ground...Here's what is not in dispute: Virtually every one of the reforms represents a bureaucratic fix to rising medical costs as opposed to empowering consumers or entrepreneurs to act in ways that drive costs down." - OpEd, Vincent Carroll, Denver Post

A Deadly Reform
"As the Senate begins to debate reform legislation, the deadly disasters inherent in socialized medicine in the model nation of Britain should make the discussion a sober one...'Up to 10,000 people,' the British Guardian reported Sunday, are dying needlessly of cancer each year 'because their condition is diagnosed too late, according to research by the government's director of cancer services'...More government involvement won't correct the ills government has already created. Yet the Democratic leadership in Washington is determined to force more federal control over health care on a public that doesn't want it." - Editorial, Investor's Business Daily

11/30

The Senate health reform bill mentions the "powers of the Secretary" 2,500 times, granting Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius unprecedented new powers to create, determine or define aspects of our health care system (read: our health). Learn more about these new powers and let us know what you think about the big changes by posting on PPF.org.

Abandon Ship
"With the Senate set to begin debate Monday on President Barack Obama's signature domestic issue, the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the health care reform legislation to advance is coming apart." - Associated Press

Is it Worth it?
"As the long battle over health care is rejoined in the Senate this week, experts remain deeply divided over whether the legislation would rein in soaring health-care costs or simply add millions of people to a system that is already driving the nation toward bankruptcy... The measure would not deliver on Democrats' most ambitious claims, the CBO found. While the package would not worsen the nation's record deficits, it would not significantly improve them, either now or in the future." - The Washington Post

Amendments Galore
"Democrats would like to pass a bill by Christmas, but have yet to find a formula that can win 60 votes... Complicating the situation, lawmakers from both parties are planning to introduce dozens of amendments... The aim isn't just to shape the bill but also to make political points... Any of the amendments will also likely require 60 votes to pass, because opponents can threaten to filibuster any amendment that has less support. That sets a high bar, but even unsuccessful amendments can send a message." - The Wall Street Journal

What to Watch
"Senators will be asked to cast their votes on numerous amendments as they begin a debate to reshape the country's healthcare system. Some amendments will be designed to improve the bill, some to satisfy a special interest or pet peeve. Still others will be presented as poison pills... The notion of creating a government-run health insurance plan to compete with private companies is seen as vital by liberal Democrats but centrists range from skeptical to deeply antagonistic, even though states could opt out." - The Hill

Government Health Care Up Close and Impersonal
"Government sponsored healthcare seems ideal, but in reality there are more horror stories associated with Medicare and Medicaid. Increasingly, life and death decisions are being made based on cost... When you take the individual out of the medical equation, everyone suffers, and many believe that national healthcare is clearly not the answer." - Anita MonCrief, Examiner.com

11/25

Happy Thanksgiving!
Hands OFF My Health will not be sending this morning E-mail tomorrow or Friday as we all celebrate Thanksgiving. Be on the lookout, however, for any late breaking news!

We leave you with a final thought as you prep for the big day: Ever wonder what a government-run Thanksgiving would look like? We can tell you one thing: Forget about the pie! Check out this video which shows the difference between a Thanksgiving on a family budget and a Thanksgiving on a government budget. Makes you wonder what our health care might look like next year, doesn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving from Hands OFF My Health!

Numbers, Shnumbers
"In a floor speech on Saturday morning, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York said: 'This bill will provide coverage for more than 94 percent of Americans - 98 percent when accounting for the elderly population'...the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeeper on such matters, has predicted that by 2019, 92 percent of non-elderly Americans would be covered under the Senate legislation, with that number rising to 94 percent if illegal immigrants were excluded. Note that: 94 percent - not 98." - New York Times

Rationing Breast Cancer Screenings is Only the Beginning
"Last week a government appointed panel issued a set of recommendations regarding mammograms and self-exams for women in their 40s and 50s... This panel's recommendations were more about costs than about saving the lives of women from one of the most common and treatable cancers our nation... This bill actually gives much more power to this very same government panel...In short, it is a serious step toward government intervention and away from patient and doctor control over individual healthcare decisions." - By Carly Fiorina, Big Government blog

Options Other Than the Public Kind
"Economists say there is much that could be done to help the situation, including breaking Medicare up into smaller, privatized companies and allowing insurance competition across state lines... Instead, Congress is attempting to expand health care spending to an additional 36 to 45 million people in an open-ended, taxpayer-financed, government-run takeover." - OpEd, GetLiberty.com, White Mountain Independent (AZ)

11/24

Happy Thanksgiving from Your Government!

Ever wonder what a government-run Thanksgiving would look like? We can tell you one thing: Forget about the pie! Check out this video which shows the difference between a Thanksgiving on a family budget and a Thanksgiving on a government budget. Makes you wonder what our health care might look like next year, doesn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving from Hands OFF My Health!

11/23

No Easy Task
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid eked out 60 votes on a procedural motion to start the health care debate Saturday night - but there's no guarantee he can pass a bill on the merits. And as he struggles, the reasons are clear: deep divides among Democrats on a public insurance plan, abortion, tax hikes and cost-cutting." - Politico

Disapproving Dems
"But if the Democrats want to hold on to the support of Landrieu, Lincoln and Nelson, they likely will have to bend even further. Each senator made plain their opposition to the public option in Reid's bill - and their willingness to oppose the legislation when it comes up for a final vote, or even join a Republican filibuster to kill the bill. 'Let me be perfectly clear: I am opposed to a new government-administered healthcare plan as a part of comprehensive health insurance reform and I will not vote in favor of the proposal that has been introduced by Leader Reid as it is written,' Lincoln said on the Senate floor, echoing similar sentiments previously expressed by Landrieu and Nelson." - The Hill

Stretching the Dollar
"For consumers, the health care bills taking final shape in Congress don't rate close to a perfect 10. The Democratic measures would leave 12 million or more eligible Americans uninsured. Many middle-class families who'd now be required to buy coverage would still find the premiums a stretch, even with government aid. A new federal fund to provide temporary coverage for people with health problems would quickly run out of cash." -Associated Press

Worse for the Wear
"A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 49 percent of Americans opposed the proposed reforms -- slightly more than those who supported them. Why the negative response? Because they believe they'll be worse off under the terms of the Democrats' legislative package. And they're right. Several recent studies have shown that the Democrats' reform plan will increase health costs for most Americans." - Sally C. Pipes, Washington Examiner

What They're Not Telling Us
"While Congressional Democrats high-five over plans to cover an additional 10 percent of Americans -- a noble and expensive accomplishment -- I've been struck by what Congress and the White House have kept quiet. Namely, their reliance on costly mandates on private health insurers and their lack of effort to reform medical-billing patterns that will continue to raise health-care costs by 6 percent per year." - Matt Reed, Florida Today

11/20

A Drop in the Bucket
"A proposed government-run health insurance program, among the most divisive issues in the health care debate, would cover less than 1.5% of the population, new estimates show... Paul Ginsburg, an economist with the Center for Studying Health System Change, questions the impact the public option proposals would have on families seeking health coverage... 'It's not going to have any impact on our health system.'" - USA Today

Recipe for Disaster
"With unemployment numbers at 10.2%, it's not surprising that, by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans want Congress to focus on deficit reduction and economic recovery before tackling health reform. Yet, if the health bills currently in Congress were to pass, most Americans could see their economic situation decline further, and the unemployment situation would worsen." - Op-ed, Tom Coburn and Tevi Troy, Forbes.com

It All Adds Up to Rationing
"Why would anyone believe that it is possible to provide quality health care coverage to an additional 31 million people, without an increase to the number of doctors and while decreasing the cost of health care? The most logical conclusion that can be reached is that the government must begin to ration services, and the quality of our health care will be impacted in a very negative way." - Edward Nasello, Examiner.com

What We Need from Senate Reform
"There is now widespread consensus that our health care system needs some kind of reform. But surely it must be possible to control health care costs, improve quality and extend coverage to more people without bankrupting the nation. Health care reform now goes to the Senate. There are 3 trillion reasons to hope they are not as fiscally reckless as their counterparts in the House." - Op-ed, Michael Tanner, Hernando Today

11/18

Today is the Day

Ahead of Tuesday's motion to proceed to the House health care bill in the Senate, Hands OFF My Health and the High Noon for Health Care coalition (http://highnoonforhealthcare.org/) is gearing up to engage activists and other concerned citizens to flood congressional offices with calls, emails and tweets between 12:00-3:00 pm EDT TODAY,Tuesday, November 17th, urging their representatives to vote against the motion to proceed. Take Action Now!

Public Plan Receives Lukewarm Reception
"Americans are worried about the fine print in the health care overhaul, an Associated Press poll says, and those concerns are creating new challenges for President Barack Obama as he tries to overcome doubts in Congress... The poll found that 43 percent of Americans oppose the health care plans being discussed in Congress, while 41 percent are in support. An additional 15 percent remain neutral or undecided." - The Associated Press

Different Poll, Similar Results
"As the Senate prepares to take up legislation aimed at overhauling the nation's health care system, President Barack Obama and the Democrats are still struggling to win the battle for public opinion. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans deeply divided over the proposals under consideration and majorities predicting higher costs ahead." - Mercury News

Taxes Across the Board
"The Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill, which could hit the Senate floor as early as this week, would impose new taxes on insurance companies, drugmakers and medical device manufacturers. It would also impose a 40 percent tax on the portion of insurance premiums exceeding $8,000 a year for individuals and $21,000 a year for family plans. That tax would be imposed on insurance companies, though it would likely be passed on to consumers, including many middle-income families, say experts." - ABC News

What to Expect in the Senate
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pressing to advance his version of health-care legislation past a key juncture this week in a bid to avoid a timing crunch that could otherwise kick the proposed revamp into next year... Republicans will likely filibuster the "motion to proceed," which simply allows the Senate to begin debate. Delaying consideration of the bill until 2010, an election year, could jeopardize its chances and turn the intricacies of the Senate timetable into a political tool for the bill's opponents." - The Wall Street Journal

11/12

Help us spread the word! Congress' plans for health care reform mean longer lines, more bureaucracy and decreased medical innovation. As American patients, we can all expect to lose the ability to determine how and when we get our care. Not what you're looking for in health care reform? Us either. Watch our latest video on YouTube to learn more and forward this email to five friends. Let's get the truth out about government-run health care.

11/10

I'm Just a Bill, a Big Bloated Bill
Congress' plans for health care reform mean longer lines, more bureaucracy and decreased medical innovation. American patients can expect to lose the ability to determine how and when they get their care. Watch our latest video on YouTube to learn more.

Somewhat Lacking
"In terms of raising new revenue and curbing unsustainable health spending, however, the House bill leaves much to be desired. It's based on a dubious commitment to cut costs and threatens to make medical spending an even bigger part of the federal budget and nation's economy than it would otherwise be." - Editorial, USA Today

Are They Just Now Realizing This?
"As health care legislation moves toward a crucial airing in the Senate, the White House is facing a growing revolt from some Democrats and analysts who say the bills Congress is considering do not fulfill President Obama's promise to slow the runaway rise in health care spending." - The New York Times

Poor Stand to Lose Big...
"As in other developed nations, everyone should have access to doctors, to medicine, to preventive services. The House bill would take America a giant step closer to that goal... But the bill also could take America a step closer to bankruptcy... If federal debt continues rising on its present path, hastened by a $1 trillion health-care bill, it is the poor and vulnerable who will be most harmed." - Op-ed, Fred Hiatt, Dallas Morning News

...And Young Stand To Pay More
"The bill would limit how much insurers can vary premiums based on the age of the person buying the policy. The narrower the range, the lower the premiums for older people, a help to those who currently pay some of the highest rates for insurance and often need coverage the most. But such a limitation tends to raise premiums for younger folks, who are sometimes reluctant to buy coverage." - The Wall Street Journal

Health Care Not as Broken as Some Claim
"A substantial majority of those polled expressed satisfaction with the health-care system. In fact, nearly eight in 10 said the system meets their needs 'very well' or 'pretty well,' while three out of four insured respondents rated their coverage as 'good' or 'very good.' Furthermore, fewer than one in seven said an insurer had refused to cover a doctor-recommended treatment or procedure, and fewer than one in 15 said an insurer had denied a request to see a specialist." - Sean E. Flaherty & Joseph J. Karlesky Philadelphia Inquirer

11/04

Superficial Reform
"In fact, the Baucus plan would, at best, increase the number of non-elderly Americans with health insurance by just 11 percentage points over the next decade. But in order to do so, it would spend billions of taxpayer dollars, curtail patients' health care choices, and still leave 30 million Americans without insurance. That's far too great a price to pay for little more than a cosmetic improvement in the uninsured rate." - Op-ed, Robert Goldberg, Sacramento Bee

Not So Fast
"In a blow to the White House, the Senate's top Democrat signaled Tuesday that Congress may fail to meet a year-end deadline for passing health care legislation, leaving the measure's fate to the uncertainties of the 2010 election season." - Associated Press

The Price of Partisanship
"For decades, a rule of thumb in Washington has said that there should be popular support and a bipartisan majority before approving an initiative that significantly affects tens of millions of Americans. Health-care reform-ObamaCare-has neither, yet Democrats want to impose it anyway. If they succeed, the consequences could be devastating for the country and probably for the president and his party." - Fred Barnes, The Wall Street Journal

Republicans Bring Bill to the Table
"House Republicans have come up with an answer to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drafting an alternative health care bill that would reward states for reducing the number of uninsured, limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance exempt from most state regulation." - The New York Times

The Clock is Ticking
"Late Tuesday evening, House Democrats announced 42 pages of amendments to the 1,990-page bill they introduced last week, including new checks to make sure illegal immigrants don't get health coverage and the creation of five new offices to monitor the health of minorities. Democrats said the completion of the "manager's amendment" starts the legislative clock, giving lawmakers 72 hours to digest the bill before putting it on the floor for debate and a vote." - Washington Times

11/03

Steal from the Rich... and Then the Poor?
"The typical family would be spared higher taxes from the House Democratic plan to overhaul health care, and their low-income neighbors could come out ahead. Their wealthy counterparts, however, face big tax increases that could eventually hit future generations of taxpayers who are less wealthy... But unlike other income tax rates, the new tax would not be indexed for inflation. As incomes rise over time because of inflation, more families - and more small business owners - would be hit by the tax." - The Washington Post

Location, Location, Location
"Health policy experts are concerned not only about the ability of the states to shoulder their share of the cost of reform but also about their administrative and analytical capacity. Some states are well-positioned to manage a new federal program that seeks to cover the uninsured while pressuring doctors and hospitals to deliver care more efficiently... At the other end of the spectrum are states with poor collaboration in the health sector, lax insurance regulations and small, disorganized Medicaid programs...they could find the post-reform transition particularly harrowing." - The Washington Post

Getting Healthy on the Taxpayers' Dollars
"Health-care legislation pushed by U.S. House Democrats would attract less-healthy enrollees for insurance coverage than Senate legislation and therefore would result in higher average health costs, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office." - The Wall Street Journal

Say Goodbye to Your Health Benefits
"...The way the Democrats are reshaping the incentives in the health insurance market, it is much less likely that the employer-provided health insurance people are satisfied with and want to keep will still exist... The insurance industry has been warning for weeks that the combination of guaranteed issue with a weak individual mandate will spike premium rates. Democrats have denounced the industry and stepped up punitive measures directed against it. But the industry's logic is irrefutable." - Robert Robb, The News Journal

11/2

Fudging the Numbers
"Republicans on Capitol Hill are challenging an assertion by House leaders that their new health-care package comes in under President Obama's spending limit of $900 billion over the next decade. The true cost of the measure, the GOP argues, is more than $1 trillion." - The Washington Post

More Money, More Problems
"If Medicare were a bank, federal regulators would be closing its doors, selling its operations and sacking its managers. Thanks to soaring costs, the program is fast running out of money -- even though it pays such low fees that many doctors refuse to take Medicare patients. Meanwhile, Medicare fraud costs taxpayers some $60 billion a year, according to a report by CBS' "60 Minutes," making it among the most profitable fields for felons. That's our experience with government-run health insurance for the elderly. So what do congressional Democrats propose to do? Offer government-run health insurance to everyone else." - Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune

The Cost of Inaction...
"Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday it's worth defeating a healthcare overhaul in order to prevent the creation of a government-run health insurance program... The independent member of the Democratic Caucus said doing "nothing" is better than a so-called public option... The Connecticut lawmaker said fixing the economy and creating jobs is a higher priority than healthcare, and a government-run insurance plan would damage the economy by hiking premiums, raising taxes or increasing the national debt." - The Hill

From Someone Who Actually Read the Bill
"I think both in detail and in philosophical direction, I think that it's a very misguided piece of legislation. I think this effort is going to go down in history as one of the biggest bait and switch tactics in modern political history. You have a promise that we're going to tackle costs and make health care more affordable. I think this bill and the Senate counterpart are going to spend more government money -- not less. It's going to cost premium payers more -- not less. And it's a big deception." - Interview with Gov. Pawlenty, The American Spectator

It's About Time for a New Approach
"Republicans are preparing an alternative health-care bill to Democratic legislation, House Republican Leader John Boehner said, marking a shift in strategy as the full House is set to begin debate on the issue this week... The GOP plan would likely be less costly to taxpayers and involve less government intrusion into the private sector. Mr. Boehner said the bill would take "a step-by-step approach" to expanding coverage." - The Wall Street Journal

10/29

House Bill Ready to Roll
"House Democrats are poised to unveil health care legislation that would vastly alter America's medical landscape, requiring virtually universal sign-ups and offering a new government-run plan for people without affordable coverage...Plenty of work remains to be done before a bill could land on Obama's desk - and there's still no guarantee that Congress can complete the legislation before year's end, as the president wants. If Obama does sign a health overhaul bill, he will have bucked decades of failed attempts by past administrations, most recently by former President Bill Clinton in The1990s... Republican House members quickly attacked the legislation as a government takeover. 'Americans health care is too important to risk on one gigantic bill that was negotiated behind closed doors,' said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. 'The Medicare cuts will hurt seniors, the tax increases will kill jobs and the government takeover of health care will increase premium costs.'" - Associated Press

Our Invite Must Have Gotten Lost in the Mail
"House Democratic leaders have scheduled a rally for Thursday where they plan to unveil legislation to overhaul the health care system, which they hope to take to the House floor next week. Scores of lobbyists were 'cordially invited' to attend the event in e-mail messages sent Wednesday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi... Ms. Pelosi has long said that the House measure would contain a government-run insurance plan and the only question was whether it would be the robust version favored by liberals... An internal survey of House Democrats showed that Ms. Pelosi was at least 17 votes short of the 218 that she would need to approve a bill containing the robust public plan." - Robert Pear, The New York Times Prescriptions Blog

Real Meaning of 'Free'
Sen. Joe Lieberman reaffirmed his pledge Wednesday to withhold his vote for the Senate's sweeping health care reform bill if it includes a so-called 'public option,' saying a government-run plan is "unnecessary" and threatens to drive up costs for taxpayers... 'Someone's going to have to pay for it and you bet it's going to be the taxpayer,' Lieberman said, adding that a government-run insurance plan will drive up premiums -- despite claims from some Democrats that it would lead to an improved system because it will create healthy competition. - FOX News

Looking Out for the American Worker
"Some of the nation's largest companies pushed back against U.S. Democrats' plans to deliver a government-run insurance option in a healthcare overhaul, decrying it as a step backward that would drive up costs for employers and their workers... 'A public plan would neither manage cost nor encourage innovation,' said Antonio Perez, chief executive of Eastman Kodak Co (EK.N) and head of the Business Roundtable's health initiative. 'We believe it is the wrong direction for fixing our health care system.'" - Reuters

10/22

A new report from government economic experts concluded that the nation's medical costs will keep spiraling upward even faster than they are now under leading health reform legislation pending in the House. The report found that the nation's health care tab, now at about $2.5 trillion annually, is projected to approach $4.7 trillion in 2019 without the legislation. With the legislation, national health care spending would be nearly $4.8 trillion in 2019.

Administration officials quickly rejected the report's findings, claiming that it is out of date due to changes when it is merged with other House legislation and a Senate bill.

But to us, it just sounds to us like "someone" isn't happy about hearing the truth....
Learn more about the report's findings and tell us what you think about this numbers game on PublicPlanFacts.org.

10/21

Our next government-run "health care horror story" takes us across the pond to the UK's single-payer, nationalized health care system. Brian Turner, of Leeds, suffers from wet age-related macular degeneration in his left eye. He went blind in one eye after the UK's National Health System (NHS) denied his request for the drug basic drug used as a standard treatment here in the U.S. The NHS told Turner and his family that treatment would only be offered if his second eye became affected and complete blindness was a risk. Learn more about Brian's story and how the NHS makes their coverage decisions.

Public Option Lacks Public Support
Americans are increasingly worried about the cost and quality of medical care that could result from President Obama's effort to revamp health care, but a majority still trust him more than Republicans to change the system, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows...The findings underscore the skepticism Obama and other Democrats face as they work on key details of their health care plan. One-third of those polled say they expect to oppose the final bill, one-fourth say they would support it, and 39% are undecided. - USA Today

In recent weeks, we've seen the return of the idea that passage of the Democratic national health care program is inevitable. And indeed, Democrats can point to some signs of progress. But as far as the big picture is concerned, after a wall-to-wall, 24/7 push by the White House and Democratic leaders, the public remains opposed to a health care makeover. - Byron York, Washington Examiner

President Obama's push for a $250 bonus for Social Security recipients is but the latest in a series of paydays and promises the administration has showered on seniors - that politically powerful demographic that holds the keys to health care reform and, so far, is not sold on the White House plans. - Washington Times

What Does the Post Poll REALLY Tell Us?
Liberals are touting a new Washington Post poll purporting to show a majority of 57 percent of Americans support including a government-run plan, or public option, in health care legislation...The bottom line: do I think these poll results will be politically useful for those making the case for a government plan? Yes. Do I think it suggests a groundswell of public support for this policy measure? Absolutely not. - Philip Klein, The American Spectator

1020

On Sunday, Washington Post interviewed Maine Senator Olympia Snowe about her vote for the Senate Finance reform legislation (the only affirmative Republican vote). Snowe said "I'm still struggling with the affordability." We are too. However, we're not sure if we agree with her logic around the so-called "TRIGGER" option. Learn more at PublicPlanFacts.org.

What if the government was your cable provider? Chances are, you'd lose out on all of the "extras" you enjoy, like sports, travel, entertainment. It won't be much different if government becomes your health care provider too. Watch and learn.

Power in Numbers
"Advocates of health care reform are relying on budget manipulations to stick with President Obama's pledge to overhaul the system without adding to the deficit, critics on and off Capitol Hill say... Further, they argue that the health care overhaul bill has been front-loaded with revenue and backloaded with spending to make it look less expensive that it actually is. The reforms price tag will play a major role in the looming debates in Congress and across America." - Washington Times

NHS Workers Jump Line to Private Care
"The Times of London reported that the National Health Service in Britain shells out £1.5 million for private care for 3,000 NHS workers - 'so they can leapfrog their own waiting lists.' So it is the American system that is wanted by the folks who provide the British care." - Don Surber, Daily Mail

Patients Lose Voice With Public Plan
"In such a system, the patient has little or no control precisely because he is not the one paying the bills, so no one has to listen to him. That's what happens when people surrender their actual right to health-care, the right to contract for it privately with doctors and insurance companies, in exchange for an illusory 'right' to whatever care the government chooses to provide-or withhold." - Robert Tracinski, Real Clear Politics

10/18

'Nuclear Option' Enters Through Congressional Loophole
"A key House committee on Thursday quietly altered its health care legislation in a way that could allow the Senate to mow over Republican opposition to Democratic reforms by exploiting a budgetary loophole. The Ways and Means Committee adjusted its health care overhaul package so that the Senate, down the road, could avoid a filibuster and pass health care reform with a smaller number of votes than normally required." - FOX News

Republicans Working to Craft Responsible Legislation
"'I do not think, at the end of the day, that there will be much Republican support,' said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. 'I care deeply about appropriate health care reform. I do not see that in the legislation that's come forth.' Sen. Corker said Republicans are 'meeting daily to look at the types of amendments we might put forward to try to make this bill something that is appropriate.' U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said things he would find appropriate would include incentives for preventative care, tort reform and funding through tax credits and tax deductions." - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Spending More to Save Lives
"Even as Congress struggles to draft legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system, a new study provides a useful reminder of the difficulties in attacking the high cost of medical care in this country. Most of the public discussion about medical costs tends to focus on wasteful spending. But the study, by researchers from six California medical centers, underscores how difficult it can be to predict when additional treatments - and, thus, spending - will benefit a particular patient." - The New York Times Prescriptions Blog

Moving Past the Public Option
"Now is the time for Mr. Obama to lead the way to historic health-care reform... First, say unequivocally that he wants a plan that jettisons the public option and contains real reforms to cut health-care costs... Second, make clear that he does not want Congress to use parliamentary maneuvers, like the budget reconciliation process, to ram through a bill that can't command 60 votes in the Senate... And finally, make one more effort to bring moderate Republicans along. Transformational reforms, such as civil rights legislation and Medicare in the 1960s, have always been passed with bipartisan majorities. Health-care reform should be no exception." - Op-ed, Al From, The Wall Street Journal

10/14

enate Finance Vote: Slippery Slope Towards More and More Government Control
While it doesn't come as a big surprise to PublicPlanFacts.org, the Senate Finance Committee finally advanced their plan for health care reform. Described by Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa as a bill that puts the nation on "a slippery slope toward more and more government control of health care," the Senate Finance plan has a hefty price tag and is just the 5th proposal that will shape the final debate over the reform plan that will be melded between the House and Senate. What remains uncertain is how the so-called public option will be folded into the final legislation. Senator Snowe, the only Republican to join the Democrats in the vote, herself said yesterday: "Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No." Senator Snowe is also still pushing for her "TRIGGER" option that would essentially redress the public plan and begin to incrementally shove it on states that don't meet federal standards. The Democrats are more than happy to let Snowe join in, especially since she is championing a means to their end - the public plan.
Senate Finance Vote "Fails the Test"
"After months of relentless courting and suspense, Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, cast her vote with Democrats on Tuesday as the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation to remake the health care system and provide coverage to millions of the uninsured... 'Is this bill all that I would want?' Ms. Snowe said. 'Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No.'" - The New York Times

Except for Ms. Snowe, all the committee Republicans stood against the bill, a stark demonstration of how divided Congress remains... Mr. Obama took pains to pain the bill as a bipartisan measure, praising Ms. Snowe's work and describing the bill as enjoying support 'from both parties..." 'Americans deserve a better approach,' said Senator Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.), foreshadowing the debate. He said the bill will impose new taxes on families, while hitting seniors with cuts in Medicare spending. 'The whole point of health-care reform is to make things better for Americans. The bill fails that test.'" - The Wall Street Journal
Canadians Speak Out
"Special interests, union protectionism, over-regulation, contradictory government policies: When politicians and bureaucrats make health care decisions rather than doctors and patients, the results aren't pretty." Learn more by watching the video from Mark J. Perry of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Haste Makes Waste
"While it's clear that there is a need to help Americans afford good health care, we're far from convinced that this year's efforts will get the job done properly...What eventually will emerge from Congress is going to be the result of furious, last-minute negotiations among several powerful committee leaders and the White House, all of whom are pushing alternative plans. If Congress runs true to form, those secret negotiations will yield a health care bill that is thousands of pages long and which will go to a final vote before the public - or even most members of Congress - can possibly read and understand its implications." - Editorial, Austin Daily Herald

No Time to Read the Fine Print
"The American public is about to be dealt the largest-ever package of consumer products and services whose fine print runs on for hundreds of pages, but consumers are being given little time to comprehend the particulars. I guess it doesn't matter because consumers will have little choice but to agree to the terms dictated to them." - Dennis Byrne, Chicago Tribune

A Warning on Government-Run Care
"Liberals often point to socialist countries like Great Britain as an example of how they think America should be. But anyone who knows anything about these socialists systems realizes they are a pox to efficiency and quality-and access...As we have discussed the proposed government takeover of health care in America for the past several months, we've learned more and more about the pathetic quality of care in places like the UK, and how because resources are short (as they always are in socialist systems) a dollar (or pound) value is placed on human life...One group even found that a million British patients had received "appalling" care from the National Health Service. Anyone up for some appalling health care in the United States?" - Bob Ellis, Dakota Voice

10/13

The Victims of Government-run Health Care

PublicPlanFacts.org'sseries of government-run health care horror stories continues. Today, hear from Lindsay McCreith and his experiences with the Canadian health care system. After Lindsay was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the government told him to wait for over a year for his tumor to be biopsied and removed.

Knowing he couldn't risk waiting on brain cancer, Lindsay headed to the U.S. and was treated in 2 weeks. Listen to Lindsay's story, in his own words on PublicPlanFacts.org. A Big Day for Health Reform "The Democratic-controlled Senate Finance Committee will consider its plan to cut healthcare costs, regulate insurers and expand coverage at a meeting starting at 10 a.m. EDT, with a vote a few hours later.

If approved as expected, the bill would be merged with the Senate Health Committee's version over the next few weeks and moved to the full Senate, setting off an eventual floor battle with Republicans who call it too costly and a heavy-handed government intrusion." - Reuters Senate Health Care Legislation to Drive Up Your Premiums A report done last week by PricewaterhouseCoopers says that "health care legislation drafted by Senate Democrats would drive up premiums, rather than making coverage more affordable, as the White House contends... the cost of the average family coverage, now $12,300, will rise to $18,400 in 2016 under current law and to $21,300 if the Senate bill is adopted.

Likewise, it said, the cost of individual coverage, now $4,600, will average $6,900 in 2016 under current law and $7,900 under the bill." - The New York Times Pitfalls of Baucus Plan "Despite the repeated refrain by President Obama that "no one will lose their current insurance" and that benefits will not be cut, the fact is that the Baucus plan does precisely that, and more...

If you enjoy the benefit of what you personally choose to prioritize, broad health insurance coverage for you and your family--our government is determined to punish you." - Scott W. Atlas, Forbes.com 'Watered Down' Option "Senate Democrats are growing increasingly bold in predicting a public health insurance option will pass Congress this year, defying months of pessimism and outright opposition from party moderates. But it's not the "public option" you think. Groping for a way out of a political bind, Democrats are defining down what constitutes a government-run insurance plan - and by extension, what it takes to declare victory.

At this point, Senate Democrats are signaling they could get behind just about anything they could plausibly call the public option - from a "trigger" that could kick in a public insurance plan later..." - Politico Dangerous Abuse of Power "'The federal government does not have the power to regulate Americans simply because they are there. The Constitution assigns only limited, enumerated powers to Congress and none, including the power to regulate interstate commerce or to impose taxes, would support a federal mandate requiring anyone who is otherwise without health insurance to buy it.'" - Abby Bakos, Northern Star

10/8

What the CBO Scoring Doesn't Tell You
"Don't forget the Obama administration's shining examples of efficiency so far.Jeff Emanuel also reminds us: 'They also said Medicare would cost $12 billion by 1990. It ended up being $107 billion - eight times the government estimate. Note: The CBO score is preliminary - 'because the bill 'has not yet been embodied in legislative language.'' Philip Klein at the American Spectator blog adds: '...this is good news for the Democrats because they now have a bill that they can point to that, according to the official scorekeeper, is deficit neutral and costs under $900 billion. The question is what happens when this gets merged with the more liberal and costly Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee bill.'" - Michelle Malkin

Taxing Those Who Cure Us
"A U.S. Senate healthcare reform bill would raise $29 billion more in taxes on healthcare companies over 10 years than originally estimated, congressional experts said on Tuesday, fueling new Republican attacks on the legislation...Senator Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the panel, said the higher taxes would be passed on to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums and healthcare costs. 'One of the goals of healthcare reform should be reducing premiums and costs for Americans, but these taxes will have the opposite effect,' Grassley said." - Reuters

The Public Plan: Shirking Responsibility
"The problem, of course, is when you make it the government's responsibility to provide anything to anyone, you're effectively making it the problem of everybody else to fund that of which some people either do not have, or refuse to get. Putting aside how much more expensive health care will become under a government-run plan, making it the responsibility of the American taxpayer to provide services for everyone else is neither moral nor compassionate. On the contrary, it reeks of infantile self-indulgence at the hands of a complete lack of any personal responsibility." - Steve Adcock, SmallGovTimes.com

NHS Bans Innovative Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug
"The study found that suffers given the drug abatacept were twice as likely to see an improvement in their condition. However, the drug has already been turned down by the NHS rationing body, the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence, as too expensive. It costs around £10,000 per patient per year and Nice has judged that the improvements patients see in their quality of life is not sufficient to justify the extra cost over and above standard treatment." - Daily Telegraph

Government Medicine
"The Obama Administration is pretty pumped today about new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office projecting that the latest Senate health care bill would cost $829 billion over 10 years - supposedly reducing the deficit over that time period by $81 billion. Granted, that's not a whole heck of a lot when the annual projected budget is well in advance of $1 trillion. But when you've been blowing holes in spending records since the day you took office, any kind of savings - however illusory - is cause for celebration. And make no mistake. Illusory it is. This is partly because the numbers being reported gloss over some rather important caveats in the estimates, but mostly because the bill sets up the entire health care industry for implosion." - Dan Calabrese, The North Star National

10/6

The Victims of Government-run Health Care
PublicPlanFacts.org will be posting stories of Canadian government-run health care over the coming weeks. The second video features Lin Gilbert and her story of how government-run health care failed her. Lin suffered in pain for three years waiting for spinal surgery. Now she has learned that her son suffers from the same ailment. Listen to Lin's story, in her own words on PublicPlanFacts.org.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEae6bVkZqk&feature=player_embedded

Voice Your Opposition
Yesterday, we learned that President Obama and his Administration are working behind closed doors to resurrect the public option and slip it into the Senate's reform legislation. You all rallied and made your voices heard, letting Congress know that this is NOT what is best for American patients. Continue to post your comments and read what others have wrote on Public Plan Facts and on the Hands Off My Health Facebook page.

Rushing Health Care Reform Out the Door
"Minnesota Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann said congressional Democrats were not guaranteeing lawmakers enough time to read the final version of health care reform legislation before they vote, telling conservative bloggers Tuesday that the majority party might be more interested in giving President Obama a political victory than in passing an effective plan...'Three days is an embarrassment,' Bachmann said Tuesday at the Heritage Foundation's weekly blogger lunch. 'It shows how embarrassed these Democrats are of their bill. They know this health care bill is radioactive with the American public and if they give the American public more than three days to read this bill, all hell might break loose and they might never get this bill actually passed and done.'" - CNN Politics

'Public Option' Not Top Priority for Voters
"Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters nationwide say guaranteeing that no one is forced to change their health insurance coverage is a higher priority than giving consumers the choice of a "public option" health insurance company. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% take the opposite view." - Rasmussen Reports

10/5

A Word Game
"Under the 'trigger' idea (a favorite of Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe), the government-run plan takes effect only if private insurers fail to expand coverage and bring down costs. It's more like an 'option for a public option.' But if Democrats want to edit that down to 'public option,' they're free to do so." - Peter Landers, The Wall Street Journal

Show Some Support for Big Government and DMV Health Care

Big government is getting a bad rap. Watch the video to see how their proposed DMV-style health care will help you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXtS2RMBukQ

Something We Can All Agree On
"We all want reform - but not the over-reaching measures promoted in the current bills. We have to strengthen and broaden individual decision-making. There are things we can all agree on: covering those who can't afford insurance, lowering costs, making insurance portable, and covering pre-existing conditions... These are common sense goals that offer real reform and don't require a government takeover of our health care and medical decisions.... Our nation still enjoys the finest health care in the world. Let's make necessary changes, but let's take the time to get it right." - Op-ed, Dr. Any Harris, The Baltimore Sun

10/2

Is the Public Plan Really Dead?
Not so fast! Learn why a "trigger" option is really no better than a "public" option on PublicPlanFacts.org.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
"The Senate Finance Committee may have rejected a government-run health insurance plan, but Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said yesterday he thinks the so-called public option will be in the final bill that emerges from Congress...He added: 'It won't be called a government option, and it will be dressed up to look like something else.'" - Union Leader (NH)
Just When You Thought the "Public Option" was Gone...
"Senate Democratic leaders signaled Thursday that their version of health care overhaul will include some form of a public option...Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, 'There is not one way to Rome; there are lots of ways to Rome'...'Remember, a public option is a relative term,' Reid said. 'There's a public option, there's a public option, and there's a public option. And we're going to look at each of them.'" - Politico
"The Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives vowed Thursday that lawmakers would approve a health care overhaul bill that includes a controversial government-run 'public option' insurance plan...Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed: 'We're going to do our very best to have a public option.'" - AFP Select Congressional Members Listen to Constituents
"Among those living in states represented by the 13 Senate Finance Committee members opposing both amendments, a majority in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll gave a thumbs down to the health reform proposals being developed by the Congress and Obama administration. But when asked about a package that excluded a public option, the results flipped and most stood in favor of the reform effort." - Washington Post Behind the Numbers blog

Have you Heard the One about the Public Option?
"As I reviewed the goings on in the Senate Finance Committee last night, it struck me that I had never heard a good public option joke...I actually have a really funny public option joke, but first I'll need two documents to evidence citizenship, and you'll have to fill out this form in triplicate...Write your own in the comments, and I'll feature some good ones." - Washington Post PostPartisan blog

Look to States for Government Health Care Running Amok
"Yet we don't need to peer over borders and across oceans to find government health care that does not work; indeed, we have examples here in our United States...Hawaii's Prepaid Healthcare Act and its coverage mandates have left Hawaiians with fewer coverage choices, higher costs and nearly double the number of uninsured. Recent budget cuts resulted in discontinuation of its coverage for children. Oregon's state-controlled care includes an official list that dictates what treatments will be covered based on annual budget constraints. If your disease is above the treatment line, you are covered. Below the line - you're not." - OpEd, Kerri Houston Toloczko, Investor's.com

10/1/09

A New Low for Health Reform
"A new Rasmussen Reports phone survey released on Monday shows the support for health-care reform proposed by the President and Congressional Democrats has sunk to a new low of forty-one percent (41%)...If the plan passes, 24% of voters say the quality of care will get better, and 55% say it will get worse. In August, the numbers were 23% better and 50% worse." - Examiner.com

Public Plan's Dead End
"Indeed, it seems the president himself doesn't much like the House bill anymore...Are House Democrats really going to support a massive income-tax increase that President Obama himself has walked away from? For now, it seems the answer is yes, because they have no alternative, which is why House leaders are working overtime to convince the Blue Dogs and others that the bill really isn't as liberal as it seems." - James C. Capretta, Critical Condition

Beating an Almost-Dead Horse
"Is the government-run public health-care option dead? As Katherine Mangu-Ward noted yesterday, the answer is yes, mostly. To which I would also add, probably, maybe, and for now. Although the Finance Committee has firmly rejected two public plan proposals, it's still possible-if highly unlikely-that we could see a public plan inserted into a final bill at some later point. Which means that, although the public-option piñata may be down, it's still worth giving it a few more whacks." - Peter Suderman, Reason.com

Recipe for Disaster
"Three years ago, Massachusetts adopted a plan requiring all residents to purchase health insurance, with state subsidies for lower-income residents. But rather than creating a utopia of high-quality affordable healthcare, the result has been the exact opposite - skyrocketing costs, worsened access, and lower quality care." - Paul Hsieh, Christian Science Monitor

9/30

Public Option Rejected by Senate Finance Committee
"A key Senate panel twice beat back efforts Tuesday to create a government-run insurance plan, dealing a crippling blow to the hopes of liberals seeking to expand the federal role in health coverage as a cornerstone of reform. In a signal moment in the increasingly fractious debate over reforming the nation's sprawling health-care system, Senate Finance Committee members rejected two amendments to create a public option on votes of 15 to 8 and 13 to 10. Committee Chairman Max Baucus (Mont.) was one of three Democrats who voted no on both proposals... 'No one has been able to show me how we can count up to 60 votes with a public option,' Baucus said. 'I want a bill that can become law.'" - The Washington Post
"A public plan would "crowd out" private insurers with artificially low prices, eventually forcing private insurers to absorb unpaid costs within the U.S. health system and charge their policyholders higher premiums."I think it is a slow-walk toward government-controlled, single-payer health care," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa." - Dow Jones Newswire
"The two votes suggested that the 'public option' is all but dead in the Senate, though it clings to life in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said it will be included in a bill to be brought to the House floor. The idea could still revive if the White House weighs in strongly on its behalf. Another possibility is the 'trigger' option, where the public plan takes effect only if other steps fail to expand coverage and lower costs." - The Wall Street Journal

Government is Here to Help
"If we allow the Government to control our health care at any level it could be disastrous. Government has a proven history of developing legislation that not only fails to accomplish stated goals, but costs billions of dollars in unnecessary paper work. President Reagan once said, "the scariest thing that can happen to an American is to have someone knock on your door and tell you, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you.' " - Op-ed, Dick Little, Paradise Post

9/29

Delayed, Denied and Dying for (Government-run) Care...
PPF.org joined the Colorado-based Independence Institute in Vancouver, BC to hear firsthand from Canadian patients that had to cross the border for care after endless delays, denials, prolonged pain, suffering and the potential of death after waiting to access the health care promised to them under Canada's socialized, government-run health care system. Check out the sneak peak on FOX News.

'Meet Dr. Government'
"But the chairman's bill, though it does not include a government-run health insurance company, would still lead to a near total Washington takeover of health insurance, and, therefore how Americans get their health care...We want to empower patients, families, and doctors, not federal bureaucrats." - Op-ed, Sen. Jon Kyl, National Ledger

Americans Losing Faith in Promise of Public Plan
"Public support for universal health insurance is declining, according the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll. About half, 51 percent, say the federal government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans, down slightly from 55 percent in July and 64 percent in June." - The New York Times

Competition is the Cornerstone of Reform
"If we want greater competition for today's health plans to drive down costs, let's instead revise the ground rules and create a competitive landscape across the nation for existing companies...A "public option" by any other name-including health-care co-op-just won't fly. The real competitive force will come from putting more dollars into individuals' hands and fewer into insurers' hands, and by fostering true competition among existing insurers." - Op-ed, William Winkenwerder, The Wall Street Journal

9/28

Universal (Health Care) Nightmare
PPF.org applauds Canadian patient and BigGovHealth.org advocate Shona Holmes as she continues her push to make sure Americans understand the potential consequences of government-run health. See Shona on last week's Sean Hannity's special "Universal Nightmare."

Gag on the Health Care Debate
"I'll show you scary: The same big-government types swearing up and down the halls of each hospital that any government health care plan would have to compete with the private sector are the same folks censoring a privately owned company from offering its side of the story to their customers? This is just the beginning." - Op-ed, Jim Waters, The Times Tribune

The Waiting Game
"When the pain in Christina Woodkey's legs became so severe that she could no long hike or cross-country ski, she went to her local health clinic. The Calgary, Canada, resident was told she'd need to see a hip specialist. Because the problem was not life-threatening, however, she'd have to wait about a year...So this month, she drove across the border into Montana and got the $50,000 surgery done in two days." - Los Angeles Times

Baucus' Plan is Not What America Needs
"Baucus' plan would not only fail to address what's wrong with the American health system but would also compound the country's economic woes by strapping individuals and businesses with new taxes and costs when they can least afford to pay them...In the end, government-run plans would be the only ones available. And taxpayers would be on the hook for all Americans' coverage." - Op-ed, Sally C. Pipes, San Francisco Examiner

Americans Want Bipartisan Reform
"The president and other Democrats are pushing vague, overhyped plans that need to be more bipartisan if they're going to have Americans' support. Until they fix those problems, they're going to have a health-care problem with the public." - Kyle Wingfield, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

9/25

The Failure of Socialized Medicine Explained in Just 90 Seconds
"Watch and learn quickly why Britain's and Canada's systems are failures, while ours needs an overhaul, but not of the kind the Democrats are proposing." - Paul Chesser, The American Spectator

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGPumAMkn_0&feature=player_embedded

No Guarantees

"Nothing is more critical to the success of President Obama's health-care legislation than his promise that no American will have to give up his or her health plan. A related promise runs a close second: that the "government option" will create competition for the private sector, not replace it...Most Americans are open to fixing health care, they're also happy with their private insurance. One would think Obama would oppose any provision that appears to force Americans into a government plan. Think again." - Rick Santorum, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Hazardous Health Care
"But the Democratic congressional leadership, led by Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, has now offered a bureaucratic, government-intrusive health care proposal. The details change daily as the bill works its way through the Finance Committee, which Mr. Baucus chairs, for there are more than 500 proposed amendments being considered...And then American families who do not have health insurance--the people the Democrats claim they're trying to help--would be assessed finds of between $750 to $1,900 a year. All this reflects Congress's simple objective: government rather than individual control of our health care." - Op-ed, Pete Du Pont, The Wall Street Journal

Sit Down with Senator Kent Conrad
"Do you support the public option?
No.
Why?
I go back to the T.R. Reid book. I don't think a government-run plan best fits this culture. A plan that's not government-run has the best chance of succeeding in being passed into law. Second, and this is very important to my thinking, the public option as defined by the committee of jurisdiction in the House, the Ways and Means Committee, is tied to Medicare levels of reimbursement. My state has the second-lowest level of Medicare reimbursement in the country. If my state is tied to that reimbursement, every hospital goes broke." - Ezra Klein interview with Sen. Kent Conrad, The Washington Post

They Won't Waste Time, Just Our Money
"In the end, the new deadline is a purely political exercise that is meant to preclude both the public and Congress from being too careful or prudent, which might upset Mr. Obama's ambitions for the next Great Society or New Deal. Democrats figure they can deal with the costs and consequences of remaking one-sixth of the economy-later." - Review & Outlook, The Wall Street Journal

The Trouble with Mandates
"The administration's plan will impose mandates that employers provide coverage, mandates that individuals obtain coverage, and mandates about the form this coverage will have to take. These will remove the freedom to choose one's health-insurance plan, because government, in its effort to correct perceived inequities, will dictate which health-care services must be covered and which health-care providers must be used. The proposed unprecedented intrusion of government into private markets will have adverse effects on people with insurance in both the short and the long run." - Op-ed, John F. Cogan, R. Glenn Hubbard and Daniel Kessler, The Wall Street Journal

A Fresh Start on Reform
"People instinctively understand that health care, controlled and heavily regulated by Washington bureaucrats, is bound to produce waste, delays and lower-quality care - while draining away the medical innovation that prevents disease and saves lives. Before we embark on a $1 trillion overhaul expedition we simply cannot afford, let's remember that we don't need a government takeover to improve our health care system." - Op-ed, Rep. Eric Cantor, Politico

9/24

Baucus Bridges the Political Divide
"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has finally achieved broad bipartisanship with his new health overhaul plan. Nobody else has been able to unite 99 Senators behind any idea in health reform. But Baucus has managed to do just that, with 99 Senators unified behind the idea of NOT supporting his plan." - Peter Ferrara, The American Spectator

What America Should Avoid
"'The Canadian health care system is a textbook case of government failure in medical insurance and medical services. All available evidence indicates that Canadians are paying more but getting less from our government-run health insurance system,' said Dr. Brett Skinner...'No other developed country in the world has adopted the Canadian approach to health care where governments effectively ban private-sector funding of hospital and physician services and prohibit competitive provision of publicly funded services...'" - Fraser Institute, Business Wire

'Northern Exposure'
"Too bad Mister Obama did not poll some actual Canadians as to their thoughts on the quality, convenience and cost of healthcare in the Great White North... While Canada does have a national healthcare system, which has proven quite costly in terms of taxes, my sources have complained about its efficiency on numerous occasions. Some argued that the costs outweigh the benefits." - Daniel J. Kelley, Chicago Daily Observer

Americans Left with Unanswered Questions
"President Obama has taken the case for health care reform to Congress and David Letterman's couch, but has yet to make the sale. The president is eloquent, as always, when he speaks about the plight of those who lack health insurance. And the cost of coverage has become an increasing burden for those lucky enough to have it... Nevertheless, there are still aspects of Obama's and other Democrats' vision for the future of health care in this country that cause great concern to many Americans."- Editorial, The Salem News

9/23

If at First You Don't Succeed
"The Manhattan Institute has released an instructive new study by Stephen T. Parente and Tarren Bragdon showing the damaging effects of government meddling in the health insurance market. Though the report focuses on New York, it's worth a look because many of the same policies that have helped destroy the market for insurance in the Empire State are now being proposed by Congress and President Obama at the national level." - Philip Klein, The American Spectator

Government-Run Plan Leaves Little Room for Innovation
"'Some poll results are disturbing. When asked a simple question - - 'Under a government plan, do you think drug companies will have incentives to develop as many life-saving new drugs?'-- 60 percent of doctors said no...what is health care reform all about? It's supposed to be about improving the health and the medical system for curing diseases and stopping chronic diseases, and so on.'" - On the Record, FOX News

If it's not Broke...
"Only two in 10 Americans say their health insurance coverage and the quality of the health care they receive will improve if a bill passes Congress this year, despite President Obama's promises to improve the system for those with and without insurance...Although there is widespread agreement that changes must be made in the USA, a strong majority say they are satisfied with what they have and don't want it upended." - USA Today

Ye of Little Faith
"...Take a look at the results of a new Gallup poll on government waste released Sept. 15. One question posed was: 'Of every tax dollar that goes to Washington, D.C., how many cents of each dollar would you say is wasted?' Gallup found that the mean response was 50 cents...Gallup found that nearly twice as many Americans believe that there is 'too much government regulation of business and industry' as believe there is 'too little' (45% to 24%)...Americans are in the mood for a radical shrinking of government in order to reduce debt and waste. Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats should be talking nonstop about how to achieve this goal." - Stephen Moore, The Wall Street Journal

9/21

Hands OFF My Health wants to hear from you! Take part in our 535 Voices video contest and submit your video to www.535voices.org to tell us what you think about government-run health care. We'll pick one winner to receive a $1,000 prize!

Spread Thin
"If federal health care reform achieves its goal of providing health coverage to most of the 46.3 million uninsured Americans, it could strain a large segment of the local medical provider workforce, many experts warn...According to a survey released in November by the Florida Department of Health, nearly 14 percent of family physicians in Florida were age 67 and older. South Florida has one family physician for every 5,957 residents." - South Florida Business Journal

Not Buying It
Acknowledging that he hasn't persuaded the American public and Congress to support sweeping changes to healthcare, President Obama offered a humbling admission Sunday: His message is sometimes not "breaking through..." "Actually, he has broken through. People don't like what he is selling," said Alex Castellanos, a Washington-based Republican consultant and campaign media expert. "This is not a communications problem." - Los Angeles Times

Expanding Medicare is Not the Quick Fix
"'The best thing about expanding Medicare is we can cover everybody with one sweep of the pen and cut administrative costs substantially,' he said. But, he said, it would probably require a tripling in payroll taxes just to pay hospitals alone. And it would do nothing to control costs, Mr. Skinner said. 'Medicare is dysfunctional,' he said. 'It provides the wrong incentives to doctors. This would be extending that dysfunctionality to the entire population.' Expanding Medicare, he said, is 'the cotton candy solution: it feels really good, but after a while, your stomach starts to go 'ewwww.'" - The New York Times

What to Expect with Government-Run Care
"Obama may be unaware, but there are three programs--in Maine, Massachusetts, and Tennessee--currently testing his idea of get-more-pay-less. The evidence is already in: Expanded health care coverage costs more, an awful lot more. There are no exceptions." -Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard

916 Hands OFF My Health wants to hear from you! Take part in our 535 Voices video contest and submit your video to www.535voices.org to tell us what you think about government-run health care. We'll pick one winner to receive a $1,000 prize!

Are you Listening Congress?
"As the WSJ reports, the UK's Patients Association, an independent charity, released a report this week that presented a catalogue of end-of-life cases that demonstrated, in its words, "a consistent pattern of shocking standards of care." We at PPF.org think it is interesting that some American politicians want to jump head first into a similar system when the model is obviously broken and in deep need of reform itself." Get more from the report at Public Plan Facts.

Pitfalls of Public Plan
"So you say you want "Obama Care" for Americans. Before you put your seal of approval on that idea, you might want to consider how things are going in Canada, a country that is being challenged by its citizens on a daily basis about their health care program. "Obama Care" is similar to the Canadian program. Health Care in Canada is not free, and a large number of its citizens are not happy with it." - Op-ed, by Dick Little, Paradise Post

The New Public Option
"Coming to a neighborhood near you: nonprofit health coops administered by ACORN designed to use state Medicaid programs to usher in single payer health care." - Robert M. Goldberg, The American Spectator

They Said it Themselves
"It's one of the most persistent - and potent - Republican arguments against health reform: that President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats want a U.S. government takeover of health care. And what evidence do they have to back it up? Obama said so. Just check out YouTube." - Chris Frates, Politico

9/14

Hands OFF My Health wants to hear from you! Take part in our 535 Voices video contest and submit your video to www.535voices.org to tell us what you think about government-run health care. We'll pick one winner to receive a $1,000 prize!

Back to Constitutional Basics
"Applying these principles to President Barack Obama's health-care proposal, it's clear that his plan is unconstitutional at its core... What we have here is raw abuse of power by the federal government for political purposes. The president and his colleagues want to reward their supporters with "free" health care that the rest of us will end up paying for." - Op-ed, by Andrew P. Napolitano, The Wall Street Journal
'There Ain't No Such Thing as Free Health Care'
"TANSTAAFL is an acronym for "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch." The saying caught on with classical liberals and libertarians who have a philosophical commitment to tell the truth about public policy matters. The current version should, however, be changed to TANSTAFHC, meaning "There Ain't No Such Thing As Free Health Care" - despite what ObamaCare champions pretend...But saying something is "free" will not make it so. Among the few free goods and provisions in the world, health care is certainly not one." - Op-ed, by Tibor Machan, Gaston Gazette
Government vs. Grandma
"It should therefore come as no surprise that the NHS is institutionally ageist. The elderly have fewer years left to them; why then should they get health-care resources that would benefit a younger person more? An analysis by a senior U.K.-based health-care expert earlier this decade found that in the U.S. health-care spending per capita goes up steeply for the elderly, while the U.K. didn't show the same pattern. The U.K.'s pattern of health-care spending by age had more in common with the former Soviet bloc." - Op-ed, by Rupert Darwall, The Wall Street Journal

9/11

It Doesn't Add Up
"Health care policy researchers are contradicting President Obama's claim that a government-run health insurance program would be self-sufficient and could rely on premiums, saying it's not possible to insure up to 30 million people with better coverage and reduce costs at the same time." - FOX News

'No Model for Reform'
"Did the government really get Medicare right? Here are the top 10 reasons this program should not be a model for reform, and why it would be dangerous for the federal government to be put in charge of any more of our health sector." - Op-ed, Grace-Marie Turner and Joseph R. Antos, The Wall Street Journal

Too Much to Iron Out
"In a much-hyped speech aimed at rejuvenating his health care push, Obama delivered a message that was strikingly similar to the one that has failed to resonate with the American people thus far. The reason is that while Obama can paper over political and policy realities by speaking in broad strokes, it's always the specifics that have caused him problems." - The American Spectator

9/9

President Obama will be addressing Congress tonight at 8 p.m. (EST) to discuss his plans for health care reform. Tune in to Hands Off My Health on Twitter during the speech to get CMPI-Advance President Bob Goldberg's take on it all. #handsoff

Hands OFF My Health wants to hear from you! Today we launched "535 Voices," a video contest designed to show each of the 535 Congressional Members that Americans still have concerns about proposed health care reform bills. Submit your video to www.535voices.org to tell us what you think about government-run health care. We'll pick one winner to receive a $1,000 prize!

They Are Not Listening
"Once government is the insurer, it will inevitably mean that government can determine access and availability of medical care itself--as is already the case in other countries where such centralized health care systems already exist...Americans realize that government is not the way other goods and services have become subject to competition. In the U.S., competition has always stemmed from the private sector competing for the dollar of value-seeking consumers. And that private-sector competition has promoted innovation--innovation that has benefited Americans with better and cheaper products and services." - Op-ed, Scott W. Atlas, Forbes

A Step in the Wrong Direction
"So Congress-already by far the largest U.S. health-care purchaser-will change its price controls and payment policies to weight the practice of medicine in directions it finds amenable or politically convenient, even if it harms innovation or ends up restricting useful treatments to manage the inevitable cost overruns...But the reality is that even under the Baucus framework the government, which created or exacerbated most of the problems that Mr. Obama says government must rectify, will soon control the entire health-care market. This has been the liberal ambition for decades, and BaucusCare would take another giant leap in that unaffordable direction." - Editorial, The Wall Street Journal

Potential for Progress
"Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said that a great deal of the prospects for healthcare reform hinges on what Obama tells lawmakers during a joint session address to Congress tomorrow night..."If the president continues to insist that some type of government takeover or government option be included -- even if he tries to cloak it in the context of a set of cooperatives that were established by the government -- I think that will result in the continuation of this strong battle over the direction of the plan," Crapo said." - The Hill

Tide Turns Against Public Option
"Lieberman and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), another centrist expected to play a pivotal role in passing health reform on the Senate floor, voiced strong doubts Tuesday about an expanded government role in healthcare. "I just don't think at this stage in our history, with all of the terrible national debt that we're facing, that we should be adding another government agency to do this kind of thing," Lieberman said." - The Hill

9/8

Welcome Back Congress!
Congress is returning today from their summer recess and we're going to welcome them back in a big way. Our petition against the public plan option has over 80,000 supporters who are telling Congress to keep their hands off our health care. There is still time to sign the petition and forward it to friends!

Baucus' Bill
"As expected, the proposal from Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, excludes the public insurance option to compete with private insurers. However, it would allow for the creation of nonprofit health care cooperatives -- an idea that some moderate Democrats and Republicans have expressed possible interest in supporting." - CNN

"Now Baucus, a Democrat from the traditionally conservative state of Montana, has presented a powerful counterweight to liberals in the form of draft legislation that he thinks presents the best opportunity to overhaul the nation's health system...The draft is a strong signal to Obama and other Democrats that Baucus does not think a government-run insurance program or a proposal to pay for reform by raising taxes not related to healthcare has a chance of becoming law." - The Hill

Moving on from Public Option
Three days before President Obama is to address a joint session of Congress about overhauling the health care system, administration officials on Sunday continued to characterize a new government program for the nation's 50 million uninsured as worthwhile but not essential to legislation. David Axelrod, a White House senior adviser, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Mr. Obama "believes the public option is a good tool." But Mr. Axelrod added: "It shouldn't define the whole health-care debate." - The New York Times

Health Care Means War
"Hammering out a partisan health care reform bill would be like going to war without congressional approval, a top-ranking senator said Sunday... "Thumbing their nose at the American people by ramming through a partisan bill would be the same thing as going to war without asking Congress' permission," he said. "You might technically be able to do it, but you'd pay a terrible price in the next election." - FOX News

There Can be Reform Without Public Health Care
"A dangerous sentiment on the left threatens to derail what could be the biggest progressive achievement in half a century. It's the view that any health-care reform that doesn't include a public option isn't "real" reform and thus isn't worth doing." - Op-ed, Matt Miller, Washington Post

9/4

We're Almost There!
There are just 4 days left until Congress gets back from recess to resume their work on health care reform. Send a message to Congress and say "NO" to the public option by signing our petition. We have over 78,000 signatures, but need your help to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures, so please forward this to five friends and help us take a stand on health care reform.

Open to Responsible Reform
"Even as liberals urge President Barack Obama to demand bold, far-reaching changes to the nation's health care system, the White House signaled openness Thursday to compromises that might attract moderate congressional Democrats as well as some Republicans. Obama believes in "fundamental principles" about overhauling health care, top presidential adviser David Axelrod told The Associated Press, but 'he's not dogmatic about how we get there.'" - The Washington Post

Government Health System Cuts Care
"Management consultants McKinsey & Co. said Britain's universal health care system should make drastic cuts -- including laying off doctors and nurses -- to make up an expected budget shortfall, according to details of a study published Thursday by the Health Service Journal." - The Wall Street Journal

Horrors of Public Plan
"In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, a group of experts who care for the terminally ill claim that some patients are being wrongly judged as close to death. Under NHS guidance introduced across England to help doctors and medical staff deal with dying patients, they can them ave fluid and drugs withdrawn and many are put on continuous sedation until they pass away." - Daily Telegraph

9/3

We Won't Stand For It
There are just 5 days left until Congress gets back from recess to resume their work on health care reform. Send a message to Congress and say "NO" to the public option by signing our petition. We need your help to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures, so please forward this to five friends and help us take a stand on health care reform.

Obama to Back Away from Public Plan
"Trying to resuscitate his push for a health care overhaul, President Obama has decided to address a rare joint session of Congress next week and make a revamped argument for passage of an evolving plan that has riled the nation and brought down his approval ratings for the past two months...Though David Axelrod, top adviser to the president, said Mr. Obama still "embraces" a government-run "public option" for health insurance, which combined with the plan's price tag has fueled much of the public blowback, the president was not expected to insist that it be part of any final plan."-Washington Times

"The speech, expected to be televised live, will insert the president into the heated debate in a way he has avoided all summer. The White House has had Congress shape the details of health-care legislation and kept Mr. Obama away from big speeches. But there are hints the president will scale back his ambitions on several points and wade in on one of the most-divisive issues: whether Congress should create a public health-insurance plan to compete with private insurers." - The Wall Street Journal

"It's far from clear that Obama's speech will satisfy grumbling liberals. For instance, he consistently has refused to insist on a government-run program to compete with private health insurers, a top goal of liberals, even though he says he prefers such an option. Axelrod called the public option important, but stopped short of saying it was essential to a final bill." - Associated Press

"The House Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, said: "House Republicans want to hear what the president has to say, but after the public outcry this August, it's clear the American people don't want a new speech. They want a new plan." Mr. Boehner said the Democrats should scrap their current proposals and start over." - New York Times

Public Option, RIP
"It's time to pour one out for the public option. That's how many are reading two comments from White House staffers in news reports today, the first from an ABC News interview with White House senior adviser David Axelrod: 'As to the fate of a government option plan to compete with private insurance, Axelrod suggested the controversial concept is gone but not forgotten: "The spirit that led him to support a public option is still very much at play here and so you know he wants competition. He wants choice.'" - The New York Times
"Ditching Public Option isn't Enough"
"President Obama may be signaling that he's willing to drop the public option from his health care overhaul effort, but don't expect Republicans to jump on the reform bandwagon just yet. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said today that stripping the public option from the bill would be a "step in the right direction" for the administration, but he said Republicans needed to see additional changes." - Politico

Public Option isn't the Only Problem
"President Obama is meeting stiff resistance from even his own party -- and from the American people. This is evidenced by the President's willingness to retreat on the government run option, begging the question, what else is wrong with the Administration's proposal?" - Frank Schell, The American Spectator

Health Care for the Healthy
"Anecdotally, the U.K. and Canadian citizens we have met are all agreed that as long as you are not sick, government health care is fine; but if you are, then it is time to go to the U.S." - Op-ed, Leonard R. Bogaev, M.D., Free Lance-Star

9/2

As you may have seen from our morning E-mails, Hands Off My Health has launched a petition to tell Members of Congress to keep their hands to themselves! We're up to over 14,000 supporters already, but want to ensure we're 20,000 strong by the time Congress leaves for their August recess.

We know you feel as passionately about keeping the government out of our health care as we do, so please forward the petition to 10 friends and show Congress that we mean business. When they return to their offices on September 1, we'll deliver the petition, showing them that Americans will not stand for a government takeover of our health care. Together, we can tell elected officials to keep their "Hands Off My Health!"

Thank you!
Dr. Robert Goldberg
President
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest-Advance

9/2

Just Say No

There are just 6 days left until Congress gets back from recess to resume their work on health care reform. Send a message to Congress and say "NO" to the public option by signing our petition. We need your help to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures, so please forward this to five friends and help us take a stand on health care reform.

The Road to Bipartisan Reform
"Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says there may be only one path Democrats can take to get Republicans to support for health care reform...' a Democratic plan shouldn't pass. Just a Republican plan shouldn't pass," Grassley says. "We ought to have something, when you're restructuring one-sixth of the economy, that's very broadly bipartisan.'" - Radio Iowa News

What Does it all Mean?
"Most Americans find the health care reforms being discussed in Congress confusing and say President Obama has not clearly explained his plans to overhaul the system, according to a CBS News poll released Tuesday." - CBS News

The Short Leap from 'Public Option' to Government-Run
"The bottom line is that a public plan will grant the federal government unprecedented power to constantly tinker with the healthcare sector in ways that will make one sixth of our entire economy completely dependent on decisions made in Washington, DC. This is not the way free societies operate." - The Heritage Foundation

The Real Costs of Free Health Care
"As Milton Friedman used to say, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." This is especially true when you talk about "government" picking up the bill for "everyone's" health care. Any such overhaul is going to cost money... and a lot of it." - John Nothdurft, The American Spectator

9/1

One Week Left
There are just 7 days left until Congress gets back from recess to resume their work on health care reform. Send a message to Congress and say "NO" to the public option by signing our petition. We need your help to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures, so please forward this to five friends and help us take a stand on health care reform.

Grassley Hopeful for Limited Reform
"Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley said Monday he remains hopeful a limited health care reform measure can be negotiated, but that a small bipartisan group of senators working on the issue agrees a government-run public option won't be part of the package." - Associated Press

One Size Doesn't Fit All
"Remember when Michael Moore depicted the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) as a superior health care system in his 2007 documentary "Sicko"? That romanticizing on the silver screen might have seemed like a good idea for the American society, but according to Lord Ara Darzi [a former British Health Minister], it's not ideal for the United States." - Business and Media Institute

Facts vs. Fiction
"If doctors and hospitals are rewarded for complying with government mandated treatment measures or penalized if they do not comply, clearly federal bureaucrats are directing health decisions." - Op-ed, Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband, The Wall Street Journal

8/31

Be Heard
There are just 8 days left until Congress gets back from recess to resume their work on health care reform. Send a message to Congress and say "NO" to the public option by signing our petition. We need your help to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures, so please forward this to five friends and help us take a stand on health care reform.

Look on the Bright Side
"Probably the greatest benefit to socialized health care is the freedom inherent in having our vocation changed from a profession to a job. We'll no longer have to keep up on the latest medications, procedures and research in our field. Cutting-edge medicine will be reduced anyway, given that investigative medical pursuits will no longer be funded. As federal employees, the quality of our work will be irrelevant. It's not like we can get fired, and besides, where's the public going to turn? Canada?" - Op-ed, Dr. Alan S. Boyd, The Tennessean

Public Option is not an Option
"As I've said from the beginning, a government-run option is not an option. I voted against the Democrat plan in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month and would do so again," Enzi said. "A government-run plan would increase health care costs, lessen service and add to our huge debt. The American people are doing a great job of getting this message across to the Administration and Congress." - American Chronicle The Best Canada has to Offer?
"Some say America should follow Canada's lead, where private care is effectively banned. But having experienced their procedures while on holiday in Quebec, I really don't think that's a good idea at all...Nothing can prepare you for the yawning chasm of time that passes in Canada before the healthcare system actually does any healthcare." - Jeremy Clarkson, The Sunday Times

8/26

Take a Stand
There are just 13 days left until Congress gets back from recess to resume their work on health care reform. Send a message to Congress and say "NO" to the public option by signing our petition. We need your help to reach our goal of 100,000 signatures, so please forward this to five friends and help us take a stand on health care reform.

What Congress has in Store for You
You probably know by now that the House plan to overhaul the health care system will establish a "public plan" that limits patients' choices and care. Did you also know that most of the members of the House haven't even read the bill? Well, here at Hands Off My Health, we've read the 1,000 page plan and we don't like what we're seeing. Learn what Congress has in store for the future of your health care in our House Health Care Bill Scavenger Hunt.

You Get What You Pay for
"As a person who has lived on both sides of the border, I can attest to the superior quality of American medicine. Services that took six months or longer to receive in Canada are delivered within hours here. Doctors treat you as a paying customer worthy of their time, rather than an inconvenience; and after you factor in direct and indirect tax savings, I'm not paying much more for this higher level of service." - Op-ed, Kelly Sloan, Grand Junction Free Press

Only in America
"Government insurance for health care -- the public option -- is an inappropriate cure that the American body politic is rejecting...That is not the American way. Neither is socialized medicine's obvious disincentive to scientists and entrepreneurs to research and develop innovative biologics, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Americans, by contrast, produce and consume the best health care in the world and export life-saving drugs across the planet." - Op-ed, Larry Greenfield, JTA

Focus on Fixing What's Broken
"Health care reform impacts a very large part of our economy and our daily lives. Doesn't Congress owe it to Americans to have an open and meaningful debate that produces a plan supported by a large bipartisan majority? ...America's health care system needs reform. But it does not need to be transformed into a government-run program. Bureaucracies simply do not cut costs, and they have never increased efficiency." - Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA), RedState Blog
8/24

The Elephant in the Room
"Proponents of the government plan will claim your health care won't be impacted. But a government plan is like an elephant in a room full of mice. The smart mice get out of the room; the slow mice get trampled; and the only thing left is the elephant. A government health care provider will run everyone else out of business and, soon, will be the only competitor left." - Op-ed, Congressman Roy Blunt, Springfield News-Leader

Slow and Steady for Responsible Health Care Reform
"Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut on Sunday urged the Obama administration to consider postponing overhauling the health care system and instead work on smaller chunks of the issue until the economy improves. "I'm afraid we've got to think about putting a lot of that off until the economy's out of recession," Mr. Lieberman said on CNN's "State of the Union." "There's no reason we have to do it all now, but we do have to get started. And I think the place to start is cost health delivery reform and insurance market reforms." - The New York Times

8-20

Want to learn more about the America's Health Care Town Hall? Dr. Bob Goldberg was down in the trenches, speaking with Americans who were engaging in the debate like never before. Get the inside scoop on the Atlanta health care rally from CMPI-Advance President, Bob Goldberg.

Co-op? Public Plan? What's the Difference?
"This "co-op" would be federally controlled, federally funded, and federally staffed. Expressing his opposition to smaller organizations and his demand for a national "co-op," Mr. Schumer says, "It has to have clout; it has to be large." He adds, "There would at least be one national model that could go all over the country," which would require "a large infusion of federal dollars." - Op-ed, Michael O. Leavitt, The Wall Street Journal

Maine Gives a Sneak Peek at Failures of Government Option
"In 2003, the state to great fanfare enacted its own version of universal health care. Democratic Governor John Baldacci signed the plan into law with a bevy of familiar promises. By 2009, it would cover all of Maine's approximately 128,000 uninsured citizens. System-wide controls on hospital and physician costs would hold down insurance premiums. There would be no tax increases. The program was going to provide insurance for everyone and save businesses and patients money at the same time. After five years, fiscal realities as brutal as the waves that crash along Maine's famous coastline have hit the insurance plan." - The Wall Street Journal

A Taste of Their Own Medicine
"Well, if it's so good, why doesn't Congress give up the extravagant health plan they enjoy and sign up this one?... 'Under the current draft of the Democrat health care legislation, members of Congress are curiously exempt from the government-run health care option, keeping their existing health plans and services on Capitol Hill.'" - Op-ed, Fran Brandmahl, The Sun News

Wait in Line Grandma
"A grandmother who desperately needs a revolutionary cancer treatment is being denied it by NHS Barnet... The woman is experiencing her fourth relapse, but has been told by NHS Barnet she will have to wait until the end of next month before she will be considered for the treatment." - Borehamwood & Elstree Times

8/18

Will You Make it to the Hospital in Time?
Government-run health care will put obstacles in the path of patients. Try out our new Super Race to the Hospital Super Race to the Hospital game to see if you can navigate through the public plan mess!

Should We Consider 'Wal-Mart-Care'?
"When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast back in 2005, the government couldn't get people off their roofs or the interstate bridges for over four days or even get a bottle of water to them. And they want me to trust them to take over my health care? While the government was struggling to get organized, a private company, Wal-Mart was getting supplies to the victims and delivering equipment to the scene. That's when it hit me: Maybe we should let Wal-Mart run health care." - Mike Huckabee, FOX News

A Rose by Any Other Name...
"But what's important to emphasize is that even without the creation of a new government plan, we could still be stuck with a government-run health care system. First off, at this point, we don't know how this idea of a non-profit co-op would work -- under some versions, it could easily become a de facto government plan." - American Spectator Blog

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Socialism
"The present administration appears to be getting ready to deliver us "Obamacare," the latest version of "socialized medicine," and troublingly close to the British and Canadian systems. Why liberals want bureaucrats to handle our medical system is beyond me. Would you like the IRS to handle your bank records? I wouldn't!" - Op-ed, Dick Little, Paradise Post

8-14

CMPI-A President Says Rationing is Already Present...In Government Programs

"I am not worried about death panels or plugs being pulled. I am worried about expanding government power about what to pay doctors, how to allocate care and telling me (and my doctor) something is ineffective, wasteful or unnecessary treatment. That's government rationing. And it will happen...Edith Andrews of Zanesville, Ohio, faced that problem last year when her twin girls, Sara and Samantha, were born prematurely nearly four years ago. Each weighed less than 3 pounds and needed a ventilator to breathe...When Sara's lung collapsed, Edith couldn't find a Medicaid pediatrician to care for her. "Sarah's complications got worse and worse, and there was never a doctor around when I needed to talk to somebody." She finally found a doctor to take her daughters on as patients after a year of searching." - OpEd, Dr. Robert Goldberg, American Spectator

Seniors Are Right to Worry about Health Care Reform
"Claims about euthanasia and "death panels" are over the top, senior fears have exposed a fundamental truth about what Mr. Obama is proposing: Namely, once health care is nationalized, or mostly nationalized, rationing care is inevitable, and those who have lived the longest will find their care the most restricted...The problem is that governments ration through brute force-either explicitly restricting the use of medicine or lowering payments below market rates. Both methods lead to waiting lines, lower quality, or less innovation-and usually all three." - Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal

Empowered Government Panel Could be New Executive Branch Power
"But the president's proposal to create a potent rate-setting body modeled on Mr. Hackbarth's agency, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, is meeting resistance from lawmakers, doctors, hospitals and even some advocates for older Americans...lawmakers are concerned that Mr. Obama's proposal would turn what is now an independent Congressional agency into an executive branch body, with members appointed by the president. And if the panel tried to translate judgments about the effectiveness of various medical treatments into Medicare payment policy, Congress's ability to tamp down any political outcry might be limited." - New York Times

New Polls Show Support for Current Reform Plans Slipping, Sympathy for Town Halls Participants Increasing
"According to a USA Today/Gallup poll, 69 percent of Americans are closely following news of town hall meetings on health-care reform. Thirty-four percent say protests against the plan at the meetings have made them more sympathetic to the critics' views, and 21 percent say the protests make them less sympathetic, according to the poll. Thirty-six percent say the protests have made no difference. A separate USA Today/Gallup poll reported that 49 percent of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of health-care policy while 43 percent approve." - Washington Post

Elected Officials Need a Reality Check
"Americans fear that Obama's curve bending will come down to rationing that puts ordinary citizens in long queues and the elderly at peril. Long waits for surgery and appointments to see specialists in foreign government-run systems make those fears well-founded. It becomes a short leap to hysteria about euthanasia. Americans fear a moribund bureaucracy, akin to the post office, will be making critical decisions in their lives, and they will be left with the kind of recourse they now enjoy in tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service...I don't mind politicians praying for divine inspiration in hours of trial. What disturbs me are those claiming the divine right of kings." - OpEd, Peter Morici, Chicago Tribune

Check out the new Hands OFF My Health ad that will begin running on Politico, Washington Post and the Washington Times' Web sites! Help us spread the word, the public plan trigger is a baaaad idea.

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