Obama: It takes more than fine speeches

[MaggieMae]

I recently published a book called Churchill's Secret Skills, the strap line on the cover sums up the position for Obama. "Keeping the Nazi's off the beaches required more than fine speeches". Obama needs to be able to prove he is more than just a great speaker, otherwise his talent will become a burden.

There were quite a few secret skills that nobody knows about and they belonged to other people Churchill was fortunate enough to have working with him. In that he was lucky, as were the rest of us.

One of whom was his BFF, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

 

[MaggieMae]

Pilgrim:

He does deliver a good speech. Even last night with him misrepresenting HR3200 and lying about what was in it he sounded good. Even during the fear mongering portions of it where he was basically saying "if you dont pass this people will die" sounded pretty good.

He didn't reference any one bill. He mentioned 4 and a 5th allegedly on its way.

Obama basically took ownership of health care reform. He had left it to Congress to write, as the Constitution requires. They've had enough time and have reached gridlock, so it was time. Therefore, there WILL be a new draft and everyone can stop yammering about what is, and isn't, in the five current versions.

 

[MaggieMae]

He does deliver a good speech. Even last night with him misrepresenting HR3200 and lying about what was in it he sounded good. Even during the fear mongering portions of it where he was basically saying "if you dont pass this people will die" sounded pretty good.

Take a transcript of the speech and read it. Then take HR3200 and show me where Obama misrepresented it. Then show me in the speech where he used fear mongering? He's right about people dying because of the way health care is, Plymco, or would you deny that people losing health insurance coverage when seriously ill doesn't put their lives in jeopardy?

What you are doing is baseless. If you think he lied, prove it. Show me where he lied. If you're right, then I'll never vote Democrat again.

1) HR3200 will not increase the debt by a dime
2) Only 5% of americans will be affected by HR3200

Theres 2 you dont have to be a rocket scientist to figure out....now here is a tougher one

3) There are no government panels to decide on what care is acceptable....this post is about to get long so i can show you how the language of HR3200 directly contradicst this statement.

The party line is that if you currently have health insurance, sure, you can keep it. They call this “grandfathering” in your plan. But Section 102: PROTECTING THE CHOICE TO KEEP CURRENT COVERAGE doesn’t protect anything except the government-run “gateways” and “exchanges” because the day you decide to give up your current plan, it’s all over but the shouting because unless you enroll in an employer-provided plan (that must provide no less than exactly the same benefits as the government’s plan), it’s straight into the machine for you.

These are the key excerpts (section 102):

(1) LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT-

(A) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1.

(Notice that this is the sum total of verbiage in “this paragraph”. There are NO exceptions. Health insurers may no longer enroll new plan participants.)
(c) Limitation on Individual Health Insurance Coverage-

(1) IN GENERAL- Individual health insurance coverage that is not grandfathered health insurance coverage under subsection (a) may only be offered on or after the first day of Y1 as an Exchange-participating health benefits plan.

**This means that if a health insurance company wants to stay in business, it must get in bed with the government.**

(2) SEPARATE, EXCEPTED COVERAGE PERMITTED- Excepted benefits (as defined in section 2791(c) of the Public Health Service Act) are not included within the definition of health insurance coverage. Nothing in paragraph (1) shall prevent the offering, other than through the Health Insurance Exchange, of excepted benefits so long as it is offered and priced separately from health insurance coverage.

***How very kind of them. Separate insurance policies will be “permitted” by the government. If you didn’t ask “What are excepted benefits?” then you deserve the government we’ve got today and don’t come crying to us when some government official tells people that their life isn’t worth the cost of saving it. But because I’m feeling generous today, I’ll ask the question for us all. What are these “excepted benefits”? Well, basically anything except what we all think of as common medical treatments, such as:

• Coverage only for accident, or disability income insurance, or any combination thereof.
• Coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance.
• Liability insurance, including general liability insurance and automobile liability insurance.
• Workers’ compensation or similar insurance.
• Automobile medical payment insurance.
• Credit-only insurance.
• Coverage for on-site medical clinics
• Other similar insurance coverage, specified in regulations, under which benefits for medical care are secondary or incidental to other insurance benefits.

Not exactly the “choice” the President, Pelosi, Reid, and those in the media are leading us to believe, is it?

So just what happens to your “health care” once the government gets their guaranteed hold of it? Pull out your airsickness bag and read on.

What is covered:

From section 122 (Essential benefits)

(b) Minimum Services To Be Covered-

1. Hospitalization.
2. Outpatient hospital and outpatient clinic services, including emergency department services.
3. Professional services of physicians and other health professionals.
4. Such services, equipment, and supplies incident to the services of a physician’s or a health professional’s delivery of care in institutional settings, physician offices, patients’ homes or place of residence, or other settings, as appropriate.
5. Prescription drugs.
6. Rehabilitative and habilitative services.
7. Mental health and substance use disorder services.
8. Preventive services, including those services recommended with a grade of A or B by the Task Force on Clinical Preventive Services and those vaccines recommended for use by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
9. Maternity care.
10. Well baby and well child care and oral health, vision, and hearing services, equipment, and supplies at least for children under 21 years of age.

(1)NO COST-SHARING FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICES- There shall be no cost-sharing under the essential benefits package for preventive items and services (as specified under the benefit standards), including well baby and well child care.

This is the 2008 list of those “preventative services” from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force:

Grade A:

• Cervical cancer screening for women
• Colorectal cancer screening for men and women over 50
• Discuss aspirin chemoprevention with adults who are at increased risk for coronary heart disease
• Screening for high blood pressure in adults aged 18 and older
• Screening for chlamydial infection for all sexually active non-pregnant young women aged 24 and younger and for older nonpregnant women who are at increased risk
• Prophylactic ocular topical medication for all newborns against gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum
• Screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women at their first prenatal visit
• Screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) all adolescents and adults at increased risk for HIV infection
• Screening all pregnant women for HIV
• Screening persons at increased risk for syphilis infection
• Screening all pregnant women for syphilis infection
• Screening all adults for tobacco use and provide tobacco cessation interventions for those who use tobacco
• Screening all pregnant women for tobacco use and provide augmented pregnancy-tailored counseling to those who smoke
• Rh (D) blood typing and antibody testing for all pregnant women during their first visit for pregnancy-related care
• Screening for sickle cell disease in newborns

Grade B:

• One-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by ultrasonography in men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked
• Genetic counseling and evaluation for women whose family history is associated with an increased risk for deleterious mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes (breast & ovarian cancer)
• Chemoprevention for women at high risk for breast cancer and at low risk for adverse effects of chemoprevention
• Screening mammography, with or without clinical breast examination (CBE), every 1-2 years for women aged 40 and older
• Screening for chlamydial infection for all pregnant women aged 24 and younger and for older pregnant women who are at increased risk
• Screening all sexually active women, including those who are pregnant, for gonorrhea infection if they are at increased risk for infection (that is, if they are young or have other individual or population risk factors)
• Screening and behavioral counseling interventions to reduce alcohol misuse (go to Clinical Considerations) by adults, including pregnant women, in primary care settings
• Screening adults for depression in clinical practices that have systems in place to assure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and followup
• Intensive behavioral dietary counseling for adult patients with hyperlipidemia and other known risk factors for cardiovascular and diet-related chronic disease. Intensive counseling can be delivered by primary care clinicians or by referral to other specialists, such as nutritionists or dietitians
• Routine screening for iron deficiency anemia in asymptomatic pregnant women
• Routine iron supplementation for asymptomatic children aged 6 to 12 months who are at increased risk for iron deficiency anemia
• Screening all adult patients for obesity and offer intensive counseling and behavioral interventions to promote sustained weight loss for obese adults
• Screening women aged 65 and older routinely for osteoporosis. The USPSTF recommends that routine screening begin at age 60 for women at increased risk for osteoporotic fractures
• Structured breastfeeding education and behavioral counseling programs to promote breastfeeding
• Primary care clinicians prescribe oral fluoride supplementation at currently recommended doses to preschool children older than 6 months of age whose primary water source is deficient in fluoride
• Screening to detect amblyopia, strabismus, and defects in visual acuity in children younger than age 5 years

(2) ANNUAL LIMITATION-

Y1 is $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family. Such levels shall be increased (rounded to the nearest $100) for each subsequent year by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (United States city average) applicable to such year.

****Pay particular attention to this. It’s your annual out-of-pocket expenses for for anything not included in the Grade A or Grade B list of “preventative items and services”. So although a preventative test may be covered, you’ll still be liable for co-pay expenses to walk in the door to get it. And just like with most plans today, you’ll still be liable to share the costs of fixing anything found wrong with you by those tests.****

Of course we have to have a “Health Benefits Advisory Committee to recommend covered benefits and essential, enhanced, and premium plans.” This will be chaired by the Surgeon General and will have “9 members who are not Federal employees or officers and who are appointed by the President”, “9 members who are not Federal employees or officers and who are appointed by the Comptroller General”, and an “even number of members (not to exceed 8 ) who are Federal employees and officers, as the President may appoint.” A committe with up to 27 members, 18 of whom are picked by the President. The bill says these people will “reflect providers, consumer representatives, employers, labor, health insurance issuers, experts in health care financing and delivery, experts in racial and ethnic disparities, experts in care for those with disabilities, representatives of relevant governmental agencies, and at least one practicing physician or other health professional and an expert on children’s health”. But with no checks and balances on the selection of this group, you can bet they will reflect this or any FUTURE President’s personal opinions and/or especially those to whom they may owe campaign favors.

And, of course we have to have a Health Choices Administration and a Health Choices Commissioner. At least the commissioner will be appointed by the President “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate”. This will be an independent agency that will audit and enforce compliance for all “qualified health benefit plans”, whether or not the plan participates in the government’s “exchange”. They will be able to levy financial penalties and shut down plans that fail to make their grade. The Commissioner will appoint a “Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman” to help people stuck in the maze of government’s plan find their way out.

Ok this post is way too long winded, i'll stop here.

I have more

Unfortunately, you continue to assume that the above bill is set in stone. IT IS NOT, AND IT NEVER HAS BEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MaggieMae]

i hear on talk radio that the "illegals wont get coverage" statement was a lie too, but i dont see any language in hr3200 that states this, so it could be a lie but probably at the very least was just an assumption by the president.

There is no language in the bill regarding illegal immigrants, however democrats have blocked every attempt by republicans to insert such language. You can read into that what you want.

I couldn't fit this in my previous post.

thank god.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

It has been fascinating watching the Obama election campaign and his first 8 months in office. Brits generally see Obama as a good thing for America and the rest of the world, in comparison to George Bush.

I like most people was impressed with Obama's speeches, his eloquence and delivery are absolutely awesome. Watching him brought to mind one of my hero's Winston Churchill. He was amazing, the gold standard by which any public speaker would like to be measured.

With Churchill speaking was an important skill, however he possessed an unrivalled strength in depth of other talents that he used to help the allies win the war.

As an impartial observer their seems to be a lot of opinion that speaking appears to be Obama's only skill and that the American public are waiting to see what else he can do.

I recently published a book called Churchill's Secret Skills, the strap line on the cover sums up the position for Obama. "Keeping the Nazi's off the beaches required more than fine speeches". Obama needs to be able to prove he is more than just a great speaker, otherwise his talent will become a burden.

He came into office on a massive tide of expectation, amid a financial hurricane sweeping the world, all of his time will have been taken up dealing with the crisis. In reality, very little of substance can be achieved in 8 months of a first term, so from a British perspective I would say the jury is still out.

As a big fan of America I just hope he is able to deliver the goods.

Binden

My Problem with Obama's speeches is he says stuff I agree with in the speeches he gives, then he acts completely different.

He is very good at saying one thing while doing another. He gets away with it because the majority of the media is complicit in his duplicity.

Like what? You can't really compare something said in a campaign speech to the reality once he got into office. After all, in 2007 and early 2008, the #1 priority among voters was Iraq but that quickly changed to the economy once that tanked.

Frankly, I appreciate leadership that can "flipflop" depending how events unfold. After all, that as one of Bush's biggest problems--the fact that he was almost ridiculously rigid, speaking of the war only, and because of that allowed it to continue to spiral downward when he should have admitted the stay-the-course tactics were not working.

And now I'm prepared to say the same thing about Obama if he cannot, in fact, find a way to do health care reform and not increase the deficit. He has promised that it will not, and that if he can see that the cost is going increase it that he will find further cuts. I'm holding him to that, and if it becomes impossible, he must admit that he overreached.

Obama has promised a lot of things that he's failed to honor. Wy do you feel he will honor this promise?

Obama:
"When there is a bill that ends up on my desk as the president, you the public will have five days to look online and find out what's in it before I sign it,"

However, Obama signed his first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, on Jan. 20 – only two days after its passage.

He signed a second bill expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program just three hours after Congress passed it.

Obama promised to "eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses."

People who invest in small businesses have only been allowed to exclude 50 percent of that gain from capital gains taxes. While Obama's $787 billion economic-stimulus package reduces that tax liability – raising the exclusion to 75 percent – it does not eliminate it.

Obama's promised to provide a $3,000 refundable tax credit to existing businesses for every additional full-time U.S. employee hired in 2009 and 2010.

"If a company that currently has 10 U.S. employees increases its domestic full time employment to 20 employees, this company would get a $30,000 tax credit – enough to offset the entire added payroll tax costs to the company for the first $50,000 of income for the new employees," the transition website stated. "The tax credit will benefit all companies creating net new jobs, even those struggling to make a profit."

Obama's promise was never included in the stimulus package.

Hiatus on 401(k) penalties:

"Since so many Americans will be struggling to pay the bills over the next year, I propose that we allow every family to withdraw up to 15% from their IRA or 401(k) – up to a maximum of $10,000 – without any fine or penalty throughout 2009," Obama said. "This will help families get through this crisis without being forced to make painful choices like selling their homes or not sending their kids to college."

However, Obama's promise was never included in his recent stimulus package.

In his Nov. 10, 2007, speech in Des Moines, Iowa, Obama declared:

"I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.
During his campaign, Obama also said, "I have done more to take on lobbyists than any other candidate in this race. I don't take a dime of their money, and when I am president, they won't find a job in my White House."

However, USA Today reported Obama's campaign fundraising team included 38 members of law firms that were paid $138 million in 2007 to lobby the federal government.

Obama declared, "We need earmark reform. And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely."

However, in February, Obama passed his $787 billion stimulus aimed at jolting the declining U.S. economy. Before a joint session of Congress, Obama declared: "Now, I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks."

Some chuckled in amusement when he claimed the bill contained no pork.

"There was just a roar of laughter – because there were earmarks," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., told CNN.

U.S. News & World Report found at least eight earmarks in his stimulus bill.

I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.

 

[MaggieMae]

1) HR3200 will not increase the debt by a dime

Show that is a lie.

READ THE CBO ESTIMATES OF THE COSTS OF THE PLAN AND ITS EFFECT ON THE NATIONAL DEBT. Do a little bit of research and its very easy to find.

2) Only 5% of americans will be affected by HR3200

Show that is a lie.

The bill affects the entire health care and insurance industry, more than 5% of the nation receives healthcare and health insurance. Read the bill, it will affect everyone who wants to go to the doctor

Point 1: The CBO estimates do not take into consideration proposed cuts. Those have not even been announced yet, so how could it?

Point 2: That is merely a presumption. You will need to explain WHY you think you would be effected when you visit your own doctor for your statement to have any credibility whatsoever.

 

[MaggieMae]

Lonestar, do you know from personal experience?

I would have said ass, but that's so crass.

No I don't have any personal experience, but from living a lifetime observing others it's my opinion that only homosexuals and brits use that terminolgy. And since you have USMC in your name I'm assuming your not british, therefore it's safe to assume you're as queer as a three dollar bill. However, I could be mistaken, which is a rarity for me.

Oh look, it's God, right here on USMB.

You give the impression that gay people are a tremendous threat to you. Why?

 

[Lonestar_logic]

Lonestar, do you know from personal experience?

I would have said ass, but that's so crass.

No I don't have any personal experience, but from living a lifetime observing others it's my opinion that only homosexuals and brits use that terminolgy. And since you have USMC in your name I'm assuming your not british, therefore it's safe to assume you're as queer as a three dollar bill. However, I could be mistaken, which is a rarity for me.

Oh look, it's God, right here on USMB.

You give the impression that gay people are a tremendous threat to you. Why?

I see no threat to me personally, although I do see it as somewhat of a threat to traditional family values.

God? I'm pretty sure He's never made a mistake, but then I see people like you and I wonder.