kimilseung

or it can just show the power of repeated rhetoric, and the establishment of a national mythology.

Giantaxe

They also get no lifetime caps on coverage, no ability for their insurance to be canceled or denied because of pre-existing conditions and the ability to have their children on their policies until aged 26. Those three provisions alone are going to be very beneficial to the "middle classes".

anotherlimey

People are afraid to touch the insurance industry, but they seem to be the biggest cause of our problems.

Giantaxe

It's also why you need some kind of mandate. Of course, single-payer would have been a far better way to go, but politically impossible.

dakota44

LMAO. For Christs sakes, nothing like taking something out of context and making it look bad. Typical right wing bullshit. They have no intention of showing the rest of the quote made by a aged individual who was clearly stumbling on his words and even said there were 300 people in the U.S.

Giantaxe

The insurance industry has deep pockets and the US has the best political system money can buy.

anotherlimey

And the middle-class will pay for these "privileges"!

Giantaxe

The bulk of the paying is on those that earn more than $200k.

Personally, I'll happily pay more if it means we don't have 45m uninsured, inability to pay health care bills isn't the leading cause of personal bankruptcy, and I don't have to live in fear of being uninsurable if I lose my job, as I do at present.

Oh, another significant middle class benefit is the removal of the prescription "doughnut hole" from Medicare.

anotherlimey

I'm unconvinced the extra tax provisions will be enough to cover the extra costs to the insurer.

Is the government paying the insurer to take these uninsured people on?

Really, I'm looking for things that cut the insurance premiums.

Brit3964

Like this one? Oh sorry, he said those of middle class, not of no class

kimilseung

THIS IS SPARTA!

robin1234

Unfortunately someone has to pay for the overinflated bureaucracy. If we had a single payer system there would be far fewer pen pushers to pay for.

Octang Frye

Thank you. I appreciate your response. And this reply is for Dakota too.

By 300, I think it's fair to assume he means 300 million Americans.

As to his intention/meaning, the following could be true:

1. He misspoke. I don't see what other way to read his words this though.
2. He means what he says. For a moment the veil was lifted.
3. He intentionally wanted to twist the knife in his "Planet Wingnut Blogosphere" opponents.

You could also argue in the defense of the Social Democrats that even if he does mean what he says, he isn't speaking for the whole party.
Which may be true. But if there are even a handful of like-minded people, that's very scary.

Occam's razor and all that - I have to take the man at his word.

chartreuse

Yet despite the above, people are cheering the bill as being one in the eye for the insurance industry. FFS, it makes it illegal not to buy their products, while allowing them to put their prices up.

And that's just on the face of it. I shudder to think what other sweetheart deals they've got buried deep within the text...

chartreuse

You think? When did politicians ever not create a huge, overinflated, bureaucracy?