The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

May 21, 2009 Selling single-payer health care with lies « Wintery Knight Blog writes:

[...] You will watch this 3 minute video about the Democrats’ plan for single-payer health care right now! (H/T Heritage Foundation) [...]

May 22, 2009 Ben C, Ann Arbor, MI writes:

There is a reason people of means seek medical treatment in the United States, such as MB Anderson in Houston Texas or Henry Ford Medical Center in Detroit and its not the local food. We have been the leaders in medical innovation because of third party payment and competition. When the competition is gone the incentive to explore is gone and we will be like Canada or Australia - somewhat adequate medical care but no longer innovative. And Canada has a near 50% income tax rate. So, who has the better system?

May 23, 2009 Chris Jones, Westwego, LA writes:

When was OUR Constitution replaced by the communist manifesto? President obama, and all legislators who vote for a bill without reading it, are clear & present dangers to the security & sovereignty of OUR Constitutional Republic, and to the free-will of each individual.

May 23, 2009 Randy Still writes:

I believe this view is too negative re: innovation. Many advances I’m told come from the scientist at National Academies of Science - public funded. Pharmacy companies borrow these ideas and patent them at our double expense. As long as we have universities and people with sick relatives we’ll have motivation for innovation - profit isn’t always the best or most desirable motivator. Also obviously the writer has no income problem or she wouldn’t advance this position which sounds rather calous on her part towards those who have less. We should all have the same umbrella coverage - if you want the “prestige” system that should be available at a steep price to keep the writer happy. But can anyone tell me why we need health insurance companies? Pacifier?

May 24, 2009 Mark, Hudson Valley, NY writes:

The correct solution is never government take over. What will work is affordable high deductible catastrophic insurance coupled with tort reform. This would cover the insured for the expensive treatments. It retains freedom of choice for the patient to shop around for best doctor and price with incentive to reduce their own cost. Tort reform would allow doctors to charge competitive rates for service while reducing the high cost of malpractice insurance and the fear of bogus lawsuits.
Your car insurance does not cover oil changes, new tires, light bulbs, etc, does it? Why should health insurance pay for your checkups? If somebody else pays, who cares how much it costs? Nobody!!
If everybody is covered for everything the only way to reduce cost is rationing. When everybody is going to the doctor for every little headache and hangnail how will you get an appointment when you really need it? Who will want to become a doctor after the government clamps down on the money a doctor can make? There will not be enough doctors to go around.
Government run health care will kill incentives to care for yourself. It will kill incentives for young people to go in to medicine. It will kill incentives for providers to innovate.
Insurance for when bad stuff happens.
Free market competition and pay out of you own damn pocket for everyday medical expenses.

May 28, 2009 Gerard Denys writes:

I could not have said it better Mark! It would be nice if Mr. Obama and the liberals (and some Republicans) would dust off the Constitution and actually read it. The majority of government in this country is unconstitutional. Time to get back to the basics and away from the Government is my Mommy attitude.

May 28, 2009 Bonnie, Utah writes:

I am in the reddest of the red states and surrounded by large families and small budgets. Healthcare should NOT have to be a choice between food on the table or visiting the Dr!! Minimal healthcare for ALL LEGAL Americans is the least we can provide for our own people. With the money we save from sending our $$ to the moon or to support some other foreign governments, we COULD AFFORD to make sure that our own citizens have the care they need. Living and dying should not come down to which Dr. you can afford to see!!

May 29, 2009 JAC Pa writes:

If the government is to take over so many more areas of our lives, than we need a different type of person in government positions. They must be of pure heart, not given to lusts, greed or any unrightousness and have a selfless devotion to the good of others. Until that is the type of individual who populates the seats in congress and the whitehouse, I will continue to oppose the replacement of individual repsonsiblity with government control.

June 4, 2009 Marshall Hill MI. writes:

A 42 year old Actress dies in a Toronto Hospital!

WHY???

We have Universal Health Care in CANADA!

Was she expendable???

June 10, 2009 John Perkins Washington state writes:

We simply cannot afford for th governbment to pay for any more healtcare, they are 57 trillion short for Medicare in next 75 years or about 600 billion per year. 60 billion per year is from Part D Prescription drugs which was never funded when passed under President Bush. The cap and trade will bring in about 90 billion per year, but paying for anothe 46 million per year would cost about 200 billion per year, so unless a VAT is passed where would the rest of the revenue come from. Oh and there is that matter of being short another 14 trillion for Social Security. And of course when they talk about 1.8 trillion dollars deficit per year starting in Fiscal Year 2010, that does not count Medicare or Social Security or federal pensions.So let’s see we will need to spend about 4.4 trillion per year in a year or two, revenue amounts to 1.8 trillion in FY 2010, that means the real deficit is more like 2 and a half trillion dollars per year. Do we really think that the rest of the world will loan us 2.5 trillion dollars per year at 3.9%? or will they want a higher interest rate. Seems to me that China is buying a lot of commodities around the world, is that because they want to spend their dollars instead of buying more of our debt?

June 13, 2009 Linda DeAntonio, CT writes:

why don’t we have senators and congressmen (people who can afford to pay) for their own insurance? Think how much we would save then. And for those who think they know so much why don’t you try and get a doctor when your on medicare, they don’t want you. It was ok when I had private insurance and he made a lot of money from it. Then I became disabled and everything (including the way I’m treated) changed. Tried to shop around for another doctor but most aren’t “accepting medicare patients at this time”. I also know many people that work in two of the largest insurance companies in this area and not only have they watched many of their co-workers get laid off, benefits reduced and regular benfits reduced not because the companies were in trouble… they just wanted a bigger profit margin. So maybe they do need some competition. Same thing with the drug companies..they put their freebies in the doctors office, not out of the kindness of their hearts for people who can’t afford them but so doctors become familier with them and can perscribe them. Why is thier generic and reg meds? If one can make them so cheap why aren’t the brand name companies not charging the same? (please don’t insult me by saying patents because we both know thats not true. Why aren’t the health ins. comp. and drug comp standing in line for bail outs? You don’t see them getting ready to declare bankruptsy.THEY have the market cornered and they know it and can charge whatever they please. Everyone complained when the banking industry fell apart because there was no regulations and they became too big, well what about the health care industries. Our hospitals and clinics are so underfunded most of them have a hard time keeping afloat. And by the way I would rather be out there working and paying for my healthcare than to be where I am now, disabled…not by choice. I hate having to take the pills I already take and if told to start any others I research first and decide if its worth it. I’m not going to put any more meds in me than I have to. Thats about the only choice I have left. I didn’t choose for my body to start quitting on me it just did and sincerly hope this doesn’t happen to you. And if one more person labels me a “cult follower” think again. My body broke not my mind and I am more than capable to think for myself thank-you. Matter of fact I think all the labeling and name calling on all sides should stop. You don’t have to agree with me or I with you but it doesn’t make either one of us idiots it makes us americans …the freedom of voice and choice