GOP on Health Care Reform: We Will Delay As Long As Possible
Don’t fence us in, don’t give us deadlines, and for god’s sake, stop acting like this is such an all-fired emergency:
One of the three Republican senators working on a bipartisan agreement on healthcare reform legislation flatly denied Monday the Democratic claims that negotiators had set a mid-September deadline to complete their work.
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), one of six senators on the Finance Committee working on the bill and also the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, pushed back hard at assertions by Senate Democrats that the bipartisan group has vowed to complete its work by Sept. 15.
Of course, his motives are nothing but noble. He is thinking only of the American people.
“I have not and will not agree to an artificial deadline because I am committed to getting healthcare reform right, not finishing a bill by some arbitrary date,” Enzi said in a statement issued just minutes into a meeting on the bill in the offices of Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).
“Improving access to quality, affordable healthcare for American families is too important to do hastily. Additionally, since many of the policies under discussion will not take effect for a number of years, we should focus on the goal of meaningful reform and not rush to meet timelines,” Enzi said.
Insurance industry execs are American people, too, you know.
13 Responses to “GOP on Health Care Reform: We Will Delay As Long As Possible”
Because, you know, taking some time to actually craft something that works rather than rushing us off a cliff like we did on TARP and Porkulus… well, that would just be unamerican! We have to pass everything RIGHT NOW before anyone has time to THINK about it!
I think Congress has gone to the well on that strategy one too many times already and the brakes are coming on. Hopefully there will still be something left of the treasury by the time they are fully engaged.
Jazz, if over 50 years is not enough time to craft something that works better than what we've got, then I think the problem is more will than time.
The Republican Party has known for, shall we say, a long time now? that health care reform is a huge, pressing, urgent issue. If you want to give them the last measure of the benefit of the doubt, they have certainly known since Barack Obama announced his candidacy that health care reform was a priority issue with him and was going to be one of the first items on the agenda. They could have spent that span of what? two years? “crafting something that works” to cover all Americans for basic preventive health care, but they didn't. And the reason they didn't is that they like the status quo just fine. It works for them and for the entities they represent.
So I'm sorry, Jazz, but your excuse-making on their behalf falls way, way short of making any sense at all.
I'd like to see the GOP tell the people who are dying due to lack of healthcare/insurance that there is all the time in the world to get this right.
The GOP is right that we need to discuss this thoughtfully. But there should be deadlines. Otherwise it will be all talk and no date for completion.
I'd like to see the GOP tell the people who are dying due to lack of healthcare/insurance that there is all the time in the world to get this right.
Well, in fact, that's exactly what the GOP is doing.
Obama qualifications to reform health care:
No birth certificate
Cannot stop smoking
Difficulty telling the truth.
Narcissistic personality disorder
Therefore, I Igor produce Obama Birth Certificate at http://www.igormaro.org
Compare Obama Care vs Igor Care at Obama vs Igor Care
Kathy, yes they are, but in not so many words and few people realize what the GOP is saying.
As you pointed out the GOP likes the status quo. The only way for the GOP to win this debate is by having people believe that anything else will be worse. Since many (most?) people have accepted the status quo- if only because it is familiar territory, they will stick with it.
Ok somebody explain this to me– The GOP cares sooooo much about embryonic cells and protecting folks on life support like the late Terry Schiavo.. If they value human life so much — why are they loath to enable living American citizens to get affordable health insurance?? Health insurance protects and prolongs life.
I believe you have come to the wrong site. This blog is called the The Moderate Voice, and moderate you ain't pal.
Stop and think before stupidly leaping again, worse than ever currently in the case of health care.
In other words, grow up and think, for a _real_ Change [tm].
“If they value human life so much — why are they loath to enable living American citizens to get affordable health insurance?”
The object has _never_ been health _insurance_ (which is limited to catastrophic events we don't normally experience, wish to avoid) but comprehensive health care, and has been the replacement of the private sector-led health care system (which is _not_ limited to the demonized insurance companies) with federal health care (comperehensive, generous care) for everyone. It's obvious what is being sought.
Also at issue currently is the “stupid stampede” to rush through the House legislation, which is very bad legislation, hurriedly thrown together without accounting for the costs, which concern Americans as much as the details about how their health care as well as (private) health insurance will be affected by this.
“Because, you know, taking some time to actually craft something that works rather than rushing us off a cliff like we did on TARP and Porkulus”
Not to mention the global-warming-related climate-legislation lunacy, which the public clamored against.
This is lost on the childish and the ignorant, the die-hard non-thinking supporters (and the perverse).
They'll probably cheer the Dems who are threatening to bypass the Republicans in Congress to pass the final legislation.
Meanwhile, for those who don't already know, and want to know, here are legislative details,
http://www.freep.com/article/20090802/NEWS15/90…
and has anybody rushing in such a silly way to support HR 3200 even bothered to _read_ it?
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R….
And for those who were ignorant about the issue and failed to heed earlier warnings, The Issue arises:
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-country/200…
let's start with all the poeple 65+ that are protesting health care reform. The GOP can take away their SOCIALIZED GOVERNMENT RUN MEDICARE, they can than go out and try to get private insurance. Than tell the fools, worried about the death penalty… that medicare/medicaid actully pays for your care even if you are a veg. Yet private insurance will pull the plug after 90 days. So if we unplug their relatives…think of all the money we could save? This must be the same crowd that wants Sara Palin to beIthe next president. If we thought Bush made the U.S. look stupid..these town hall fights have only shown that we are a country made up of ignorant racists!!!!!