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Saturday, June 30, 2012

On the Obamacare Supreme Court Ruling

Denninger says, "What little was left of The Constitution died today, June 28th, 2012.". Ian says, "This is more similar to TARP than anything else: it is a massive corporate giveaway, opposed by the majority of the population, and passed over their dissent." They pretty much sum up my feelings about it. So..., I will offer this one as my feeling about the direction our Ship of State here in America is headed.


10 comments:

  1. Great song. :-) I would point out that though the majority opposed the health care bill (though many already like some of what it's doing), some do so because it goes "too far" while others (including me) do so because it doesn't go far enough. It is a corporate giveaway, though--a single-payer plan would make more sense.

    I recently spend nine hours in a car with some buddies, one of whom happens to be a doctor. He says greed--by insurance companies, by lawyers and by doctors, by both liberals and conservatives--is the single biggest barrier to change.

    By the way, he actually favors Obamacare, which he calls far from perfect but which he hopes will lead to further improvements from a Congress that had traditionally been unwilling to do anything meaningful on health care. As he pointed out, we now have corporate bureaucrats--whose primary job is to make money for their companies--making the same decisions that we fear government bureacrats will make. We have by far the most expensive health care in the world, thanks to a combination of greed, the fact that so many get their primary care in the most expensive way (through emergency rooms, and we pay for their care), and because everyone thinks everyone should have access to all care.

    One example, from my doctor friend's experience on an advisory board. A new drug will improve the life of kids who have a disease that usually kills them by the time they’re in their early 20s, and may prolong their lives for up to a decade. The cost, set by the drug maker? $30,000 per MONTH. Any insurance company that covers it for even one patient faces the very real aspect of going broke (especially if it’s not a major corporation). And if an insurance company doesn’t cover it, the company will be viewed as heartless.

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  2. jmcpherson: My granddaughter has PKU and the cost of thenew medicine is $10,000 a month. Needless to say insurance won't pay for it. :( The one thing tho is with the Supreme Court decision she won't be denied by insurance now for her general care and monthly formula(for life).

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  3. Thanks for the comments Jim and Tina. So very sorry to hear of your granddaughter's illness and wish her well being. There are many, many, things great about the ACA..., Scotjen61 pointed out many of them a while back on The Agonist..., and I certainly support single payer - Medicare for all. But that being said..., the mandate for purchasing from private insurance companies is a sheer abomination. I knew the Court would rule that way..., and nearly posted a diary piece on The Agonist on Thursday morning saying so. But realized that I didn't really have anything to back it up..., other than I believed that the Court would come down on the side of Corporate America. I didn't know how they were going to do it..., I just knew they would. I think this convoluted ruling speaks of dire consequences for the future. Tina..., I sure hope this works out well for you and yours..., but I shiver to think what the cost of the insurance is going to be for your granddaughter and others that have pre-existing conditions. I am not sure ACA covers that..., but I sure hope so for you..., and others sake.

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  4. Right now the state is covering her medical care and formula, my daughter is lower income. Her formula is about $300 a month and special diet foods is astronomical($10 for a loaf of bread or 8oz package of pasta). She is basically a vegan so the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables is also really pricey these days. The cost tho has made my daughter plant a garden and shop at the farmers markets and makes all of them eat healthier.

    When Melissa did have insurance the state would reimburse her the costs - because it took so much of her pay just to cover her and Nakita. Luckily the boys are covered by their dads insurance.

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    1. That shines a bit of sunshine on it Tina..., and this quote from WIKI on PKU does as well, "Patients who are diagnosed early and maintain a strict diet can have a normal life span with normal mental development." Once again..., I wish you and yours all the best.

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    2. That is why the heel prick at birth is so important. If Nakita didn't get help with her diet she would eventually be profoundly retarded and would spend her life in an institution. But she is doing great :) and progressing normally.

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  5. "I believed that the Court would come down on the side of Corporate America."

    And they certainly did that. I pointed out on my own blog that Roberts had been consistent in that way: http://jmcpherson.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/roberts-rule-the-order-in-obamacare-decision/

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    1. I read your piece the other day Jim..., agree with most of what you said..., except of course..., I don't believe that it should have been upheld via the Commerce Clause. I don't believe that a small segment of our population should be mandated to purchase insurance. The rich elites won't be effected..., the poor won't be effected..., the burden will fall on the middle class working folk to pick up the tab. A real "tax" on everyone for Medicare for all is the answer..., but a damn hard one to get too. The medical insurance industry is just too big..., and powerful..., to just do away with. And now they are even more so.

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    2. And upon re-reading it..., got to say..., I loved the Rush Limpbum comment, Oh, another winner–all of us, if Rush Limbaugh would just keep his promise to move to Costa Rica.

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  6. new
    Here's Another Quote From Denninger:
    In particular, what happened with this decision is that the US Supreme Court has ruled that federal power literally has no limit; the government can now compel any behavior by simply associating it (or failure to perform it) with a ruinous tax. What this decision has done is turn 536 clowns in Washington DC into effective dictators and rendered "recourse before the law" meaningless. I guess I should not be surprised after the last five years of blatant and outrageous lawlessness in the financial sector, but even I was stunned at the depravity of the Roberts court and its arrogance; it was a literal page out of North Korea's government handbook.

    Sometimes Denninger resorts to hyperbole to get his points across..., in this case..., I don't believe that's the case..., at all. It's spot on. This ruling is an abomination..., or should that be..., an Obamaination?

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