Profits Before Patients - A PBS Interview w/Bill Moyers

[Lastchance09]

Over the past several months you have probably heard a lot of debate over health care reform. There have been a lot of lies and confusion blasting through the airwaves, in newspapers, and on the Internet. And I'll admit that Obama has not done the best job in convincing people why we must reform health care. Neither has the media - they are more focused on the politics, Democrats vs. Republicans, the cost, and how this will hurt Obama's poll numbers. As Obama said, it's not about him.

What the media should be doing is reminding us that the #1 cause of bankruptcy are medical bills, how policies are being canceled when patients need them the most and how the insurance industry pays millions to members of Congress to make sure nothing changes. We cannot wait another 50 years - yes, 50 years. Despite what you have heard, this bill isn't being rushed. It's been debated for decades and put off for just as long. Many of you probably remember when Bill Clinton tried to get it done. You will hear about cost and yes it will be expensive, but members of Congress are working on that and it is absolutely false that your health benefits will be taxed (unless you are in the top 1.2% income bracket), it does not force euthanasia, it won't ration care and bureaucrats won't be deciding your treatment. Oh, there are just too many lies to list.

Whatever your ideology, political party, beliefs or experience. Whether you have great insurance or no insurance like me - please watch this interview of Wendell Potter, a former PR exec for CIGNA, talking to Bill Moyers about what really goes on. Come on, it's PBS and Bill Moyers, you can't find a more respected station and journalist. Please click on the link below.


http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/profile.html




UPDATE

If you would like some clarification, go here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/

[Lastchance09]

Funny, but not really.


http://www.newsweek.com/id/209817

[mgm1]

Have seen the Bill Moyer's program last night, it is a reall eye opener. Very sad...

[PhyllisG]

I also saw the program and it just makes you so angry at the greed of these people. Profit driven health care industry is ridiculous by definition. They seem to spend more money on their salaries, bonuses and perks then on anything else. I also saw the consumers and executives who testified before congress. There is a special place in hell reserved for some of these people. You don't want the govt. standing between you and your doctor. Well what about that corporate executive standing between you and your doctor who is only looking at the corporate bottom line?

[kathryn]

Thanks for the links.

I'm getting extremely frustrated with those who are trying to block health care reforms by using patent lies and scare tactics (who ever started the Orwellian rumor that patients on medicare would meet with someone to determine how they want to die? Ridiculous! And to think that people believe it! How stupid are Americans?).

And the Republican who said that defeating health care reform would be a way to break Obama, be his Waterloo? Obviously, it's more important to him (and to some others) to defeat Obama and position the Republican party for the next elections (hey, he won, he's our president, get over it and find a way to work with him!)

[kathryn]

Originally Posted by PhyllisG

Profit driven health care industry is ridiculous by definition.

ITA
Something that literally affects lives should have nothing to do with making a profit.

[jordan]

I definitely think we need health care reform. I don’t think that the President or any of the law makers have done a very good job explaining how their plan for reform is going to work nor do I get the impression that they know enough about the changes that they want to implement. I would like to see the President and all the law makers take the lead in participating in a pilot program for whatever health care program passes by majority vote. Just as importantly, I feel that if people are happy with their current health insurance they should be able to keep their insurance and opt out of paying for health insurance that they don’t want or need. I think that if the reform is good then it will speak for itself and people will want to participate in the program.


jordan

[Lastchance09]

Originally Posted by jordan

I definitely think we need health care reform. I don’t think that the President or any of the law makers have done a very good job explaining how their plan for reform is going to work nor do I get the impression that they know enough about the changes that they want to implement. I would like to see the President and all the law makers take the lead in participating in a pilot program for whatever health care program passes by majority vote. Just as importantly, I feel that if people are happy with their current health insurance they should be able to keep their insurance and opt out of paying for health insurance that they don’t want or need. I think that if the reform is good then it will speak for itself and people will want to participate in the program.


jordan

They haven't done a good job of explaining it because they do not have a solid plan yet. Right now there are 3-4 bills/proposals from different committees in the House and the Senate. Now they have to be rolled into one and then voted on not long after Congress returns. The goal is to have a bill signed by the President by the end of the year. Also, Obama has stated many times that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it. He has said this repeatedly because it is one of the lies that is constantly being pushed by health care reform opponents. When Obama told congress to draft the bill, he gave them guidelines and that was one of them.

[sparrow13]

Originally Posted by Lastchance09

T He has said this repeatedly because it is one of the lies that is constantly being pushed by health care reform opponents. When Obama told congress to draft the bill, he gave them guidelines and that was one of them.

And we all know that presidents and politicians never, ever lie to get what they want.

Hey, we're from the government and we're here to help you...even if that means rushing through some 1/2 baked scheme that is so convoluted we can't even coherently explain how it will impact the person on the street...that would be you...of course none of us has actually read the bill(s) so we don't really know what's in there and that makes it difficult to explain it in all but the most broad and rosy terms..don't worry about it though...a chicken in every pot...seriously, your government knows what it's doing...by the way did you trade in your clunker yet?...and honestly the particulars really don't concern us because we made sure to exempt ourselves from the scheme....that's one thing we *do* know for sure...it's going to be so wonderful we don't want any part of it...what's that you say?...if boondoggle participation isn't going to be mandatory why is "exemption" language even necessary in the first place?....er, um,er....no, the cost of private insurance won't become so high that only the elite (that's me!) will be able to afford it, condemning the peasants (that's you!) to whatever red-tape health nightmare the government has created in its irresponsible rush to push through aforementioned 1/2 baked scheme...no...no...no...it's going to be wonderful...trust me...I'm from the government and I know what's best for you...don't think too much about these things...no I don't want to see your IRA statement...put that down...now isn't it time for American Idol?

I'm grumpy, I don't like Bill Moyers, and I need coffee.

[Lastchance09]

Aaaah, where did you get that rant? Faux News? Fair and Balanced? nah, just fairly unbalanced. Maybe you listen to Rush, Beck? Ron Paul fan, Libertarian?

Politicians lie, of course. Presidents lie, of course - I recall the famous words of Nixon "I am not a crook" and Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", but unless you can find in any of those health bills presented that you will be forced to give up your private insurance then you are just repeating talking points from the opposition - not facts.

It's incredible that you or anyone else rail against a bill that you haven't seen. And guess what? your source of information hasn't seen it either so I have to wonder where they are getting their talking points from. Hmmm, could it be.............those lying politicians? And I'm pretty sure that those lying politicians are getting their talking points from the private health insurance industry that you seem to have no problems with.

So many people rail against gov't in favor of private business and the free market, but don't realize that private businesses work very closely ($$$$$$) with the gov't to shape the very policies that you hate.

And this rushing that you speak of? Guess who that talking point came from? That's right - a politician. Obama said we've been talking about it for 50 years. The article I provided a link to in my post says it's been 97 years! Nothing new and radical is being introduced here. Even the smear campaign that the opposition is running hasn't changed. And the only reason anyone is calling for a slow down is so that they can kill the bill. The oppo also needs more time to spread fear and lies like "it will kill old people" or "people will die waiting in line like they do in Canada" or "We'll be like Cuba!" - Bwa ha ha ha!!

FYI - when the final bill is drafted, you can go to the gov't website and read every single word yourself. Or you can wait for someone in the media - who we can trust all of the time, right? - to interpret it for you.

I love Bill Moyers and he is one of the last and few remaining journalists left in our ratings hungry media. Whether you agree with him or not, he bases his arguments on facts. He doesn't have to rant, lie, distort or engage in fear mongering to get his points across.