New Health Care Ad: If Dick Cheney Didn’t Have Government Care, ‘He’d Probably Be Dead Now’
New Health Care Ad: If Dick Cheney Didn’t Have Government Care, ‘He’d Probably Be Dead Now’
In Iowa today, 10 newspapers are running a full page ad advocating for a single-payer health-care bill, highlighting the fact Vice President Dick Cheney has benefited from his government-provided coverage. “If he were anyone else, he’d probably be dead by now,” the ad claims. Cheney, as the ad notes, has a long history of health problems:
The patient’s history and prognosis were grim: four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, angioplasty, an implanted defibrillator and now an emergency procedure to treat an irregular heartbeat
The ad, which is sponsored by the California Nurses Association and the National Nurses Organizing Committee, argues that without his government-provided health care, Cheney’s recent heart problems would have been “a death sentence“:
For millions of Americans, this might be a death sentence. For the vice president, it was just another medical treatment. And it cost him very little.
Unlike the average American, the president, vice president and members of Congress all enjoy government-financed health care with few restrictions or prohibitive fees.
In response to the ad, Cheney spokesperson Megan Mitchell told the Wall Street Journal that “something this outrageous does not warrant a response.”
The factual and provocative ad isn’t outrageous. What is outrageous is the fact that there are roughly 47 million people in America without health insurance, including 3.2 million children, but President Bush vetoed legislation in October that would have extended coverage to 4 million more children.
While it is certainly good that Vice President Cheney was able get the medical attention he needed, the groups’ ad is right. “The rest of us deserve no less” than Cheney.
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55 Responses to “New Health Care Ad: If Dick Cheney Didn’t Have Government Care, ‘He’d Probably Be Dead Now’”
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So much for the “government can’t run anything right” mantra repeated by the right-whiners.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:32 pmI didn’t know Death Cheney had a heart. That’s the surprising news.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:35 pmTypical republican response: “It’s outrageous!” “They Hate Our Freedoms!”
December 10th, 2007 at 3:35 pm“Trust Us!” They argue like 4 year olds.
A simple solution to S-Chip debate.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:36 pmhttp://tshirtinsurgency.com/modest-proposal-schip-reform
“While it is certainly good that Vice President Cheney was able get the medical attention he needed,”
Good for Halliburton, not so good for the USA.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:38 pmConsidering the example they use, I’m unsure whether this ad is for or against Gov’t health care.
It certainly does serve as a warning to us all!
December 10th, 2007 at 3:38 pmOy, I foresee another backlash against this ad like the MoveOn Patreus ad. Complete with senate resolutions.
I agree with the message of both ads, but don’t you see this is counterproductive? It distracts from the message.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:38 pmIf Dick Cheney Didn’t Have Government Care, ‘He’d Probably Be Dead Now’ - - Wait, you mean he’s ALIVE??
December 10th, 2007 at 3:39 pmHEAR-FREAKING-HEAR!!!
December 10th, 2007 at 3:39 pmRice cartoon
December 10th, 2007 at 3:41 pmDo you really think anyone deserves less health care than Darth Dick?
NO CONGRESSPERSON, NO SENATOR, NO PRESIDENT, NO VICE-PRESIDENT should have healthcare for free is the people they represent don’t have it.
Healthcare is not just for the well connected or rich, it is for everyone.
Who would Jesus not give healthcare too?
Buck Fush
December 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pmRe 8
Except that in this case most people can see the connection. They can see the unfairness of system and if folks can highlight the connection between the political fatcats and big Pharma/for profit heathcare then we can pin the tail on this donkey, or elephant.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pmI agree with the message of both ads, but don’t you see this is counterproductive? It distracts from the message.
Comment by coda — December 10, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
It’s quite clear, it’s perfectly honest, and it doesn’t say anything negative. Your problem?
December 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pmIf I had Dick Cheney’s health problems my health insurance company would have a For Sale sign in front of my home my now.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:44 pmThe last thing my neighborhood needs is another two or more year old For Sale sign.
For anyone who ever wondered just what was going through Marie Antionette’s head when she said “let them eat cake”, Megan Mitchell, Cheney’s spokesperson, sums it up in a nutshell.
“You want what? HEALTHcare!?! Get back to your miserable lives, minions - we have more important things to do up here!”
December 10th, 2007 at 3:45 pmOh wow, finally someone does a great political ad. This is perfect, one for the permanent archives. Whoever who does the gadawful MoveOn ads needs to go to school on this.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:51 pm“In response to the ad, Cheney spokesperson Megan Mitchell told the Wall Street Journal that “something this outrageous does not warrant a response.—
Stock Administration response to anything that smacks of objective truth.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:51 pmWe need universal, affordable coverage now! And, yes, I am a retired government employee and have mine!
December 10th, 2007 at 3:52 pmand children still die of simple toothaches in America
December 10th, 2007 at 4:06 pmIf Cheney didn’t have government health care, he’d probably still be all right. Since he’s rich, he would have been able to pay for any health care he needed out of his pocket.
If Cheney wasn’t rich, it would have been a different story. He might be able to get health insurance through his employer, if he worked for an employer who still provided it. Of course, many employers find it harder and harder to give their employees insurance due to rapidly escalating costs. Those who DO provide it generally have to offer less coverage and/or a greater contribution from the employee’s pocket with each passing year.
And, of course, with Cheney’s health problems, he might have trouble getting coverage at all — even through his employer — because of his “pre-existing condition.”
Yes — if Dick Cheney was ordinary Joe Citizen, he’d have an idea of what the rest of us are up against. But he’ll never be able to relate.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:06 pmWhere else in the USofA can you work that the employer is exempt from participation in the provided health care?
(This is not a rhetorical question: I’m looking for an answer.)
December 10th, 2007 at 4:06 pmMore ads like this, please.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:13 pmcoda: “It distracts from the message.”
I completely disagree. I think that one of the main messages in this is that a government-run single-payer system is more efficient and, ultimately more humane, than a profit-driven, insurance-based system.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:16 pmanother troll proof post. congratulations tp!
December 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pm“Where else in the USofA can you work that the employer is exempt from participation in the provided health care?”
(This is not a rhetorical question: I’m looking for an answer.)
Comment by Bob — December 10, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
The word “exempt” doesn’t belong in your question because it implies some sort of required condition. No employer is required to provide any sort of health care to employees unless there is a union and the union requires it. Today less than 7% of Americans belong to unions so you can guess as to the state of employer provided health care in the US.
I take it you are not American?
December 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pmOverhead cost of a given scheme:
Insurance-based (what we’ve got): 18 to 38%
Single-payer plan (Medicare): 3%
Socialized Medicine (The VA): 4.5%
December 10th, 2007 at 4:18 pmNah, he could have gone to the emergency room!
December 10th, 2007 at 4:25 pmThe headline should have included the words “Socialized Medicine”.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:31 pmI’m all for socialized medicine.
You all remember the Walter Reed scandal? Well, the good part of Walter Reed, the hospital that the vets all like, *that* is socialized medicine.
But the bad. after care Walter Reed ? The one with interminable delays, paperwork, mold, rats and the like?
Yeah, *that* part of Walter Reed had already been privatized.
So. Socialized Walter Reed? Good.
Privatized Walter Reed? Very, very bad.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:38 pmComment by Frosty Cupcake — December 10, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
Are you saying tax payers (Cheney’s employer) CAN participate in the health care provided to him?
Sure, employers are not required to provide health care, but those that do enjoy that same coverage. This is not the case with elected officials (or anyone in gov’t): they enjoy coverage that people who pay their salaries can’t get. I don’t think this holds true for any company in America because it doesn’t make (cents), does it?
December 10th, 2007 at 4:38 pmFurthermore, if Cheney were just an average Joe he would have lost his insurance a long time ago. Also, based on his past medical history, no one would insure him. He’s not a Vet so he wouldn’t be able to get care a Walter Reed. So in fact the ad isn’t outrageous it is factually correct. And why is pointing to this fact more outrageous than 47 million adults and 3.2 children going without in insurance in the richest country in the world? I’d say that fact is unacceptably obscene. The ad is effective. That’s the reason for the non-response.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:42 pmOrwell was right. Some pigs are more equal than others, and the biggest most vile pig I know is a dick named Cheney.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:50 pmIn response to the ad, Cheney spokesperson Megan Mitchell told the Wall Street Journal that “something this outrageous does not warrant a response.” =”We got nothin’.”
December 10th, 2007 at 4:54 pmBrilliant! Lets have more of the same. The ad is effective because it puts health care in terms the average Joe can understand. And the ad is correct, without health care Chaney would have been dead a long time ago.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:54 pmYou cannot kill the un-dead. Cheney will always be with us.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:54 pmIn response to the ad, Cheney spokesperson Megan Mitchell told the Wall Street Journal that “something this outrageous does not warrant a response.â€
translation: “We don’t want to dignify this with a response because then people might see how full of sh!t we are.”
December 10th, 2007 at 5:01 pmThe Repukes have used the two-word culture to their advantage for many years (i.e., socialized medicine, death tax, Healthy Forests, Clear Skies, etc.).
How about coining the term “antisocial medicine”, which all too often would accurately describe conditions under our current for-profit system run by large megacorporations? It would be important to keep repeating this term at every opportunity, until it becomes part of the popular discourse.
“…the rank and file are usually much more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious. The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly…it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.” — Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister.
“See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.â€- George W. Bush -May 24, 2005
December 10th, 2007 at 5:04 pmBob:
“Are you saying tax payers (Cheney’s employer) CAN participate in the health care provided to him?”
No, they cannot.
“Sure, employers are not required to provide health care, but those that do enjoy that same coverage.”
I’m not sure what you mean here. Employers often have different standards of insurance coverage. The CEO will enjoy a much higher standard of coverage than the department manager. Is that what you mean by “same coverage”?
“I don’t think this holds true for any company in America because it doesn’t make (cents), does it?”
Again, I’m not sure what you mean.
Insurance is expensive, even for companies that want to provide it, as mentioned by someone above and often they are just as happy not providing it.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:14 pmAt any rate, the Colonel is right. The overhead needs to be taken out of the health care industry.
It’s called an industry for a reason.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:15 pmRight. I’ll never understand how Americans could have been bamboozled into thinking it was a good idea to stick a profit-driven industry between you and your healthcare anyway. I’ll take a public servant over an insurance company accountant any day of the week if somebody’s got to be there.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:24 pmMe too!
December 10th, 2007 at 5:27 pmAnd on the flip side, if a person of his age with an erratic heartbeat were to loose their job and take out private insurance, the chances of him getting such insurance at an affordable cost would be nil.
December 10th, 2007 at 6:01 pmActually Blue Cross/Blue Shield started out as a non-profit concern with the executives earning less than stratospheric salaries. Somehow, that changed in the 1960’s. The overhead before that change was in line with government programs today. Now they pull in the tens of millions.
December 10th, 2007 at 6:02 pmIn addition before the lawyers entered the mainstream. You could buy a stepladder for 15 bucks. Now the legal fees for the warning labels and the insurance exceed the production cost of the product by a factor of two. That applies to medical devices and services as well.
Those class action suit may yield the individual in a class to a sum less than 50 buck, but put millions of dollars into the law firms that pursue them. Some one is paying those fees and it is not the companies being sued.
Comment by Billy Hill — December 10, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
December 10th, 2007 at 6:45 pmI have an old septic tank pump that would do Dicky just fine. Would he mind being hooked up to a 240 volt AC outlet on a permanent basis? The pump is a bit noisy as both motor bearings are gone and it leaks a bit because the graphite seal has failed due to vibration. Otherwise, it works fine. We could place the prey for his hunting forays in something like one of those interior golf courses. He could just lay in his cot and shoot away.
Woo-Hoo! Way to go, nurses. Pointing out the obvious to anyone who has remained dense up to now.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:29 pmOnly the good die young. Cheney is still alive because of the government care he has received — not many would be able to afford what he has enjoyed in services.
#26 Col. JR
December 10th, 2007 at 7:34 pmNot many people are aware of that statistic; they still believe what the msm tells them.
Ask a Medicare recipient what he thinks of his coverage and most of them will tell you, it is just fine. Ask a chronically ill young person what they think of their own medical coverage and I doubt they will say it is just fine. Most of them are worried that they will be uninsurable if they should lose their present job.
Say, the next time his ticker skips a few beats, can Cheney be hooked up to electrodes at Abu Ghraib?
December 10th, 2007 at 7:36 pmFolks…while I applaud the message here…the solution is NOT this transparent or EASY…Medicare as it stands now..is ALSO a bloated and largely broken government bureaucracy…and it ISN’T free..or cheap, for that matter. Just ask anyone who has to do Medicare “coding” and “hearings” to justify legitimate care hundreds of times a week (my wife’s former job).
Healthcare needs to be free for all. It needs to be part of all of our taxes. (and before you scream SOCIALISM…remember that our public schools, our fire departments, police departments and the US Post Office…are ALL so-called “socialist” enterprises that each of you pays for every single day.)
However, a message like this IS a start.
Truthfully, a good number of good people without the good fortune of well…fortune…are going to have to die before we all get off our collective asses and demand a real solution to the national healthcare crisis.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:45 pmWhat the ad doesn’t mention (at least not here) are LIFETIME MAXIMUMS. They are typically $1M and are for the LIFETIME of your “relationship” with your health insurance company.
If Cheney had a typical employer-provided policy like Blue Cross/Blue Shield, he’d have hit his “lifetime maximum” a long time ago. The only way he’d get out of it is if his employer changed insurance carriers and that’s not so easy.
Also, if he had an employer-sponsored plan, it’s likely he’d have been “terminated” or his job “phased out” because his constant, expensive medical care would have jacked up the rates for the entire company at renewal, AND he’s so old that he’s a liability on the policy.
Health insurance companies now have procedures in place so employers cannot “jump” policies each year to keep their rates down. The first year of the policy, the insurance company uses “Average Age” to determine rates. The second year of the policy, they use actual “risk” based on medical treatment throughout the first year of the policy.
Most insurance companies WILL NOT give employers quotes on policies if that employer has “jumped” carriers in the past 3 years. Trust me, I know - I used to shop for these employer plans.
And I was the lucky one who got to explain the “new benefits” to our employees.
We need socialized medicine. We have socialized education, police, firemen, EMTs, etc. The only people benefitting from the current system are the insurance companies.
Just look up “cost sharing” sometime.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:40 amIn case anyone missed this last week, on Dec. 3rd, the Philadelphia-based American College of Physicians - the nation’s second-largest physician group - endorsed a single-payer health-care system. Find out more about Single Payer by visiting:
December 11th, 2007 at 10:00 amPhysicians for a National Health Program
SO SUPPORT DENNIS KUCINICH. Unless you want to spend the rest of your lives sitting around debating and complaining. Dennis Kucinich has real solutions to this and many of the other problems this country faces. Do some research, find out what Dennis is about. No other politician has the integrity and record to back them up.
http://www.december152007.com/
December 11th, 2007 at 11:17 amI just saw “SICKO” this morning. It was amazing that the people in Canada, UK, France all get first health care.
Michael Moore took some of the 9-11 rescue workers that where sick down to Cuba and they treated them for free.
The problem with the American people is they don’t standup to this government and demand health care for everyone. The insurance and drug companies are getting rich off the backs of the sick.
THIS HAS TO STOP.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:44 pmemily, you are so right, for those who don’t know about Dennis, he…
* Voted against a bill that enables Bush to attack Iran (Hillary voted for
it, Obama skipped the vote)
* Has no corporate strings - takes money only from individuals & works for the people
* Organized 125 Congressmen to vote against the 2002 resolution to
authorize force in Iraq *
* Voted against the Patriot Act which stripped us of our rights
* Supports withdrawing from NAFTA and the WTO which take away our jobs
* Has called for impeachment of the Vice President AND the President
* Stands for a NOT FOR PROFIT health care system, Medicare for All
* Does Not Belong To The CFR - Council On Foreign Relations - a shadow government that oversees governance of the United States for the international money power. Corporate members include Halliburton of Dubai. All presidential candidates are members and work for the corporate elite, except Kucinich, Gravel and Paul.
* Plans immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq; replacing them with an international security force
* Received the Gandhi Peace Award for his dedication to a more peaceful world
* Proposed a Department of Peace and Non-violence to promote national and international conflict prevention and structured mediation of conflict (Dept. of Defense is just a nice name for Dept. of War)
* Researches the issues and reads the bills before he votes - he votes by the facts instead of by “briefings”
* Has The Courage To Speak Out Against What Is Wrong
* Opposes the _H-1B_ and _L-1 visa_ Programs since they cause jobs to be lost and wages to be lower
* Opposes the privatization of social security
* Supports full social security benefits at age 65
* Was a lone voice in the House as he urged moderation and diplomacy in dealing with Iran (16 intelligence agencies revealed with “a high degree of confidence” that Iran halted work on nuclear weapons projects in 2003. Other candidates said before: ‘Iran must be stopped at all cost.” They base their votes on unreliable briefs instead of researching the facts.)
* Forced a floor vote, using his right of personal privilege, when Speaker Pelosi blocked Judiciary Committee hearings on the bill to impeach Cheney.
* Plans a swift return to constitutional democracy via the immediate repeal of the notorious “Patriot Act”
* Fosters a world of international cooperation
* Works for environmental renewal and clean energy
* Introduced reforms to bring about instant-runoff voting
* Protects a woman’s right to choose while decreasing the number of
abortions performed in the U.S
* Was elected to be the youngest mayor of a major city in the U.S. and
despite huge pressures to cave in he stood for the interests of the people of Cleveland. At the time he was ridiculed for opposing the sale of a municipal electricity facility, but he saved over $195 million and several hundred union jobs. We need leaders who can stand up to big money.
* Has the guts to vote his principles
* Spoke to over 150 academicians, journalists and politicians in Syria
where he presented his new security doctrine. “Strength through Peace turns the neoconservative doctrine of Peace through Strength on its head. The neo-cons’ Peace through Strength, has led to unilateralism, military build up and illegal war.” Kucinich told the packed audience, “Strength through Peace favors the upholding of international law, treaties and direct engagement, which is why I am here” Kucinich added.
* Said “I believe that through direct communication there is new hope for peace,” he said. “The world is ready to fall in love with America again. It is important that America reaches out to show our true values, our compassion and our willingness to work for peace.”
* Favors Guarding Our Country Over Policing The World
* Has Faced Tremendous Opposition With Dignity.
* Is For The Bill Of Rights
* Is Against The Creation Of A Surveillance Society
* Opposed The War In Iraq From The Beginning
* Is Willing To Listen And Reason With Others.
* Believes in Freedom Of Speech
* Believes In Individual Rights
* Does Not “Move With The Herd”
* Is Optimistic
* Values The Traditions That Have Kept Us Free.
* Will speak for the citizens of this country, not for the interests of the
top 1% who increasingly own and run everything.
Any Questions?
December 11th, 2007 at 12:56 pmI’m a Registered Nurse in Kansas City. I can tell you that if cheney had private insurance he would have been dropped long ago. I Encourage all you who read this post to write, call, and/or e-mail your congressperson and TELL them to support HR676. Go to the CNA/NNOC website to learn more. We ALL deserve the same healthcare cheney gets, and the only way WE will get it is to PUSH our representatives to REPRESENT US.
December 11th, 2007 at 11:13 pmRepublicans, Conservatives and Fundamental Christians
Versus
‘If by a liberal’ John F. Kennedy
Which world would you rather live in?
Most Republicans, Conservatives and Fundamental Christians, could be legally and most certainly psychiatrically and medically, diagnosed as Sociopaths and/or Psychopaths. Not only that, but these people are Capitalistic Imperialistic Terrorists who should be removed from America, they are ruining the United States of America, and they are ruining the World.
OR
“….if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties.. if that is what they mean by a “liberal” then I am proud to be a liberal. ” ~ John F. Kennedy
Corey Mondello
December 16th, 2007 at 6:31 amBoston, Massachusetts
cpmondello@yahoo.com
http://www.CoreyMondello.com