Elizabeth Edwards: Americans Are ‘Left Outside The Clinic Doors’ With McCain’s Health Care Plan
Elizabeth Edwards: Americans Are ‘Left Outside The Clinic Doors’ With McCain’s Health Care Plan
Elizabeth Edwards and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have both survived cancer — breast cancer and melanoma, respectively. But as Edwards observed this week, “Neither one of us would be covered by his [McCain’s] health policy.”
In response, McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin criticized Edwards, saying her comments were “disappointing” and a misunderstanding of McCain’s “comprehensive” plan:
[Holtz-Eakin] said Saturday that Edwards’ comments were disappointing and that they revealed she did not understand the comprehensive nature of the senator’s proposal.
Holtz-Eakin said McCain’s policy would harness “the power of competition to produce greater coverage for Americans.” Because McCain’s plan would lower the cost of healthcare through competition, Holtz-Eakin said, it would reduce costs for consumers with or without preexisting conditions.
McCain’s plan, which largely extends the failures of the President Bush’s health care approach and gives insurance companies a pass, is hardly “comprehensive.” Today on the Wonk Room, Edwards responds to Holtz-Eakin, noting that McCain’s plan shuts Americans “outside the clinic doors”:
I freely admit that I am confused about the role of overnight funding in repurchase markets in the collapse of Bear Stearns. What I am not confused about is John McCain’s health care proposal. Apparently Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a senior policy advisor to McCain, thinks I do “not understand the comprehensive nature of the senator’s proposal.”
The problem, Douglas, is that, despite fuzzy language and feel-good lines in the Senator’s proposal, I do understand exactly how devastating it will be to people who have the health conditions with which the Senator and I are confronted (melanoma for him, breast cancer for me) but do not have the financial resources we have. In very unconfusing language: they are left outside the clinic doors.
Ten million Americans live with cancer today, and three of four families will help care for a family member with cancer. But health experts note that cancer survivors are routinely denied insurance when they try to purchase insurance as individuals.
“As one of those [voters] with a pre-existing condition, I sure would like some straight talk,” writes Edwards. Read her full response at the Wonk Room.
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As someone with a chronic incurable illness that requires a lot of medical care and medicine, I can’t afford to be left outside. There are many more like me. I hope all of you Hillary and Barack supporters claiming you’ll vote for McCain instead of one of the Democratic candidates come to your senses.
We cannot afford McCain under any circumstances.
-AF
Andrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
April 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pmI’ve said it before and will say it again. Competition in health care does NOT drive down costs. It escalates them. It’s an area that the “free market” should not be a controlling factor. Single-payer is the solution.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pmIn addition, neither Obama nor Clinton’s plans go far enough, by a long stretch. They are far better than McCain’s non-plan, but the change that is needed is far more profound.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:30 pmHealthcare doesn’t cost too much, they charge too much for it. Let’s have healthcare driven by altruism, not capitalism. Of course, if you prefer seeing people get sick and die, then go ahead and support the Republicans.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:37 pmMore straight talk from Elizabeth in a single session than Grampa McCain has delivered in god knows how many years.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:38 pmMcCain’s advisor seems to miss the point that lower premiums mean nothing if you’re denied coverage outright for having a pre-existing condition.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:41 pmCompetition and the free market are the republicans way of saying that they want more freedom to gouge the American cititzen.
When did the free market ever benefit the American taxpayer?
When medical care is operated under the free market?
When fuel supplies are operated under the free market?
When energy companies are operated under the free market?
It is a scam and an ugly one. I think some of these things can be market items(not health care)but the regulations to keep them under control must be kept in place. We have seen too many times the result of unregulated corprorate greed…..
April 1st, 2008 at 3:45 pmWhy is it up to Elizabeth Edwards to do what the Democratic party should be doing…challenging McCain. I’m glad she is doing it, but I really would like to see the Democratic party get off its duff and start introducing the real John McBush to the public.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:48 pmWhat is with all the lame trolls popping up here these days? Was it all the publicity that TP got? The RNC must be scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with the current crop.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pmOne thing we can all agree on is that republicans have never and never will do anything, let alone wonders to help the poor anywhere in our country.
So if anything is getting done by anyone, it will be done while fighing the republicans at the same time……..simple.
You could be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Great point. Although she is in a unique position to ask this and have the media pay attention.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pmIn addition, neither Obama nor Clinton’s plans go far enough, by a long stretch. They are far better than McCain’s non-plan, but the change that is needed is far more profound.
Obama has said many times that if he was starting over, he would implement a single payer system. But, he is pragmatic enough to realize that dumping all the Health Insurance companies is not going to go over well with John Q. public. I suspect that he is going to go towards single payer in an incremental way starting with passing a law that tells the Health Insurance companies if they want to stay in business, they can not deny coverage due to a pre existing condition. Then he can move on to competitive bidding for health care and prescription drugs.
Single payer health will come, it just might not come immediately. The first goals are to make sure that everyone is covered by some kind of a plan and that people with pre-existing conditions are not denied coverage.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:59 pmThe republicans are making a big mistake if they don’t take health care seriously. It is going to change whether they like it or not. Their best hope is to stay involved, not stand on the sidlines telling everyone that the free market will fix this.
By Jan 2008 many Americans have in thier rear view mirror an exquisite vision of what mccain and his bunch have in mind for us. Many have been bankrupted and many have died because we have allowed our health care(irony) to be controlled by corporations.
That, combined with what will inevitably be higher prices for everyday needs and fuel, compounded further by inevitable job losses will make it very difficult for a republican to even seek the high ground come fall.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:02 pmimpeachcheneythenbush Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I’ve said it before and will say it again. Competition in health care does NOT drive down costs. It escalates them. It’s an area that the “free market” should not be a controlling factor. Single-payer is the solution.
Exactly. It’s just the same old Republic rhetoric–competition, competition will drive prices down. Isn’t this what Reagan said about the airline industry (when you could fly round trip to europe for $300)?
And last time I looked there were lots of oil companies. Has that driven down the price of oil? And the competion between the cable and satellite TV industries–how’s that working out for you, folks?
Republic dictionary definition: competition=greed.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pmThe_Right_Stuff Says
right stuff just don’t get it…..we know there is excellent health care available here…..it’s the availablity that is the problem……..
It really doesn’t matter how good it is if you can’t have access to it now does it?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:08 pmI grew up in small town MN. My family was poor, but accessing a family Dr. was never an issue. In fact, payment wasn’t even discussed in the initial visit.
This was before corporate insurance companies took over ‘the market’. You were diagnosed, treated &, if needed, scheduled a follow up visit. A bill appeared 30 days later.
Simple. A direct business transaction between you & your Dr.
My, how things have changed.
Americans don’t need insurance ‘brokers’ between them & their Doctor. Americans don’t need an HMO ‘network’ to receive care.
Americans need a FAIR market, FAIR prescription costs and FAIR treatment.
Doctors that want to get rich should move to Dubai. Insurance companies should be removed from the system. Hospitals should be allowed to make money, but if they’re claiming non-profit status, they must be forced to follow those profit regulations.
We can do better, America. Let’s stop worshiping profit as our prophet and get back to doing what’s best for our citizens.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:09 pmAdd waiting lists for elective surgery to the ever-growing list of things that right wing cowards fear because the right wing radio tells them to.
Isn’t it amazing that right wingers’ excuse for AM radio being dominated by right wingers is that the free market works and no-one wants to be exposed to liberal “hate”, but, in the same breath, they claim that the media is liberal biased, not just responding to the market?
Cowardice will mess up your critical thinking skills, I think.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:11 pmThe_Right_Stuff’s link is not to a credible website anyway. It belongs to a group who’d mission is to find corporate solutions to governmental problems…..sound familiar?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pmThe_Right_Stuff Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Why do we want to drag ourselves down to their level?
________________
Quick question for you, Ace. The survival rates you’re referencing… are those for ALL people who come down w/ the various types of cancer, or just THOSE who were not denied coverage for one reason or another?
And what were the survival rates for those denied?
And what were the survival rates for those treated thru Medicare?
Just asking…
April 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pmAaaaugh. I wish she was going to be our First Lady.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pmRoS,
Here are some reliable facts:
April 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pmMcCain has been on the Gov’t/DOD dole since his birth. He has known known any other insurance coverage but Government provided insurance.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pmThey say the gauge of the quality of a society is how they treat their infants and elderly. Looks like we’re a second rate banana republic:
INFANT MORTALITY RATE per 100,000 births:
Sweden: 382
Japan: 396
Norway: 413
France: 476
Austria: 492
Denmark: 551
Canada: 552
UK: 586
Israel: 662
U. S. 772
ELDERLY CARE: (From 2000 Harvard School of Public Health report)
More than 1 in 4 (29%) elderly Americans have a difficult time meeting their basic monthly expenses.
32% of U.S. elderly have no drug coverage.
20% of US elderly pay $50-$100 per month out-of -pocket for drugs, while 16% pay more than $100 per month. By contrast, under 5% of the elderly in four other developed countries pay more than $100 per month.
15% of elderly have foregone filling prescriptions because they could not afford it, and
18 % have problems paying medical bills.
The U.S. also has the greatest disparity between the health of the poor and that of the wealthy of all industrialized nations. Black infants, for example, have a mortality rate that is more than twice that of white children (14 versus 6 per 1,000).
links to back up black/white mortality rate disparity
April 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pmhttp://www.cdc.gov/ mmwr/ preview/ mmwrhtml/ mm5127a1.htm
oh and here is one for 2007 guess the first one only went to 2000
http://www.cdc.gov/ od/ oc/ media/ pressrel/ 2007/ r070502.htm
uhh….that should read..NOT known any other insurance coverage but Government provided insurance.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:27 pmI’m still surprised when a troll try’s to take this issue on. It is no secret that we have a national health care crisis. Very few Americans by now have not been overtly affected by the 70% increase in health care costs since 2001……and it is so easy to prove.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:28 pmIn the Republikin USA, one gets as much health care as one can afford, one gets as much justice as one can afford, one gets as much freedom as one can afford.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:30 pmThe_Right_Stuff Says
your source is corporate…..doesn’t count…try again. We can pull numers out of our a**’s all day too but that don’t make it so…….
April 1st, 2008 at 4:32 pm#15 Stastics don’t show how many people are dumped and I mean dumped in front of free clinics. Some of the major hospitals don’t even have the compassion to make sure they get in the door. Patients are sometimes disoriented and wonder around not knowing what is going on. That is why some free clinics had to install cameras outside of their facilities.
How about the doctor in Tennessee that donates his time (over two hundred volunteers help also) every year to take care of people without health insurance.
How can you be so blind. I hope you never have to go without health insurance. I did for two months, sounds like no big deal right. Well my son is severly autistic. Just one of his prescriptions runs $545.00. Yes you read right, that is one. I had to get a company in Canada to send me the prescription for 1/4 of the price the US pharmacy was charging me. My son takes three different medications.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:33 pmNow thats what I’m talking about - a Democrat attacking McCain! Enough of the Clinton and Obama bashing - let them duke it out and let us focus our attention on McCain until November!
April 1st, 2008 at 4:38 pmThe criminal Insurance and Pharma companies are ripping us off. Why do USA citizens need to overpay for these essential items?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:40 pmFree market competition does not dictate that a business charge in relation to their costs and a modest profit. What it has become is to charge whatever the market will bear, even if the costs go down. And they have discovered that the market will bear a lot, especially for a necessary commodity.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:44 pmJust as someone else mentioned here, airline tickets and gasoline, home heating oil, groceries, seem to have gone sky high despite lots of “competition”.
In response to RIGHT STUFF - I would love to see the reports from which you base your stats from. First, does the artical specify what kind of Cancers we are talking about? Secondly, what are the age groups of the Cancer victems? Third, you can fudge numbers so easly with the questions asked.
The point of this converstaion is; what is the solution to affordable health care?
What system will allow all people to get coverage?
If you really want to get rid of Insurance companies providing Health Care, mandate that they (Insurance Companies) cannot deny anyone who is able to fill out a form. And if there any mistakes on the form, the insurance companies are not allow to disquallify you from your coverage. Whatch how fast they will get out of that business. Just ask Florida, when the state mandated that insurance companies to operate in the state, must provide home insurance. Almost all left. PRICELESS .
April 1st, 2008 at 4:47 pmWALMART Wants Disabled Women’s Long-Term Care Money Back
Debbie Shank suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident 8 years ago that robbed her of much of her memory. She cries every time she’s told that her son was killed in Iraq, as if hearing the news for the first time.
After winning the lawsuit against the trucking company involved in the accident, her husband put the money in a trust to pay for Debbie’s long-term care.
And now, retail giant Wal-Mart wants that money:
Eight years ago, Shank was stocking shelves for the retail giant and signed up for Wal-Mart’s health and benefits plan. […]
Wal-Mart had paid out about $470,000 for Shank’s medical expenses, but in 2005, Wal-Mart’s health plan sued the Shanks for the same amount.
The Shanks didn’t notice in the fine print of Wal-Mart’s health plan policy that the company has the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit.
In fact, they want the money so badly that the sued the family (and won):
Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley, who called Debbie Shank’s case “unbelievably sad,” replied in a statement: “Wal-Mart’s plan is bound by very specific rules. … We wish it could be more flexible in Mrs. Shank’s case since her circumstances are clearly extraordinary, but this is done out of fairness to all associates who contribute to, and benefit from, the plan.”
Jim Shank said he believes Wal-Mart should make an exception.
“My idea of a win-win is — you keep the paperwork that says you won and let us keep the money so I can take care of my wife,” he said.
The family’s situation is so dire that last year Jim Shank divorced Debbie, so she could receive more money from Medicaid.
Jim Shank, 54, is recovering from prostate cancer, works two jobs and struggles to pay the bills. He’s afraid he won’t be able to send their youngest son to college and pay for his and Debbie’s care.
“Who needs the money more? A disabled lady in a wheelchair with no future, whatsoever, or does Wal-Mart need $90 billion, plus $200,000?” he asked.
Legally, Wal-Mart is in the right. But morally, I don’t think so. There’s a Wal-Mar near where I work, and I shop there quite often. But after reading this, perhaps it’s time to go to Target, which is a just little farther away.
Talk about corporate GREED!! I won’t ever shop there again.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:49 pmNone of the proposed health plans is optimal–why can’t we in the US have health care equal to that of our often “ill-regarded” French rivals?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:52 pmFreedom Rebel
May be just a gesture but I haven’t been in a wally world for 10 years…..I seek out the small local business and pay more…..it’s ok. If I can’t afford it, I don’t buy it. This way I know that actual local people are benifiting from my spending habits.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:58 pmThe_wrong_stuff, why wouldn’t you want all Americans to receive the same health care, you twit? Not a single person is proposing to change the quality or type of health care; the proposal is to provide health care for everyone, you moron. Your stats are a complete and utter moot point. Try again, loser.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:00 pmYou have never spent a day in your life in a cancer hospital. I have spent the last 10, and I can state without a doubt that the only people that get the best health care have insurance AND have to pay out of pocket. You lost again.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:02 pmThere is a bill in congress; it’s called HR676. It is the only Single Payer system (basic system like England, France, Canada etc.) ready to be introduce into the house. However becuase it doesn’t have enough support right now, they will not introduce the bill.
GET OFF OUR ASSES AND CALL OUR REPRESENTATIVE AND DEMAND THEY SUPPORT THE BILL (HR676)IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO GET RE-ELECTED.
It’s that simple folks, we have the power. HR676 It’s time we make the noise. HR 676 PLEASE GOOGLE IT. TRUST ME ONE DAY IT WILL PAY OFF, BIG TIME
April 1st, 2008 at 5:09 pm#39 Fred- It’s rare that I ever went. I do the same thing mostly. I go to a local paint store versus Lowes for all of my all my painting supplies even.
I feel bad now that I went once this year to that store.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pmNOLIESPLEASE Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 4:47 pm
In response to RIGHT STUFF - I would love to see the reports from which you base your stats from. First, does the artical specify what kind of Cancers we are talking about? Secondly, what are the age groups of the Cancer victems? Third, you can fudge numbers so easly with the questions asked.
_________________________________________
Wrong Stuff got his data from a right-wing site dedicated to preventing universal health care in this country at all costs, and the numbers are cherry-picked from a variety of sources. Only numbers making single payer systems look bad are used.
When he puts forth something from a neutral site, I’ll pay more attention.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:12 pmYou quote The Lancet but your figures are off selected pages from different years garnered by your “think tank”. What kind of insurance do you have?
April 1st, 2008 at 5:19 pmUS SYSTEM = Family of 4 coverage $12,500 per year.
Canadian System = Family of 4 Coverage $1600 per year based on a income of $50,000 per year. The payments are automatically deducted from your pay. If you don’t work, you don’t pay, but you still get full coverage.
How do i know this, I’m Canadian. I have never had to fill out a form for health care. In my 44 years in this country, I have never had to speak to a government represenative about health care. I just book an appointment with my doctor. If she is not in , I go to the emergancy room. COST $0.
You (Americans) are corporate slaves. Don’t be fooled about higher taxes. The differences between our taxes and yours, WE GET SOMETHING IN RETURN FOR THE TAXES WE (CANADIANS)PAY.
Is human dignity more important than any insurance companies?
April 1st, 2008 at 5:19 pmShayne, click on right stuffs link and click on the link on the left that say policy issues…….read thier mission statement.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:24 pmI saw that Fred. I’m still waiting for the troll to tell us what kind of insurance he has. Well Right Stuff?
April 1st, 2008 at 5:32 pmBy the sound of the comments, it appears that not many health care workers have time to play on this site. For fifteen years I have been involved in the care of “unfortunate people who can’t afford health care.” A classic example: 30 year old construction worker, laid off in winter, drives a new truck, has a 10,000 dollar snowmobile, feeds both gas guzzlers without a problem, can afford to buy adequate booze to get hammered, then accidentally tests how fast the sled can go from 80 to zero. Poor poor man. He got major surgery, weeks of hospital time, months of rehab. Cost to him? Zip zero nadda.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:49 pmWe all need to get our priorities straight and quit asking someone else to pay the way. I propose that everyone should have to have proof of health insurance or a significant health care savings account before being able to apply for a loan of any sort or a credit card. Perhaps then we would all make our health care the priority everyone claims it is. We would have to make choices such as type of vehicle or homes. If this were the case then consumers would be more selective about what is NEEDED and what is WANTED, especially in health care. Finally the laws of supply and demand could even things out.
Stop blaming others for the situation and step up to the plate guys.
Let’s say you have a pre-existing condition (e.g., Type II diabetes) and, in the spirit of competition, send out bids for insurance companies to provide you with a certain package of healthcare benefits and wait for the results to arrive. You will die of old age waiting for your first response.
If McCain truly means what he says, why doesn’t he forgo taxpayer-funded healthcare insurance and go it on his own? And conceal his identity and income when applying for coverage, publishing the results of his efforts for all to see. His income last year was $3.9 million, so if he couldn’t find any takers, he could more easily afford to self-insure than 99.9% of his fellow citizens.
Competition does not truly exist when little vital information is available. So, quickly, off the top of your head, what is a colonoscopy going for these days? Is that with or without sedation? Which gastroenterologist has the best track record for identifying tumors (especially those that are flush or nearly flush with the inner wall of the colon)? Which doc is willing to allow you time to go under sedation before commencing with the procedure or if you regain consciousness during the procedure (a painful experience), is willing to provide you with additional sedation (which may mean that you tie up a bed in the recovery room for a few additional minutes)? Where do you find a reliable medical equivalent to “Consumer Reports”?
Oh, yes, and then there’s the matter of locating medical care following an emergency. For example, let’s say that your child (or grandchild) falls, cutting themselves badly. Do you rush to the nearest physician’s office, urgent care clinic or emergency room? What about the competition aspect? Perhaps you could send out a broadcast text message to all available providers, informing them that you’ll take your loved one to the lowest bidder?
For those who claim that market forces can fix everything, please provide some definite answers regarding the above-cited questions for all of us to consider.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:04 pmRe: comment #35 —
Great point. Yes, trolls, the next time you stop at the gas pump, tell the attendant that you won’t make a purchase unless they beat the lowest price in town and see what kind of response you receive. And absolutely refuse to make a purchase unless they “play ball” with you.
And then, just for fun, extend this policy to all other areas, such as your phone bill, gas service, cigarettes, beer, groceries, mortgage payment, insurance coverage, etc.
The 1960s era television series “Candid Camera” could fill a whole season with scenarios such as the above.
Entrepreneurs?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:20 pmjustanurse
April 1st, 2008 at 9:30 pmYou’re not a nurse…..I have my doubts whether you are even human.
justanurse Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
By the sound of the comments, it appears that not many health care workers have time to play on this site. For fifteen years I have been involved in the care of “unfortunate people who can’t afford health care.” A classic example: 30 year old construction worker, laid off in winter, drives a new truck, has a 10,000 dollar snowmobile, feeds both gas guzzlers without a problem, can afford to buy adequate booze to get hammered, then accidentally tests how fast the sled can go from 80 to zero. Poor poor man. He got major surgery, weeks of hospital time, months of rehab. Cost to him? Zip zero nadda.
We all need to get our priorities straight and quit asking someone else to pay the way. I propose that everyone should have to have proof of health insurance or a significant health care savings account before being able to apply for a loan of any sort or a credit card. Perhaps then we would all make our health care the priority everyone claims it is. We would have to make choices such as type of vehicle or homes. If this were the case then consumers would be more selective about what is NEEDED and what is WANTED, especially in health care. Finally the laws of supply and demand could even things out.
Stop blaming others for the situation and step up to the plate guys.
Wow. You can tell all that about a patient from his chart? What kind of truck he drives and what gas mileage it gets? How much he drinks? You must be one clairvoyant nurse. Or a liar, one of the two. Hmmm, I choose the latter.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:59 pmRe: justanurse
This must be the nurse I heard about who keeps their patients’ bedpans in the freezer just prior to use, or played one of the shadowy roles in the movie “Coma.”
Or, perhaps on only a slightly more comforting note, perhaps Nurse Mildred Rached in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was not just a fictional character…
April 1st, 2008 at 10:45 pmBRAVO! ELIZABETH! I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THE INSURANCE COMPANY SYSTEM FOR 35 YEARS. OUR YOUNGEST SON, OUR FOURTH, WAS DIAGNOSED AT 19 MONTHS WITH AUTISM. THERE WERE NO “PUBLIC SCHOOL” FACILITIES FOR HIM AND PRIVATE MONTESSORI TYPE SCHOOLS WERE FINANCIALLY OUT OF OUR RANGE. OUR HEALTH INSURANCE WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CLASSES HE NEEDED TO PROGRESS. I DID HIS THERAPY AT HOME UNTIL THE PASSAGE OF PL 142. HE WILL BE 36 SOON AND IS NOW ON S.S. BUT I STILL HAVE TO FIGHT FOR EVERY LITTLE THING FOR HIM. AMERICANS NEED HELP BADLY! IT IS DESPERATE OUT HERE! THANKS FOR TAKING A STAND ELIZABETH. YOU AND JOHN ARE A GREAT TEAM. HAPPY TO SEE YOU ARE WELL AND ABLE TO FIGHT ON!
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:51 amjustanurse, A NURSE HAS AN OBLIGATION AS A PATIENT ADVOCATE NOT JUDGE AND JURY!
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 amNURSERATCHET @55,
With all due respect, no need to shout.
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:32 amSo, while the two “Dem Contenders” are having the battle of the preachers, the true fight for America is left to severely sick woman. How despicable of the Dems to allow McCain to get away with all this bullshit. I don’t expect the Repulotraitors of anything less, but the dems need to get over this fight and get on with the show. HOWARD do something. Kick Hilary to the curb already.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 amjustanurse NOT mumbled:
“We all need to get our priorities straight and quit asking someone else to pay the way. I propose that everyone should have to have proof of health insurance or a significant health care savings account before being able to apply for a loan of any sort or a credit card.”
Here let me fix that for you.
We all need to get our priorities straight and quit asking the corporations to provide a god given right of health. I propose that everyone should have to have proof of paying INTO the Congressional healthcare system or Medicare, and outlaw ALL health insurance and health care savings accounts fore they are nothing but immoral vehicles to suck money from sick people, And proof of such should be provided before being able to register as a stupid fu(king Republican who believes that banks and credi companies should wnjoy protection when they take the RISK to give you a loan or a credit card. This is incorrect, and banks and credit companies are scumsucking pieces of shit, and deserver NO protection because THEY ARE CAPITALISTIC ventures and the market forces should prevail. Why do companies need the government to protect their investments or business dealings. Oh WAAA WAAA WAAA friggin WAAA. SHUT THE FU(K UP, YOU STUPID FU(KING WHORPORATE WHORE. Corporations should NOT be allowed to deduct their business expenses, thusly putting these personhood entities on par with the very HUMANS they need to step on to make their money. Fu(king scumsucking pigs.
There that fixes that.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 amElizabeth puts herself out there for us–bless her! She’s doing the heavy lifting for Hillary and Barack. They should be doing the heavy lifting on attacking McCain and keeping his numbers down.
McCain does not do his homework. He is gullible, rash, and simplistic….Like John Edwards said, McCain is “George Bush on steroids.”
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:41 am99 Luf Balloons– At least you have an idea. The bottom line is that any and everything costs. I don’t care how we pay the bill, as long as anyone who uses the system pays the price. For those of you who think having “free health care” is the answer, your eyes may pop out your head when you see how fast we develop a significantly two tiered system. That is the reality in any country with national health care. Quality will utlimately suffer. Medical professionals aren’t all in it just for fun and to donate their time, though that is what non health care people feel they should be “obligated” to do.
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 pmNot to get off topic, but I look forward to Elizabeth Edwards blog comments on the state of Medicare and the supplemental insurance scam offered by many notable organizations including AARP.
And I’m waiting for someone candidate or not to address what for me is the real issue, the overall cost of medical care. But again there is a bigger picture. When the medical industry in some areas is the major employer reforms could have a trickle down effect.
Too bad John and Elizabeth are not in the White House, I think they’re smart enough to figure it out.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:05 pmMcCain’s health plan “trickles down” rubbing alcohol into the wound…in a shed.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 am