Hatch Peddles Luntz Talking Points, Misrepresents Kennedy’s Health Bill
Hatch Peddles Luntz Talking Points, Misrepresents Kennedy’s Health Bill
During an interview with Fox News this morning, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) criticized the draft version of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) health care bill as a “one-size fits all government mandated health care plan.”
Hatch repeated the Frank Luntz-inspired charge that a government plan would place a bureaucrat between “you and your doctor” at least four times during the segment. And he wildly misrepresented the HELP bill while pressing Democrats in Congress to track a bipartisan path towards passing health reform. Watch it:
Hatch joins a long line of conservative lawmakers who rely on poll-tested Republican talking points that are intended to stall reform rather than fix the system.
For instance, contrary to Hatch’s insistence that the bill would put a bureaucrat “between you and your doctor,” Section 2 of the draft legislation explicitly states that “a strong doctor-patient relationship is essential to the practice of medicine, and patients have a right to an effective doctor patient relationship”:
This suggests that Hatch is overstating his willingness to work with Democrats in a “bipartisan” fashion. After all, the first step towards compromise is truthfully characterizing legislation.
Cross-posted from The Wonk Room.
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Bet you anything he hasn’t even read the draft.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:53 pmHatch should close his. We have too much to do and worry about to be able afford damage control caused by loose-lippers.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:55 pmWho you going to believe? Orrin Hatch or your own lying eyes?
June 8th, 2009 at 1:56 pmBetter a bureaucrat than a health insurance company. Has he never heard of having to get a referral?
I have BC/BS’s PPO, and now, if a doctor wants to prescribe a particular medication that is on a list, the doctor has to get permission from BC/BS to prescribe that med. That’s right, a doctor with all of those years of education and training needs to call someone at an insurance company who does not have a medical degree to get permission to practice medicine.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:59 pmIts time to put out these OLD dogs out of office…need fresh blood.. not the same old,tired dogs!!
June 8th, 2009 at 2:01 pmAfter EIGHT years of “solid leadership’, just WHAT did the Republican Health Plan offer? . . . oh? . . . yea? . . .
Big Pharma/health “providers” will finance a media blitz of lies that will baffle and bedazzle the masses to keep their GOLDEN CALF . . . and also, why is Wal-Mart able to “negotiate bargain meds” for THEIR PHARMACIES, but the Republicans BLOCK FEDERAL AGENCIES from using the “power of volume buying” to “negotiate” lower prices for us???
June 8th, 2009 at 2:05 pmHatch, of course, doesnt talk about the bureaucrat in his government health insurance plan
June 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pmWhen are the Dems going to hit the airwaves and debunk these ridiculous talking points? I’m hearing nothing from them, but the lying liars are splashed all over the teevee machine!
PEACE
June 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pmConfused are we Hatch?
June 8th, 2009 at 2:09 pmThe vulturous for profit insurance running the show now do all of which you accused a public health plan would do.
Private health insurance spending its clients premiums on lobbyists and congress critters. Im sure they are thrilled.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:13 pmSpencers mom @ 8,
June 8th, 2009 at 2:13 pmYou really are right on that one.
As J. Carville says in his book, 40 More Years, the problem with the Dems is that they let the Regreedicans run the agenda. The Dems need to be all over the airwaves.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R – HMO) accepts free socialized health care for himself and his family, no problemo. But he thinks that the present system of the Unholy Trinity of Private GReed: insurance companies, HMOs and pharmaceutical corporations that places seventeen papershufflers between us and our doctor is fine and dandy…
June 8th, 2009 at 2:14 pmCorrection: Private health care spending its clients premiums on lobbyists and congress critters while 60% of bankruptcies are due to medical costs with those who have private healthcare.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:14 pmspencers mom Says:
When are the Dems going to hit the airwaves and debunk these ridiculous talking points?
Probably when the media, also invested in insurance, big pharma, defense… get the green light for profit insurance remains and is in cement.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:16 pm1. How can anyone support a non-portable Sickness & Injury Medical Insurance industry that makes their profit not by PROVIDING care, but by DENYING care?
2. How can anyone support a non-portable Sickness & Injury Medical Insurance industry that PROFITS from excessive costs in providing care by passing along the continuing increases in cost and then adding an additional 30% on top of each cost increase?
3. Would it not be better for Americans to INVEST in a lifetime HEATH CARE plan that provides cost control and covers every American from cradle to grave, rather than a YEARLY TEMPORARY, NON-PORTABLE Sickness and Injury Insurance plan?
INVEST in Universal Single Payer Health Care, it lasts a lifetime!
Without a PUBLIC OPTION, there is NO health care reform!
June 8th, 2009 at 2:16 pmNot a surprise that a man who receives $481,381 from Health care industry in 2008, alone, would oppose anything that threatens said industry.
Source
June 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pmcomment from Thom Hartmann in so many words:
June 8th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
spencers mom Says:
When are the Dems going to hit the airwaves and debunk these ridiculous talking points? I’m hearing nothing from them
The Dems need to sell the notion of a Lifetime Heath Care System. People are sick and tired of having to deal with the YEARLY buying of a Sickness & Injury Insurance policy at ever increasing rates.
Each YEAR we are sending money in to the S&I Insurance industry and come Janurary we have nothing to show for it except another bill for another YEAR.
We need to INVEST that money into a Universal Lifetime Health Care System that covers ALL Americans.
INVEST in Universal Single Payer Health Care, it lasts a lifetime!
Without a PUBLIC OPTION, there is NO health care reform!
June 8th, 2009 at 2:27 pmCorrection 2003-2008…
June 8th, 2009 at 2:30 pm15 COProgressive
Americans overwhelmingly want a decent health care system.
The real question is:
Who has the most influence over Congress? We the people who vote them in or the insurance industries that line their pockets?
It appears the latter with hopes no one will know or remember during election time.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:34 pmIt appears the latter with hopes no one will know or remember during election time.
Since the two parties decide who gets to have the funding to run, remembering at election time is no big deal. Last November folks ‘remembered’ and the lobbyists still run Congress.
I seem to recall a candidate who made some statements about the need to clear this up.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:52 pmOne would think that a political party that relishes war as policy in dealing with the rest of the world would want the healthiest population possible to provide for the military manpower needs and provide that health care from the defense budget.
The same could be said for education so the military would have the smartest soldiers to fight our battles and the private companies would have the smartest engineers and technicians to develop our weapons.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:53 pmNot to mention that the health insurance industry is acting as a leech on all other industries, depressing their profits and operations as well as causing labor rifts. A huge amount of the specific messes that many industries have found themselves in are caused or exacerbated by the fact that health care is mostly employer-based at present.
Why do Republicans hate business?
June 8th, 2009 at 2:56 pmsince we’re talking about health care will he retroactively force himself to give a damn about that woman at the bottom of the lake?
June 8th, 2009 at 3:06 pmOh look, a Republican lying on TV.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:07 pmI’m shocked, shocked I say!
Small business’ biggest direct expense is health care coverage of employees.
On a scale of 1:10, health care is #1, tax cuts at 7 or 8.
Hatch wants free socialist health care for himself while trying to maintain the 1/2 million or so annually the insurers donate.
Double standard? You betcha!
June 8th, 2009 at 3:10 pmConservatives did not want Social Security under FDR.
They did not want universal healthcare under Truman when he wanted it, nor Nixon when he considered it, nor Carter when he considered it, nor Clinton when he tried to compromise with them. They opposed Medicare in 1965. Congressman GHW Bush called it socialized medicine. They do not want public healthcare now. They will not compromise. They will only move the goal posts and have add-ons to harm/sabotage the plans.
Do not rely on their votes. Pass it without their votes. If you can’t, so be it—they will have more voted out in 2010.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:16 pmthe freedom Says:
since we’re talking about health care will he retroactively force himself to give a damn about that woman at the bottom of the lake?
Do you give a damn about the 20,000 Americans who die each and every year due to lack of healthcare? Only in the US—not in any other developed country in the world. Many of these are full-time workers, but cannot afford private healthcare (which costs twice as much as any other country).
June 8th, 2009 at 3:20 pmthe freedom, for half the costs, you can have a plan with no deductible, no co-pay—includes dental, optometric, and behavioral—-and covers the 47,000,000 who currently have nothing! Do you give a damn about them? Even little babies?
June 8th, 2009 at 3:29 pmWhen these parrots are on the Sunday morning shows opposite a pro-health care reform guest, the pro-health care person should ask. “are you sure that’s what Luntz really said?”
June 8th, 2009 at 3:32 pmi do give a damn and that’s why i support health care reform right here right now with a public option.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:39 pmIt is time for the Dempocratic Party to pass Single Payer and leave the wingnut senators holding their wankers, complaining about the cost. Fix healthcare in this country and scrue the wankers.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pmkasinca Says:
It is time for the Dempocratic Party to pass Single Payer and leave the wingnut senators holding their wankers, complaining about the cost.
It would be massively cheaper than it is now. But you know, gubmit socialist invaders and all…
June 8th, 2009 at 4:16 pmLast I heard HR676 had 77 cosigners. Why isn’t it on the floor for a vote?
June 8th, 2009 at 4:18 pmMy bad, it seems it is 53 co-signers. The question remains, why isn’t it up for vote?
Because it hasn’t been ‘approved’ by some damn committee?
June 8th, 2009 at 4:25 pmDouble my bad, it seems the co-sponsors are at 93.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:29 pmDuh– Repubs misrepresent everything. They have no facts. Lies, dishonesty, cheating & smears– the Repub way.
June 8th, 2009 at 5:08 pmCheck out this clip of Uber-Christian, Pat Robertson slipping and saying that private health care systems couldn’t compete with a government run system. Does he even realize what he said?
http://progressnotcongress.org/blog/?p=1666
June 8th, 2009 at 7:56 pmtexaslady Says:
Uhhh, you can’t fix stupid.
You can beat it into unconsciousness though.
.
Romartin16985 Says:
Two very good examples of liberals who just can’t help insulting anyone they disagree with.
Fcuk off, verminous traitor.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:30 pmEffective, responsible communication of policy by the institutions of government to the mass populace is vital to a functioning democracy. Such communication ultimately assists in educatng and enlightening the electorate of complex issues. Democracy simply cannot function and is destined to fail without an educated public.
It is this reality which compelled me to comment re this post. Luntz, his ilk and those who peddle his market-tested misrepresentations seriously undermine our democratic government. They foster ignorance at the expense of truth with the intent to control “policy outcome”, i.e. the will of the people in a democracy. Such actions place these individuals squarely in the company of every totalitarian regime throughout history. We can only hope that the Democratic party is up to the challenge to not only communicate the truth of its policy but to bring to light the actual intent BEHIND the tactics of Luntz, et. al., to the American public.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:02 amI know my client of ten years, and a couple of others who would love to work part-time, but a full-time job in which their health coverage is not guaranteed is a death sentence. I want a plan that will help the disabled out of the ghetto of SSDI, and provide insurance for people who do not qualify for Medicare.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:29 am