Public Remains Confused About Health Plan

(CBS)  President Barack Obama is spending much of his time, and major political capital, explaining health reform over and over.

Yet multiple polls show the public is confused. Many don't get what's in it for them - even those who came to hear the president speak this week.

"Have you been paying attention to the health care debate?" asked CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier.

"I've been picking up bits and pieces here and there," said North Carolina resident Nate Harris. "But 1,000 pages I think is a lot for anyone to go through."

That's 1,000 pages for just one of the three different versions of the House bill. There's also a Senate version out there.

The House has left for its break, while senators are working nonstop through their last week. Senator Kent Conrad even brought his dog to work. But he admits it is a hard to sell the public on a deal that isn't done yet.

"You have not seen a bi-partisan package yet be presented to the American people, and when it is then we have to do a massive job of education," Conrad said.

But it will be autumn before both houses of Congress return to work on that hoped for combined package. In the meantime, health reform opponents are capitalizing on the confusion with television ads.

GOP opponents have warned senior citizens that Medicare will be slashed.

"There will be rationing of health care and many people won't be able to get a hip replacement," said Rep. Dan Burton.

In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent representatives back home with tools to counterattack - a point-by-point memo to educate voters on the bill's goals, though again, there are few specifics.

Among the points: no discrimination for preexisting conditions, no dropping your coverage because you become sick.

"We intend to set the record straight," Pelosi said in a news conference. "In some places by inoculating against their misrepresentations in all places by educating as to what this legislation does."

The president today praised House's progress thus far, including the way the various committees made changes because of Republican or conservative Democrat criticism. Democrats may have missed the president's August deadline, but they plan to use that as an advantage, telling the public, look, we took our time looking out for you.

[GovtWeary1]

If this so-called health plan is so wonderful, then WHY won't our elected officials be apart of it? It is because they don't want to wait for months to see a doctor IF the administrator says that they can see one. Everybody needs to contact your congress person and tell them to put a stop this nonsense. And everybody needs to look at the plan indepth and just look at what the proposal includes. DON'T LET THEM GET US AGAIN.

[velma179]

We can't call our congresspersons and ask them to put a "stop to nonsense" that has no basis in reality.

There is Nothing stated in any health care reform plan being offered that will impede a patient's access to a doctor any more than what is being done TODAY, every day -- by Private Insurers.

You have been fed lies and misinformation... by entities that are in the pocket of these Private Insurance Corporations, if you think anything otherwise.

*****

And again --- So the kids in the back row can hear:

THERE IS CURRENTLY NO FINALIZED PLAN OF ACTION ESTABLISHED TO REFORM THE HEALTH CARE/INSURANCE SYSTEM -- LEGISLATION HAS BEEN OFFERED, YET NO FINAL BILL IS WRITTEN TO THIS DATE.

[GovtWeary1]

If this so-called health plan is so wonderful, then WHY won't our elected officials be apart of it? It is because they don't want to wait for months to see a doctor IF the administrator says that they can see one. Everybody needs to contact your congress person and tell them to put a stop this nonsense. And everybody needs to look at the plan indepth and just look at what the proposal includes. DON'T LET THEM GET US AGAIN.

[jab232]

The billion-dollar corporations are spending more than one million dollars a day to confuse people.

To me it comes down to this--Is the purpose of reform to protect the huge corporations and the billions they make from the present system? The CEO of Cigna makes twelve million a year. When he retires soon, he will get a seventy-three million dollar golden parachute. UnitedHealthcare made three quarters of a billion last quarter alone.

Meanwhile, 14,000 lose their health care insurance every day, millions are under insured, and we all know that if we get a truly expensive illness our insurance is likely to drop us or we will lose our jobs (so the employer doesn't have to pay the huge insurance premiums).

If you think we should protect the large corporations and their huge profits, go with the GOP and Blue Dog Democrats. Both groups are in the pockets of the health care lobbies.

If you are for the ordinary people, if you believe you will lose your insurance when you get really sick, fight hard for a public option plan. Congress has that kind of government-run plan, and the seem to do quite well.

It is a simple issue.

[jab232]

Don't forget, health care reform is not about billion-dollar corporations keeping the goose which is presently laying their golden eggs. It is about millions uninsured, under insured, or insured but well aware they will be canceled when they get an expensive illness. It is about ordinary people going into medical-caused bankruptcy. Sixty percent do that every year. It is about corporations like Cigna whose CEO makes twelve million a year and when he soon retires he will get a seventy-three million dollar golden parachute. It is about UnitedHealthcare which made three quarters of a billion last quarter alone.

In other words, it is about rich corporations vs. ordinary hurting the people. We need public option health care reform now.

[marko1965-2009]

How can a nation claim to be Christian when there are still people with healthcare that refuse to help those without. Americans may be many things but they are not true followers of Christ.

[marko1965-2009]

How can a nation claim to be Christian when there are still people with healthcare that refuse to help those without. Americans may be many things but they are not true followers of Christ.

[noloyalisti]

How bad does it have to get for the American people? Why are we willing to have right wing corporations lie to us?

Almost all other "western" countries have a better health care system for a lot less money. If the Congress Critter did not work for the big health "care" corporations, why would they not check out the fact for themselves?

[aldon61]

I think it's important to note that there IS NO BILL. Anything that's out there is a draft, and it's NOT Obama's! The reconciliation process will begin after the August break, then we can debate on a bill!

[aldon61]

I think it's important to note that there IS NO BILL. Anything that's out there is a draft, and it's NOT Obama's! The reconciliation process will begin after the August break, then we can debate on a bill!

[jab232]

The GOP, the rich lobbies and the health care insurance people the GOP represents promote confusion. Really the issue is clear. UnitedHealthcare made more than three quarters of a billion dollars last quarter while 14,000 people a day were losing health insurance. Most of the rest of us know we will lose our health insurance if we get a serious illness. They call it rescission.

The question is simple--do we set up our health care system to protect the health insurers so they can keep pocketing billions for insuring a strictly selected group of people, or do we insure all of us at a reasonable cost? Is this about protecting health insurance companies or protecting ordinary people?

Unlike the GOP, I think it is about the people. We need a public option health insurance plan now.