Obama: Health Industry Deceiving Consumers

(AP)  President Barack Obama pushed back against critics of his health care plan on Saturday with a stern warning that absent reform, costs will continue to rise and eventually devastate the U.S. economy.

The administration is trying to build momentum for the effort following a 14-9 vote this week by the Senate Finance Committee for legislation that would extend health care to millions of people.

Democrats hailed the vote as a victory, in part because the bill was supported by a Republican, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe. But the legislation faces considerable opposition with the health insurance industry, labor unions and large business organizations lining up against it.

"The history is clear: For decades rising health care costs have unleashed havoc on families, businesses and the economy," the president said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. "And for decades, whenever we have tried to reform the system, the insurance companies have done everything in their considerable power to stop us."

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

Earlier this week, concluding that the Finance Committee bill - one of five competing House and Senate health care measures - would raise premiums significantly for millions of people who already have health coverage. The report drew intense criticism from the White House, Democrats in Congress and other advocates of the bill.

President Obama took aim at the report in his speech, contending that industry was "filling the airwaves with deceptive and dishonest ads," sending money and lobbyists to Capitol Hill and paying for studies "designed to mislead the American people."

In general, the bills moving through Congress would require most Americans to buy insurance, provide federal subsidies to help lower-income people afford coverage and help small businesses defray the cost of extending coverage to their workers.

The measures would bar insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions and limit their ability to charge higher premiums based on age or family size. Expanded coverage would be paid for by cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from future Medicare payments to health care providers.

The House and Senate bills also envision higher taxes - an income tax surcharge on million-dollar wage-earners in the case of the House and a new excise levy on insurance companies selling high-cost policies in the case of the Senate Finance Committee bill.

Republican opponents of the bills say the increased cost will be passed on to patients, further job losses and give the government more say in who gets medical care and what kind.

"Americans inherently know government interference drives costs up, not down," Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said in the GOP's weekly message. "The massive health care plans being crafted behind closed doors in Washington will ultimately allow the government to decide what doctors we can see, what treatments the government thinks you deserve and what medicines you can receive."

President Obama contends the price of not acting will be too high.

He said health care premiums have doubled in the past decade, and out-of-pocket costs have grown by one-third. Unless the system is overhauled as he has suggested, rising costs will mean lower salaries and higher unemployment for workers, lower profits for businesses and larger numbers of people going without insurance, the president said.

"It is no exaggeration to say that unless we act, these costs will devastate the U.S. economy," President Obama said.
By Associated Press Writer Darlene Superville

[Sloughfoot]

"Obama: Health Industry Deceiving Consumers"

And he's not???????

[endurorob_5]

You won't see it on this web site but the Obama administration is overtly trying to manipulate new orginizations into not critisizing them by refusing to talk to the only news orginization that is willing to look at the administration with a critical eye.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/18/white-house-escalates-war-fox-news-1925819282/?test=latestnews

[ianlou]

Faux News Sucks.
During the last administration Fox was the only news station you would find Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld or Gonzales interviewed on.

Fox is the opitimy of biased news and they are currently biased in the wrong direction to get members of this White House on their show.

[FreeIgnorance]

this is our reality... what next? http://www.typobounty.com/Funny/Health_Care_Reform2.htm

[jschmidt27]

Some studies indicate that the increased use of high fructose corn syrup is a major cause of the increase in obesity. And Congress has dumped loads of money on farmers to raise corn, and raise votes. So subsidies of corn, lead to higher use of corn syrup leads to more obesity. And Congress has tariffs on sugar to prevent competition with the syrup. So Congress causes the problems and then ends of taxing for a solution. Another example of Congress messing with the economy to a bad end.

[sjc_1]

ADM made sure that America got hooked on corn syrup and then wrong wingers say that it is all the fault of the individual.

[natdef]

According to the CDC, obesity in adults has increased by 60% within the past twenty years and obesity in children has TRIPLED. More than 300,000 deaths per year are attributed to obesity -- second only to tobacco-related deaths!

Both of these issues are largely life-style choices. While it is true that SOME people cannot control their weight effectively due to endocrine or other physiological issues, MOST obese people are so due to excessive caloric intake and a lack of physical activity.

Obviously, aside from second-hand smoke issues, ALL tobacco-related deaths are due to smoking/chewing.

There has been a ubiquitous educational effort underway in this nation to promote healthy eating and exercise habits, and to discourage tobacco use for DECADES, yet the problem continues to dominate our healthcare system.

Why is this the case?

Because people are DISCONNECTED from the financial impact of their choices. We all know how much it costs to buy a gallon of gas, but no one knows what it costs to have an x-ray taken, or lab work, or anesthesia. All we ever see is the co-pay and/or deductible. This disassociation means that many Americans place little to no VALUE on their health choices. They will clip coupons to save a few cents, but will destroy their own health, because they do not see the DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT of their actions.

If we change our system to include greater individual accountability, we WILL SEE LOWER COSTS and a HEALTHIER America.

[jschmidt27]

"Humana?s profit margin was 2.2 percent in 2008 on revenues of nearly $29 billion. Its revenues have more than doubled since 2004, with almost all of the growth coming from the sale of privately administered Medicare Advantage plans. Those plans now account for the vast majority of Humana?s business, a real vulnerability if Mr. Obama succeeds in cutting Medicare Advantage because of its comparatively high administrative costs."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/health/policy/28insurer.html

[natdef]

I wish more people would endorse the idea of listening to people inside the healthcare industry.

Also, I wish Obama would have lived up to his campaign promise to have this debate held in the public view. It is very disappointing that everything is going on behind closed doors on Capitol Hill...

[natdef]

A lot of people who protest carry a lot of extreme signs. Many inflammatory characterizations have been used throughout our history by protesters of all political associations.

What does this have to do with the healthcare debate?

It appears as though your effort is to use this information to lump EVERYONE who disagrees with your position into some maniacal fringe group.

Perhaps you skipped the day in Logic 101, when they teach "the exception does not prove the rule..."

[jschmidt27]

The COngress is not looking at the long range affects of reform. The voters want something different as they wanted someone different than Bush. It is obvious they didn't count on the change Obama had in mind even though he was the most liberal Senator. Now they want something different. 85% are happy with the coverage not the bill. So they want something different and not the single payer system the Dems have in mond for the future. Obama and Franks are on record as saying they want a single payer system. Daschle whose book the legislation is based on also wants it. To ignore this is to invite reform that is faulty and ill advised. To deny it is ignorant.

[natdef]

Agreed. It is very hard to predict the "unintended consequences" of reforming such a large and complex system as healthcare.

We should be improving areas where there is widespread agreement (such as interstate competition among insurance companies), not using a "baby out with the bath water" approach.

[natdef]

Sass,

Your "state with the weakest laws" argument is flawed.

Although states now have varying degrees of regulation of their own INTRAstate insurance industry, the federal government (under the Constitution) has the power to regulate INTERstate commerce.

With this power, it is possible to establish NATIONAL legal requirements to determine whether or not an insurance company can provide insurance across state lines.

This is not a bad idea -- in fact, this would promote a dramatic increase in price/value, as many more companies would be competing for consumer dollars. It's capitalism 101. Seems like a good starting point, compared with the oligarchic system that exists in more states today.

[Anna7321]

Obama's brilliant solution to the problem of those who can't afford insurance: pass a law to force them to buy it. He's a genius!

We just tap into the hidden stashes of money that those darn poor people are hoarding. Or else we tap into the money they're squandering on food, rent, gas, etc.

How many will decide they'll be better off by quitting their low-paying jobs, and go on welfare?

Next, the solution to unemployment: pass a law to force them to get jobs. Put them in jail if they don't obey. See how simple life can be?

[natdef]

Reveal,

Why do you find it necessary to launch personal attacks against anyone who disagrees with your position?

Do you feel that this strengthens your position on this board?

It does the opposite.