--Harry Reid says Dems have a health care bill in the Senate and it contains the lie of an "opt out" public option for states. The reason this is a lie is that everyone has to pay into this boondoggle whether their state accepts Obamacare or not. This leaves no incentive not to be in Obamacare, which will lead to everybody in the not-public option. Which, of course, is the plan, after all.
--The health care system wastes $800 billion per year, largely because of unnecessary care:
such as the overuse of antibiotics and lab tests to protect against malpractice exposure makes up 37 percent of healthcare waste or $200 to $300 billion a year.
Oddly enough, Democrats don't want to include tort reform, since their pockets are overflowing with trial lawyer money. So much for the idea they actually want to fix anything.
Next on the list was fraud, which syphons off $200 billion a year. If you want to see how it works, watch Steve Kroft's expose of Medicare fraud in South Florida on 60 Minutes. According to that story, Medicare fraud costs $60 billion per year in Florida. And Medicare only treats about 46 million Americans. Think about this when Democrats tell you Obamacare can be paid for by policing fraud. They can't even police the fraud in systems we already have, let alone those not set up yet.
--Nancy Pelosi thinks the only reason people don't like the public option is the name.
In an appearance at a Florida senior center, the Democratic leader referred to the so-called public option as "the consumer option." Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., appeared by Pelosi's side and used the term "competitive option."
Both suggested new terminology might get them past any lingering doubts among the public—or consumers or competitors.
"You'll hear everyone say, 'There's got to be a better name for this,'" Pelosi said. "When people think of the public option, public is being misrepresented, that this is being paid for with their public dollars."
I think the reason people don't like the public option is that they know it's a great big lie and should be called the "you'll pay for everybody" option. It would at least be more truthful.
--Another excellent take on why health care costs so much was presented on This American Life, in a series of three stories about doctors, patients and insurance companies. Not your usual INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE EEEEVILLLLL AND WANT YOU TO DIE CUZ THAT'S HOW THEY MAKE MONEY!!!11!!11!! story.
--Congress' health care bills leave millions uninsured
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates 17 million Americans would remain uninsured under the Senate Finance Committee's 10-year, $829 billion health care bill. Health experts such as Rowland say that number would include families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for insurance.
Wasn't the point to make everybody insured?
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