Senator Conrad: Health-Care Legislation Still Needs Cuts

[Better Believe It]

US Sen Conrad: Health-Care Legislation Still Needs Cuts
By Patrick Yoest and Martin Vaughan, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
June 23, 2009

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A central Senate negotiator in talks over health-care legislation said senators have been able to trim the cost of their package by about $400 billion, but they must reduce the price tag further.

"We're about $200 billion away from where we need to be," Sen. Kent Conrad, D- N.D., told reporters Tuesday.

He said senators have been able to slash the bill's cost by cutting the subsidy level that would be available to low- and middle-income individuals and families to purchase health insurance, and by narrowing eligibility for those subsidies.


http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200906231640dowjonesdjonline000613&title=us-sen-conradhealth-care-legislation-still-needs-cuts

[BlooInBloo]

1. Is he still talking?

:rofl:

[RandomThoughts]

2. And what did Conrad say.

Conrad countered that a bill that included a public insurance option won't pass the Senate because of strong opposition from Republicans. "You can have the greatest plan in the world on paper - if it does not pass, nothing changes," he said

You put it up to vote, you make them vote against it or fillabuster, you make them show where they stand or not, then they burn themselves down to the ground if they take the wrong position.

Or you side with them, and you go with them, protecting them from having to make their vote known because it is your vote also. In that case it is you that burns it all down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNnAvTTaJjM

Watch out
You might get what youre after
Cool babies
Strange but not a stranger
Im an ordinary guy
Burning down the house

Hold tight wait till the partys over
Hold tight were in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house

Heres your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, maybe you know where you are
Fightin fire with fire

All wet
Hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown
Dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house

It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame

My house
Sout of the ordinary
Thats might
Dont want to hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house

No visible means of support and you have not seen nuthin yet
Everythings stuck together
I dont know what you expect starring into the tv set
Fighting fire with fire

Edit:And know this, my battle may not be for health care reform, but just to make clear where people choose to stand or not. For in that justice will follow.


Edit2: Conrad says a public option will make it to tough to pass the bill so nothing changes. Well if you pass a useless bill that just requires people to give money to insurance monopolies, nothing changes either.

[Triana]

3. FINE. As long as HE has to have the same health care as he is advocating

for everyone ELSE. (frankly, that ought to be federal law) GUARANTEED the goddamned health care system would get fixed so fast it'd make your head spin if that was the law.

[quidam56]

4. AMEN !

I worked in health care most of my life, after seeing what is deemed, defended and supported as "the acceptable standards of health care" in TN & VA I support anything but the status quo. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 How many more have to die now that Profit Care is more important than Patient Care.

[Dragonfli]

5. That's the rub, they just want to deny help to those that need it most

"He said senators have been able to slash the bill's cost by cutting the subsidy level that would be available to low- and middle-income individuals and families to purchase health insurance, and by narrowing eligibility for those subsidies."

The working poor will now have to be the working "extremely impoverished" in order to get help paying what I am sure he would prefer were a mandated insurance cost. They will still be left out, in fact there may be more left out than before they are done.

His cost cutting model appears to be denials for the most needy, denials are how insurance companies work to save more money for their pockets - It would seam almost as though he were taking health care lessons from that panel of insurance lobbyists (and adding a bit of class warfare into the mix).

He should be asked to live just below (let's be generous, make it by one dollar less) his subsidy level and then challenged to obtain health care for his family on THAT salary while feeding, housing and clothing everyone in his family. That may change his mind about lowering thresholds for subsidies.

It's eat the poor plain and simple, AND HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DEMOCRAT! AND THEREFORE BEYOND "bashing(/criticizing?)" on this board according to some? I strongly disagree, if it talks like a Republican and votes like a Republican, It is a Republican no matter what pols like Specter and he claim! I shall treat them accordingly.

[quakerboy]

9. I doubt it

You don't think he has the money to buy his own insurance? You don't think the insurance companies would be happy to provide him a "special" rate as long as they can stick it to the rest of us? He is taken care of one way or another. Taking his government insurance would change nothing. Taking his insurance provided campaign money on the other hand....

[RandomThoughts]

10. Just removing their insurance does not seem to be correct reciprocity. n/t

[nightrain]

6. these damn, even Dem, Senators are so out of touch...

He's wanting to make further cuts in subsidies? Gees, as if we could buy insurance now and just don't!

Idiot Senators.

[lindisfarne]

7. Weren't we going to start by cutting Conrad? n/t

[smoochpooch]

8. Someone should punch him in the mouth. How about instead of ending subsidies to buy health care,

we end subsidies to big agri-business and ethanol? My guess is he wouldn't go for that.