McCain rants against "government run health care." Then why does he aspire to be President, where he

[CTyankee]

would get real "government run" health care?

Does the man not see how stupid he looks, mouthing off like that while trying to get a job in which he would be totally in the hands of government doctors?

We all need to get busy and write LTTEs about this guy's hypocrisy. Most voters are asleep...

[thereismore]

1. Medicare is government-run. What would he do with it once president? May that never be. nt

[madaboutharry]

The truth is that medicare runs pretty well.

Ask most doctors if they would rather bill medicare or private insurance and the answer in recent years has increasingly become "medicare." They know they'll get paid.

[depakid]

6. That's an oversimplification

Some providers limit Medicare patients due to low reimbursement payments:

Because of an arcane federal formula that gives Oregon less Medicare money than most other states, fewer Oregon physicians are accepting Medicare.

The reason for the disparity? Federal regulations base Medicare reimbursement on historical costs. Because Oregon has kept its health care costs relatively low, Medicare provides less money for the same services.

"We are punished for being efficient," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.

Low reimbursement rates mean seniors in Oregon can have a tough time finding physicians to accept them as patients.

Lorraine Griffey decided to find a doctor closer to her home in Gresham last year and received about a dozen references for physicians. All of them, she learned, refused to take new Medicare patients.

"It was just bizarre, because it was so many," said Griffey, 71. "I just kind of exploded. What in the world are people supposed to do?"

In 2004, 11.8 percent of Oregon primary care physicians did not accept new Medicare patients, according to the Oregon Medical Association. By 2006, the percentage had doubled, to 23.7 percent.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1209795946310700.xml&coll=7

On the other hand, the fragmented private system is full of wasted dollar that don't "produce healthcare":

From the classifieds on the same page as the article search results:

Billing Support Specialist - Patient Financial Services
Vancouver, WA
Southwest Washington Medical Center
05/02/2008

Insurance Billing Specialist
Portland, OR
Kaiser Permanente
05/02/2008

[Jacobin]

11. It's worked very well for millions of Americans

Including my aged parents who passed on not long ago.

Medicare comprises an enormous percentage of the health care provided in this country and works quite well, which is a good argument in favor of single payer health care.

[Thothmes]

17. Most of the physician in my area

will not take any new medicare patients because the reimbursment rates are so low.

[Justitia]

2. Let's ask his 90+ yr old mom if she wants to give up her Medicare.

I'm kind of amazed that McCain has the audacity to actually receive Social Security.

What a hypocritical asshole.

[niyad]

3. as a senator, he gets govt run health care, and as a vet, he did, correct?

kind of reminds me of bob dole whining about people and govt programs--when he had spent his entire life suckling on the government teat.

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. Is he not on the government health care system NOW??

And dont tell me how you know how hard it is you rich farker. Try walking in our shoes for a few years then you just MIGHT know just how hard things really are out here.

[Juche]

7. Only the last 30 years

He has had public healthcare for most of his adult life. If he didn't, his wife could dig into her 9 figure trust fund and help him out.

These speeches are designed to appeal to uninformed dittoheads. Anyone who actually knows anything about healthcare and the UHC debates knows public healthcare is generally better than private both domestically and internationally. The US pays more for shoddy healthcare than any other OECD nation, and medicare has lower costs than private care, medicare+ needs to be funded to remain competitive, etc. I'm in favor of public debate ont he subject, but to claim that 'public healthcare is a mess' is just so goddamn stupid. Anyone who has read anything about the issue who isn't a total partisan knows that is false. So McCain and his audience are either ignorant or too partisan to face facts. Take your pick. After watching McCain confuse Sunni Al Qaeda with Shi'ite extremists, I'm leaning towards ignorant.

It is sad that we have devolved into a nation where appealing to the false prejudices of people who are happily uninformed is a legit election tactic, but there you go. Maybe if we had a true free press this wouldn't happen.

[CTyankee]

8. I agree withyou but I have talked to people who say they are afraid they'll

get something worse if we get "Medicare for everyone." It's a kind of "devil you know" vs. "devil you don't know" mindset.

[endarkenment]

10. Oddly enough those same people think medicare is just fine

for their parents and grand parents, or for themselves if they just happen to be on it. I've never quite understood that particular argument. At least 'but we couldn't afford it' is a reasonable issue to discuss.

[OwnedByFerrets]

12. The ironic thing is.....

if I am using the term correctly, is that no one will force them to use "medicare for everyone". You would still be able to get your own insurance if you wished. They are purposely ignorant.

[CTyankee]

16. And therein lies the problem.They don't see it because they don't want to.

People have their mindsets and that's fine with them until a crisis changes them.

I hope we'll turn up lots o fpeople who wantchange. I don't hold my breath..

[liberal N proud]

5. As Senator he already enjoys the government health care

[sarge43]

9. Typical Repug hypocrisy.

McCain has had "government run" health care all his life -- as the dependent of a career navy officer, as a career navy officer, as a military retiree and as a senator. Is he saying he never made use of this health care? He and his father always paid for private medical and dental care for themselves and their family? Yeah right.

[tsuki]

13. He has always had government run health care. He got it when he

was a minor, and his father was Navy. He got it during his service years, after he retired and then when he was elected from Arizona. He is a cradle to graver.

Hypocrite, thy name is MacSame.

[Kansas Wyatt]

14. Make the filthy SOB pay back the government...

For all the years that bastard sucked on the government health care tit.

Sorry... Fuckers like him need to be tarred & feathered, and then strung-up, so the rest of the politicians can see what happens to those who screw over 'We The People.'

[blondeatlast]

15. That would make a great question in the debates. He'd absolutely blow a gasket

over it.


Alas, it'll never be asked--instead we'll get some think-tanked, "socialized medicine" question designed to make our candidate look bad and the hopelessly out-of-touch codger sail.

[lonestarnot]

18. I can't wait to see his gasket blow, the rest of him already does!

[JerseygirlCT]

19. He should just opt out of the excellent government run health care

he has benefitted from for years and years now. Care much superior to what most Americans have.