US Chamber of Commerce Health Care Reform Plan for 2008

[OzarkDem]

Explains why they plan to threaten and bully Dem presidential candidates. Its a pretty draconian vision, very much in line w/ GOP candidates:

We are committed to making sure that everyone in America has access to quality and affordable health care. The backbone of a strong economy, like ours, is a healthy workforce.

If we fail to act, spiraling costs will force businesses and families to drop coverage. The government will be forced to enact crippling tax increases, cut promised benefits, or drain other critical programs just to pay for Medicare and Medicaid.

Medical accidents are unacceptably high and are often caused by the lack of modern information technology. Legal redress should be available, but that's no excuse for all the frivolous liability claims that are driving up prices and driving providers out of the profession

...

Some believe the answer to these challenges is Washington-run health care. That is not the answer. Americans want common sense, not Washington, to govern how they interact with doctors and hospitals.

Therefore, we pledge to:

Strengthen the viability of employer-sponsored health insurance, which is the foundation of care for more than 177 million Americans. This means protecting the ERISA preemption and passing Small Business Health Plans in Congress. (Shorter US COC: let insurance plans offer plans that cover less)

Revitalize the individual health insurance market. Congress should grant comparable tax treatment for individuals in the private marketplace and improve Health Savings Accounts. (Shorter US CoC: relax regulations so small business can offer "insurance-lite" to their employees; "small" business = those that employ 1,000 people or less)

Implement Health IT, which is essential for controlling costs, preventing mistakes, and providing consumers with the information they need to make better, safer health care decisions.
End the frivolous lawsuits that are crippling our health care system. (Spend tax dollars to subsidize the medical IT business, our friend Newt Gingrich and his GOP pals plan to make a killing on it)

Focus on the principles of wellness and prevention, which could avert 40 million cases of chronic diseases and reduce health care costs by more than $1 trillion. (Shorter US CoC: Blame the patients when they get sick, let us penalize them and use it as an excuse to not provide health care coverage)

More at link about their plans to revise the pension and Social Security system

http://www.uschamber.com/sab/healthcare.htm

[judaspriestess]

1. "or drain other critical programs just to pay for Medicare and Medicaid."

critical programs like what? the war in Iraq or no bid contracts to halliburton worth billions?

those are great programs to drain, to name a couple

[dkofos]

2. They should be shut down!

[TahitiNut]

3. Funny how lower-tech countries do a better job without all the GADGET fixes.

The USCOC wants MORE spending by the health care PROVIDERS ... spending that enriches business cronies. How about more nurses? How about better-paid nurses? How about more, better paid and better trained aides?

Nope. But computers. Buy software. Open up the medical databanks so every person's medical information is available to hackers, credit bureaus, employers, and the corporate elite. (And maybe government too, without notice to the patient???)

Fucking fascist bastards!!! :grr:

[OzarkDem]

4. Health care providers won't be paying for it - you will

I heard Newt give a speech on health care IT investment. The plan is for the federal government to underwrite the cost as part of "health care reform".

So the taxpayers who can't afford health care or health insurance will be buying all that new IT infrastructure.

[TahitiNut]

5. They really like "socializing" the costs and "privatizing" the profits, don't they.

Lousy fascist bastards. :grr:

[hvn_nbr_2]

6. The short form of the CofC plan:

1. If you're poor, die.

2. All your money are belong to us.