President Obama addresses the nation and a joint session of Congress tonight about health care reform. I recently saw a poll showing 25% of Americans want Congress to start over health care legislation. So I ask “Why?” – Just so we can return to the same point of partisanship? So we can retrace Speaker Pelosi’s methodology on legislation? So we can continue to hear partisanship excuses? No thanks.
I have a novel idea – one that would be an innovative approach for Washington. Something that many Americans will appreciate – I said “many” because it is an approach that many partisans will not favor – but this approach could yield a meaningful solution. Instead of restarting the process, I suggest the Being Honest and Truthful approach to this important and complex issue.
Besides doing and saying whatever to make a point and get their way, our politicians (like us in life) misrepresent the facts by generalizing. Generalizations are broad summary-type statements that tend to be vague while appearing to by fact. Once one begins to generalize generalizations, the statement becomes further away from the truth.
Below are examples to support my point; and here are others from me, me again, and numerous statement regarding health care from PoltiFact Check.
Howard Dean (D, DNC)
“All the really great programs in American history, Social Security, were done without Republicans. Medicare was done without Republican support until the last vote where they realized they had to get on board.”
PolitiFact Rating: False, Explanation
Michael Steele (R, RNC)
“The Department of Veterans Affairs has “a manual out there telling our veterans stuff like, ‘Are you really of value to your community?’ You know, encouraging them to commit suicide.”
PolitiFact Rating: Pants on Fire, Explanation
Rush Limbaugh (R, Commentator)
“President Obama . . . wants to mandate circumcision.”
PolitiFact Rating: Pants on Fire, Explanation
Rep. John Boehner (R, OH)
“The health bill’s plan for comparative effectiveness research “would be used by the government to ration care.”
PolitiFact Rating: False, Explanation
President Obama (D)
“If we went back to the obesity rates that existed back in the 1980s, the Medicare system over several years could save as much as a trillion dollars.” PolitiFact Rating: False, Explanation
I recommending reading all the PolitiFact Check statements on health care reform to understand all the misconceptions that representatives from multiple sides are promoting.
The Annenberg Public Policy Center also provides fact-check information with Twenty-six Lies about H.R. 3200, clarification about government-funded abortions, a claim of additional breast cancer deaths, a party-based claim about abolishing Medicare, big myths about health care, Michael Steele’s ad to seniors, a set of articles, and the FactCheck Wire with the latest updates.
A Frank Angle 
i haven’t read about this “reform” lately but i’ve read your points and understood what you are talking about. i hope that the people in your country will have a better health care approach one day.
the philippines’ health care is truly bad and i feel sad about that. sweden has one best health care system and there’s nothing much to complain about.
hope you have a great day frank and that your post will be read by “important” people.
hugs!
by the way, this is a big P.S! hehe. can my http://www.thepastimeshelf.com exchange links with you? will really appreciate aaaaa loooot!
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Maxi,
There’s good health care itself in the U.S., but the insurance side of the equation has issues. Needless to say, it has been quite the debate here filled with incorrect, misleading statements that many buy into.
Thanks for visiting.
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maxiVelasco,
I’ve read very different assessments of Sweden’s system. Sweden has a single payer system that has been around a long time. Like all other government controlled systems, they have long waiting times for surgeries and rationing. They have made improvements in recent years but access to many operations is very long relative to the US and often the patients are in pain while they wait. For example, angiograms take about three months. I’ve known several people here in the US who got angiograms on the same day or next day. The few people that I know who waited longer to get angiograms did so by choice.
Costs in Sweden are also high. Healthcare consumes about 9% of GDP and is by far the largest expenditure by government.
The systems in Europe and Asia that we are compared to don’t take into account that those countries are indirectly subsidized by the US. They count on us for much of their defense and they get drugs for less cost than we do. Because of the latter point, US consumers are subsidizing drug costs for the rest of the world. What will happen to the those health care systems when we no longer do so?
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obesity rate : I think one way to change it, as well as the impact on the health of humans, would be to stop injecting the steroids, ect into the foods
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3rd Stone,
Something for said for lowering our obesity rate as we are an overweight society. By the way, here’s an interesting column by columnist David Brooks.
Thanks for the comment.
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And the church said… AMEN.
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Thanks Tim!
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