Grade Obama

[Admiral Yi]

Transcript and/or source for self-research?

It's a live event.  CNN doesn't have a transcript up yet.

New line seems to be that insurance companies are the source of all evil.  Insurance companies will not be allowed to put a cap on benefits (i.e. unlimited catastrophic insurance for everyone).  Pre-existing conditions and the sick cannot be charged higher premiums.

"If we don't pass reform health costs will continue to skyrocket."  This part was the single dishonest part of the speech IMO.  If you provide coverage to 40 million uninsured and require that all coverage be gold-plated then health care spending will go up, not down.

And the new brand name is "health insurance reform."

[Hansmeister]

Zow-ie.  That was quite the speech Obama just gave on health care.

Was the things he said actually connected to his health care proposal?

I've heard a lot of Dems complain that what he says sounds very far reaching and reformist, while what he proposes has no actual relationship to such things, and are mostly reactionary and lack any real vision.

Obama doesn't have a health care proposal.  At least he hasn't unveiled one to date.  The House has a health care proposal, which doesn't share much in common with what Obama claims about his non-existing proposal.  the Senate has at least two proposals in the works, which share nothing in common with the vague promises by Obama either.  basically, it's all just bullshit trying to placate the masses to accept whatever crazy scheme Nancy cooks up.

Reminds me of the Stimulus debate, when Obama's claims also bore no relationship to the bill.

[DGuller]

Insurance companies will not be allowed to put a cap on benefits (i.e. unlimited catastrophic insurance for everyone).  Pre-existing conditions and the sick cannot be charged higher premiums.

Would there be mandates?

[Admiral Yi]

Would there be mandates?

He didn't mention mandates or revenue sources in his prepared remarks.

[DGuller]

Would there be mandates?

He didn't mention mandates or revenue sources in his prepared remarks.

Lack of mandates and lack of underwriting is not good.  In fact, it's very, very, very bad.  The fact that he doesn't mention them is not a good sign.

[Admiral Yi]

Lack of mandates and lack of underwriting is not good.  In fact, it's very, very, very bad.  The fact that he doesn't mention them is not a good sign.

What does lack of underwriting mean?

[DGuller]

Lack of mandates and lack of underwriting is not good.  In fact, it's very, very, very bad.  The fact that he doesn't mention them is not a good sign.

What does lack of underwriting mean?

It means not screening sick people out, or charging them more.  By itself underwriting in health insurance is very socially undesirable.  However, with no mandates and no underwriting, there would be no health insurance market at all, which is even more socially undesirable.

[Hansmeister]

I love when he claims to never have supported a single-payer health care system, when he of course argued for years, frequently on camera, precisely for a single-payer system.  It's amazing how Obama has absolutely no shame when it comes to lying, he makes Bill Clinton look honest by comparison.

It's like when he in a bald-faced lie claimed there were no earmarks in the stimulus, when the entire bill was a massive collection of earmarks, and how the money was going to be spent immediately on shovel-ready projects, when of course none of that existed.

It's almost comical listening him tout a nonexisting health care plan.  Does he even mean a single word he says?

[Hansmeister]

Lack of mandates and lack of underwriting is not good.  In fact, it's very, very, very bad.  The fact that he doesn't mention them is not a good sign.

What does lack of underwriting mean?

It means not screening sick people out, or charging them more.  By itself underwriting in health insurance is very socially undesirable.  However, with no mandates and no underwriting, there would be no health insurance market at all, which is even more socially undesirable.

Except, of course, the "public option", which the dems in the house leadership have made clear that this bill is designed to make the only viable option.

[derspiess]

I love when he claims to never have supported a single-payer health care system, when he of course argued for years, frequently on camera, precisely for a single-payer system.  It's amazing how Obama has absolutely no shame when it comes to lying, he makes Bill Clinton look honest by comparison.

It's like when he in a bald-faced lie claimed there were no earmarks in the stimulus, when the entire bill was a massive collection of earmarks, and how the money was going to be spent immediately on shovel-ready projects, when of course none of that existed.

It's almost comical listening him tout a nonexisting health care plan.  Does he even mean a single word he says?

You can take the Community Organizer out of Chicago, but...

[DGuller]

Except, of course, the "public option", which the dems in the house leadership have made clear that this bill is designed to make the only viable option.

You may well be right, although I'm very sure that you don't really know why.

[Razgovory]

Derspiess is always happy to see a black man down.

[Ed Anger]

I know I am. Maybe the fucker will stay off TV for a while now. Bastard keeps interrupting my TV shows.