Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

GOP Offers Alternate Health Reform Bill

Rate this topic


Recommended Posts

http://tinyurl.com/yk94693

According to this AP news story the GOP has created its own health reform bill. Offering a positive alternative is critical to opposing the Democrats push for a medical takeover and so this article piqued my interest. Republicans have a reputation for meak appeasement coupled with offering their own watered down versions of exactly what the Democrats are after. And so it will be interesting to see how this bill turns out. Has the GOP learned anything at all from roughly the past two years?

There appear to be a mix of good, bad, and could-be-better aspects included in the bill. Among the good are leaving individuals free to buy insurance across state lines, and an emphasis on HSA's. Among the bad are $250,000 caps on non-economic jury awards in medical malpractice cases, "a permanent ban on any federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother", and one incredibly vague statement about offering "incentives to states with the aim of driving down premium costs". The last line makes me cringe because anyone familiar with the history of government and economics knows "incentives" create future disasters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have any links right now, but there have probably been over thirty alternatives put up by individuals that are members of the Republican party. That goes back months now. And the AP is reporting today that there is an alternative?

I know that Paul Ryan had meetings in August. http://www.house.gov/ryan/healthcare/index.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bleh, I agree on the "incentives" thing. I wish there was a way we could get it into the constitution spelled out "Congress shall make no law with respect to any concept of creating 'incentives.'" The whole aim of "incentives" is to try to manipulate people, to obfuscate the facts of reality and mess with the calculations of their thinking to get them to act against what would otherwise be their best judgments and instead act how you want them to for whatever reason, something which those shabby excuses for defenders of capitalism should know damn well is a "no-no." You are no more being a defender of capitalism and general freedom of people when you try to make laws with "incentives" than if you got somebody to do something by telling them their choices are to do what you want them to or to do what they want to do and have you smack them in the head with a baseball bat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder why Ron Paul hasn't made any effort to produce an alternate health reform bill... he's on our side on this issue, after all.

I believe he had bill HR1495 that he introduced in March. Of course, when control is seated with another party with its own agenda, it has gone no where.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, the Republicans are every bit as socialist as the Democrats! Any "reform" (which is government action in the economy) strikes at the heart of American freedom and economic freedom which is the cornerstone of our economy. They're like the Ellswoth Toohey's of today as against the evil Marxist Democratic party. :D Boy are we screwed or what!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's important to separate the right for a woman to have an abortion and the actual federal funding for women to get abortions. As with any health care procedure, one should have the right to pursue the procedure so long as it's on their own dime. I oppose federal funding of abortion just as I oppose federal funding for breast cancer research or AIDS/HIV drugs for derelicts in the inner cities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, well, that is his right to say.

"We believe that the public option...it is tyranny, it is socialism, it is anti-constitution."

Sure, he's got a lot of God goin' on. But where are other groups actually standing up and saying that this crap IS tyranny, socialism, and unConstitutional? There is coverage and headway being made on real issues related to rights.

It's why I went to two of them. I'll work out the other issues person by person later. Focus the god people on the Constitutional issues.

Edited by SD26
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The constitution is the least of the issues to be discussed. He has god going for him, which means he doesn't have me allied with him. Religion is incompatible with freedom and principle.

He has a right to say anything he pleases. I have a right to mock his idiocy, and the idiocy of those cheering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Freedom and the Constitution are compatible with religion and non religion.

Yes, you may mock, but not all are at the tea parties with the aim of supporting the struggle against current policies because of religion. Thus, you labeling those that are not what you say. There is not justice in that?

Attacking the specific issues is more productive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Freedom is not compatible with religion.

The tea party established leaders are more and more socially conservative by the day, invoking God everywhere. I spoke at my local tea party this SPring. I was sickened that there were preachers there as speakers. But you can't eliminate social conservatism away from these movements, it seems.

The Judea-Christian ethic is at odds with individualism. Not to mention this maniac is talking about death panels. I would never acknowledge this person or these people (This was at the Washington D.C rally, supposed to be the biggest tea party, hosted by Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Hardly an insignificant event)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get your point, and agree that the majority of tea party participants are proponents of christianity and haters of secularism. He can through a few nice little phrases out there like tyranny &etc, but it is his reason behind his arguments that makes his statements incompatible with liberty.

On a side note, taking one of those anti-christian elements from that speech, which is rationing, I would like to come out in favor of rationing of government health care. I've wanted to write a short essay on the topic for a couple of months now, but just haven't had the time.

[edit: and my motivation concerning this BS is getting lower over time]

Edited by RussK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
The Judea-Christian ethic is at odds with individualism. Not to mention this maniac is talking about death panels. I would never acknowledge this person or these people (This was at the Washington D.C rally, supposed to be the biggest tea party, hosted by Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Hardly an insignificant event)
According to this newspaper article, the Bachmann's run a counselling clinic that has received government money (I assume this is Medicaid or something similar) to provide counselling in "... distinctly a Christian counseling agency here in the Twin Cities,.... 27 Christian counselors, Christ-centered, very strong in our understanding of who the Almighty Counselor is, and as we rely on God’s word and the Almighty Counselor,..."

This isn't much different from a priest asking for Medicaid money for counselling his flock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...