Healthcare bill repealed in House of Reps.

[The American]

House Republicans passed a largely symbolic resolution Wednesday to repeal the nation's new healthcare law, fulfilling a top campaign promise and setting the stage for a renewed battle in the Senate.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-0120-healthcare-repeal-20110119,0,4110151.story

If a bill that simply expands a system to cover uninsured people and prevents insurance companies from refusing coverage because of preexisting conditions gets repealed, I don't think actual socialism has a snowballs chance in the devils asshole in the US

[Frosty Weasel]

Even if it does make it to the Senate floor Obama would just repeal it before it could even come to a vote. This move is purely a symbolic one on the part of the Republicans/Tea Party.

As long as the Democrats can maintain their power base the bill isn't going away. Obama could be smart and start to do some of the stuff he actually said he would do like shutting down Guantanamo bay and pulling all troops out, which would solidify his chances of being reelected.

Not that I support the man, but the working class needs this shit.

[The Fighting_Crusnik]

Yeah. This ultimately was a publicity stunt to make the democratic-controlled senate look evil and "anti-american." I wonder what will happen when they play this spiel again with the debt cieling... Especially since it's been made known that if the limit isn't raised at least once more, it'll result in the US (possibly) defaulting on its debt...

[Aurora]

The bill didn't mean shit anyways so who cares

Socialism won't be brought about by begging some rich fucks in an undemocratic bourgeois institution either

[KC]

The bill didn't mean shit anyways so who cares

Erm, yes it did. It meant a lot, even if it sucks. You clearly don't live in the US and probably know little/nothing about how fucked the healthcare system is and how much of an improvement even this shit bill is.

[Rusty Shackleford]

this bill was an improvement. sure. but the mandate of forcing people to buy health insurance is light-years from single payer.

there are other, more beneficial aspect that were included like the forbidding of discrimination against patients with "pre-existing conditions"

[TC]

I agree with KC. The health care bill was a bad one that redistributed tons more money into the private insurance market by forcing people to buy a privately owned commodity without even allowing a publicly owned option, and using tax money to support that private industry, an industry that doesnt' provide any health care, it only pays for it. It is disgusting really.

But what else is disgusting is the current situation where millions of Americans, unlike places like Ireland or the UK, have no access to health care at all, and the private insurance market disqualifies half the population on the basis of pre-existing conditions should they attempt to buy individual health insurance because their job doesn't provide coverage or they've lost their job. Millions of Americans are getting sicker and sicker and disabled and dieing from treatable illnesses because they can't see a doctor let alone pay for treatment or medication. Its the sort of thing that just doesn't happen in other wealthy nations and shouldn't happen anywhere.

[KC]

this bill was an improvement. sure. but the mandate of forcing people to buy health insurance is light-years from single payer. Of course, and nobody is saying it's a good bill, because it's not. It was a cop out. Obama backslid from his previous single payer position to basically becoming a republican, the only reason it passed was because of how strongly the more left-leaning democrats fought for it.

I'm really hoping that my parents will go back on a group plan soon so I could go back on their health insurance because that'd save me a ton of money and I wouldn't have to work at my current job anymore.



But what else is disgusting is the current situation where millions of Americans, unlike places like Ireland or the UK, have no access to health care at all, and the private insurance market disqualifies half the population on the basis of pre-existing conditions should they attempt to buy individual health insurance because their job doesn't provide coverage or they've lost their job. Millions of Americans are getting sicker and sicker and disabled and dieing from treatable illnesses because they can't see a doctor let alone pay for treatment or medication. Its the sort of thing that just doesn't happen in other wealthy nations and shouldn't happen anywhere.

Expanding on this, the baby boomer generation is retiring, which means that their healthcare costs are going to increase. The vast majority of these people saved little, if anything, for retirement. Think about being in your 60's with almost no money for retirement aside from some paltry savings and your social security check, and then all of a sudden you get hit with a medical condition that costs tens/hundreds of thousands a year that they have to pay for out of pocket. Yes, this happens all the time in the US, which is why Americans are probably the most indebted individuals on earth.

[TC]

I am probably moving back to America from Britain for at least a year...going from the British NHS where you can be seen immediately in a nearby practice and never pay for anything or deal with any money or insurance and there is no cost to you aside for a bit over 7 pounds per prescription (no matter how much it really is - unless you're on certain public benefits then its free) and some vaccinations that aren't covered (but are still comparably cheap) - to the American system where the plan is to not to get sick.

[Frosty Weasel]

Expanding on this, the baby boomer generation is retiring, which means that their healthcare costs are going to increase. The vast majority of these people saved little, if anything, for retirement. Think about being in your 60's with almost no money for retirement aside from some paltry savings and your social security check, and then all of a sudden you get hit with a medical condition that costs tens/hundreds of thousands a year that they have to pay for out of pocket. Yes, this happens all the time in the US, which is why Americans are probably the most indebted individuals on earth.

To put it simply, the current system in the US can be compared to an enslavement of the younger generations to an irresponsible older one, transcending class warfare and becoming generational warfare.

Stupid decisions built upon decades of stupid decisions.

[choff]

It's really unfortunate that the right to something as important as health insurance can be revoked by a party performing a publicity stunt to invigorate their voters when so many of them are themselves lower middle class. The misinformation and lies involved in repealing the "socialist 'job-killing health care bill'" is both disgusting and disturbing.

[apawllo]

As mentioned, this is obviously symbolic cause the Senate will shoot it down. This government is a joke. But this health care bill is as well; trusting the insurance industry not to find loopholes in new legislation is absurd. Yeah, let's celebrate no pre-existing condition exclusions. Obama would have been better off spending those two years working on jobs creation and just expanding medicare and unemployment benefits or something. Then again, it's not like Americans will fight back regardless of what the government does.

[jediknight36]

The bill didn't mean shit anyways so who cares

Socialism won't be brought about by begging some rich fucks in an undemocratic bourgeois institution either

No public option, no one wants to touch it anymore. And it will force millions to pay the insurance industry. On top of that, it rewards docs for not taking sick patients. Repeal? No. True reform like what was promised when we ate this limp compromise.

In solidarity and peace