Langevin discusses health reforms at town hall
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Langevin Town Hall
U.S. Rep. James Langevin brings the health care debate to Rhode Island.
NBC 10/Bill Rappleye
Some Rhode Islanders arrive early for a health care reform town hall meeting at Warwick City Hall.
Published: August 20, 2009
Updated: August 20, 2009
WARWICK, R.I.—U.S. Rep. James Langevin kept calm Wednesday as he told a rowdy town hall meeting that planned health care reforms would not lead to a federal health insurance takeover and that he supports proposals to create a government-run insurance plan to compete with private plans.
Langevin told more than 400 people who packed Warwick City Hall that the so-called public option would not be mandatory, adding that it is intended to serve those who cannot afford coverage.
“This is not a big government takeover of insurance,“ Langevin told the meeting’s first questioner, to loud cheers and jeers.
Still, most of those attending the meeting wanted to know how the reforms would affect them.
Elizabeth Smith, 45, of East Greenwich, broke into tears as she contrasted the care she would receive under “rationed health care” with what she felt was exemplary treatment for her 101-year-old grandmother.
“As a pre-menopausal woman at risk of osteoporosis, will I be denied the hip replacement my late grandmother was able to receive?“ Smith said.
Attendees on both sides of the debate carried signs expressing their views, including those reading “Taxpayer revolt!“ and “Insure people, not profits” as well as “Standing together for health insurance reform.“
Democrats have struggled to get traction in the health care debate as Republican opponents have mounted a vocal campaign against plans they consider too costly and intrusive.
About 300 people who didn’t get into the venue crowded the sidewalk outside and engaged in an impromptu debate, The Providence Journal reported.
The Rev. Eugene T. Dyszlewski, pastor of Riverside Congregational Church in East Providence, couldn’t wait for health care reforms. He told the newspaper that “too many people in my congregation have lost their insurance and lost their homes. These are real people.“
A Bradley Hospital administrator, Dr. Marge Paccione, said “the quality of care in this country is not even in the top 25 countries in the world, and yet we pay the highest rates.“
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Reader Reactions
Who is causing the fraud and waste?
noxiderius:
I don’t care if its presented by a democrat, a republican or a man from mars…I oppose government interference on many fronts. As far as medicare, here is a quote from your own president on 7/22/09 while calling for healthcare reform to help fix the economy:
“It’s about the fact that the biggest driving force behind our federal deficit is the skyrocketing cost of Medicare and Medicaid.“
The government has had control of these programs for 45 years, and they are rife with inefficiency and fraud. Can they perhaps prove they can run these programs without fraud and waste before taking on health care for all of America?
Some people are scared of change and act irrationally because of it. What makes our country great is its ability to change. Freeing slaves, civil rights, woman rights, etc, all faced fierce oppossition, even war. In the end those changes paved the way to the US becoming the greatest country to live in.
Check this out:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200908200002
Here is a quote that addresses the lies that this bill is socialized medicine:
REALITY: Conservatives have trotted out “socialized medicine” smear for 75 years—and it’s never been true. Numerous conservative media figures have revived the “socialized medicine” smear to undermine the efforts of Obama and congressional Democrats, most recently by promoting Ronald Reagan’s 1961 attacks on a legislative precursor to Medicare. But as the Urban Institute wrote in an April 2008 analysis, “socialized medicine involves government financing and direct provision of health care services,“ and therefore, recent progressive health-care reform proposals do not “fit this description.“ The analysis also noted: “Similar rhetoric was used to defeat national health care reform proposals in the 1990s and, with less success, to argue against the creation of Medicare in the 1960s.“ Indeed, a Media Matters for America analysis found that dating as far back as the 1930s—with respect to at least 16 different reform initiatives including President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s consideration of government health insurance when crafting the 1935 Social Security bill; President Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 legislation establishing Medicare; and the health-care initiative by President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton in 1993 and 1994—conservatives have attempted to smear those proposals by calling them “socialized medicine” or a step toward that purportedly inevitable result.
The government can call the proposed health care plan “universal”, “single-payer” or “comprehensive”. Do not be fooled. They can use these words to try to disguise it, but it is truly socialized medicine. They and other pro-reform organizations will use the argument that this health care reform bill is morally correct. But the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution grant and protect the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and these are moral terms as well as rights. These are given as rights to ACTION, not rights to rewards from inaction. When the government demands that its people are obligated to give up these rights it is acting immorally. So, if one citizen’s needs DEMAND that another citizen must fulfill them, that in itself clearly takes away the rights of the latter. By demanding that government health care for all is moral, others’ freedom to choose their own health care is being taken away. That is immoral. Their property in the form of higher taxes will be taken away. That is immoral. There is no financial, medical or moral argument to justify the proposed health care plan. It has become a battle that has nothing to do with the well being of any of us, it is simply a power grab. When I see a doctor I want the only thought in his or her mind to be the best course of treatment for me, not what the bureaucracy allows. And I would love this same treatment for everyone. It is not going to happen for any of us under a government plan. Send them back to the drawing board and make them come up with a better plan for us.
And medacaire is govt run right? Are they rationing care? My father is on it. I dont see him having long waits to see his drs. The VA is govt run. My friend is on it. I dont see him having to wait to see a dr. He loves his coverage. Both run by the govt.
Again, where does it actually say anything that you just wrote in the bill. I’ve just spend hours reading it and I dont see where you cant change insurance companies. Also why would they create an exchange if they didnt want to give people options. Why you put all your faith in private industry is beyond me. They are out to make a buck and thats it. Maybe some govt programs are losing money, but thats because there main goal isnt to make a profit. You are just a paranoid dude mad that a black guy is now your president and will fight anything he does in hopes of taking him out of office. We can still have good drs and health care reform. We cant survive with insurance companies making huge profits? Do you care nothing for the people with out insurance. Or people like me that have insurance but it just doesnt cover anything. The problem with you right wingers is you only care for yourself. Keep thinking republicans are out for you and not big business. We had 8 years of that and look where it got us.
Would you like these companies to just run unregulated some more?
Most of these people that oppose any change are Republicans and don’t want a Democrat President to succeed period.
Bottom line is our health care system is a wreck to try something different should be a welcomed challenge.
This so called Tea Party or should we just say a few Sore loser Republicans using don’t want change they want the same old money system and thats why we voted them out in most states. They don’t care about people there God is money listen to what they say there is nothing for people it is money they care about when did you ever see a protester pull up in a Limo.
If they were a real tea party they would be pushing for change and fighting for health care reform thats what the Tea Party of 1775 did they fought for freedom and our health Insurers have been screwing us for the last 40 years it is time we get freed from this system that only works for a certain few.
This country is based on for the people by the people not on for the rich by the rich and now we got a president who wants to help the middle class and the Republicans will do everything they can to mislead the public.
We need change and that is why we voted in Obama .
@jcriscione
This bill does create a single payer system. It will just take a couple of years to get there. This is not a safety net - What about not being able to take on a new plan from a private insurance company don’t you understand. If you lose your job, you are now off your plan and go on the government plan. You can never get a private plan again - private insurance companies can not take on new customers - this is not a safety net, is is an escape proof constraining net. Also, you can not CHANGE your plan. Imagine if you have a cell phone and could never change your calling plan - even if rates came down, you could switch to a lower plan, you would have to go into the public plan. Lets pretend we are playing chess and we look a couple of moves down the line (these politicians are looking at this like a chess game)
Obama used the Post Office as an example of an inefficient system (it keeps raising rates, it keeps loosing more and more money, and now they are cutting services) that companies like FedEx and UPS can compete with them and make money. First of all if a private company can offer better services at lower prices and make money, why would we want to put in a system that will offer less services, cost more and still lose money which will cost the taxpayers money?
Also, the government does not regulate what FedEx charges and what their employees make (at least not yet). They do not let them deliver letters (which UPS could do for 28 cents and turn a profit but the government won’t let them). Now imagine that the government started regulating UPS - they told them what they had to charge for packages, what they had to pay their employees, and how they had to set up their delivery routes. Now lets say they then said that they can not take on any new customers and anyone that used another carrier or received a letter delivered by the US mail could never use them again. They would be out of business in no time. This is the government’s plan for private insurance.
In regards to the government doing anything correctly and efficiently, you are totally misguided - they don’t do anything better than private companies. They only thing they do right is the military and even there we have obscene amounts of waste (how about $250 for a toilet seat or $100for a hammer) Look at our educational system - private schools educate their students much better and they do it for less money. Look at welfare - for every dollar the government spends - only 28 cents actually gets paid out to they people - 72 cents goes to administrative costs. NO private company could survive with this inefficiency. If you took Walmart’s cost structure and effectiveness, the exact opposite would happen - 72 cents would go to the people and they could keep the 28 cents and still be profitable. Even Mastercard only takes 3% to do the processing - it costs the government 72%
We are the greatest country that ever existed but it it not because of the government - it is because of the PEOPLE and the freedoms we have to do things that we want. The government hasn’t made us great, we made ourselves great in spite of the government. Every time the government makes new rules and regulations, they take away our freedoms and liberty. We could be even greater if they government didn’t stifle capitalism and the ability to achieve our dreams.
In regards to waiting weeks - that is NOTHING and it is no the norm in this country. If you need to see a specialist, you can get right in. If your doctor makes you wait weeks, you have the freedom to get another doctor. I can get in withing days. Still waiting WEEKS is nothing like waiting MONTHS.
You waiting weeks is still nothing compared to the Canadian system. Lets look at this time line in Canada. You need to see your doctor because you are having major head aches. It takes you 3 months to get an appointment. The doctor then says he/she wants you to get an MRI. It then takes 4 months to get an MRI. Your MRI shows you have a tumor. You doctor now calls for you to see a specialist. You now have to wait 6 months for the specialist. You see the specialist and he says the tumor is growing and must be removed. You now have to wait 1 YEAR to get this opperation. From the time you make the first appointment until you have a scheduled operation could be 1-1/2 to 2 years. (I used the word scheduled operation because you will never havce the operation - you will be dead long before it is scheduled)
@thermo
Nice try. You are a pawn of the health insurance industry and they are playing you like a fool. The beautiful thing about it is that anybody can just go look up page 18 of HR 3200 for themselves and see that you are wrong.
Page 18 is under section 102, which is entitled: “PROTECTING THE CHOICE TO KEEP CURRENT COVERAGE”. No where whatsoever does it say that the public OPTION will be mandated at any time for any reason. It is talking about a grace period for current coverage. The bill obviously has reform measures in it. Your current insurance will be grandfathered in for a grace period, meaning it will not have to comply with reform as long as they don’t jack up the price or enroll new people in it. New PRIVATE plans must comply with reforms which directly protect us from being raped by the health insurance industry. It protects us from such things as being denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, or being dropped when you get sick, etc. Read the bill yourself. Do not trust your sources, the things you believe are coming from the health insurance industry because they don’t want to reform. They want to continue to profit by denying coverage.
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