The Blue Room of the White House, June 24, 2009. Charlie Gibson presents the World News Report.
Good evening. This is ABC World News, and I’m Charlie Gibson. Tonight, we are taking the unprecedented step of broadcasting from the White House. But then, we are faced with an unprecedented crisis in our health care system, a crisis that affects every man, woman and child in this country. President Obama has made health care reform the centerpiece of his domestic policy, and he has graciously allowed ABC News to bring to you, directly from the source, his ambitious plans for change in this all-important aspect of our lives.
It is not an easy process. Critics of the President’s plan, not all of them Republicans, have voiced concerns over the potentially astronomical costs…
[Television screens go black; after a few seconds, a message indicating “technical difficulties” is seen. Two minutes later, Gibson is back on the air]
Are we back on? Oh, good. Er, sorry about that. Heh. We were experiencing some temporary technical problems. As I was saying, Republicans and certain special interest groups, including big insurance companies and the American Medical Association, in conjunction with right-wing radio talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, have dragged out their standard complaints about the cost of a major overhaul of the system. But should cost really be an issue in matters of life and death? Tune in later tonight for a special Townhall meeting – also to be telecast from the White House – hosted by Dr. Ezekial Emanuel, a health-care reform activist, who will defend the Administration’s case, and by conservative David Brooks, who will, er, also defend the Administration’s case, only not so much.
And now, for the news. In Iran, the violence continues, as millions of Iranian citizens have channeled their frustration over President’s Ahmadinejad’s failure to fully implement comprehensive health care reform, into massive street demonstrations…
* * *
On the other hand, maybe the telecast will open with something like this...
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Are we back on? (The background now containing bullet holes and high velocity blood spatter.) Oh, good. Er, sorry about that. Heh. We were experiencing some temporary technical problems.
ReplyDeleteI'm torn about actually watching ABC for this abomanation. I'd like see first hand what they consider fairly presented news, OTOH my guess is FOX will give a better critical analysis.
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought (lifted from Major Garrett), until there is tort reform in the health care field costs won't be controlled effectively, and there is no tort reform in the bill as presently constituted.
Retread
TW hipurawl, at home do it yourself hip replacement surgery
Brilliant, I laughed, but it's getting pretty close to what we actually hear elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a reference to Orwell's 1984 climax in the Chestnut Tree cafe where ideologues change message in mid sentence...
A new type of bureaucratic animal emerges who can smell and anticipate changes in the political wind.
I need some ammo to argue against my pinko mates who think O is great and the States needs a national health scheme. Can someone explain succinctly how the health system works in the States and why the current process is better than a national scheme. Figures from the web indicate 85% of all Americans are covered by private health. What happens to the other 15% if they need health care in circumstances minor and serious.
ReplyDeleteMehaul, they go to a free clinic, or the emergency room of any public hospital. No one is turned away, but the costs are passed on to the insured. Our system isn't perfect, but it isn't rationed, either.
ReplyDeleteMehaul: Rebecca's right; it's not like people are totally without health care. In any event, why radically change the entire system - affecting the 85% who are covered - in order to improve the health care for the 15%? Surely, improvements can be made for the 15% without the additional trillions of dollars in additional debt that would be required to revamp everybody's health care. And one big problem is that, due to the enormous costs, rationing would be necessary. In reality, what this translates into is that the government would decide whether you get the MRI you need, or the liver transplant, or the knee replacement surgery, or the anti-depressants. Above all, Obama's ultimate goal is to create a single-payer system with little or no private-sector competition - a bad thing just on general principles.
ReplyDeleteMehaul:If you want a good discussion of the issues go to Heritage.org and click on the "health care" option for a discussion of centralized versus private health care options.
ReplyDeleteYou can also go to CBO.gov and look for the letter from the CBO to Senator Kennedy for some numbers.
Why don't you shift the burden of proof and just ask them specifically why this option is the best thing for the country going forward. Do they understand that this will result in the destruction of the private health insurance industry?
Incidentally, the CBO is forcasting a 15 million shift from employers(10 percent) and 8 million self-insured and others for a net of 23 million already covered into the government plan. That is a real joke. Employers are going to run for the door as quick as they can in droves. Also there will be tremendous pressure on public unions especially to tranfer. How could the public teachers unions and AFSCME say no? Let's see them get their skin in the game!
Thank you Paco, RH and Mojimbo for all the wise responses. I hope I didn't give the impression that I advocate the nationalised approach. I've witnessed the worse of that in the UK and I've seen what it is trying to do to us here in Australia as alternative Labor governments try and increase the social burden among those who can afford private cover. The reason I asked was because I just couldn't get a handle on it either over the web or from locals who have lived in the USA or anywhere else for that matter. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteMehaul: I assure you, nobody took you to mean that you were an advocate of Obamacare!
ReplyDelete