Barroso (R-Moran) and Healthcare Reform Nonsense

What the hell is this fool Republican from Wyoming even talking about?

Republican Senator John Barroso of Wyoming is a real peach of a guy.  During the health care summit last week, his opening statement consisted of a diatribe about what it is that people at the town hall meetings with whom he has spoken believe about the current health care bill: (1) that the price of care will increase; (2) that the quality of care will drop; and (3) that medicare will be cut which is, according to Barroso of great concern to the seniors with whom he has spoken.  Blah, blah, blah.  Don’t you just love concern trolling?

First, he totally misses the issue.  The issue isn’t what people believe will result from the health care bill, but what actually will result from the bill.  If Republicans are spewing bullshit and lies about the health care bill and what its purpose is (death panels, anyone?), then of course these town hall attendees will believe these lies.

Second, the whole point of the bill, as I understand it, is to cover 30 million more people and increase their quality and access to affordable health care.

But not for the Republicans.  They don’t seem to care about the health care crisis in this country.

According to Barroso, people with catastrophic coverage are the best purchasers of insurance.  Yeah they are, because they wait until they are practically dying before seeking care since they can’t afford to seek preventive care.

What kind of fuckery is that?  Do we really want millions of Americans seeking care only when they are in a medical crisis?  Or do we want them to have whatever care they need when they need it?  Do we want Americans to take steps to prevent them from even getting to the point where their medical situation is so dire that “catastrophic coverage” is the final option?  No.  We went healthy Americans.  We want people to take preventative steps to improve their medical situations before it gets to that crisis point.

It seems fairly logical to me.  But this jackass (and others like him) seems to think that “regular” Americans aren’t entitled to preventive care; the preventive care, mind you, to which the members of Congress have access.  It’s unbelievable to me.  And the Republicans have the nerve to call Democrats elitist?  The Democrats want to improve the quality and access to care for all Americans.  The Republicans, however, seem to want “regular” Americans to be on death’s door before they can seek coverage.

Then, Senator Barroso proudly sets forth his “the USA has the best health care in the world” bullshit talking point, and has the gall to reference a Canadian premier from some Canadian province,  and a Canadian member of parliament, both of whom came to the US to get the best possible care.  (Of course the implication is that since Canadians are coming to America for health care,  why the fuck would we want to downgrade our super awesome American system of health care to some Canadian socialized system that clearly sucks because otherwise why would Canadians be coming here for health care?)   Typical fear tactics from a typical fuckhead.

Obama breaks it down for Senator Dillhole: [watch the entire video after the jump... it's gold, Jerry!  Gold!]

The Canadian members of government can afford to pop over to the Mayo Clinic for heart surgery, or to Cedars-Sinai for cancer treatment, and they can afford to pay out of pocket (probably thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars) in order to get the best treatment the US has to offer. I’m not arguing that we don’t have great health care, for those who can afford it, and for those whose health plans allow them access to that great care.  But you have to be a moron to think that everyone in this country is getting the same quality health care at an affordable price.

I’m lucky enough to have a health plan that covers the gamut of my tumor issues, but it took 6 weeks for me to finally be able to see the doctors and specialists that I need.  6 weeks!  And by the grace of the nice man at Blue Shield, I was able to go out of network and get “rich people care” at Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Hills.  But, if Blue Shield had decided not to cover me, I was prepared to pay the 700 dollar consultant fee to see the specialist at Cedars, and Cruise only knows how much it would have cost me out-of-pocket after that.  It likely would have been thousands of dollars, but because I’m a lawyer, I’m lucky enough to make a six figure salary which would enable me to pay those costs out of pocket.  And certainly my parents who have done quite well for themselves (nice pension from University of Pennsylvania for my dad, and my mom runs her own copy editing business) planned to chip in.  The point is, I would have options.

The problem is that most Americans do not have the options that I have and therefore cannot afford that sort of health care.  And for those who have insurance, their plans often won’t allow them access to “rich people care.”  (Hell, you read about the fuckery I had to endure just to see a specialist.)

Listen here, Republican jackholes– the average American is trying to raise a family of four on a forty or fifty thousand dollar income.  And these Americans are expected to sequester money away in a health savings account?  After buying groceries, clothes for their kids, paying for school and etc.?  Render unto me a fucking break already.  Is Barroso serious?

But it gets better; Senator Barroso references some statistic pulled from I don’t know where (my guess is “directly out of his own ass”) which states that half the health care costs go to 5% of people who are using the most care, and those 5% of people eat too much, don’t exercise, and smoke.  Let that sink in for a hot minute, and then say it with me:

So the fuck what?

Would it be impossible for doctors to  suggest lifestyle changes as part of the health care that these fat, lazy, chain-smoking 5% receive?  Maybe we should just round up all the fat, lazy, smokers and ship them off to an island with, you know, those crazy people who want same sex marriage.  I mean, it’s really the gays, the fatties, the unmotivated, and the smokers that are destroying our way of life, right?  It can’t possibly be that the system is just fucked and geared to provide the rich (myself included… I’m not rich rich, but I ain’t broke either) and members of Congress with exceptional health care, while so-called “average working Americans” just have to suck it up, quit being such whiny bitches, and hope they never break a leg, or get cancer, or diabetes, or a pituitary tumor.  Bitch, please.

Barroso claims that he would be amenable to members of Congress having access only to catastrophic care.  Sure, that’d be great.  Especially because, as Obama supremely awesomely points out, members of Congress make about 176K per year.  They (and I) can afford to pay for health care that might not be covered under a specific plan.  People who are making 40K or less per year cannot.  Full stop.  And continuing to ignore this fact is either bone-headed, or blatantly deceitful and, in my opinion, immoral on the part of Republicans.

But the Republicans like Barroso keep pretending they give a crap.  Barroso wants the government to listen to the American people when they express their concerns about the bill.  He’s really concerned about their concerns.  Barroso claims that 1 in 3 people don’t support the bill.  Gee, I wonder why that is?   Could it be blatant misinformation being spewed hither and thither by the Republicans about the bill?

What are the Republicans angling for?  What do they want?  They want a do over.  Step by step.  So they can continue to obstruct, and distort what the bill will and will not provide, and confuse the fuck out of Americans who, unlike me, don’t have time to sit around all day researching this shit on the internet to better inform themselves and, instead, rely on the media and journalists to do their damn jobs and actually report what’s in the bill rather than reporting what various political figures say is in the bill.

Too many folks are getting their health care bill information from Fox News and you know damn well that the bullshit spewed out of the mouths of Hannity,  Steve Doocy,  Bill O’Reilly, and Beck is blatant misinformation, and the public is eating it up!

As Nate Silver over at FiveThirtyEight points out:

“Among those opposed to the health care bill, majorities think that their choice of doctors would be impaired, their out-of-pocket costs would go up, their wait times would increase, and the quality of their care would suffer. Meanwhile, only 27 percent of Americans opposed to the health care bill — and only 39 percent overall — believe that their ability to get coverage would improve if they had a pre-existing condition.

If that’s what people believe, then forget a majority — it’s amazing that health care has even the 40 percent support that it does. But these beliefs range from mostly and probably untrue to completely and demonstrably untrue.

This is not to suggest that there aren’t legitimate reasons to oppose the health care bill. It’s expensive and creates a huge new entitlement. It’s impact on bending the cost curve is marginal, at best. It reduces Medicare spending. It arguably entrenches the system of private insurance. It contains an individual mandate that might be a bad deal for some people. And some people would be impacted more directly, such as those subject to the excise tax or the millionaire’s tax.

Nevertheless, polls have consistently shown that support for the health care program increases dramatically — probably to a plurality and possibly to a majority — when you provide them with a neutral and accurate description of what the legislation actually contains.”

Barroso’s salient point seems to be as follows:

“Coverage does not equal care.”

Um… what!?  For Americans, especially lower income folks, coverage is care.  If they are not covered, they cannot afford to obtain the medical care that they need.  I mean, how out-of-touch are you, Barroso?  While you’re big pimpin’ in DC in your Lincoln Towncar or, like, your personal Lear jet, most Americans are rockin’ that Ford Pinto they bought back in the 70s which for some odd reason hasn’t blown them the fuck up yet.  Hell, motherfuckers are driving around in Datsuns.  Do you remember Datsuns?  No?  BECAUSE THEY DON’T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE!  DANG, YOU ELITIST LATTE SIPPING, ENDIVE SALAD EATING COUNTRY CLUB GOLFER!

Shoot, my brain seems to have omniploded.

Somebody get me my stabbing knives.

[via Talking Points Memo]