Comments on: Looking For Waterloo In All The Wrong Places

By: Tommy Pane

Tommy Pane — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:29:12 +0000

How about if I don’t respond to your non-response.

By: janine

janine — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:24:11 +0000

I am sorry Tommy, I thought the financial deregulations by the government were common knowledge.

Let’s see I believe there was the Depository Deregulations in 1980 that expanded the type of financial institutions that could get overnight loans from the Feds. Then there was the 1982 Garn-St. Germain Act which loosened mortgage restrictions which paved the way for the subprime mortgage debacle.

By: Tommy Pane

Tommy Pane — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:23:18 +0000

I’m sorry Janine, I really thought this was common knowledge.

State governments mandate what health insurance companies must cover. This precludes companies who are unwilling to meet the mandates from marketing in those states. Since it costs more to meet the mandates, the insurance companies have to charge more.

The government has allowed drug companies to do consumer marketing, thus increasing costs to cover the marketing, and increasing demand for the product. Higher demand means the insurance companies are paying out more.

Employers are currently given a tax break for health insurance costs. If that was removed, and the tax break given to the individual instead, each of us could carry our own insurance regardless of our employer.

Which Wall Street restrictions were lifted that caused the problems there?

By: janine

janine — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:49:07 +0000

Tommy, please tell me how the Government has intruded into the health insurance companies.

you are all for removing restrictions. removing restrictions on Wall Street didn’t work out too well did it?

By: Tommy Pane

Tommy Pane — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:39:21 +0000

I’ve been wondering why libs keep attacking insurance companies. Now I get it.

Their rates are going up because their costs are going up. Ultimately, the rise in costs can be traced back to government intrusion into the market. Remove the intrusion, and the markets will self-correct to levels that people can afford and are willing to pay.

By: janine

janine — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:21:19 +0000

The high cost of health care isn’t because of the Government it is because of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

By: Tommy Pane

Tommy Pane — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:32:08 +0000

That first post was from me (as if you didn’t already guess).

Government intrusion is the problem. It’s caused the high cost of health care. Logically, more of it won’t reduce the costs.

By: mario piperni

mario piperni — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:50:25 +0000

Sure. Start over while one uninsured American dies every 12 minutes from the current h/c system. Spend another 3 years debating the issues until everyone is blue in the face and find yourself at the exact same point you’re at now. If you’ve been watching and listening, you should know that Republicans don’t want health care reform of any kind passed. That is clear.

I also find it ironic how some people don’t want any government intrusion in their lives but are content with insurance execs having such a major say in life and death matters. It makes no sense.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:19:02 +0000

“They have a single narrative: make it impossible for Democrats to govern. Period.”

So well put, and so true. The problem with dems is that all they want to do is “govern” us. The American people don’t need governing. We need government to get out of our way.

I don’t like neo-con repubs any better than I do dems, but at least in this case, with regard to this specific bill and the method by which the dems are attempting to pass it, they’re standing up for what the majority of Americans want.

I only hope that if it fails to pass, they’ll immediately introduce the legislation that will truly solve the problem of rising health care costs.