By FITSNews || The U.S. House of Representatives approved not one, but two socialized medicine proposals on Sunday – one piece of legislation approving Senate amendments to a previous House bill and the other a brand new version of President Barack Obama’s signature policy agenda sponsored by S.C. Rep. John Spratt.
The Senate legislation – which includes the infamous “Cornhusker Kickback,” “Louisiana Purchase” and other shady backroom deals engineered by Democratic leaders – passed by a vote of 219-212, and will be send to President Obama’s desk for his signature. The updated House version passed by a vote of 220-211 – and will be sent to the Senate for “reconciliation,” where special rules of debate will block any attempts by Republicans to filibuster the legislation.
No Republicans voted for either bill.
Cost estimates for Obama’s plan range from $1 trillion to $2.5 trillion, including $570 billion in new taxes – which of course will be passed down to individual policyholders.
In fact, previous Congressional Budget Office estimates show the average American family (with coverage) facing premium increases of more than $2,000 a year.
The bill also requires individual Americans to purchase insurance for themselves and their families or face fines of up to 2.5 percent of their income. As many as 46 percent of middle class families could get slapped with the “individual mandate tax,” according to GOP estimates, and the legislation would spend $10 billion over the next decade on 17,000 new Internal Revenue Service personnel to make sure the new fines are collected.
The passage of “health care reform” is a major victory for President Barack Obama, who has focused virtually all of his energy on the legislation, but it comes at a terrible price for Democrats politically.
In addition to Republican routs in Virginia and New Jersey in last November’s off-year elections, Republican Scott Brown’s stunning upset in Massachusetts sent shock waves through the nation’s political establishment and put an end to the Democrats’ 60-vote “super-majority” (although that apparently doesn’t matter anymore given the willingness of Obama’s allies to railroad legislation through each chamber).
Still, an already difficult 2010 election cycle could have just become positively deadly for vulnerable Democrats – and that’s on top of the dozens of lawmakers who aren’t seeking reelection.
In South Carolina, for example, State Sen. Mick Mulvaney – who is challenging the bill’s author, John Spratt – had a resolution on his website within minutes of the bill passing urging residents of his district to “formally reprimand” the fourteen term Congressman by pledging to vote against his reelection bid. The resolution should have no shortage of signers, as 63 percent of independent voters in this “swing” district said they would likely vote against Spratt if he backed the latest socialized medicine bill.
What was expected to be a razor-thin margin of victory expanded somewhat late Sunday when pro-life Democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak cut a deal with the White House on the issue of abortion. Stupak had threatened to lead a small group of pro-life Democrats in voting against both bills, but caved at the last minute.
On the same day the votes were taken, a Rasmussen Reports poll showed that 54 percent of Americans opposed the legislation – including 45 percent who “strongly opposed” the bill. Both of those figures exceeded the 41 percent of Americans who support the legislation – and far outdistance the 26 percent of Americans who “strongly support” it.
The poll also found that only 17 percent of Americans believe that the bill will reduce health care costs, while 57 percent believe it will result in higher costs. Additionally, 54 percent of Americans believe it will reduce the quality of the care they receive.
WEB EXTRA
H.R. 4872 (House Reconciliation Resolution)
H.R. 3590 (Resolution Accepting Senate Amendments)
Rasmussen Reports Poll
Obamacare’s Delusional Deficit Claims (Heritage Foundation)
The Obamacare Crossroads (WSJ)
By FITS Gals March 22, 2010 at 12:02 am
Seriously, we’re considering firing Sic Willie and shutting the place down; if we don’t make any money we can’t be fined right?
xoxo,
FITS Gals
By Eric P. March 22, 2010 at 12:04 am
Wonderful news for those of us who cannot buy, for any price, insurance that includes “pre-existing conditions.”
Welcome news for competition in the health-care insurance industry.
What other heath care insurance company exists for individuals in SC other than Blue Cross & Blue Shield?
I am thrilled.
By madcock March 22, 2010 at 12:13 am
Yep, its a sad day in America, SIC, when should your baby be diagnosed with a serious illness, your insurance company can no longer drop her like a dirty diaper in the trash can.
I think you should stand up for the free market and send a letter to your insurance company tomorrow promising them if your baby gets ill you will voluntarilty drop the child from your policy, just like they could in the good old days when America was still free.
That’ll teach that socialist Kenyan, B. Hussein Obama to mess around with America’s insurance cartels, the very essence of what made America great.
BTW, ask some of your GOP masters why when they had a chance to vote to remove the “Cornhusker Kickback” and “Louisiana Purchase” in the second vote tonight they voted AGAINST it. Guess after running the Congress with that type of vote-buying everywhere for 12 years, end the end they couldn’t bring themselves to vote against it even though they’ve been complaining how awful it was for weeks!
Sorta like when they impeached Bill Clinton for having an affair and had to go through three House Speakers to find one who wasn’t having an affair himself.
By Will March 22, 2010 at 12:47 am
How can 46% of middle class families pay an individual mandate tax when only 16% of all Americans, according to a July 2009 Gallop poll, do not have insurance?
Also, for a more reasoned analysis of the health care bill, I recommend http://theincidentaleconomist.com/
By Mike at the beach March 22, 2010 at 1:38 am
So many knuckleheads…so little time.
Sooooo…if there are problems within the insurance industry (no one argues that this is not the case) THIS BILL is the only answer? If that’s your argument you’re either delusional (i.e., high on the Obama Kool-Aid), not too bright, or disingenuous. The problems in our health care system could have been fixed without socializing such a huge chunk of our medical care. At least be honest and call it what it is. A few Dems did today when they said that this bill wasn’t perfect, but it was “great first step.” Big first step is more like it…
By Lilly Collette March 22, 2010 at 6:15 am
I don’t have any problem with this.
By Old Bike Dude March 22, 2010 at 6:45 am
As one who cannot purchase health insurance due to a pre-existing condition, I’d just like to say that I’d like to be able to PURCHASE and pay for my own coverage as I do for my family. Maybe now Golden Rule will have to live by the golden rule.
By Calhoun Fawls March 22, 2010 at 6:49 am
Correct me if I am wrong, but does not the state of SC already have an insurance pool for people denied coverage?
Further, are there any hospitals in SC or American for that matter that today DENY care to someone who comes in?
By poster March 22, 2010 at 7:10 am
First Socialized Public Schooling, now this.
Stalin is smiling.
By countryboy March 22, 2010 at 7:25 am
I M P E A C H O B A M A !
By Mike March 22, 2010 at 7:42 am
Now the insurance industry will be regulated like a utility. How is that working out for everyone? The insurace industry loves the deal they cut with the Democrats. Free Markets at work right? Yeah sure.
By Tsunami March 22, 2010 at 7:45 am
The “Centrist” mask is off guys like Spratt. They own this pig.
By Huh? March 22, 2010 at 8:19 am
The content of the bill is a morass of paper, with little explanation about what it REALLY does or doesn’t do….. What scares the hell out of me isn’t so much the text of this bill, but the way it was passed. Reconciliation isn’t the way you shove something like this (e g. a major bill that increases the burden on the people), through Congress. I seem to recall somewhere that taxation without representation is NOT the way Americans do business. Now here we are…. If the majority of the people do NOT want this mess, then it should NOT be the law of the land. I guess we can do the obit for democracy now: Born July 4, 1776, Died March 21, 2010, cause of death? Suicide through backdoor dealing, and parlementarian excess! Like Tom Delay said last night, I’m sick to my stomach.
By baker March 22, 2010 at 8:20 am
“poster” — Stalin? Really?
There are some real nut-jobs out there on right….I mean, people with apparently almost no perspective or common sense whatsoever.
By Soft Sigh From Hell March 22, 2010 at 8:34 am
The degree of polled public disagreement is driven mainly by a whirlwind of organized big-money opposition campaigns and disorganized volunteer loud Teabagger mobs. America has a 20 minute attention span (the 30 minute TV time slot sans commercials). Most of America will have little intense feeling at all on this issue in a few weeks, a few months at very most. It is hard to imagine a huge campaign effect resounding from this in eight months and especially two years and eight months, except from the harddriven and in their cases it still will not have changed their votes.
By Liberty For Me March 22, 2010 at 8:35 am
This is all a facade by the Republicans…We have only one political party in this country.The rest is just smoke and mirrors.I would bet that they nominate Mit Romney 2012 and he is for socialized medicine and is even Bushier than Bush about the military and personal freedoms.
The only way we will have Liberty is if we take it back in mass by the people from the power brokers.But most are just sheep,so I dont hold out much hope.
By political hack in the new social democracy March 22, 2010 at 9:06 am
America has three major industries that are (or were until recently) globally competitive: Finance, Real Estate, and Insurance. “FIRE” as it is known, represents the majority of our GDP output. In the Finance realm, you have the Federal Reserve and it’s secret hoards of trillions of dollars of cash that it can print on the whim of a politicians Yea or Nae and directly bill the taxpayer in the form of wonderful inflation. Ten dollars today buys what 10 cents bought when our grandparents were in high school. The big banks and Wall Street own the Fed. Next, the Real Estate sector has the two wonderful entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These entities are responsible for a known $4 trillion in MBS government guaranteed debt and are largely responsible for guaranteeing junk loans for uncreditworthy borrowers becuase the government told them to. Now they are a black hole and a Fed agent able to purchase T-bills for MBS that are worthless garbage. These entities were established and transformed to their current unworkable state by the same socialists who claim there needs to be a national market for housing, meaning there needs to be price fixing because private companies have to price according to risk, which is ultimately unsustainable as we have seen with their collapse. Enron? what Enron, these puppies take the bill…And now, the USSA has gotten it’s hands on the Insurance business, and it will develop a system that will benefit the banks nonetheless as they are able to profit from making securities guaranteed by the USSA on health insurance, now mandated by the Washington elites. Like the Housing GSES, and the Fed, regulation into any of those largest sectors does not work and this system will not work. Your country’s back is now broken, and radicals have the keys to every major globally competitive industry. There is no social justice in selling every citizen into perpetual debt slavery by claiming they want to care for your health.
By Ducky March 22, 2010 at 9:20 am
Nationalsozialismus, (National Socialism) is alive and well in America, thank GOD no one ever had to die to keep this kind of thing from ever getting here… (Phew)… Oh wait…
By Harumph March 22, 2010 at 9:53 am
This idiocy will almost immediately start costing money but will provide no benefits until 2014. Change that only feels like paying higher taxes with no benefit won’t survive for long. A new Congress or president will stop this law by repealing it or by executive order, if the supreme court doesn’t trash it first by correctly finding it violates the US Constitution. Obamacare is a law that will never mean a thing.
By mohanna March 22, 2010 at 10:06 am
WOW you had me until you mentioned “The Rasmussen” poll. Rasmussen is the only poll Repubs quote (too bad they have been denounced as FAUX News/Repubs personal polling group) even Rasmussen has admitted to bad polling. Actually you never had me but I played along to see if you were going to offer even 1 scintilla of the truth about Healthcare Reform (but you didn’t fail to deliver untruths and half truths). I believe the Repubs will carry this NO/SCREW YOU AMERICA around their necks during the midterms. After the Tea Party splits the Repub votes allowing a Dem to be elected.
By Brandon March 22, 2010 at 10:21 am
225 days until the mid-term election. Email everyone you know on your entire list and urge them to register and vote. Do it today.
By La Bouche March 22, 2010 at 10:49 am
KICK THE DEMS WHERE IT HURTS!!! –> (in the ballot box)
-Volunteer
-Donate $$
-Vote
Then, we’ll repeal this B.S. legislation.
By Nick diBellaros-Schoppenhauer March 22, 2010 at 10:59 am
Did anybody see John Spratt last night? The guy is downright feeble in addition to being a lapdog for Nancy Pelosi. He was halting and tripping over words. Somebody behind him had to tell him what to say or who on his committee would be speaking next as he evidently did not recognize them on sight. He should be the SC GOP top priority this year.
By pleasechokeonyoursourgrapes March 22, 2010 at 11:12 am
Apparently eating crow makes just makes you stupid.
By BC March 22, 2010 at 11:43 am
Senses the divide. On November 5, 2008; our nation was charged with establishing a time marker in history. Our nation was at one time on the forefront in innovation and creativity. Some of the best business, scientific, and even military minds have come from our country. My question is, when did that change? When did we settle for being 2nd best but in our own minds the world leader? Our nation has the highest rate of high school dropouts in comparison of any other industrialized developed nation. History was yet again marked in time last night; but to many of our fellow Americans, I sense defeat! We are not defeated! This is an indication that the days of complacency is over!
YOU CANNOT BE A WORLD LEADER AND NOT LEAD! WAKE UP AMERICA! ITS TIME FOR US TO RECLAIM OUR PLACE IN HISTORY! By removing the barrier to health care, it allows its people to focus on other endeavors! This bill will not dissolve or remove our drive for wanting to be the best, but it will empower us to focus on that course!
By pleasechokeonyoursourgrapes March 22, 2010 at 12:04 pm
The markets are up, whiners!
By Woodrow March 22, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I for one am very happy health care reform has passed. I fully support the bill and its intent and I look forward to seeing it implemented. Thank you Democrats in Congress and President Obama!
By vicupstate March 22, 2010 at 1:27 pm
All last week, Rush Limbaugh said Pelosi did not have the votes to pass the bill, not even close. He got it completely wrong. Imagine that.
By Not so Much March 22, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Amazing to me how many people on Medicare and Medicaid are ranting off about how bad “socialized medicine” is. I have a good friend on Medicaid who thinks “socialized medicine” will be the end of America. When asked about her own “socialized medicine” she said “That’s Different!!” Never mind that she is on SSI – in other words did not even work enough quarters to “earn” government benefits – they are given to her because she is poor and disabled.
Passing this bill is a great thing for America. We should go the way of EVERY OTHER first world democracy and enact true socialized medicine.
By Help March 22, 2010 at 2:10 pm
It is so amazing how many people that are experts on this bill. I wonder what the ratio to people voicing an opinion on the bill (whether for it or against it)is to people who have actually read it. I cannot say I’ve read it and likewise, I cannot say whether I am for it or against it. What I can say is that as a middle class person I spend a lot more on health insurance than I have in medical costs and my insurance company pays very little. I feel like I’ve been taken advantage of but I have to keep buying insurance because if I get cancer or in a car wreck I want my kids to still be able to afford college. I had approximately $10K in medical expenses last year. I spent approximately $15,000 for medical insurance for myself and my family last year. My insurance paid for about half of my medical expenses or $5,000. So I spent $20K last year and I had $10K worth of medical expenses. I have been told that if something catastrophic happens and my claims exceed the amount of accrued premiums in a fiscal year, then my insurance company will drop me. So, this plan costs me an additional $10,000 a year above my actual family’s medical costs and if I actually need coverage in a catastrophic event then my insurance company only has to cover me until the end of the fiscal year. How is this not highway robbery? I don’t have the benefit of a employer funded group plan. My employer had to make a decision to drop insurance or start firing people. I believe that the free market regulates most things but health insurance isn’t potato chips. I spend $15,000 a year for crappy insurance. The way I see it, if someone can give me a better deal than that, then I’m for it. I don’t care if its the government that selling me the insurance. Under the current conditions of a market overrun by monopolistic insurance fatcats, I scraping by while they are making record profits. I don’t know what to believe anymore, so I choose not to believe anything. I assume everyone is lying, the Democrats and the insurance companies. Just show me the bottom line not the bullshit.
By Ol' MacDonald March 22, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Old Bike Dude,
Too poor to afford health insurance, but rich enough to own a computer, purchase internet service, and spend all day leaving uninformed socialist comments on this blog…
Sounds like a Barack Obama sob story to me.
By FITS Gals March 22, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Help,
We couldn’t have said it any better.
xoxo,
FITS Gals
By just another person March 22, 2010 at 5:23 pm
I think it is time for the states to call a constitutional convention, which takes 2/3 of the states to do, and amend the constitution to make this takeover unconstitutional and make the supreme courts job easy. While they are at it, put in term limits and pay limits for congressional members since they will not do it themselves.
By WorkingTommyC March 22, 2010 at 6:12 pm
BJAP:
IT’S ALREADY UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
What we need are elected officials at the state level that will stand up to the gross, flagrantly unconstitutional intrusions and power grabs of the federal level government.
God gives us our rights. We, The People, guarantee those rights. It’s time to get to restore the republic and make it work as it is designed to.
By SC_Moderate March 22, 2010 at 7:44 pm
I hope everyone who uses polls to decry the Health care bill… will also value the Bill’s polls in the coming months. My guess is the numbers will soon show a majority of Americans support the Bill.
By Ynotfirst March 23, 2010 at 4:58 am
so where is our state on this? has any single republic lawmaker taken the time or made the effort to ” protect South Carolinians”>
mcmaster doesn’t even count……….
By mmennonno March 23, 2010 at 12:01 pm
There is nothing socialized about this bill. There is no public option. It does help to regulate an out-of-control insurance lobby any rational individual would want regulated. If you believe, as many do, that health care is a human right, then a single-payer plan would be preferable. I hope that’s where we’re headed :)
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