The insistence by the Administration and Congress that it is acceptable to use "reconciliation" to pass a bill that is so complex, pervasive, and UNPOPULAR WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, raises this issue to an even higher level. To insistence on passing this bill using a process that was never intended to be used in this way, raises this issue to the level where it puts our entire system of government at risk. WE THE PEOPLE must VOTE OUT anyone who votes for this bill in the House or Senate because they will be contributing and approving of a complete abandonment of the principles of our system of government. If you value our system of government as designed by the Founding Fathers, you have a moral obligation to VOTE THEM OUT if they vote for this bill knowing "reconciliation" will be used to pass it against the will of the people and without any bipartisan support. It does not matter if you are for or against this kind of so-called healthcare reform; it does not matter if you are liberal or conservative; it does not matter if you are democrat, republican, independent, or tea party, you must raise up an VOTE OUT anyone that supports this process by voting in favor of this bill. Using "reconciliation" in this way sets a dangerous precedent that could be used in the future to tax as even more or infringe on our freedom even more.

All Americans should be outraged about what is going on with this Administration and Congress. It is time to VOTE THEM OUT before they do any more damage!!! This is no longer about healthcare, this is an issue about the very essence of our system of government. WE THE PEOPLE will VOTE THEM OUT!!!

So these people are anti-insurance company? Then they should be totally against Congress' health reform bill which requires everyone to buy health insurance. The insurance industry makes a 2% profit per year. That is completely fair. And they do a much better job than the government does at controlling costs and fighting fraud. The current bill in Congress will guarantee higher health care costs than if Congress did nothing.

Yes! This is a very important issue. Both sides have not been fairly represented. I would join the other in favor of health care reform.

if you haven't seen Rachel Maddows show from 3/9/10 last night, you should check it out now. just google her. There is a conspiracy to takeover for sure.

Hear for yourself -- in Howard Dean’s own words -- how he wants Socialism in America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UScQ1lqCSmQ

Hey AngryMobVoter - concerned about the system of government created by our "founding fathers'? Then why aren't you protesting for a return to slavery? Or maybe you would like to go back to the "good old days" of absolutely no environmental regulation, so we can all choke on smog and drink dirty water? You want an answer to our health care problem? Easy - do what EVERY OTHER FIRST WORLD NATION ON THE PLANET DOES - have government run or government regulated insurance. The US has the most expensive health care in the world AND all we have to show for it is a life expectancy rate that is below all of Europe and half of Asia and an infant mortality rate that is higher than Cuba's or South Korea's! Can you imagine - a baby in Cuba is more likely to make it to adulthood than a baby born in the good ol USA! How insane is that!!! I say its time for Medicare for All and if the tea partiers don't like it they can LEAVE! They are nothing but traitors anyway!

According to HCAN's new report, online at http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2010/02/11/insurers-enjoy-record-breaking-profits-as-they-cut-27-million-people-from-their-rolls/, last year the top five for-profit insurance companies had record profits of $12.2 billion, up 56% from 2008, as they shed 2.7 million policy holders. United Health Care, Maryland's #1 for-profit insurer, spends less than 83 cents out of every dollar of revenue on health care. Meanwhile, they reward their top executives with hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses while 45,000 Americans every year die preventable deaths because of insurance industry rationing of care. Health reform will regulate the insurance industry properly and put an end to their abusive practices. It will reduce health care costs to consumers and taxpayers, most dramatically in the individual market, where CBO says premiums will fall over 50% for most people. Health reform also includes scores of Republican ideas and amendments and allows people who like their current insurance to keep it -- a government takeover of health care it is not. The use of reconciliation's majority rule provision to pass health reform is fully consistent with how similar measures have been passed in recent years, including welfare reform in the 1990s and the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

Matthew Weinstein
Maryland Coordinator, Health Care for America Now
Baltimore Region & Federal Issues Director
Progressive Maryland
9 W. Mulberry St., Baltimore, MD 21201
410-685-7004 x19 410-659-5008 fax
Matthew@ProgressiveMaryland.org

Just for you Tea Partiers out there who are so afraid of socialism. Here's what the most expensive health care system in the world buys us - The U.S. is 38th worldwide in life expectancy (behind Chile, Cuba, etc.) and we are 33rd in infant mortality (behind South Korea, Cyprus, Israel, etc.) Yep, ain't the Free Market a grand thing! Of course, you guys don't really care about any of that, do you? As long as your wallet is full, the rest of us can go die in a gutter, right? At what point do we recognize American political conservatism as a mental disorder that is incompatible with living in a functioning society?

There has been much talk about why health care reform is needed to reduce costs without explaining the makeup of those costs and especially the increase in costs.

Demographics and the aging population - Older people in general require more health care. The population of the US is aging and that will force up the aggregate costs of healthcare. In addition, since the number of people paying taxes will fall at the same time, the burden on each taxpayer will increase even faster.

Americans smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much and eat the wrong foods, and get too little activity - Bad lifestyle choices will continue to force up health care expenditures.

Malpractice - In the end, the costs of the obscene malpractice awards are passed on to the person buying health insurance. Since these costs are included in the costs of doing business of drug companies, medical equipment produces, hospitals, and physicians, the rates and prices that are charged to health insurers is higher. Also, these costs force up the cost of malpractice insurance which is also passed on to the health insurer. That just pushes up the cost of health insurance. These obscene malpractice awards also prompt doctors to order more tests and procedures in order to do CYA.

Cost of medical research - Most of the easy to discover drugs, procedures, and devices have been found. The education and experience required to be at the cutting edge of medical research requires a huge investment of time and money. Very few people are going to pursue those fields if they cannot expect to be well compensated. Also, the complexity of the equipment used in cutting edge medical research is increasing rapidly. That costs money just like the research itself.

It is clear the only major cost item that could yield large cost savings is malpractice and that is not even being addressed in the current plans. Also, the US is financing most of the medical research budget through higher drug prices but that opportunity to reduced costs has also been negotiated away by the current administration.

Short of passing laws withholding healthcare from people as they age (health panels) or passing laws to force people to make better lifestyle choices, the current administration has eliminated the opportunities where real savings could be realized.

The current plans being proposed will not reduce costs but they will provide a bunch of high paying government jobs that we as taxpayers will pay for.

What is actually needed is to remove the barriers that retard competition between health insurance companies. Also we need to provide a framework where insurers can compete more effectively if they achieve better lifestyle choices among their insured.

It is time to VOTE THEM OUT!!!