Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle

Sunday 22nd November, 11:52 AM JST

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GJDailleult at 11:39 PM JST - 22nd November

Ridiculous solution for a ridiculous problem.
TheQuestion at 11:44 PM JST - 22nd November

There were barely enough votes to get it into open debate, no way anything is going to clear the senate floor without first gutting it of anything vaguely reminiscent of a public option. Healthcare must be addressed but some of the policies of the house bill are, frankly, abominable.
Taka313 at 12:26 AM JST - 23rd November

It's funny to hear the proponents of the USA Patriot Act complaining about legislation being rammed down people's throat.

But hypocrisy amuses me. I'm funny that way.

I think the thing to remember here is this: tort reform has to be included. We just have to trust republican'ts to work for all Americans, and not just the rich, like they did with trickle down economics, and regulation of big business, and the environment.

Yeah, just trust them. That's the ticket.

Taka
Badsey at 12:29 AM JST - 23rd November

How long will it be before you have sick people kicked-out of the hospitals and into the streets (like Los Angeles (Lib Central) does)? Zombies will arise from the grave, flood emergency wards and vote Dem. The moon will collide with the Earth and produce a mammoth tidal wave flooding Indonesia once again.
SuperLib at 02:01 AM JST - 23rd November

smithinjapan: I wouldn't expect anything else from you, though. I certainly wouldn't except a logical debate on the issue at hand, because as I said, you guys are simply against this because it is a Democratic initiative,

Pot, meet kettle.
Molenir at 02:24 AM JST - 23rd November

It's funny to hear the proponents of the USA Patriot Act complaining about legislation being rammed down people's throat.

You mean the patriot act that won broad bi-partisan support from both Dems and Republicans? That patriot act? And how many people really oppose it, even today, I guarantee you, the number doesn't even come close to those who oppose health care reform. Check the polls, the majority of Americans were fine with the patriot act, the majority of Americans oppose this health care boondoggle. Wanna try again Taka, this time with a real comparison?
adaydream at 02:56 AM JST - 23rd November

This is just to get discussion folks. It doesn't pass the bill, it doesn't cost you a dime. It just stops the republicans from stopping debate.

If it wasn't for the 60 votes, the republicans would stop debate. They would stop the senate and the country from stopping debate. < :-)
adaydream at 02:57 AM JST - 23rd November

as you were:

They would stop the senate and the country from hearing debate. < :-)
Noliving at 04:22 AM JST - 23rd November

You know Barack Obama talked about health care legislation and getting insurance companies to deal with Americans fairly. Then Shazam, Obama was voted into office. It's no mystery folks. America wants this.

Really because all the polls leading up to the election showed it was the economy and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were the primary reason why he was voted into office.

Tort reform is a joke. You hear all the squawking, but just think about it. It's bad doctors that get sued. It's not the doctor who pays attention to his patients, who ensures that he doesn't leave sponges in patients or comes to the operating room grunk as a skunk.

Actually it's more about ending defensive medicine practice which is estimated to cost the health care/medical industry $200-300 billion dollars per year in unnecessary care, guess who pays for that? The patient does because they, doctors, start ordering unnecessary tests and scans of a patient in order to cover themselves legally so they can't be sued.
adaydream at 05:07 AM JST - 23rd November

Noliving, In an industry that cost the American public $2.26 Trillion, $300Billion is a drop in the bucket. And if the AMA would police themselves it would drop significantly.

An industry that takes 19.5 percent of GDP, you'd think that they would want to weed out the quacks, but they don't. They protect them. They protect the same people that make Tort reform such a topic with people like yourself. < :-)
victimcrat at 12:05 PM JST - 23rd November

@taka318>

It's funny to hear the proponents of the USA Patriot Act complaining about legislation being rammed down people's throat.

Is it as funny as hearing Democrat opponents of the Patriot Act (still in effect, Obama voters!) cheering on the likes of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi as they ram through a 2000 page bill that will make your medical history government property, managed with all the discretion, accountability and professionalism post office and DMV employees and bureaucrats bring to their jobs?

The proposed bill will create 111 new federal agencies. It's madness. The government is giving themselves the power to regulate areas of your life far,far beyond your health and health insurance choices.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for a certain member of JapanToday's foreign experts on the structure of the American republic to point out to me the section of our Constitution which permits the federal government to dictate to the fifty states and their citizens anything at all about health or medical medical care.
adaydream at 12:09 PM JST - 23rd November

States will be able to opt out. < :-)
victimcrat at 12:22 PM JST - 23rd November

Louisiana Sen. Landrieu's vote was basically bought by Reid and Pelosi ("the most ethical Congress ever") this weekend, with 300 million of taxpayers' money.

adaydream's reply: "States will be able to opt out!"
adaydream at 12:30 PM JST - 23rd November

Oh no victimcrat, I was commenting on your post.

But I'm all for the health care bill. The 300 million to Landrieu's state is just part of doing business for a state that was devistated by Katrina. It's the least we can do for a state that we still haven't done right by. < :-)
Molenir at 12:54 AM JST - 24th November

But I'm all for the health care bill. The 300 million to Landrieu's state is just part of doing business for a state that was devistated by Katrina. It's the least we can do for a state that we still haven't done right by. < :-)

lol, sorry for not agreeing with you here. But thats just so laughable. 20 years from now, no doubt there will still be people talking about Katrina and how Louisiana should get extra money because if it. Lets forget about all the hurricanes before or after. Lets forget about taking personal resonsibility for building your house right on the ocean, and not expecting an occasional hurricane. Lets especially forget about all the damage that was done elsewhere, not just NO, which was only minimally damaged until the damn dikes broke, and whose mismanagement cost billions of dollars.

Getting back to the subject at hand, 300 million is chump change. Landrieu is planning to extract much, much more as this bill goes through. Same thing with the Senator from Arkansas. Of course while it will ultimately cost every taxpayer trillions of dollars, it will at the very least cost Landrieu and Blanche their jobs so at least theres one bright spot there.