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Randolph Carter said, "Sorry, man, unfettered, institutionalized capitalism had it coming. Have a nice day!"
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Capitalism is what transformed 13 colonies into the greatest nation in recorded history. We did in 200 years what civilizations that have been around for thousands of years could not. You should not argue with success.

Here's a thought... how about making capitalism legal again?

Get ready to start pulling your own teeth, waiting months to have operations and if you are over 50 just go ahead and die. Why dont you get off your porches, quit buying cars and tvs you cant afford and buy health insurance like all of the none obama voters. As a financial planner I see these waste of space all the time. I cant afford it but they have 5 kids, and two car payments at $600 a month each and all the kids have cell phones and video games.

I'm for anything that get's Fair and J.P. all riled up. When this happens it generally means something good for America is about to occur.

Look, the insurance and pharmaceutical companies have been milking the citizens of this country for years. Hospitals have been performing needless procedures for decades. We all know this is happening. Clinics need 15 tests to tell you what is wrong, handing out prescription after prescription in order to get their "perks". We all know why insurance/medical costs are so high. Red tape? That has been a mantra that big business has whined about for years.

Let me give a little bit of understanding to you right wing bozos. In the healthcare field there is a thing called a UCF(Usual, Customary, Fee). For example, if there are 5 Physical Therapist in a specific region, they all must charge the same amouont for the services they provide. The problem is not the UCF. The problem is the INSURANCE COMPANY.

Example:

UCF – $180
Blue Cross Blue Shield Reimbursement – $54
Patient Copayment – $25
Money Written Off by Provider – $101

So as you can see that the problem is the INSURANCE COMPANY. Some insurance companies don't even reimburse as much as I gave in the example. And God forbid you have a high deductible that has to be met before the insurance company pays your claims.

And I'm going to save everybody a gazillion dollars by inventing something 10 years from now I haven't thought of yet. What a crock.

@Candy West Virginia July 8th, 2009 12:14 pm ET
Leo – stop lying your anything but a Dem........
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So Candy, Leo can't be a dem because he doesn't agree with everything this administration does? Leo is proving the dems don't march is lockstep! You're proving otherwise! So much for tolerance, eh?

Health care reform is absolute necessary in oder to keep Americans from filing bankrupties over and over because they can not afford health care. Look at GM and Chrysler they can not compete because of healh care cost.

To J.P. yes Bush turned his eyes away when Haliburton charged for things never done. When I was in Iraq Haliburton charged US taxpayers $600 for a hammer that costs $16 at WalMart. The hammer was not even golden. The Republican scumbags brought us down.
I once was a Republican.

I am sure the administration 'made em an offer they couldn't refuse' ala Vito Corleone
Or would that a real life Italian leader from the 20th century that strong armed business for the good of his country and his people (he was popular for years too)
History really does repeat itself it isn't just a catchy phrase.

Biden looks like the kind of guy that want to know what it would take to put you in a used care today.

I'm sorry, but Joe Biden has become a joke. He recently stated that they (the Urkel administration) 'misread' the economy. Now they want to hijack our healthcare system. If they were wrong on the economy, how can we trust them to get it right with 1/6th of the economy? First they took over some banks, then GM/Chrysler, and now they've got their sights on energy and healthcare. I really hope more people start to wake up.

i constantly see why the replublicans are out of power, these comments from the (fox false news crowd) is so stupid,just like (fox news is bogus )where are their brains,they have none. the vice president just announced a 155 billion health care deal with the hospitals , that will help these morons,and all they want to reply with is (fox false news) talking points. thank god they are a small minority of clowns.this is great news,whats socialism got to with it, (nothing). thats why we have the majority,these clowns are so brain-washed by the (right wing party).this is a great agenda ,that the president and vice president is putting forward. (joe biden) is the whipping board of the gop,and thats all they have to grasp straws at, (joe biden)is smarter than all the republicans combine,they know it. the media is going to see ,who gets the last laugh, it will be the president and vice president on their way to relection in 2012,and a sweep in 2010. these idiots need to get a life, because the gop has none.

made a deal with the collective devil Mr. Biden

they know they are wrong, they went for the easy way out

like plea bargining or a settlement on a lawsuit

smells, smells bad

tax payer, vasoline up

Anyone hear Sen Grassly's remarks to a question a "real person" asked him about why we can't have the same health care the members of Congress receive? He said, "then go to work for the federal government." What an idiot he is. Real caring about his constituites.

Mike, Syracuse, NY

WRONG the real solution has nothing to do with malpractice costs!! thats so stupid! you think the reson why insurance companies charge so much is because of lawsuits? my god are you that gullible. the republican pundits can say ANYTHING and you people just swallow it!

Leo, you are right.
This administration is killing our country. If we don't stop them , we will not know our USA in the future.

Kerry

you did not vote for obama STOP PRETENDING YOU DID! anybody that voted for obama would also be on the side of a public option! god you republican bloggers are so backwards thinking you will influence others by pretending you are democrats that are dissapointed in obama. PLEASE!!

Health care for everyone is probably the most important item that we need. If you don't have steady employment, be it part time or full time, then how can you afford today's health care premiums, let alone the deductibles? A healthy nation is certainly much better off then one where 40 plus million citizens can't even afford to get flu shots.

Keep telling yourself that, Candy. Still won't make it true.

Bush trashed the economy. But, Obama can't fix it.

Truth hurts. But, deal with it.

Conservative Congressmen need to move to Europe to see why public health care is so great. I would venture to guess that none, ZERO, of these conservative Congressmen would ever "stoop" to opposing such a public healthcare plan for their families ever again.

This Congress, and this Administration, will get America moving forward again and need to move quickly. It cannot happen soon enough.

God Bless America!!!

franco

the question is why did you vote for bush TWICE!?!? biden has been on the side of the people even before he was VP. you know nothing. look at transciipts of him standing up for people on MANY different issues. he didnt come from a rich oil money family like bush and he wasnt a CEO of a company that directly benefit from us going to war with iraq! im sure you listened to them. im sure you were happy when we dropped bombs in iraq for NO REASON. and when you found out there was no WMD's and switched your idea to spreading democracy for people that you consider terrorists im sure you listened to everything those idiot businessmen sold you!

Headline should read. VP makes deal with the devil. I'm sure the hospitals wouldn't do it unless there were something in it big for them.

let's see- an attorney running healthcare? An electronics exec running the auto industry? A tax cheat running Wall Street?

Keep the change.

How? Where does an Hospital get it's money from? It as to come out of public monies somehow... You governments think the public are dummies. So insurances go higher?? Is that what you mean
Mr Biden..

Where is the deal with the trial lawyers. Oh I forgot they funded Obama's campaign like the UAW did.

Health Care workers ,especially nurses know exactly how hospitals will be able to 'donate' millions to health care reform. They already have cut out registry pay (additional pay for working more shifts to help staffing cuts), decreasing 'agency' staff who help the already overworked nurses and discourage overtime, which everyone knows is needed. Believe me, we are feeling the heat.

Well done. Just make sure in making these deals you don't forget the importance of a public option – it's the only way to be sure to extend coverage to those unwanted by the private insurers, and the only way to force them to be competitive.

The world is an ugly place.
Don't say or do anything to make it uglier.

Every time I hear a company involved with health care say they can save huge amounts of money by improving inefficiencies I have to wonder what's going on. In every other sector companies are always looking for ways to save money and fix inefficiencies, yet it seems that this idea has never crossed the mind of the health care industry until this year. So if everyone fixes all these inefficiencies does this mean that people will stop having claims denied or dropped completely from their coverage? oh wait, they already told congress they wouldn't stop this practice. Someone remind me why I pay these guys only to have them spit in my face when I ask to use the service I've been paying for.

The Gov,Cannot do basic Job track down scam Dr. that keep billing Medicare & Mediaid.

Now want to Health Reform.

I hope Obama Out before 4 year.

Proud Member..Party of No July 8th, 2009 11:45 am ET

And so the dismantling of the best health care system in the world begins.

-Proof you have no concept of what you are even talking about. We pay more and get less service than anywhere in the world, and among industrialized nations, we rank 37.

I get so tired of reading these GOP rants. Wake up...if we take your approach and do NOTHING but complain, letting the same rich people prosper at the expense of everybody else, the system WILL STILL collapse within the next 8 to 10 years...PERIOD. If you value what you have so much health care wise, then KEEP IT...and when your payments double again in the next 5 years, or god forbid you do get sick and they drop your coverage you can keep a smile on your face knowing you opposed changing this system. At some point it will catch up with you...and you will learn why so many are fed up with health care in this country.

@ Jason,

I agree with the need to reduce unnecessary diagnostic tests but that rooted in the fact that we Americans believe we have the right to sue anyone anytime something bad happens. Consequently physicians do unneeded tests to cover themselve.

But "90% of all diagnoses come from a patient history"? Where the heck did you pull that from? Can you diagnose a broken bone from patient history? Can you diagnose a torn ligament from patient history? Can you diagnose a 40 year old men with prostate cancer from patient history? Granted, patient history does help with diagnoses but it certainly isn't 90%.

This administration is a complete JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am embarrassed to be an American!!!!!!!!!!!!

The U.S. hospitals are businesses. So are the HMOs. Profit speaks.

In Canada, the taxes may be higher, and for elective surgery you may have to wait, but you don't lose your house if you're having a baby or need a knee replacement or have a heart attack. What happened to humanity and decency? Or does the dollar speak above all?

Not a fan wrote:
Either LOVE AMERICA as a DEMOCRACY or pack your bags and get out.

Exactly! Have a nice day!

The real solution to cut health care costs are to cap malpractice awards. Many unnessasary tests are done just to avoid getting sued.

Fair is Fair wrote:
RIP, America. You were a great lady while you lasted.

America will still be here. It will just be a little different. It will no longer be a country of the rich, for the rich and by the rich. Sorry, man, unfettered, institutionalized capitalism had it coming. Have a nice day!

Lets put the members of congress on the same health plan has the rest of the nation, than it might really get fixed.

Beware! Anything that Biden touches or says will be redefined by the White House. Why do we pay attention to this bozo?

@ J.P.

This is also the same bunch that controls our military and protects us. I'm guessing you don't have a problem with them in that regard. Or do you feel we should have private militaries hired out to the highest bidder and let the free-market do its thing?

J.P., it was the "conservative" Bush administration who let Halliburton bill for work they never did in Iraq, and to overcharge for just about everything else. Stop blaming Obama for the types of things the Republicans do when elected.

Seriously, how does anyone say we have the best health care system in the world? We pay twice as much as any other country and we rank 37th for overall health care. People in countries with universal health care live on the average about 2 years longer than we do. People cry about how the government is going to get between them and their doctor yet seem to forget that there is already an insurance bean counter getting between you and your doctor.

I voted for this? Seems only the dimwits are still happy with this admin.

Leo – stop lying your anything but a Dem because if you were you would: a. realize atleast this administration is attempting to fix a problem that was neglected for 8 years and b. they are honestly trying to work for average Americans unlike the last 8 years so quit the lying, please. All rethugs do is attack this administration instead of hoping it succeeds because if it does America succeeds but I guess the rethugs don't want America to succeed.

It's a start. In America, anybody should be able to walk into a hospital with your foot chopped off and asked to be treated. WE are paying for it now, we may as well, MAKE it better.

NOT A FAN , The UNITED STATES (you are NOT America, you are PART of North America) IS a Democracy. So is Canada. So is Britain. So is France. Yet all but the US won't allow businesses to screw over people so they can make money. In the US, the dollar is king. Canada, Britain, and France are doing just fine and in many ways, much better than the US.

As you can see, I am no fan of this administration or congress. ( Don't get me started... )

But this is one thing I can see getting done that makes sense. Hopefully it's not just Public Relations empty pledges and there's some accountability to this announcement. Yes Joe, we are watching and paying attention.

In other words, the hospitals have been performing unneccessary procedures. The medical ter for it is called PHANTOM CHARGING.

My instincts tell me that there's plenty of deals being made behind the scenes which will make some sort of comprehensive healthcare reform palpable.

Currently the only ones with incentives to keep the costs down are the government and the insurance industries.

Patients don't really care and employers don't really care .. because no matter what services the patients receive the government and the insurance companies pay the bills except for the minimal copays which stay the same no matter how much the cost to the payers.

The "change" that Obama keeps talking about should include incentives to the patients and the employers to avoid unnecessary costs and to accept the cheaper alternatives that are proven effective in the population and only move to the higher priced alternatives after the less expensive options fail in the specific patient.

In fact if you eliminated insurance and government completely from the health care system and left it to the patient and the family doc .... prices would come down significantly.

Until its socialized, I don't true the hospitals, just like I don't trust the doctors. They're all just in it to make as much money as they can. They will pledge breaks now, and increase prices later when you aren't looking. They're thieves hiding in plain site.

$155B in the next decade?

Biden knows what the price tag on public health care will be over the next 10-30 years, right?

I have $100 I can donate too. Will that help?

Moronic attention-seeking headline-grabbing liberals. $155B isn't a dent in the cost of this sucker.

Extreme right 28% begin carping about "socialism" in 3...2..1...

If the hospitals really want to save money they will stop with the unnecessary diagnostic procedures they use and do what real doctors do...take a thorough history. Since around 90% of all diagnoses come from a patient history.

BIDEN and OBAMA are at work behind your backs to make America the next socialist muslim state.

Either LOVE AMERICA as a DEMOCRACY or pack your bags and get out.

Now Obambi will say the opposite.....This administration is a joke what a disgrace to America

If any person is dumb enough to believe this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sell.

Instead of a life saving procedure they will give you pain pills,
so they can save money, and remember this is Biden
announcing the deal, his batting average is almost zero.

Does that mean they have been gouging the insurance companies and the American people for all these years?I thought they were just good little capitalist companies.I see the private sector and free markets have done a bangup job,hosing the American people.

"Biden said the hospital industry has pledged to contribute $155 billion in Medicare and Medicaid savings in the next decade. "
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This has got to be the biggest bunch of malarkey I've ever heard.

The hospitals will obtain this "savings" by doing what they do to cover the indigent – cost shifting.

Which means HIGHER costs for those who have private insurance. Which will make it even MORE difficult for them to compete with this phantom "public option" people have no idea what is but are crying for. Which means more people into the government program.

Why can't you people see what is going on here???? Are you all so blind???

Financial institutions. Then auto industry. Then utilities. Then healthcare.

RIP, America. You were a great lady while you lasted.

I wish that Joe would run by the president first before he talks...

What hospitals has the VP cut deals with. I am a Hospital CEO and no one has spoke to me. Were losing money as it is.

Now he can work out a deal with the American Bar Association to eliminate the tens of thousands of frivolous lawsuits that are the number One reason for escalating Health costs...... is everyone else as sick as I am about seeing the nonstop commercials from attorney James Sokolov??????????????????????

I guess Obama taxing our health care plans will give him more money to cover the health care for illegals and lazy bums.

Amazing how gullible these guys are to accept a "commitment" to reduce costs, but these are the same people that talk about jobs they may have "saved". Wouldn't it make sense for these hospitals to make these savings anyhow since it would mean more profit for them? And who is "the hospital industry"? Their lobbyists? I mean really, unless you get a specific commitment from a particular hospital CEO for a target number, you've done nothing.

" ...of enacting health care reform that is deficit neutral."

I would love an explanation of "deficit neutral", does that mean FREE? Does it mean NO COST? Or does it mean that they will be able to raise taxes enough ...(excuse me, "revenues") to offset the cost of this in addition to the $1 trillion deficit that we're currently operating under?

I wish Congress for once, could submit a BUDGET that is deficit neutral.

Calling John Kasich, calling John Kasich....

Now that the insane profits of the medical indurstry is in peril, it's funny to see how much money they can save us.

Give us the public option and let the medical industry eat cake.

We still want a good public health care plan or not deal at all.

And so the dismantling of the best health care system in the world begins.

YEAH, the state FUNDED hospitals......they get their money from the goverment anyway. This surely isn't coming from the private hospital system. The red tape is drowning them as it is.

"Hospitals have acknowledged that significant health care savings can be achieved by improving efficiencies, realigning incentives to emphasize quality care instead of quantity of procedures," Biden said.

Translation – Hospitals have acknowledged that they have been doing needless procedures in an ineffective way for decades.

or...

Translation – Hospitals have agreed to reduce the number of procedures performed, incentivise cheaper alternatives, and remove safety procedures to lower costs.

You decide.

Nice job guys. Keep it up!!!!!

As a Democrat, I must say, this administration is sadly failing.