“I give the president tremendous credit for taking on the health care problem and it really is a problem that we’ve got to deal with – but he took it on at a very difficult time that was not of his making,” Connecticut Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said on CNN’s State of the Union.
“Great changes in our country often have come in steps,” Lieberman also said, pointing to the incremental gains in the civil rights movement made over many years during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
The former Democrat then cataloged a list of incremental changes to the country’s health care system – focusing on reducing costs, changing health care delivery mechanisms, putting an end to denying coverage because of pre-existing illnesses, removing monetary caps on the amount of coverage provided, paying for preventive services that avoid costly chronic illnesses later on – all of which he thinks are ripe for consideration right now in tough economic times.
Lieberman called Obama’s ambitious goal of covering all or nearly all of the millions of uninsured in the country “the tough one.” “That’s where you spend most of the trillion dollars . . . that this health care plan will cost. And I’m afraid we’ve got to think about putting a lot of that off until the economy is out of recession. There’s no reason we have to do it all now but I do think we have to get started.”
Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, disagreed with Lieberman’s suggestion that the current health care reform push not include an attempt at universal coverage.
“We’ve got to bring down the cost of health care,” Cardin told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, “it’s difficult to do that by ignoring those who don’t have health insurance today.
Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar agreed with Lieberman and suggested that deferring health care reform to next year would be better given the economy.
Lugar told King that he would advise Obama that “bringing up the health care situation in the midst of a recession . . . was a mistake.”
“For the moment, let’s clear the deck,” Lugar also said Sunday, “and try it again next year or in subsequent times.”
From CNN Politics
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John King as usual carrying water for Republicans.
And the uninsured, those with pre existing ailments and people who are getting cancelled and denied daily should wait before they
get sick or have any life threatening illnesses, right Leiberman??
Is this man up for election soon. Sure hope so as he has no
chance of getting re-elected.
Reform should come "in steps"? Well, it's pretty easy for Lieberman to say being that as a senator he has that gold-plated health insurance. What a hypocrite.
No more waiting. We've been waiting since Teddy Roosevelt's time.
"Every other nation with an advanced economy long ago secured universal health care for its citizens — an achievement that the United States alone finds beyond the capacities of mortal man."
Harold Meyerson, The Washington Post
The Real Issue is this Senator's record. Lieberman supported the Iraq War and Senator McCain. He was also reviewed as a Vice-Presidential candidate for McCain. Americans, those are the Issues regarding Senator Lieberman. He shifts back and forth. Sounds as if he is against Health Care Plan now....wait until later. Another year will not fix the economy when the present Health Care Practices are stunting the economy.
The Real Issue my fellow Americans is this Senator is wrong again. The time for Health Care is now for all Americans for financial and health reasons!!
I wonder how many people have to die and go bankrupt before Liberman thinks it's time.
Americans have to understand that their healthcare is not the envy of the world. You are 37th best. Almost every other industrialized nation has a better system. Most of those better systems are not some socialist bureaucracies but a mix of free market with strong gov't input. People live longer, get better care, than in the current US model. Capitalism in those countries has not been destroyed and almost no one in either Canada, Britain, France, or Germany would trade health care systems with the US.
Enough of the fear mongering and allow this president to do what he said he would and what you elected him to do.
Tax payers should demand all congressional leaders give up their current insurance coverage. They should pay for their own, out of pocket. Why are these people given the best care when they have no interest in the working stif?
Until the field is level and all politicians gets the same coverage as all tax payers; nothing will be done to put in place an effective policy.
Delay, delay, delay – last cry of the Republicans and Lieberman, whatever party he claims to be in. "Delay" translates into more of a chance to kill the bill. But it's not about the deficit, or choice, or freedom, or whatever ridiculous buzzword Republicans feed to their week-minded constituents. It's about zero competition and obscene amounts of money which is exactly what the Republicans want for their patrons in the insurance industry.
lieberman is wrong. Usually is. Covering the uninsured is essential to getting a handle on health care costs. It is also a moral imperative. The President and the Demorctas in congress need to get together, fine tune the bill they have going, and pass it. If the republicon party want to go on record for the 2010 elections as being against Americans being able to go to the doctor, being against lower costs and better health care, against morality, against saving hundrends of thousands of Americans a year from going bankrupt because tyey ar their child gets sick, then GREAT... try to spin that - "vote for me. I'm in favor of you being overburdened with doctor bills, drug costs, and I want you to lose you house if you get sick. And by the way, I don't care if your kids die because you can't afford a doctor visit." THAT ios what the republicons stand for, and the Democrats need to start pointing out that obvious fact. Democrats are right on this issue, and republicons are dead wrong. You would never know it from what you see on tv and in the paper. No ambiguity, no grey area. Democrats right, republicons wrong.
Joe offers a false choice. Health care does not mean higher deficits. This is simply a matter of priorities. As an alternative, Joe, cut $100 Billion from today's budget, and have health care now! What Federal budget couldn't use a hair cut? What are your higher spending priorities? More jet engines the Pentagon doesn't want?
It's a case of – reform it now, and yes it will be expensive; or ignore it now until it inevitably becomes a crisis, at which time the cost will be astronomical and fixing may not even be possible.
How many times have we already heard how Obama "is being too ambitious" – too many things at once – this is a product of his grandoise sense of self and the Napolen Complex that afflicts his chief of staff, Emanuel – this is what I can't stand about men in power – they immediately think of themselves as masters of the universe – Bush and Cheney did it and now we have Obama & Emanuel doing it. It's not what is best for the American people – it's what's best for their egos. Congress better start reining in this pair of narcissists.
To bring down the health care costs, we have to cover the uninsured so they don't have to go to ER for care at a much higher cost at our expense anyway. By law, ER has to take everyone seeking for care.
Well at least Lieberman has more sense than the ones leading the house and the senate.
Wasn't it Brandiese, the first Jewish SC justoce(?) I think who said, justice too long delayed is justice denied? I know MLK used it in the Dream speech. Sound like it might be apropos for this scenario?
On the other hand, what happens to the hospital if ER no longer has to take care of the uninsured as they can get care from their family doctor under the Public Plan? Will the hospital lose income from state or fed subsidies for the insured?
Oh, just become a Republican already.
"the republicans…they just don't like sharing….its against their rotten principles" – Conservatives actually donate more by % of income to charities than Liberals (realizing that not all Republicans are conservative and not all Democrats are liberal – enough fall into those categories to make the statistic relevant to the comment).
Easy to say Joe when you have great health coverage. Too many Americans don't. I praise the President for keeping a campaign promise of health insurance for all-despite the unending criticism and horrible attacks he is being subjected to. He should be supported-by both parties. He is trying to give to so many what should be a Right-Not a Privilege of those more fortunate. After all-that's what this country was founded on..wasn't it?. I support you President Obama! You are doing a Great Job!
Take the illegals out of the equation – take out the uninsured who would rather have the money than the insurance – add TORT reform and we would have a very good health insurance system.
the republicans and ALL the personnel on FOX channel ar up in the air about democrats trying to get health care for the people that need it.I was just wondering ,the republicans were in the whit house for eight years and did not even truy to do anything about health care,and they could care less if every day people had insurance.George bush and all his cronnies rush limbaugh,sean hannity,bill o'reily glenn beck and the 2 or 3 crazy women they haveon their programs and dick morris should be deported to Mexico
In other words, do nothing for another decade or three. Covering the uninsured is the ENTIRE PURPOSE of health care insurance reform. Give up the primary objective, and anything else is useless posturing...something Lieberman and his ilk are very very good at.
Liberals. Have you ever seen one. Usually fat, lazy, a big slurpie in their hand, complaining and thinking their demise is everybodys else fault and wanting someone else to fix it. They as a rule are very angry and unhappy. You would be too. They want the Government to take care of them because they can't take care of themselves. Now they want Free healthcare instead of just taking care of their health. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY is something they cannot understand. Every 20 years, America experiments with Liberalism with a new generation, it lasts a few years and America rejects it. Jimmy Carter is now the second worst President ever. That has to make him feel pretty good.
If the public option eliminates the ability for a private insurance company to survive, won't that eliminate the coverage that congress has???? I wonder if they have ever thought of that???
President Obama is the only one to blame if health care doesn't get passed. He had every chance in the world to do it right off the bat when he was inaugurated. Instead, he chose to pay off his cronies before he considered helping the helpless.