Obama for President!

[Twin01cobra]

Thats so insane and far fetched I just had to post this up.

Obama will negotiate forcefully to communicate with our enemies, telling them what we expect. We also need to make it perfectly clear to them that there are consequences to their actions, and that we can and will back up our words with force if necessary. Not everything is going to be solved by diplomacy, and no one is saying that it will. But should we continue to ignore these evil leaders? or should we make our presence and expectations known? I think the answer is obvious.

WE HAVE LOST A LOT OF RESPECT BY THE WAY WE HANDLED OURSELVES AFTER 9/11 IN IRAQ. OBAMA WILL BRING RESPECT BACK TO AMERICA. EUROPEANS LOVE OBAMA, THE REST OF THE WORLD LOVES OBAMA, AND THEY CANT WAIT FOR HIM TO REPRESENT OUR COUNTRY.

Also to those who ride the "Obama is a socialist" bandwagon:

Is Barack Obama a Socialist?



Obama is NOT proposing any socialist plans- that includes his health care policy. I invite anyone to find one proposed plan of Obama that is socialist. Now most people would consider his tax policy "socialist- like", so lets review it and see:
A socialist would want to substantially raise everyone's taxes, yet, Obama is cutting 95% of American’s taxes. In fact, Obama is cutting more taxes across the board than Ronald Regan- who is considered to be the "ultimate fiscal conservative." People making under $250,000 will have their taxes cut, people making between $250,00 and $600,00 will have their taxes stay similar to the way they are now.
Your taxes will either be cut or stay relatively the same if you are making under $600,000. Read that again.
If you are making above $600,000 your taxes will be raised… However, TAXES WILL NOT BE RAISED ANY MORE THAN UNDER BILL CLINTON.
In fact, Obama is not proposing any new taxes, he is simply letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 5% of Americans.
So under this republican logic that says Obama is a socialist, then Bill Clinton must also be a socialist since they are both bringing taxes to a similar amount for the top 5%.

Hmmm…. I don’t really remember a socialized country under the Clinton administration???

In conclusion, Obama can not be considered to be a socialist if Bill Clinton is not considered one also. In fact, Obama on the whole is cutting more taxes than under Bill Clinton, so the whole “spreading the wealth theory” would then conclude that Bill Clinton is more of a socialist then Obama would be. McCain spoke out against the bush tax cuts and was fighting for a simmilar plan to obama's back in 2000... by this logic, that would make McCain also a socialist???

McCain says Obama wants to "spread the wealth" yet McCain wants to spread the wealth to the top corporations without tax relief to those who need it and are the engine of the economy: the middle class.

Finally, would Colin Powell and Warren Buffet really both endorse Obama if he was a socialist?



Verdict: Obama is not a socialist in any way, shape, or form.

And the reason europe likes obama is because he is a SOCIALIST JUST LIKE THEM.

You don't negotiate with enemys.

Any plan that includes the govt takeing over is a form of socialism, just like govt taking over the financial system=socialism, govt providing healthcare for those that can't afford it=socialism.

Collin powell and warren buffet

[Slow01GT]

And the reason europe likes obama is because he is a SOCIALIST JUST LIKE THEM.

You don't negotiate with enemys.

Any plan that includes the govt takeing over is a form of socialism, just like govt taking over the financial system=socialism, govt providing healthcare for those that can't afford it=socialism.

Collin powell and warren buffet

Right, you just go in there and start shooting Who would want a president who resolves issues without American lives being lost? Oh thats right, myself and millions of other Americans. Oh and other countries like Obama because he carries himself well and is a welcome change from the current embarrassment we call a president.

[stieny]

Oh and other countries like Obama because he carries himself well and is a welcome change from the current embarrassment we call a president.

[stieny]

And the reason europe likes obama is because he is a SOCIALIST JUST LIKE THEM.

You don't negotiate with enemys.

Any plan that includes the govt takeing over is a form of socialism, just like govt taking over the financial system=socialism, govt providing healthcare for those that can't afford it=socialism.

Collin powell and warren buffet

When did Europe become our enemy?

[thehill63]

govt providing healthcare for those that can't afford it=socialism.

Your against people that cant afford heath care getting it?

[stieny]

Your against people that cant afford heath care getting it?

Damn Canada.

[Killercanary]

If you believe Obama's tax plan then please explain how he is going to cut the deficit and still fund all of the programs and new spending that he is proposing. Its simple math and it doesn't add up. You can't have a deficit, cut taxes, and fund the things he plans to do. i don't believe for a second that my taxes will go down (or even stay the same) if he gets into office. Also if you can not see the benefit of cutting taxes for large cooperations then I feel bad for you and I don't think you are looking at the BIG picture here of how wealth, jobs, and taxes are connected. Do you ever wonder why jobs move over-seas? You'll see a lot more of it if taxes are not lowered on cooperations, especially now with the economy as it is. I still laugh that people try to blame the economy and housing crisis on Bush and then tie McCain to it. McCain was one of three co-supporters for the "S. 190 [109th]: Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005" which called for an independent Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Agency...
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-190
here's a nice video that ties it all together... and yes, I have researched many of the topics discussed in this video on my own and have yet to find any mis-information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6fu...eature=related


The only, and I mean only thing I don't agree with McCain on is his healthcare plan, but being in this field I have a different take on it. The biggest change that could and should be implemented is reform in the way insurance's "play the game." Its absolutely ludicrous what they do and the hoops they make providers jump through to get paid. I think Obama's ideas on the subject are a joke too, but I feel that way about everything he says.

[Donstang86]

In the middle east, the hot spot will always be around Israel. Joe Biden even said Obama will be tested within the first six months in office.

What area of the world would test him except for the middle east?

A weak President with minimal foreign policy experience will be perceived as a non issue and will be ignored.

Weak Presidents were tested with the following results:

John F. Kennedy with the Bay of Pigs failure and the potential nuclear war with Russia in 1962 that almost occurred.

When Jimmy Carter was in office, Iran took US hostages and dared the US to do something.

The Bay of Pigs and Iran under Carter were both disasters.

With Kennedy, we were all lucky because Russia "blinked" and backed off.

So could something happen as a result of a weak president? History repeats itself if no one learns from previous failures.

This has got to be an issue to consider before someone throws the lever on Tuesday.

[SonofaBish]

The biggest change that could and should be implemented is reform in the way insurance's "play the game." Its absolutely ludicrous what they do and the hoops they make providers jump through to get paid.

This may be something that needs to change, I wouldn't know - I don't deal with it.... but I hope you're not implying that this is the cause (partially or fully) for the rising cost of health care - which is an unpopular, but still existing theory...

[Killercanary]

This may be something that needs to change, I wouldn't know - I don't deal with it.... but I hope you're not implying that this is the cause (partially or fully) for the rising cost of health care - which is an unpopular, but still existing theory...

Bare with me here, I know I typed a book but please read it as I think it will show why I do in fact imply that...

I see no reason why this is not at the very least partially the cause. Doctors are making less and less money every year. If they are making less and less and the cost keeps going up where is the going? Malpractice is WAY up, and reimbursement is way down. Did you know that the average family practitioner's yearly pay is only $120K/year now? While that may sound like a lot it's not when you consider the amount of schooling they endured and have to pay for, the amount of hours they work (they are not teeing off at 2pm like many people think), and the amount of stress they are under to perform at the top of their game every single day. I can tell you that there is no way that I'd be a doctor in today's world. Did you know that when you visit a doctor and then leave its almost a crap shoot if they are going to get paid or not. The insurances make changes almost daily to the protocol that the doctors must follow in order to be paid, but guess what... these changes are considered proprietary and therefore these changes are not shared with the physicians. So you go and visit your Dr. for something routine, something they have billed for time and time again without a problem and have always gotten paid. Unknowing to them your insurance company decided yesterday to not pay for that diagnosis code (called an ICD9 code), but since they didn't know they send it in expecting to get paid. 3-6 weeks later they get a letter saying that they were denied payment. At that point some (usually a staff member of the office) has to spend countless time on the phone (they usually are on hold for several minutes) just to find out that they were denied payment for the services they rendered on you because of this change that was unknown to them. At that point this staff person will attempt to make the changes and then re-submit the payment if at all possible and hope once again that it come back paid. The thing is if she/he missed a number in your patient ID, was one digit off in your birth date, etc they will be denied again. Does this sound like a lot of work... it is. I have offices that employ 2-3 girls that just sit around all day getting paid to basically wait on the phone with insurance companies. All the while this payment for this procedure they did on you may only pay $10.

Copays are another problem. Most people don't even know what their's is and then show up for appointments with no cash. The reason this is so important to a doctors office is this. Say you came in for an EKG and didn't bring any money with you; the insurances usually pay around $30 for this test. If your copay is $20, all the insurance is going to send the doctor whether you pay your copay or not is the remaining $10. And guess what, if the payer decided to make one of these "unknowing" changes in how and why they will pay for that EKG, the doc will be denied. Now the doctor also has to go through the trouble of sending you a bill and hoping you pay your copay which unfortunately a lot of people don't. All this for a 15 minute test that was supposed to net the doctor $30. He had to pay a front desk staff girl to check you in and try to collect your copay, a nurse to perform the test, a biller to code the visit and send it out to the insurance company, the same biller to check and see why it was denied and then re-submit... all of this just to track down $30. If you look at the big picture this is a very inefficient and poor way of providing health-care and then getting paid what is rightfully theirs. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done with this situation until there is reform in the insurance industry.

Now having read this and knowing that insurance premiums keep going up and up and that the doctors are getting paid less and denied more and more how can we not conclude that this is a major player in the healthcare crisis we see today?

[ddmi-twin90gt]

Damn Canada.

Why don't you ask them how it works before you post that.

[mineralrob]

Right, you just go in there and start shooting Who would want a president who resolves issues without American lives being lost? Oh thats right, myself and millions of other Americans. Oh and other countries like Obama because he carries himself well and is a welcome change from the current embarrassment we call a president.

well said.

[stieny]

Why don't you ask them how it works before you post that.

I do know how it works actually. It was a joke. Don't make assumptions.

[SonofaBish]

Now having read this and knowing that insurance premiums keep going up and up and that the doctors are getting paid less and denied more and more how can we not conclude that this is a major player in the healthcare crisis we see today?

Like i said previously - I don't deal with all of the payments to providers, rebates, etc etc - but if you truly understood the methods behind insurance pricing, you'd also understand why that doesn't make sense .... Your argument has some substance i'm sure - but not in the realm of how much it costs an individual to purchase health insurance...

So, you're saying that there needs to be change in the insurance industry so that doctors can get paid more, malpractice can go down, and it should be easier to file claims to the insurer.
Well, lets use our 'noggin.... First off, malpractice needs to come down - you're damn straight... however, that has nothing to do with the insurer vs. provider - instead, has to do with other things so i'll leave that topic alone....

I am an actuary for Highmark, meaning, I know exactly what is behind the pricing of insurance premiums, b/c i'm the one that prices them!! You're saying that

reimbursement is way down

this may be true, i don't decide how much is reimbursed for specific services.... but if you, the provider, suddenly starts getting higher reimbursements, do you really think health care will become more affordable? Sure, for you, its a great situation - you're getting more money in your pocket.... but surely you realize that you're wealth is coming at the cost of the insurer, which is therefore then coming at the cost of the insureds!! If you get reimbursed more, more must be collected from insureds, and therefore sending premiums even higher and higher....

The "hoops" are something I am not familiar with, so i cannot, and will not debate about... However, I have to only assume that those hoops are there for a reason. Maybe you and you're offices do everything right, but if you understood then number of false claims, and attempts at fraud there are, then you would understand just why they are there. Without all those hoops, fraud on health insurance would be an easy thing to commit, and just think about what that would do to premiums.

There is no single reason as to why insurance is so expensive, but the difficulty of getting paid that you speak of is not a major issue... If you want my opinion, a large portion is because people go to the doctor for EVERYTHING!!! The instant their little girl lets out little *cough* - OH SHIT, TIME TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM! ... Quit going to the doctors for every little thing!!! Also, a big issue is the fact that with PPO plans, many of which are deductible free (or very low copay), people are not responsible. Their company pays for their healthcare, so they figure, "why not, might as well go to the doctor." With plans like these, people don't take care of themselves, causing small problems now, which lead to long term, chronic issues. They know that there is a doctor or hospital to take care of them at low cost WHEN something goes wrong, as opposed to IF something goes wrong. Another issue is the fact that technological innovations are supposed to help society, and decrease the cost of treating certain situations - but the exact opposite has happened. New innovations don't make anything affordable - they're a huge money making operation, which cost doctors more to provide, therefore making insurance companies reimburse more, therefore passing along those expenses to the premiums...

In conclusion, incase this is a jumbled mess - here's why I don't agree with what you're saying. You're telling me that health insurance is so expensive b/c for providers, its so hard to get paid, and people don't pay copays, etc etc. And i'm assuming that from this, you are telling me that providers have to charge much more to make up for the dead-beat patients, etc etc. Well, surely you know that it doesnt matter how much you charge, there is an allowed amount that the insurer pays to you for that service. Doesnt' matter if you charge 40 or 400 for a service, if the allowed amount is 40, you're only getting 40. THat's how much the insurer has to pay, therefore that's what the premiums are based on.... And you seem unhappy with the allowed amounts - which is understandable - no on here gets paid enough! but if the insurer starts reimbursing more to you, guess what, premiums go up! Then less and less people can afford insurance, and go to the emergency rooms and office visits without insurance... then don't pay... then you're not even going to get the allowed amount from the insurer
Maybe i'm not reading your argument correctly, but from what i can see, it doesnt' affect premiums at all ... maybe it makes a bunch of doctors unhappy and needs to have some sort of reform, but still will not affect the amount that must be charged to cover incurred claims

[SonofaBish]

On a side note... i don't know for sure how much malpractice insurance is.... but if rumors hold true on the cost, a reduction in this would take a HUGE burden off of providers..

[thehill63]

I do know how it works actually. It was a joke. Don't make assumptions.

Wait, someone took "damn canada" srsly?

[ddmi-twin90gt]

I do know how it works actually. It was a joke. Don't make assumptions.

I'm sure you do.

[stieny]

I'm sure you do.

[Troll]

Stieny, do me a favor. Tell the professor that's stuffing your head full of garbage to "stick it up his ass" and he's a "1960s commie pinko bastard".

Thanks.

[stieny]

Stieny, do me a favor. Tell the professor that's stuffing your head full of garbage to "stick it up his ass" and he's a "1960s commie pinko bastard".

Thanks.

Oh yes, it just has to be my commie profs that are feeding me false information.