Better Health: Smart Health Commentary Better Health (TM): smart health commentary

Article Comments

Why The American People Are Against The Current Approach To Healthcare Reform

It is easy to introduce bias into poll results and surveys. Most people are cynical about polling results

However, when every one of the major polling services’ come up with the same answer, one must believe the results represent unified public opinion. The Democrats in the House of Representative, the Democrats in the Senate and President Obama are ignoring the fact that the American public is against President Obama’s healthcare reform plan.

There is no question that America needs healthcare reform. It does not need President Obama’s version of healthcare reform as I have discussed in the past. Most importantly President Obama’s healthcare reform system will not work. It ignores the basic problems and defects in the present healthcare system.

President Obama continues to say his healthcare reform bill will provide universal coverage, affordable coverage and increasing quality of care. None of those results will be achieved with his healthcare reform plan. The American people know this and are afraid of the increased taxes and the restrictions on our freedom.

The composite polling data express the sentiment of the American public. The progression of these polling data can be seen by clicking See All Obama and Democrats’ Health Care Plan Polling Data

Polling Data

Poll Date For/Favor Against/Oppose Spread
RCP Average 12/8 - 12/20 38.4 51.0 Against/Oppose +12.6
Quinnipiac 12/15 - 12/20 36 53 Against/Oppose +17
CNN/Opinion Research 12/16 - 12/20 42 56 Against/Oppose +14
Rasmussen Reports 12/18 - 12/19 41 55 Against/Oppose +14
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 12/11 - 12/14 32 47 Against/Oppose +15
Associated Press/GfK 12/10 - 12/14 36 44 Against/Oppose +8
Gallup 12/11 - 12/13 46 48 Against/Oppose +2
ABC News/Wash Post 12/10 - 12/13 44 51 Against/Oppose +7
Pew Research 12/9 - 12/13 35 48 Against/Oppose +13
FOX News 12/8 - 12/9 34 57 Against/Oppose +23

The Democratic controlled Senate version of the bill also contains some sinister amendments. Many organizations are lining up to challenge the constitutionality of the bill.

Buried in Harry Reid’s massive amendment to the Senate version of Obamacare is Reid’s is Section 3403 designed to prevent any future Congress from repealing a central feature of this monstrous legislation.

Section 3403 reads in part: “… it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.”

Do you think all the Democratic Senators understand the implications of this maneuver? If section 3403 remains in the bill and President Obama signs this measure into law, Harry Reid intends that no future Senate or House will be able to change a single word of Section 3403, regardless whether future Americans or their representatives in Congress want to change it.

The subsection at issue is the regulatory power of the non elected Medicare Advisory Board to “reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending.” It is an open ended grant to a regulatory agency granting power to control costs, quality and quantity of healthcare coverage.

And Reid wants the decisions of this group of unelected federal bureaucrats to be untouchable for all time”.

Harry Reid makes compounds the problems of Section 3403 by ignoring two centuries of Senate rules. He passed the measure in the dead of night in less than 48 hours. I suspect few Democratic Senators who voted for this bill have read and understood the implication of Section 3403.

“The final Orwellian touch in this subversion of democratic procedure is found in the ruling of the Reid-controlled Senate parliamentarian that the anti-repeal provision is not a change in Senate rules, but rather of Senate “procedures.” Why is that significant?

Because for 200 years, changes in the Senate’s standing rules have required approval by two-thirds of those voting, or 67 votes rather than the 60 Reid’s amendment received.”

Few Democratic Senators have listened to the wishes of the American people. President Obama refuses to listen to the wishes of the American people.

How many points made about the healthcare reform bill by President Obama correct?

Should Americans be angry? Yes. What can we do? Throw the bums out when you go to the polls next November.

*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*


You may also like these posts

Read comments »


4 Responses to “Why The American People Are Against The Current Approach To Healthcare Reform”

  1. Robert says:

    Americans, I think, simply don’t understand what is happening and where “reform” is coming from. I think once Americans can understand the truth about exactly what reform will mean for them, they’ll be on board 100%.

  2. Paul Roemer says:

    I think this is especially interesting in that if this same group were tested as to the particulars of what it is they are against, it would show that they are against it for a wide range of reasons, some of which don’t exist. That leads me to believe that the reform message has yet to be defined.

    Even so, I think some degree of “reform” will pass. From the government’s perspective, passage of anything is more important than passage of the right thing. Once the camel has its nose under the tent, you can be sure the rest of the camel will follow.

  3. I think public skepticism will continue to rise once health care ‘reform’ is implemented. The only sure thing are the taxes that will be imposed next year. The benefits are years away,and are either likely to be diluted or will require more $$$ to maintain. Health care reform is a big reason that the GOP will gain seats in both Houses this fall. http://www.MDWhistleblower.blogspot.com

  4. CECIL WILLIAMS says:

    The health care might be a good thing, but the Goverment will have trouble running it. they can not even do a good job running the Government. Also the health care package as I understand it. there is a lot that in buried in the package that most people are against. I am against it myself.

Return to article »

Leave a Reply

Latest Interviews

Why You Should Still See Your Doctor When You’re Not Sick

Experts say over lives a year could be saved in the United States if patients focused more on preventive medicine. What is preventive medicine What can you do in your everyday life that may make a long-term difference On this Patient Power program you will hear from two board certified…

Read more »

Smokeless Tobacco And The U.S. Launch Of Snus

This week the respected CBS documentary news show Minutes included a feature on smokeless tobacco focusing on the recent launch of snus in the United States. The show was relatively balanced in focusing on the main potential risks and benefits of snus. It started by featuring a young man who…

Read more »

See all interviews »

Latest Cartoon

cardiaccath

Here’s a cartoon I created a few years back. Enjoy!

- Dr. Val

*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*

See all cartoons »

Latest Book Reviews

Will Science Succeed With An Anti-Aging Revolution?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way to prolong our lives and to keep us healthy right up to the end Ponce de León never found that Fountain of Youth but science is still looking. What are the chances science will succeed How’s it doing so far…

Read more »

For Moms And Moms-To-Be With Diabetes

For anyone who has been reading my blog since my engagement three years ago you know that motherhood has been on my radar for a long time. Longer than marriage. That quest for a decent A C that desire for a normal pregnancy and that hope for a happy and…

Read more »

How Doctors Think Vs. How Patients Think

If you want to see the difference between how doctors and patients think read Jerome Groopman’s How Doctors Think and Thomas Goetz’s The Decision Tree. The contrast is striking. How Doctors Think while offering a comprehensive review of the cognitive missteps made by physicians is terminally physician-centric in its analysis…

Read more »

See all book reviews »