"Toward The End Of A Nearly Century-Long Struggle"

[NYBURBS]

First, a joint House-Senate version has to be hammered out. It's entirely possible that the product of that joint committee will be a bill that does not garner the needed votes in either the house or the senate.

Second, as someone mentioned, these current bills are garbage. They mandate healthcare insurance, but essentially leave a person to pay whatever an insurance company sees fit to charge. Philosophically I don't believe in government price regulations, but I also don't believe one should be forced to engage in a business transaction.

Third, whatever does pass is likely to face a constitutional challenge. It's one thing to say that if you want to drive a vehicle you have to have insurance because driving a car is not seen as a basic right (you can always walk). Saying that you must pay money to a private business simply because you exist is a whole different ball game.

Finally, I think the ideal situation here would have been for Congress to use their inter-state commerce power to break down regulatory barriers in the States that stifle competition. Of course heaven forbid the Congress actually uses the commerce clause in a manner it was originally intended for lol. In the alternative, a full balls to the wall socialization would still have been preferable to this mess of a bill.

[hippifried]

Congress should take up the public option again, about 5 minutes after he signs the bill. Let that be the overriding issue going into the 2010 election, & we'll see what the public really thinks.

There's going to be something on the books now. Hard part's over. You can't fix the non-existent.

[lisaparadise]

It will seal the fate for many of these Dems come 2010.

The majority of Americans do NOT want this travesty and will vote accordingly.

Hell, portions of this so-called bill aren't even Constitutional.

thats because most of the americans aernt that smart to begin with.yep the moron repulicans will screw everything up even worse then the past 8 years bush was in office.the problem in america is theres no crtc therefore idiots like rush and hannitty can mouth off and talk there bullshit till the cows come home and most of you people believe that shit while the rest of the world just shakes there heads in disbelief,and those television ads that the drug companies use to slam the dems on health care lol well there paid in full by the gop.when are you people gonna get your shit together and wake up obama has done what no other person could and thats get your health care if it were my choice id only allow dems to have it and let the republicans suffer since they dont want it anyways.america is the last of the elite countries to have health care congrats it only took ya a half century.

[Beagle]

hmmm... i guess thats why all those people from those so-called elite countries come to America to get the health care they cannot receive.

just wait till you have to wait for 6 months to get an MRI.

[flabbybody]

No one would argue that a wealthy Canadian will come to New York City for his bypass surgery because we have the best surgeons and hospitals in the world. Where do you think they'd fly Putin to if he had a sudden heart attack?
But what good is top of the line health care if it's only accessible to a small number of privleged VIPS?

Do you think the Manhattan doc who did Bill Clinton and David Letterman's operations ever sees uninsured patients? A lot of our top specialists will only treat patients on a cash basis because they don't want the hassle of reimbursement schedules that don't cover their full fee.

[raybbaby]

Hopefully this will be helpful. I don't see it as "toward the end of" anything really. I think to get to single payer universal care we will have to do it state by state.

[BellaBellucci]

Hell, portions of this so-called bill aren't even Constitutional.

You mean the part that requires you to buy a product simply in order to exist without being fined? If you don't want to buy mandated car insurance, you can stop driving, but if you don't want to buy health insurance, you're supposed to do what? Stop breathing? Fuck the 'healthcare overhaul.'

~BB~

PS: Whoops. I didn't read the whole thread. Sorry, NY BURBS! :P

[NYBURBS]

Hell, portions of this so-called bill aren't even Constitutional.

You mean the part that requires you to buy a product simply in order to exist without being fined? If you don't want to buy mandated car insurance, you can stop driving, but if you don't want to buy health insurance, you're supposed to do what? Stop breathing? Fuck the 'healthcare overhaul.'

~BB~

PS: Whoops. I didn't read the whole thread. Sorry, NY BURBS! :P

No worries, I'm sure I wasn't the first person to think of it anyways

[pantybulge69]

It will seal the fate for many of these Dems come 2010.

The majority of Americans do NOT want this travesty and will vote accordingly.

Hell, portions of this so-called bill aren't even Constitutional.

Sounds like a true conservative talk. Which is the conservaticism is
leading reason why many americans have had to endure the
struggle with not getting affordable healthcare, even in the world's
most powerful country.

[El Nino]

This is one of the worst, most abhorrent and Unconstitutional pieces of legisaltion known to man. Almost makes me feel as sick as this video! Have some "CHANGE" why don't ya...