Somebody smart decided to dominate the news cycle starting this Monday:
Industry reps offer $2 trillion in health savings
You've got to read the entire story to see that the savings are spread out over ten years, of course:
WASHINGTON - Top representatives of the health care industry plan to offer $2 trillion in cost reductions over 10 years in a bid to help pass President Barack Obama's health overhaul, a source familiar with the negotiations said Sunday.
Industry officials representing health insurers, hospitals, doctors, drug makers and a major labor union plan to be at White House on Monday to present the offer.
Costs have emerged as the biggest obstacle to Obama's ambitious plan to provide health insurance for everybody.
This story demands a massive takedown, since every word in it is a lie, including "a" and "the," but for tonight, I'll just do some simple arithmetic:
Insurance proposal: $2,000,000,000,000 over 10 years, or $200,000,000,000 a year. $200,000,000,000
Single payer: $350,000,000,000 a year* or $3,500,000,000,000 over 10 years.
Hmm. Let me see.
$2,000,000,000,000 (insurers)
$3,500,000,000,000 (single payer)
I'm thinking it over...
Oh, and of course the health insurance parasite's touted trillion dollar savings assume you can trust them to (a) not fake the numbers and (b) deliver on their promises. [pause] BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
The quid pro quo? I'm sure you can guess:
Insurers, for example, want to avoid creation of a government health plan that would directly compete with them to enroll middle-class workers and their families.
The elimination of the public option!
If the insurance companies say they'll suck less of our blood, that's great. But the real solution is for them not to be sucking our blood at all. Now is not the time for us to negotiate with ourselves or concede anything. Rather, that they're rolling out this fakery this early means not only that they're running scared, but that they're completely out of touch with public opinion. Why on earth would anybody trust anything that they say?
NOTE * Single payer saves $350 billion a year because it has administrative costs of 3%, unlike the 30% that the health insurance parasites siphon off.
UPDATE And speaking of trust, I'm sure that AP earned it by covering all the policy alternatives in its story. Let me just double check, and search the story for "single payer".... It's not there! I'm shocked. Seriously, this goes for the FKD and Obama as well -- Why would anybody trust anything they say when they keep suppressing single payer, and denying it a seat at the table? Even Krugman doesn't mention it!
UPDATE The kabuki couldn't be clearer if you look at the timeline -- Obama's going to meet with them today, Krugman's column is today, yet the story only broke -- at least to the peasants -- last night. Generally, the flapping ropes and dropping sandbags involved in floatng a trial balloon aren't quite as clumsily handled....
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I love the smell of fear
the great thing is that we pass no federal program that prohibits the states from enacting their own single payer plans.
"Health savings", heh
And how to achieve those savings? Well, the way they've recently had some success with is to "reduce the percentage of premium revenue used to pay patient bills."
Yup, that's the ticket, all righty.
---------------
We can't afford not to have single-payer!
Savings: in money, not in lives
As if the "health" insurance corporations weren't obvious about it before. They're in the profit-making business, not health care. It's just that this business has them maximize their profits at the expense of people's lives.
Ben Nelson and other Democrats like him have made it clear as day:
Mind you, that's just with a "public option," rather than the only true option, single payer. Oh, and did I mention that Nelson is "pro-life?" Yes, it's concern for life that motivates him to deny the basic right of personal sovereignty to women and girls.
You've got to hand it to them
This is some Grade-A kabuki from the Potemkin Villagers.
Desperate
I remember hearing a few days ago on the Nightly News how GE was putting up what at least sounded like an ungodly amount of money for health care, and after stating GE's ties to NBC as NBC requies I remember Brian Williams reading something to the extent that GE was admitting that this looked like they were trying to buyout the debate. They really aren't even hiding it, anymore. They are trying to bribe humanity. Man, I hope our elected officials don't take the bait, this time.
But, we've always been at war with Eastasia...
Damon, do you recall enough wording to do a google search?
Does NBC have a transcript for the entire Evening News? I vaguely recall looking and not finding one.... But it would be nice.
Krugman is wary.
Seems administrations officials called Paul, all excited about this totally awesome offer from the insurance group. Paul doesn't think we should break out the champagne just yet.
I agree with the esteemed Dr. Krugman.
From Krugman:
Beware of
Greeksinsurance parasites bearing gifts.---------------
We can't afford not to have single-payer!
Krugman doesn't mention single payer
And its suppression provides a very, very easy news hook. Disappointing.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Too bad his dinner conversation w/ Obama and Stiglitz was off
the record....
Really too bad.