There has been some criticism of my content, so I challenge my detractors to bring up topics of conversation. Let’s see what you got other than name calling.
There has been some criticism of my content, so I challenge my detractors to bring up topics of conversation. Let’s see what you got other than name calling.
Well…….
This looks like a win. You guys keep up the good work!
If you need help, sit down, grab your cup of coffee, open several news sites like Huffington Post, Fox News, CNN, Delaware’s local papers, Washington Times and around the countries news sources. Hell of a lot to choose from and write something with substance instead of political celebrity gossip fodder like a Dear Abby section.
It will broaden your editorial horizon and then you will be taken more seriously instead of your current status as a cartoon character.
And Gerald failed to rise to….. anything.
It should be interesting to see what goes down in the upcoming 2 years in regard to immigration reform, or not. And whether the house and senate will kill the AHCA, or just gut the portions that they deem offensive? I fully supported health care rform to give consumers an even playing field with the insurance companies when it comes to rates and right to coverage. Forcing insurance on those who can’t or won’t be insured??? I am still undecided.
When it come to immigration reform, I think we can all agree that something needs to be done. What that is I am not sure. What I do know is that the current situation is not working for anyone.
Gerald, I am offering you the opportunity to set the coversation. Instead you attempt just another slam. Now rewind and try again. Either way I have a feeling you will more than demonstrate your abilities.
I’m not casting aspersions here, but it seems I’m told almost daily that we Sussex Republicans are “not doing a good job” of expanding the party, spreading our message, attracting new members, stopping Obama, etc. One might point out that on the Sussex Council, comprising five elected members, four are Republican. Of the five senators this county sends to Leg Hall in Dover, all five are now Republicans….and one of those districts, the sixth, was gerrymandered four years ago to be a “safe” Democrat district. The GOP won it and still holds it. Of the nine representatives Sussex sends to Dover, eight are Republicans. And of the four Sussex County row offices, three are in Republican hands. (The fourth is held by a “Republi-crat”.) All of this while Democrats outnumber Republicans in county voter registration. Now, the Democrat supermajority in the senate has been broken, and on election day, the GOP added two representatives and one senator to our ranks. So, will somebody refresh my memory? How, exactly, has the Sussex County Republican Committee failed in its mission to elect Republicans to office? I’m just sayin’…
So we have a new Maxwell the pig singing we we we all the way home. Doobie, the Sussex GOP committee did nothing to elect any of the people you listed. Tell us Doobie, how much money has the Sussex GOP donated to Republican candidates since 2011?
A large number of the committee was working against an endorsed
GOP candidate.
If you think the committee played and meaningful role in electing republicans then you must be applying for John Rieley’s old job.
You could give us more relevant information on major news events like the impending ISIS invasion of Poland.
“How, exactly, has the Sussex County Republican Committee failed in its mission to elect Republicans to office?”
The “Sussex County Republican Committee” had nothing to do with any of it. The county party is a sh*tshow and a carnival and has had very little impact on any election since Ron Sams was forced out.
You won’t get anywhere trying to explain anything to Doobie, he’s so enamored with the 2016 candidate he’s acting campaign spokesperson. That 2016 candidate is the one who dropped the dime about his court troubles to NDA.
There is a simple way to provide health insurance coverage to those who do not have it – open the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to those currently uninsured. This is the country’s largest health insurance program, and because of the size of the pool, rates are kept low and competitive (because various national and local plans are trying to get your business). While non-Federal employees and their families would have to pay the full premium (employees and annuitants don’t), they could still receive the subsidies currently provided under ACA, unless that is gutted.
Let’s discuss.
Frank, you talk about me not talking substance allowing you to pick your topic from major news outlets and then you begin name calling and criticizing someone who is talking about Republican politics.
Again with the SCGOP supporting a both Republican candidates when you and yours supported
Republican Legislator that openly on talk radio threw his support for a Democrat. You have absolutely no substance talking and/or rehashing the past when you and yours are guilty of supporting a Democrat. Best advise leave it alone and move on to current news.
Meyer,
How does would extending the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program compare with extending Medicare to the rest of America ?
delacrat
“There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits on the human capacity for intelligence, imagination and wonder.” President Ronald Reagan.
America’s economy is on the upswing after enduring a mild recession to begin the new century. It is true that nothing can limit the groth of this nation’s people – our formidable economy is a reflection of our intelligence, imagination and wonder. But certain issues and probles do exist and could ultimately threaten America’s capacity. There are real problems American consumers and bussiness must deal with:
-The tax burdent imposed by the government has stifled economic growth and job creation.
– Opponents of free trade seek to end or repeal open markets despite the wealth trade brings to this nation.
-Misperceptions about manufacturing and job growth threaten to downplay the strength of our economy and skew expectations.
– American businesses are swamped under a sea of regulations and their corresponding costs.
– Trial lawyers have turned this nation’s civil justince system into a a booming industry, whick lines their pockets at the expense of consumers and business.
There are answers to these problems though. Here are some potential solutions.
-Support capital gains and corporate tax rate reductions for individuals and businesses.
-Outline a small business agenda based on spurring investment and minimizing burdens.
-Advocate legal reform for this nation’s class actions system.
What say you?
I say, there are limits on growth. Constraints in either supply or demand can and do limit growth. Demand for goods and services is predicated on the availability of capital with which to purchase goods and services. Supply is constrained by limited resources, including labor and raw material. Short supply artificially increases demand, but ultimately it just raises prices.
When you live by sound bites you lose the meaning of the those underlying principles. Reducing capital gains taxes does nothing to increase business. Mitt Romney, whose income comes solely from capital gains does constrain his buying. He still buys whatever he wants, when he wants. Ditto Warren Buffet. Wherever did you get the idea that reducing capital gains taxes was going to increase demand for goods and services? Do you honestly believe that those who worry about capital gains taxes are suffering in some form or fashion?
Now if you want an idea to get behind, why don’ you treat capital gains as ordinary income, so that those who live entirely on capital gains (earnings) pay the same tax rate as I do? Why should it matter how someone made a buck? A buck earned is a buck earned, whether someone drives a propane truck or invested in the stock market. Tax it all at the same rate. I’m more than willing to pay the same as they do. They should be more than willing to pay the same rate as I do.
@Meyer (“because of the size of the pool, rates are kept low and competitive “)
Umm. Not so much. There are plans considerable cheaper than BC/BS, but comparisons have to be conducted based on the services covered. Everyone thinks that feds are getting a bargain (even some feds). We aren’t. We never have. We never will.
FEHB Blue Cross and Blue Shield 105 Standard Family Plan $5546.04 (2015 rate) (OPM website)
Delaware average private sector family plan $3822 (2010 rate) (http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/health-insurance-premiums.aspx#State_by_State)
Our healthcare system is fine. It’s just that insurance costs way too much for the average person.
Allow for unfettered competition and give tax incentives to insurance companies who keep premiums below a certain level.
Create clinics with unpaid staff consisting of interns from local medical and nursing schools.
Students would be required to participate for credit in a limited liability situation to keep costs down.
These clinics should be as numerous as pharmacies, and more advanced medical facilities would be reserved for more serious illness.
You don’t always have to see a doctor or even a nurse practitioner to get adequate healthcare.
If you’ve noticed in the past few years, some doctors and almost all nurse practitioners use a program on an iPad to basically google your diagnoses anyway.
Anybody ever see the movie “Idiocracy”? It would be similar to their version of future healthcare.
A healthcare sysetm completely comprised of mandates is federalized medicine. Every individual has different mediacl needs, it is why Repbulicans advocate choice not centralized control By letting the government into our medicine cabinets, we are inviting an approach of one-size-fits-all, putting bureaucrats in charge of personal health decisions.
As a Republican, I hope for the same thing as everyone else: the day when every American is insured, however the ACA is not the answer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIktqjfsB_0
Nikki
I heard Christy bragging at a SCGOP meeting about dropping the dime on Doobie Brooks about his record in Maryland, he was laughing and telling some people about hew he even gave Ayotte the like to the Maryland court.
Christy is a walking natural disaster and can’t keep his mouth shut, and there is just enough truth in his lies to make some people believe him. He’s a lot like NOT FRANK KNOTTS
“A healthcare sysetm(sic) completely comprised of mandates…” – Delaware Right
Typical GOP mumbo-jumbo regarding healthcare policy.
So you think that under any system, a physician will give you a “mandate” instead of an EKG ? …a “mandate” instead of a flu shot ?
Evidently you don’t know what a “mandate” is any more than you can spell “system”.
Healthcare reform like tort reform is a stinky onion, no matter how you choose to peel it. I give the current President for taking a stab at it, however much more work needs to done going forward. The question before us is? Will the R’s move toward meaningfull change in these areas? Or will it be the blame game and gutting what we have gained as a people w/ no party attached?
I have better coverage now for the same money than I had 5 years ago. Bought on the open market with no credits. Still the healthcar industry thinks it is entitled to more than the insurance provider will pay, and we the consumer are stuck in the middle. That is te reform that I want to stay and get stronger. If a provider agree’s to accept a given insurance they should not be allowed to bil more than the insurance company agres to pay. Period.
What say you?
@Winston,
Thanks again for stopping by and adding an intellectual component to the conversation. I am sure the other 5 readers of this site will continue to hold you and your ‘followers’ in such high esteem. I can hardly wait to read your next inspiring contribution.
@delacrat, sorry that our ‘fat fingers’ misspelled a word or two, but we do appreciate you comments as we continue the discussion of taxes and healthcare. We beleive that the more people who engage the conversation, agreeing or not, that the concepts discussed will develop a consensus of possible solutions.
Any interest in a topic change on this open thread? The Economist ran a little article last week about spanking in the USA with this demographic breakdown:
Republicans spank more than Democrats
Southerners more than North-easterners
Blacks more than Whites, and
Born-again Christians more than anyone else.
And here’s the kicker: The long-term effect of spanking on kids. Seems that children in homes with little or no spanking show better cognitive development than their peers. Ouch.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/11/parents-and-spanking#comments
Honi, that’s why it is an open thread. And as someone who helped my wife raise our daughter, and never once spanked her, I can attest only to our feeling and results. My daughter was always at the top of her classes in grades and good behavior. She is about to start her career as an elementary teacher. She never did drugs, and so far has not become pregnant out of wedlock, and no trouble with the law, unless you count a speeding ticket, once.
I have always felt that spanking, while an individual parent’s choice is nonproductive. All it shows a child is that you are bigger than they are. Many times spanking is born out of frustration on the parent’s part, and that would be the absolute worst time to use corporal punishment.
I also find it ironic that many who believe in spanking would be horrified at the thought of hitting their dog.
” If a provider agree’s to accept a given insurance they should not be allowed to bil more than the insurance company agres to pay. Period.”
I agree, but it depends on the contractual relationship between the provider and the insurance company. Providers have an incentive to accept insurance because it provides a steady supply of paying customers. Insurance companies have an incentive to hold down costs because it means they make more money. So providers have to balance their desire to make money with the availability of money (non-insured paying customers).
An interesting exercise would be to imagine if Medicare were the only medical insurance available. There are providers that do not accept Medicare. But if it were the only game in town what would they do? Another exercise would be to discuss effect of money (reimbursement rates, insurance coverage, etc.) on the standard of care received by a consumer (patient). In general, is their a difference between the level care someone receives for something like, orthopedic surgery based on how much they pay?
I also agree that a way out this morass is minute clinics that are now sprouting up for the routine, non-emergency sniffles, yadda, yadda. However, I do think that we need communication and coordination, electronic record keeping, etc. so that patient histories are available to everyone who has some responsibility for treating those patients. If I go to doc in a box, that information should be made available to my regular physician. Beebe seems to do a good job with networking and electronic information transfer for their associated physicians.
waterpirate as an older insured person what I find troubling is insurance companies refusing to provide coverage for certain operations. I have several friends who are older than I am who have been turned down for knee or hip replacement based on the expense of the surgery versus their projected years they will likely live.
Cristy???
You’re worried about knee and hip replacement surgery when you need a brain transplant?
Enough already.
@FBH
You really haven’t done too much hard thinking on this, now have you?
It’s just that insurance costs way too much for the average person.
I’m thinking that some people buy stuff instead of insurance. There may certainly be some waste and profit taking, but insurance is how practitioners get paid. It also funds research to improve on the delivery and effectiveness of healthcare.
Allow for unfettered competition and give tax incentives to insurance companies who keep premiums below a certain level.
In my opinion, one of the most important “regulations” of the ACA is the requirement that insurance companies now spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on claims and activities to improve health care quality. 85% in large group markets. Also, that plans must meet a minimal level of coverage.
Create clinics with unpaid staff consisting of interns from local medical and nursing schools.
Students would be required to participate for credit in a limited liability situation to keep costs down.
This has to be the most communist plan I have heard all week. You’re going to require nursing students, PA’s, and NP’s to volunteer their time. Guess what, quite a few of us students actually already work in healthcare settings full time and would not be able to afford the cost of tuition, let alone the cost of living should we be required to cut back on billable hours.
I have an idea, since the cost of having our grass cut is so high, maybe we should require grass cutters to volunteer their time cutting grass to make sure all the grass cutting is taken care of in a cost effective manner.
These clinics should be as numerous as pharmacies, and more advanced medical facilities would be reserved for more serious illness.
News flash….we are in the midst of a healthcare worker shortage that is projected to get worse as more and more boomers retire. That shortage already includes primary care (MDs, Pas, and Nps) as well as low level providers (RNs, LPNs, and CNAs).
You don’t always have to see a doctor or even a nurse practitioner to get adequate healthcare.
Right, because anyone can perform focused health assessments, interpret diagnostics, and write prescriptions.
If you’ve noticed in the past few years, some doctors and almost all nurse practitioners use a program on an iPad to basically google your diagnoses anyway.
And yet patients are still misdiagnosed, practitioners are still sued and treatment regimes fail to return results.
Anybody ever see the movie “Idiocracy”? It would be similar to their version of future healthcare.
Sounds idiotic to me.
Sorry but your analogy falls waaaay short. No one buys grass cutting insurance in an effort to get their lawns mowed in drought years as well as years when it rains alot. If a healthcare provider decides to accept a given insurance and the rates it pays, then why are consumers billed for overages and jammed up with bills due to coding errors and the list goes on.
For your whining to be relavant a given healthcare provider would need to get off the insurance teet, and only accept cash. Then they would be the same as the grass cutter.
Obama is going to announce some sort of amnesty for illegal immigrants tonight, and soon we will hear about the indictment decision in Ferguson. Coincidence? The timing seems reckless to me.
Remember what Rahm Emanuel said, “never let a serious crisis go to waist”.
Waste
It’s like he’s trying to polarize the country for some reason.
The analogy involved compelling healthcare students to provide services for which they are not compensated nor have time or expertise to perform.
I certainly don’t claim to be the all knowing John Mosley of the health insurance world, but I do have anecdotal experience. When my employer switch dental insurance, my long term dental provider did not have a contract with the new insurer however, the dental office was more than happy to submit the claim to my insurer, and I was responsible for the difference billed – reimbursement. In other words, the free market worked. I could have easily chosen a provider who had contracted with the new insurer and not paid any additional out of pocket, but I chose to stay with the provider I knew and pay a little extra.
Just as an aside, my employer changed insurers again and now my dental services with the same dentist are paid at 100%. Other than this instance, I have never been billed above what my insurance reimburses besides copays/deductibles. But you do have to do your homework. For instance there are several MDs who work at Beebe who do not “accept” Beebe’s insurance plan.
Meatball Meyer has a post on healthcare you might want to join that conversation
“I’m thinking that some people buy stuff instead of insurance.”
Yeah meatball, stuff like food. I don’t know anybody except the very wealthy or people with employer provided insurance who don’t think health insurance is ridiculously overpriced.
“This has to be the most communist plan I have heard all week. You’re going to require nursing students, PA’s, and NP’s to volunteer their time.”
No, just the students would have to as part of the curriculum. Like at a hair salon where you can get a cheap haircut from students.
“News flash….we are in the midst of a healthcare worker shortage that is projected to get worse as more and more boomers retire”
That’s exactly my point.
“Right, because anyone can perform focused health assessments, interpret diagnostics, and write prescriptions.”
No, not anyone, prescriptions could be overseen by a nurse practitioner, and not everyone has to walk out of there with a prescription either. There is too much medication being prescribed these days.
Look, what I’m saying is that you don’t have to scrap the existing healthcare structure like the ACA is going to do. It can be made to work if they can just knock the cost down on ridiculously inflated health insurance .
Again the ACA directs that 80% of premiums go towards patient care, that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for waste. Nurse prcactitioners already do clinical time in clinic and md office settings as part of their curriculum, but because they are still learning they are closely supervised by the MD.