Your Daily Dose of Health Care Reform Stupidity

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the evils of government health care:

About 20 minutes into yesterday's right-wing rally on the Hill in opposition to health care reform, one of the protestors suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, as Dana Milbank reported, medical professionals were able to respond quickly.

Medical personnel from the Capitol physician's office -- an entity that could, quite accurately, be labeled government-run health care -- rushed over, attaching electrodes to his chest and giving him oxygen and an IV drip.

This turned into an unwanted visual for the speakers, as a D.C. ambulance and firetruck, lights flashing, pulled in just behind the lawmakers. A path was made through the media section, and the patient, attended to by about 10 government medical personnel, was being wheeled away on a stretcher just as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) stepped to the microphone. [...]

By the time it was over, medics had administered government-run health care to at least five people in the crowd who were stricken as they denounced government-run health care.

As far as I can tell, neither the conservative lawmakers or the far-right protestors actually voiced opposition to the government health care services, or called on the elimination of the Capitol physician's office.

Government-run health care -- the scourge the Republicans assembled to denounce -- may be poised to contribute to the end of Western civilization, but it can also apparently be pretty helpful and effective.

Horrible, isn't it?  I shudder to think of such prompt and life-saving care being applied to the country at large.  It's the stuff of nightmares.

Speaking of the big 11/5 rally, Michele Bachmann has a bizarre definition of an "organic" movement.  I don't think she quite understands what an organic grassroots movement really is.

And, apparently, Thursday just wasn't enough - Rep. King wants to do it all over again on Saturday.  At the rate these corporate backers are spending on busing in dumbshits to wave offensive signs on the White House lawn, I'm afraid they'll be begging Congress for a bailout before year's end.

Speaking of Saturdays, we may end up getting health care reform by the end of the year after all, if Harry Reid follows through on his threat to make the Senate work Saturdays until the bitter end.  He's also giving the Cons hell over their obstructionist ways.  You go, Harry!

You can now Twitter your rep in support of reform.  Couldn't hurt.  While you're at it, flood Blue Dog Tanner - he's come out in total opposition to reform, and perhaps needs reminding as to why he got his ass elected.

New York's 23rd district deserves a round of applause for electing Bill Owens, who's wasted no time announcing his support for the House reform bill. 

Blue Cross's former "spokesjerk" also deserves a round of applause for his efforts to get reform passed.  Nothing quite like health insurance industry defectors coming out for reform, is there?

You all should get a good laugh out of Rep. Pence's idea of "addressing" pre-existing conditions.

You'll get an even bigger laugh out of this:

I noted yesterday that, in its own quiet way, the Congressional Budget Office gave the Republicans' health care bill a failing grade: A package seemingly meant to address the problem of the uninsured that does almost nothing to expand insurance or lower premiums.

But somehow, someway, conservatives don't seem to have noticed. In fact, they're celebrating!

"As a result of the House Republican bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office now confirms that families will see their health care premiums reduced by up to 10 percent and hard-working taxpayers can expect deficits to decrease by $68 billion over the next decade," reads a statement from Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).

Let's go to the tape:

"By 2019, CBO and JCT estimate, the number of nonelderly people without health insurance would be reduced by about 3 million relative to current law, leaving about 52 million nonelderly residents uninsured. The share of legal nonelderly residents with insurance coverage in 2019 would be about 83 percent, roughly in line with the current share."

And: "[I]n the large group market, which represents nearly 80 percent of total private premiums, the amendment would lower average insurance premiums in 2016 by zero to 3 percent compared with amounts under current law, according to CBO's estimates."

Where does Pence get his numbers?

His arse, I'd imagine.  Seems to be where Cons keep most of their numbers, after all.

And you know what kind of health insurance the Cons' bill offers?  Sweatshop insurance, that's what.  Seriously.

It's going to be hard to pick the most comedic political move of 2009.  But I'd say that the Cons' introduction of their ridiculous bill has a damned good shot at #1.