Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who played a major and highly controversial role in the health reform debate last year, published her response to the Obama plan on her Facebook page yesterday. In the spirit of debate, THCB is republishing the full text of her remarks.
The President has wrestled control of the health care debate away from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid by finally introducing his own plan. Unfortunately, the White House’s proposal includes everything we found untenable about the old Senate bill – only this one is even more expensive! This is what you might call putting “perfume on a pig.”
What’s in this “new” proposal? It has the unpopular (and arguably unconstitutional)individual mandate that forces people and employers to purchase health insurance – only this time with much harsher fines on employers who choose not to go along with another expensive government mandate. It has provisions that will make employers think twice before expanding their workforce. It has cuts to Medicare Advantage, a popular program which allows seniors to pay a little more money out of pocket for better coverage. And, of course, it still has sweetheart deals – only this time they’ve been extended even more.
We don’t know what the final long-term cost of this will be because the Congressional Budget Office hasn’t had a chance to calculate costs. We do know that the White House recognizes that its proposal will cost tens of billions more over the next ten years than the already-expensive $2.5 trillion Senate bill. The Presidentpromised last July that he won’t sign a health care bill if it “adds even one dime to our deficit over the next decade.” But he’s now proposing a health care bill withuncertain fiscal repercussions that could lead to endless deficits.
The rising cost of care has driven the entire health care reform debate. So how does the President’s proposal address this central issue? Price controls. That’s right: Washington, D.C. wants to give a panel of bureaucrats the power to cap insurance premiums and prices. As Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute notes, “artificially limiting premium growth allows the government to curtail spending while leaving the dirty work of withholding medical care to private insurers.” This leads to rationing. Any economist worth his salt – including the White House’s own Larry Summers – will tell you that price controls lead to all sorts of negative unintended consequences. It’s another step towards government controlled health care and away from the real solution: free market, patient-centered reform.
With a government-growing proposal this bad, it’s no wonder the President wants bipartisan cover for it in an election year. Thursday’s health care summit is already being revealed as little more than a photo-op. The Obama administration still denies the existence of the House Republicans’ health care plan that offers alternative solutions to health care challenges – even though the White House website links right to it.
The President’s proposal doesn’t include pro-free market ideas like allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, giving individual buyers the same tax benefits as those who get insurance through their employers, or instituting real medical liability reform. Despite the “kumbaya” rhetoric, Democrats are making plans to ram this bill through the Senate using a partisan procedural maneuver that will bypass the normal bipartisan debate process.
Sarah Palin is the former governor of Alaska and widely consider a leading contender for the GOP nomination in 2012. Her opinions can found online on her facebook page, where this post first appeared. .
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Oh yeah, foabulus stuff there you!
Do yourself ,my friend!
I am pleased that the President’s Health Bill has passed. As for the Republican Party, I feel that they are a bunch of Rich White Racist Men and Women with one Black Jealous member. How in the world can anyone refuse to give a person insurance and live with themselves. The Republican party is a lynch mob as far as one can go. They don’t care about anyone other than the RICH & RACIST. Had this been George Bush Sr & Jr., this bill would have passed with flying colors and approval without the ignorant and negative responses we’ve witnessed these last few months. We have been suffering for years and to this point, finally, All Americans can be insured and have a chance of being well without worrying where the financial allocation will come from. My hat is off to our President. THE SHAME SHOULD BE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FOR BEING ONESIDED AND POLITICAL. THEY ARE MEAN EVIL AND REPULSIVE AND DANGEROUS NOT TO MENTION TOTALLY RACIALY DIVIDED.
“…only this one is even more expensive!” Even the CBO did not score the so called Obama plan mainly because it was a general outline with no details on specific numbers. Gov. Palin did not understand the President was trying to put ideas found in both plans along and trying to find consensus with GOP. “… unpopular (and arguably unconstitutional)individual mandate…” the same mandate proposed by Senator Grassley back in 1994 and later at the outset of the current health care talks. The idea of what is constitutional versus what is not is murky. If a hurricane were heading your way (assuming you lived along the shoreline) would it be mandated that you evacuate your home. Most state agencies would say yes and yet if you refuse they can also refuse to rescue you when you then require assistance or possibly even arrest you. How constitutional is that! We are not taking about requiring folks to buy a particular brand of wash machine or car, but we are requiring that a social contact exist so when it these people need it they don’t need to be pulled out of a precarious situation as those who refuse to evacuate.
Modernization of the Medicare passed by Bush and the GOP congress (part of this Medicare Advantage) was largely an unfunded portion of medicare which is both rampant with fraud and expensive and needs to be revised. It does not imply that Grandma will be without medicare, it just means that it will be funded and where it is not funded will be replaced with the traditional medicare. “We don’t know what the final long-term cost of this will be…” while in part this maybe true, what we also know is that it has been rated as being cheaper than if nothing is done at all. Doing nothing is continuing to kick this can down the road. That is what the GOP would rather do as long as it continues to favor their supporters, mainly the insurance industry. “The rising cost of care has driven the entire health care reform debate. So how does the President’s proposal address this central issue? Price controls…” wait, this is bad? This is exactly one of three reasons for our rising deficit, a reason for 75% of all personal bankruptcies, a reason why US business cannot compete with overseas industry, etc… what other industry has increased their profits 56% during recession, none but the medical insurance industry. “It’s another step towards government controlled health care and away from the real solution: free market, patient-centered reform.” We are there right now and see where this has gotten us. What is still the most popular medical plan in America? Answer: Medicare. Free market competition, I am all for: I don’t want to buy my car from the government or my wash machine, but I do want some level of protection based on those industries. I also don’t want to have to buy information on impending disasters like hurricanes or tornados or health care where health welfare and safety are involved from private sources. Private industry does good at somethings and in those the government does need to take a hands off approach while in areas that concern health and safety of a nation, I would prefer the unbiased non-market driven approach of government. Medicare for all.
That does it. I used to think this site had some integrity. You cleared up that misconception with the post from sometime Governor, sometime VP Candidate Sarah Palin.
Is this a joke? Be honest.
If only Sarah authored this hyper-linked sermon herself. It’s not worth the time to line item correct its failed pseudo intellectual architecture proffered by the usual gang of ideologues.
And Obama is any more informed about healthcare than Sarah…how? They both have aides and advisors that script their responses and press releases. And wether Republicans or Democrats or Independents…Healthcare reform is only wanted by a MINORITY of US citizens so everyone on here whining should SHUT IT!
Personally, I think Sarah’s backside (if you’ll excuse the sexism) is a little too curvaceous for her to be taken seriously as a politician. Still, I’d climb into bed with her before I would Andrew Stern.
sorry about my first comment…it was meant for another article…it really does not belong under this article…sorry guys
@Nate… I was treated off base because I was located in an area with only beginning med students who were fresh out of school or still in school on the army’s dime..so I had a choice when it came to it…and I chose to have both of my children in a German Hospital in Sulzach Rosenberg for all of me and my children’s care…It was the BEST…Thank you… no bull
“I had to go to the VA Medical Center…Now I am permanently messed up and can not work”
I can’t speak for your experience at the VA but my father-in-law gets much better coordinated care at the VA than what he gets through Medicare in the private system. The VA is also now supplying (free) a home care nurse 2-3 times a week so that he can stay at home. Can we have the VA as our public option please?
“I was in Germany for most of my tours…They had universal healthcare with a public option..It was the best care I have ever gotten”
Since when are army personal treated off base in the host country facilities under the host country medical system?
Sounds like a bunch of BS
Sarah Palin? Seriously?
I won’t waste my time explaining to you how ridiculous that is – I’m done here.
This blog just jumped the shark.
I am on welfare…I have a Bachelors Degree…I am also a retired veteran of the US Army…I am also a democrat…I was in Germany for most of my tours…They had universal healthcare with a public option..It was the best care I have ever gotten…When I was discharged from the Army, I was hired in the private sector but did not make enough money to purchase my own healthcare…I had to go to the VA Medical Center…Now I am permanently messed up and can not work…I wish I was able to have gone to another Hospital…All the money in the world would not get my dignity back… not being able to work and provide for my kids…Think about the people that don’t have the money to get the best care…It should be available to everyone regardless of their economic status…Dogs get better healthcare in this country than humans
“Gives the Obamamandelavelt cult a chance to work off steam.”
By Actuary
“FYI — us independents despise Palin”
archon, maybe not for just the “Obamamandelavelt cult”.
At least (yet) the entire voting public has not lost their heads:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/16/cnn-poll-most-americans-say-palin-not-qualified-to-serve-as-president/?fbid=lAoSMStVkw7
Sarah has been put on display here before, for the same reason a target depicting bin Laden might be displayed in a police shooting gallery. Gives the Obamamandelavelt cult a chance to work off steam.
Why would you post this, it doesn’t even make sense. Hopefully this is just an aberration and I won’t have to remove you from my feed reader.
Dear Sarah,
Did you hear about the canadian who said:
“Are you making fun of canada?
Sorry I can’t hear you over my public health care.”
I almost laughed at that one. I would if it wasn’t so sad.
What I wonder is
What has the american public ever done to the republican party to make them hate us so much? or are they just very selfish?
Why does the republican party sell it’s soul to corporate will. Is the money really worth what you have given up in human dignity. The health care lobby influence is the perfect example of the republican party doing what it’s told by corporations who would loose profit if health care reform should pass.
May you “repugnantcans” reep what you sew.
What is “pro-free?”
“The comment is full of the same shopworn proposals and opinions that have no basis in fact regarding the healthcare system,”
Yet Wendell can’t find a single example to show as proof. If you can’t attack the substance then mock the style, thats why everything your kind runs Wendell fails.
Matthew,
This piece is really out of sync with almost everything else ever published on THCB…and it took me a while to get in touch with why.
You might want to establish some “guidelines” for future posts, e.g.,
* That authors personally wrote the blog post
* That authors commit to be part of the conversation and comments.
On both of these items, I strongly suspect this (notice I didn’t say “Sarah Palin’s”) post will be a #FAIL.
If you hadn’t noticed, the postings here lately have engendered very little interest. This is a shameless play for traffic.
The writer of this piece is mostly correct.
Hmmm… I didn’t know Palin knew so much about price controls, the constitution, or even heard of the Cato Institute.
FYI — us independents despise Palin, which is probably why Matt agreed to post this piece (obviously not written by Palin, who needs to write on her hand to remember her “idealogy”) with her name attached.
Was this piece “put” here by Bill Kristol and Greta Van Susteren’s husband who are presumably “handling” Barracuda Sarah’s 2012 campaign? How much you were paid THCB?
“It is reasonable to ask her what “free market, patient-centered reform” she has in mind”
No need to ask her, just look in the palm of her hand.
“The microchip implanted in my skull by Karl Rove prompts me to inquire whether we shouldn’t have a companion piece…”
Yes, by Larry the Cable Guy.
The microchip implanted in my skull by Karl Rove prompts me to inquire whether we shouldn’t have a companion piece by Keith Olbermann or Dennis Kucinich, for the ideological delectation of the resident intelligentsia.
Sarah Palin? Well, so much for the integrity and usefulness of this blog.
I applaud having a wide range of opinions offered to avoid this useful blog from becoming an echo chamber for a handful of views expressed by a small number of contributors.
If only she was proposing increased taxes on the young and productive and was ugly as sin, I could take her seriously.
While I appreciate the effort to include opposing views here, allowing a cartoon character to post something that she clearly hasn’t written? C’mon. How about some serious discourse? What’s next? Postings about the healthcare offered to John Edwards and Tiger Woods’ mistresses? A new low for THCB.
S. Dorfman writes:
> What would [S. Palin] recommend as the best plan for
> national, free-market patient centered reform that
> is managed over time without rationing – regardless
> if this rationing comes from the insurer, government
> or more specifically (and importantly) the patient.
Sigh.
It is reasonable to ask her what “free market, patient-centered reform” she has in mind, but Dorfman’s qualifiers make it a loaded question.
For her, “national” is a non-goal or better stated, an anti-goal. She never said anything about “national” or about “self-rationing” for that matter; I’m pretty sure she considers that a contradiction in terms. Not that I expect one from Palin, but the thoughtful answer to S. Dorfman is therefore: the Zen-usage “mu” — a very succinct negative response to a malformed question. Pity we don’t have an equivalent in English.
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I was under the impression that you posted articles or statements from individuals or groups that actually had some experience or knowledge in the subject matter? Leave the ridiculous and meaningless 3 second talking points to the corporate networks.
Who wrote this for her?
“Democrats are making plans to ram this bill through the Senate using a partisan procedural maneuver that will bypass the normal bipartisan debate process.”
Pure nonsense as is the rest of this contribution. The comment is full of the same shopworn proposals and opinions that have no basis in fact regarding the healthcare system, but that extreme right-wing Republicans continue to advocate nonetheless.
What does Glen Beck have to say about health care? Inquiring minds want to know!
Very interesting read and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the complex issues that the Obama plan presents.
My question is how would you do it differently? What would you recommend as the best plan for national, free-market patient centered reform that is managed over time without rationing – regardless if this rationing comes from the insurer, government or more specifically (and importantly) the patient.
I look forward to your insight, and hope it brings us one step closer to achieving the best outcomes for our people and our nation.
“This editorial is approved by the Congress of the United Channels of Fox News”
Wow, I thought this blog had some integrity. Thanks for showing me how little you vet the people you let post here. I going to be doing an article next week entitled why we all should eat bacon 5 times a day could you post it here? I just figured since you post drivel by this ignorant ass, might post my article on bacony goodness.
Thanks I’ll be removing you from by blog roll