BlueBroward.org

As a solid single payer advocate and Obama supporter who contributed and worked hard for his election, I am disgusted with the health reform proposals coming out of Congress. No serious cost control, no limit on what can be charged for policies, no limit on copays or deductibles, subsidies would be needed for 100 million Americans in addition to those on Medicare and subsidies are inadequate. Would surely increase the deficit as all entitlements do. Very likely to fail, as all individual mandate programs at the state level have done : Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, Mass. twice, Illinois, Maine, Vermont, usually within 3 years due to cost overruns. These proposals were written with only industry lobbyists at the table and are a gift to industry. Millions of policies and pills to be sold and insurance industry licking its chops as long as public option not included. Industry spending 150 million in August alone for TV spots to promote. Dems are in lose/lose state here. If this passes, it will cost a bundle and go over budget and likely fail since there is no cost control (some elements like preexisting conditions and lifetime caps are good but will cause insurers to raise rates) then Dems will lose “tax and spend” and “gov’t can’t do anything right” etc. True reform which this is not, would be set back a decade. Horrible. Best to kill this gift to industry written by industry lobbyists ASAP then go back to the drawing table without lobbyists. Proposal is patterned after the Mass plan written by Blue Cross and now failing due to cost overruns. Sick.