WTF?McCain adviser: Everyone in U.S. has some health coverage

[Hope And Change]

:wtf:

McCain adviser: Everyone in U.S. has some health coverage

Posted: 01:09 PM ET

From CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

(CNN) – A health care policy advisor for the McCain campaign told a newspaper reporter that nobody in the United States is technically uninsured, because everyone has access to hospital emergency rooms.

"So I have a solution . And it will cost not one thin dime," John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, told the Dallas Morning News in an interview published Thursday.

"The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care. So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."

Hospital emergency rooms cannot technically turn away anyone for financial reasons.

"So instead of producing worthless statistics that people fling around in vacuous editorials and pointless debates, the Census Bureau should produce meaningful numbers, identifying all of the sources of funds people will draw on if they need medical care," said Goodman, who helped write McCain’s health care plan.

That plan would use a combination of tax incentives and market competition to make health care more affordable. It is not a universal health care plan – it does not guarantee insurance coverage for every American.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/28/mccain-adviser-everyone-in-us-has-some-health-coverage/#comments

[Kaylee]

1. This is the Onion right?!

:wtf:

[KayLaw]

17. That's what I thought.

Where's the punchline?

[TheDebbieDee]

2. Repukes are not of this world!

[MercutioATC]

3. Amazing

It's incredible how they try to shift the focus away from the basic issue:

All Americans should have access to healthcare at an affordable cost.


Since we allow the industry to charge whatever it likes in the U.S., the only way to do this is through health insurance.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. Please oh please make a commercial out of this. n/t

[Bicoastal]

5. BULL. SHIT!

Yeah, the Emergency Room is free. Sure.

It's free to enter, it's free to get treatment--and then you get hammered with a huge bill on your way out--assuming you aren't THROWN out for not being able to pay.

McCain and his so-called health care policy advisor can go to hell and stay there.

[SoxFan]

6. Show up at the ER with Hodgkin's Disease

or bipolar disorder, lupus, or MS.

See how far that goes.

[redqueen]

7. See? Not all stupid people are conservatives, but...

[Alter Ego]

8. The universal Republican solution to everything!

When in doubt, ignore it completely and when forced to talk about it dress it up in different language!

[Alter Ego]

9. Obama should give this to Hillary Clinton and say, "Go crazy."

[TwilightGardener]

10. Does he realize that insurance coverage means PAYMENT for health care, not

necessarily access? WTF?

[BklynChick]

11. this needs to be the subject of a new Obama ad. disgusting

[zbdent]

12. What happened to their argument of

"all those illegal immigrants are getting free health care at the emergency rooms, driving up the costs, and thus, the insurance rates, and everybody has to pay more ..."???

[uponit7771]

13. What's REALLY REALLY sad is 75% of the C_MsM and 90% of the GOP will beleive him

[eshfemme]

14. Even after I read the entire article, I couldn't fathom how anyone can legitimately say this.

And he's an ADVISER on health care to the McCain campaign. Just fucking crazy. Like insanity that's even worse than what happens with the Bush administration-- I'm seriously scared here.

[KT2000]

15. THIS is what people believe

he is repeating what people believe so they will not have to think about coverage for everyone. Really - most people do not understand how all of this works - emergency room are only required to stabilize a life threateninng situation - not treat illnesses.

Glad he said it out loud so Obama and Biden can tear it apart. The sooner the better.

[niyad]

16. does he mean everybody can go to an emergency room?

[TwilightGardener]

18. That's pretty much it. Now, whether or not you can afford the bill that

comes a week later, for all those blood tests, x-rays, CT scans...that's a whole different matter.

[nc4bo]

19. argh. Obama team needs to use this gem. nt

[Kaylee]

20. Kick....because this is just too unbelivable.

[11 Bravo]

21. If a single mom kisses a baby's boo-boo, this shitstain considers that "health coverage".

[Retrograde]

22. For want of a band-aid

(even a purple-hearted one) the limb was lost.

It's a lot cheaper to keep people healthy in the first place, which means access to preventative care that can treat a problem before it gets worse. And that means health coverage. Sure, emergency rooms must treat people, but wouldn't it be better to prevent having to go there in the first place? Maybe get the kid in to see a regular doctor or nurse-practitioner (who can handle quite a lot of mundane ailments) and get those sniffles treated before they turn into something that needs an ER?

[Barack_America]

23. This is INSANE.

I-N-S-A-N-E.

What they are proposing will bankrupt hospitals throughout the country and negatively impact on the care we all receive. And it's not as if emergency room care is free either for providers or patients. Both parties suffer when payment cannot be made.

This is just ludicrous on every level. They are officially saying that there's nothing wrong with Americans having to turn to emergency rooms as their primary source of care. They are proposing the destruction of our nation's healthcare system. My mind is officially blown.

[silverweb]

24. Un-fucking-believable.

And perfect ammunition for Team Obama.

Let's see Insane McSame back out of this one! I'm betting it buries him.

[Danger Mouse]

25. This guy is an evil, cold-hearted scumbag. Perfect for McCain.

[BadgerKid]

26. Mmm, ok, give up your Senate health coverage. n/t

[DefenseLawyer]

27. The McCain Health Care Plan- Go to the Emergency Room

Repeat that to EVERYONE you know.

[Flying Dream Blues]

28. K&R...despicable, but not surprising. nt

[Barack_America]

29. I've got to kick this so the afternoon crew can appreciate the insanity that is McCain & co. nt

[Fleshdancer]

30. Says a man with great healthcare

I challenge this idiot to go 30 days without healthcare for him and his family.

[vaberella]

31. Is it just me or does the statements above make absolutely no sense?!

How does going to the emergency room help? And why would people be classed on how they would pay? Of course if you have money you'd pay for health care but when you can't pay you have no insurance to get treated and then you end up dead because the doctors want to get paid. Sometimes you get lucky like in I believe Jamaica Hospital in NYC they take in patients for free. But that's not everywhere.

This man is an ass.