Throughout this increasingly polarizing debate about healthcare in the United States, it has been about 98 percent Democratic support, 98 percent Republican opposition. One of the brave free thinkers on this issue was Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) who has reached across the isle to work at crafting a national healthcare bill for the President to sign.
Despite Republican cries of the sky falling, the world as we know it coming to an end and all hell breaking loose if government has a major role in healthcare delivery, Grassley has remained steadfast in his comments to work on a bipartisan solution.
Until today. In a story run today by the Wall Street Journal Online, Grassley states his opposition to national healthcare with the statement, “Government’s not a competitor, its a predator,” Grassley says. “We’d have 120 million people opt out of private insurance, then pretty soon everyone is in health care under the government and there’s no competitor.”
Really?
Could that be because most of the 120 million people are quick to realize how much they’ve been screwed by private insurance companies for more years than they can remember? Or could it be that a majority of those 120 million people have some “pre-existing condition” that prompts the insurance companies to charge inflated rates for coverage? Or, perhaps could it be that the government can actually offer health coverage for everyone at prices that everyone can afford (read:free)?
Grassley throws up the tired, worn out argument of long lines and rationed care if the government provided healthcare for everyone, like the Canadian health system. Has he actually talked to a Canadian citizen? I have several friends who are Canadian and I have NEVER — let me repeat, NEVER — heard them complain of unacceptable wait times for care and coverage. In fact, they like the fact that they can go to any hospital, anywhere in Canada and get treated, no hassle, no fuss. Try that in the U.S. without health insurance. Especially if you’re poor and minority.
Grassley was speaking in front of a mostly “friendly” crowd of about 250 people in his native Iowa; some speculate he was catering to the audience as an early message test in preparation for his 2010 re-election run. Whatever the reason, his comments represent a significant shift from the center, collaborative position he’s held previously, and closer to the ideological rhetoric and misinformation spewed by the Republican right since Obama signaled his intention to have a national healthcare plan.
Despite Republican cries of the sky falling, the world as we know it coming to an end and all hell breaking loose if government has a major role in healthcare delivery, Grassley has remained steadfast in his comments to work on a bipartisan solution.
Until today. In a story run today by the Wall Street Journal Online, Grassley states his opposition to national healthcare with the statement, “Government’s not a competitor, its a predator,” Grassley says. “We’d have 120 million people opt out of private insurance, then pretty soon everyone is in health care under the government and there’s no competitor.”
Really?
Could that be because most of the 120 million people are quick to realize how much they’ve been screwed by private insurance companies for more years than they can remember? Or could it be that a majority of those 120 million people have some “pre-existing condition” that prompts the insurance companies to charge inflated rates for coverage? Or, perhaps could it be that the government can actually offer health coverage for everyone at prices that everyone can afford (read:free)?
Grassley throws up the tired, worn out argument of long lines and rationed care if the government provided healthcare for everyone, like the Canadian health system. Has he actually talked to a Canadian citizen? I have several friends who are Canadian and I have NEVER — let me repeat, NEVER — heard them complain of unacceptable wait times for care and coverage. In fact, they like the fact that they can go to any hospital, anywhere in Canada and get treated, no hassle, no fuss. Try that in the U.S. without health insurance. Especially if you’re poor and minority.
Grassley was speaking in front of a mostly “friendly” crowd of about 250 people in his native Iowa; some speculate he was catering to the audience as an early message test in preparation for his 2010 re-election run. Whatever the reason, his comments represent a significant shift from the center, collaborative position he’s held previously, and closer to the ideological rhetoric and misinformation spewed by the Republican right since Obama signaled his intention to have a national healthcare plan.
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