Conservative outlets provide forum for Republicans' "baffling" health care "flow chart"
SUMMARY: The Drudge Report, Fox News, and The Kudlow Report provided a forum for a chart released by congressional Republicans that purported to show "the complex health care reform proposal by Democratic congressional leaders."
On July 15, the Drudge Report, Fox News, and CNBC's The Kudlow Report provided a forum for a chart released by congressional Republicans that day -- a day after House Democrats introduced their health care reform bill -- that purported to show "the complex health care reform proposal by Democratic congressional leaders." The release from Rep. Kevin Brady (TX) about the chart, titled "BAFFLING FLOW CHART; Public Gets Peek at Complicated Bureaucracy in Democratic Health Care Plan," stated that the chart "depicts how the health care system would be organized at the national level if the Democrats' plan became law. These new levels of bureaucracy, agencies, organization and programs will all be put directly between the patient and their health care."
The conservative media's promotion of the House Republican chart recalls the media attention devoted in 1994 to a misleading chart -- distributed by the office of Sen. Arlen Specter -- that then-Senate Republican leader Bob Dole claimed illustrated "what the health care bureaucracy would look like under" President Clinton's health care reform plan.
By 8:08 a.m. ET, the Drudge Report featured the GOP's 2009 graphic with the headline: "House Republicans unveil chart depicting bureaucratic nightmare of Dem government-run health care... Developing..." As of 8:25 p.m. ET, Drudge still featured the graphic and the headline "Republicans unveil chart depicting bureaucratic nightmare of Dem government-run health care... Developing..." From the Drudge Report at 8:08 a.m. ET:
The chart was repeatedly highlighted by various Fox News outlets throughout the day. FoxNation.com posted the chart at 12:39 p.m. ET, linking to the July 15 FoxNews.com article "Republicans Warn of 'Web of Bureaucracy' in Democrats' Health Care Plan," which also provided the chart. From FoxNation.com:
During Your World with Neil Cavuto, Cavuto repeatedly ran the graphic during an interview with Brady about the chart:
And during Glenn Beck, Beck provided a wall-sized version of the chart and discussed it with Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute:
Larry Kudlow also aired the chart on his CNBC program:
That chart's a real hoot, isn't it? I love the color coding.
Betcha that really irks these people.
I bet that REALLY IRKS the white house...
It's the economy stupid????
I welcome the misinformation from the Republi-cons because it gives people, who have even the most basic thinking skills, a chance to see the Republi-cons looking like fools. Seeing just how out of touch they really are.
Yeah, O is probably just quaking in his loafers up there in the White House.
The republicans (of merit) have been producing nothing but ideas, but unfortunately our Speaker of the House and President are scared to death to allow ANY form of debate. Instead they just rush it through Congress...in the dark of night...demanding a vote! These people should be locked up in a deep, dark hole right next to Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke! Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have been sharring extremely valid alternative ideas, but the only people giving them an opportunity to speak and be heard are the media! Hell, Mitt Romney actually accomplished what Obama is dreaming about when he (Romney) was governor of Crapachussetts...and he did it without raising taxes and without taking state control of anything!!! What? Huh? You mean it's possible? Wow! Who'd of thunk it?
Our own leadership is oblivious to anything other than their own socialist/fascist ideas...and there's no way you can disprove that. There's NO WAY YOU CAN DISPROVE THAT! Open up a dictionary and look up the meaning of the words "socialism" and "fascism"...just in case you're the product of public schooling. It's obvious that they want these horrible ideas granting more government control and higher taxes passed NOW so they can have the opportunity to campaign on more "light-hearted issues" during the 2010 and 2012 elections! Republicans AND democrats are guilty of that! They (both parties) always do crap like this, yet they always get away with it because we are about as collectively intelligent as a warm mound of donkey vomit! Get a clue, guys! You've got to stop being blinded by "Republican vs. Democrat" propoganda and start thinking for yourself!
Obama may have QUIETLY elluded to the idea that he didn't get us into this "mess", yet claim to accept the responsibility of fixing it...but what has he done ever since he took control? Spend, spend, spend...and push through legislation at a nonsensical pace without ANY opportunity to debate! Our money supply has increased by 600% since HE took office! I'd say he's pretty damn responsible for this mess! Our national debt has increased by an unprecedented 40% since HE took office! I'd say that makes him extremely responsible for this mess! When inflation starts rearing its ugly head and begins whooping our collective asses (which it will...and you're a hopeless mongoloid if you think otherwise) then will he assume responsibility for that or do what he's been doing and just blame it on Bush? He's a clueless coward, guys. If he had any balls then he'd allow for an honest debate within those hallowed halls of Congress! Is it any surprise that King Obama's approval ratings have been dropping like a rock??? Wise up, fellas! WISE UP! You're being played like a flute!
You keep yelling from the rooftops it's a repuli-cons economy. You'll soon go horse because as jobs go and people get laid off, THEY aren't going to blame Bush/r-cons, it will be the man with the plan jetting off to Paris and African safari's and other junkets while people are struggling in the homeland.
All the puff pieces in the world won't be able to save him then.
You might be interested to read Ravi Batra's excellent book "Greenspan's Fraud." It shows an equal opportunity Republican/Democratic fraud upon the people going back to Reagan and continuing through Bush/Clinton/Bush.
http://img263.yfrog.com/i/healthcare.jpg/
It's amazing what happens when you actually place items underneath their appropriate heading instead of haphazardly around the diagram!
Just my 2 cents.
On another note, I'd like to see the same thing done for the private health insurance companies. If they are going to put the president and congress on this one, they should be putting the CEO, CFO, COO and all the departments on there so we get a clear picture of how they stand between us and our doctors.
Even with your simplification and clarifification, the resulting chart is still a confusing mess. It is simply laughable that anyone would think a government org chart like this will bring down health care costs.
I say we simplify things and create a health care cap and trade. :-)
And besides, this chart is crap. If you read it, you'll realize that some dumbass just made it up, deliberately looking for ways to make every facet (real or contrived) confusing.
Representative reads claim. Decides it cost company too much. Issues denial. Round files claim.
or
Representative reads claim. Decides it doesn't cost company too much. Realizes this must be an error and forwards it to manager for denial (sorry review). See about decision chain starting at second sentence.
Really its probably about that simple.
http://matthewharrington.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/house-democrats-health-plan.jpg
If you just look at the box called health care provides it goes directly to the Health insurance exchange which goes directly to the consumers.
Its quite obivious they added all the other boxes and arrorws just to confuse people. Hannity's program made it out to be candy land with no direct connection from the doctor to the consumer which is just false. The chart basically states the same thing we have now insurance between us and the doctors except o ya they are going to make sure everyone is covered.
media matters (for very little) also provided detailed information as to how the chart was wrong..........oops, guess that slipped through editing. Looking forward to the refutation of the chart's content.
In the meantime, look at more of what the left has planned for America....
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07162009/news/regionalnews/dem_health_rx_a_poion_pill_in_ny_179525.htm
Now, how about a little stronger effort please.
Load the picture, and you can usually find an 'image' menu in the toolbar, and most have a straight 'resize' function.
(You can also 'crop' to remove extraneous material outside the part you want)
To resize on line, you can use the IMG SRC with WIDTH and Height restrictions(this actually uses the full size picture [image] but restricts the size on the page.
Puff, puff, pass...dude.
All this guy did was write out some confusing-sounding phrases that might or might not have come from the bill, put boxes around them and draw virtually random lines between them. This is a deliberate attempt to confuse the dim, scare the ignorant and enrage the extreme.
One hopes that you do not belong to one of these groups.
Nothing stands between me and my doctor accept for my insurance agent, my ability to pay, and my willingness to prioritize my healthcare over my other needs, hobbies and interests and my time. It's a wonderful system. I spend 20% of my income on the healthcare of my family.
Oh, you're making a joke now I get it. Man Republicans can be funny sometimes.
The only part that actually represents what the Democrats are proposing Is that thick white line connecting providers to consumers through the health insurance exchange, the hexagons representing individual and employer mandates for offering/purchasing health insurance, and the subsidies and credits for purchasing that care. The rest of the chart is superfluous pre-existing garbage meant to confuse and intimidate people.
If the excessively patchwork system we have is a problem for you, you'd be in support of Universal-Single-Payer via Medicare-For-All.
Everyone else can do it.
Health care -> Health Insurance Exchange -> Consumer. It's in their OWN "confusing" chart. It's obvious this thing is made up by some idiot.
Besides, do you honestly think our insurance companies now are simple?
I bet King Obama's teleprompter doesn't tell him to say that, however. It's a shame. Ho hum.
My mother (staunch and woefully misinformed repub) and I had a chat about my 99 year old grandfather and how MEDICARE paid to remove cancer from his nose. My mom (God love her) said that if we had universal health care, that procedure would have been rationed. My natural response was - "ummm, what?" Isn't medicare government run, and didn't medicare PAY for the procedure without their having to talk to a bureaucrat to do so - and he's 99 for cripesake?
When people talk about "Canadian" health care scares, they don't talk about how most Canadian's, including most conservative MP's, would not give up the national coverage. They also don't discuss that the waiting lists are due more to a shortage of doctors, because many Canadian md's come to the US to chase the money.
Most European government plans seem to work quite well. Is there any reason why we can't do it? If the US is the best at everything, then shouldn't we strive to have the best by any measure (including that of the WHO)?
WHO bias in reports
WHO is politically biased
They are an extension of the UN, so take it with a grain of salt.
Point taken on the rest of your post though.
I studied at the University of Passau (southeast Germany; Bavaria) for a couple of semesters and was put face to face with "universal health care". Let's just say that I thank the Lord above that I didn't get sick enough to where I needed medical help! It's a load of crap if you think ANYTHING in Michael Moore's crapumentary had any merit.
Why did the Prime Minister of Italy come to the United States for his heart surgery? Why didn't he just use the system he makes his citizens use? Hmmmmmmm?
That's what I thought.
We already have the best health care system in the world! When was the last time you saw a cancer-striken patient banging on the door of a hospital begging them for help?
That's what I thought.