Not with a bang, but a hiccup

by John Holbo on March 22, 2010

Good job, House Dems!

K. Lo’s reaction. “Congratulations, Democrats. Beginning now, you own the health-care system in America. Every hiccup. Every complaint. Every long line. All yours.”

I think this does serve as a nice expression of the Republican case against health care reform. Hic! Damn you, Nancy Pelosi! Hic! Damn you, Nancy Pelosi!

In other health care reform news, I have been enjoying Awesome Hospital rather muchly. “Back off, Dr. Space Baby!” On the other hand, our girls have been getting sick at a rate of 1.2 medical emergencies a day, for a week. And Belle is traveling, so I’m a bit worn to a frazzle of a nubbin of myself. I think we should have a Frequent Faller card from our local hospital. Get 2 tests and the 3rd is free! Get 20 stitches and the next 5 are free! Baffle the diagnostician 3 times and the 4th bafflement comes at no extra charge! (Thankfully, we haven’t had to get stitches this week.)

{ 12 comments }

1

Leinad 03.22.10 at 7:30 am

This is a bold step that will pave the way for a universal public health insurance system in the US by no later than 2074!

2

JoB 03.22.10 at 8:50 am

So, the Republicans own up to owning all of the death and misery that was inherent in what was going on before! Right on!

I say: take something very left wing with a clear Dem majority to a filibuster right before a next election. Do the populist thing.

3

kid bitzer 03.22.10 at 11:03 am

uk natives may correct me if i’m wrong, but in a runoff between labor, the tories, and nhs, wouldn’t nhs be the most reliable vote-getter most years?

4

chris y 03.22.10 at 11:10 am

Yes.

5

Anders Widebrant 03.22.10 at 11:55 am

Every quadruple bypass. Every beaten cancer. Every new-born child. (No, wait! Bad example!) All yours.

6

hix 03.22.10 at 12:02 pm

In meantime, Germany moves towards Americanicing healthcare. One overpaid public healthinsurance ceo already came out of the woods and demanded privatication.

Quiggin was so right with his chapter about privatications in Zombie economics. Upper managment always pushes for privatication to ensure insane saleries for themself.

7

Platonist 03.22.10 at 12:58 pm

“This is a bold step that will pave the way for a universal public health insurance system in the US by no later than 2074!”

That’s funny, but if it turns out to be true, it will be quite an accomplishment. It’s significantly earlier than When Hell Freezes Over, and it would literally insure Your Children’s Children.

8

Barry 03.22.10 at 1:23 pm

kid bitzer 03.22.10 at 11:03 am

“uk natives may correct me if i’m wrong, but in a runoff between labor, the tories, and nhs, wouldn’t nhs be the most reliable vote-getter most years?”

Because They are brown people don’t share in the proud history of the USAians, such as the Magna Carta, Puritans, Adam Smith, blah, blah, blah…..

9

chris y 03.22.10 at 1:43 pm

Kieran has compared this bill with the British National Insurance Act (pt 1), 1911. On the basis of the delay between the Beveridge designed NIA and the Beveridge designed NHS, Americans should be aiming to achieve universal heath care some time in the 2030s. Go, guys, it’s an achievable target.

10

Stuart 03.22.10 at 6:47 pm

uk natives may correct me if i’m wrong, but in a runoff between labor, the tories, and nhs, wouldn’t nhs be the most reliable vote-getter most years?

Of course the Tories defunding and mismanaging the NHS is always a significant source of votes/positive political influence for the Labour party. I assume this is why the Republicans have been so against any healthcare reform when it is obviously so bad compared to pretty much every other modern nation in terms of cost vs achieved outcomes – in the long term any expansion of government healthcare will tend to send votes to the opposition (especially if the Democrats can associate themselves with it strongly in voters minds), but once in place it will (unless completely screwed up) be very popular and politically suicidal to try and remove.

11

Phillip Hallam-Baker 03.22.10 at 6:53 pm

I received my email with the personal thanks of the President this morning. Though I was slightly disappointed to learn that my application for membership of the ‘death panel’ has been turned down it turns out that there is going to be no such thing!

And I had written out a list, and everything.

12

mds 03.22.10 at 8:20 pm

“Every hiccup. Every complaint. Every long line. All yours.”

Wait, so it really was a government takeover of health care? Because I thought it involved the same private-sector doctors and insurers as before. Are the already-insured actually going to use their existing insurance cards at their current doctors, but start blaming the usual long waits on Democrats? Except for cases of the proudly stupid like K. Lo. or my parents, color me skeptical.

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