Do you have a pre-existing condition? Well Ron Paul says too bad for you, buddy, if you can’t get health insurance. And by buddy I mean even his close friends and long-time staffers. To be honest, I think this probably applies to anyone in the GOP field who has pledged to repeal the Health Care Reform Act (Affordable Care Act), but Ron takes the cake when it comes to being out in front on the issue, shall we say. Or better yet, let him explain it in his own words (from TPM:
Ron Paul told TPM on Wednesday that even if there’s a “case or two” that makes Americans uncomfortable, the government should stay out of the health care business. Even if one of the cases in question is his former campaign manager, Kent Snyder, who died with $400,000 in unpaid medical bills after being unable to secure health insurance due to a pre-existing condition. […]
“Well first off, people do get care, even under this terrible situation we have in medicine today,” Paul told reporters when asked about his former aide. “Kent, my campaign manager, wasn’t denied any care at all.”
According to Snyder’s friends, he was unable to obtain affordable health insurance — rendering moot Paul’s advice at the debate to find coverage in advance — because of a preexisting condition. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies will no longer be able to reject customers on these grounds starting in 2013. I asked Paul whether Snyder’s inability to secure health insurance, even if he wanted it, put him in an impossible situation without government support. He suggested that states and counties could take action to help the sick, but put the emphasis on charity.
“Why do we suddenly lose confidence, that everyone is going to be thrown out into the street?” he said. “It just doesn’t happen and usually there are people that will help. But this idea you throw away the principles of liberty because you have a case or two where you go ‘Oh, I’m nervous about it’ – it just doesn’t justify doing your own thing.”
Yes, we all desperately need the “liberty” to die and insurance companies need the liberty to deny us health insurance for pre-existing conditions. Though I will grant Mr. Paul, this much, he’s consistent. Or maybe not. Hey Ron, did you contribute any money to help pay your friend and employee’s health care costs? Apparently a website was set up so people could contribute money to pay off the $400,000 worth of medical bills that bankrupted your buddy and his family, but his “other” friends say the site has raised only about $34,000 so far.
In any event, Ron Paul, by sticking to your heartless guns, I’m sure you have made Kent Snyder’s family proud. At least they and we know he died for the cause you believe in. The liberty to die broke and bankrupt your family (and pad the profits of the health insurance vultures – er, companies).
As for me, I sure would like me some of that single payer insurance they have in Canada (and hopefully Vermont). Maybe we should try to make that an issue in the election next year. What do you think? I for one would give money to a PAC set up to produce ads for single payer health care and attacking candidates who want to allow health insurance companies to deny coverage based ion pre-existing conditions.
Because trust me, if Republicans win the Presidency, or even both he House and Senate the right for Corporate Persons such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Aetna, etc. to deny other persons of the non-corporate variety health insurance for pre-existing conditions will be re-established. All in the name of Liberty, of course. Ron Paul is actually doing the rest of the Republicans a favor. By taking the lead on this, he takes all the fire that other Republicans, who agree with repealing the ACA, deserve as much as he does.
You think they aren’t thrilled Ron, the man who can’t win the nomination is saying these things publicly? He’s their own human shield on this issue. Secretly I bet they are hoping he hangs around as long as possible in the race so he makes the rest of them look like moderates on repealing health care reform and eradicating Medicare when they hem and haw and say “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far” even though we know they will.
I’ll let the people at risk of dying have the last word:
I wonder why no one has asked that racist asshole Ron Paul why he, the PHYSICIAN, did not provide health insurance to his own EMPLOYEE? It was Paul who did not provide the insurance, and thus in all but the final act killed this guy.
Paul is a racist turd.
Among other things.
In this case, in particular, the details are important. So, we have this guy who dies after coming down suddenly with a serious disease. He runs up a bill of 400K, and dies anyway.
The real question is “What was he denied due to lack of funds?” Paul stands there, as a physician who once took the Hippocratic Oath (regardless of how little it really means), and simply lies about this situation.
Paul is a horrible piece of shit.
His followers are worse.
There are two components to all of this.
The first is if care was not gotten due to lack of funds. It appears, in this case that care was received, but the man died anyway. But the fact is, many people would avoid going for care because they can’t pay.
The second is that, even if care is received, the financial burden basically incapacitates the family due to the bills.
All too often, in the arguement that people can get care and care won’t be denied due to lack of ability to pay (which is at least partially true) ignores the second part which is just as pernicious and heartless.
We do not know that. We do not know if some things were not given. Certain types of care are given, but what is not?
Common belief on the left, too. No, Ron Paul, the federal government comes in and closes down shops because they’re not selling medicine, they’re trying to sell people shit that doesn’t work and has no proven effect. People have also died from this crap (not to mention they’re robbed of money).
If there’s one government subsidy that should go away, it’s money spent on “alternative and homeopathic” medicine. This could be the one area where “the hippies were wrong.”
Not all hippies believed that homeopathic shit. All of that “lovey dovey” crap and “living naturally” was almost entirely crap. Most of us who lived during the “hippie era” did not live on communes, did not convert to veganism, did not use homeopathic remedies. Also, not all hippie/boomer types were “selfish” or “self-centered” or “self-indulgent” like that idiotic part that you hear sometimes.
The hippie/boomer stereotypes are just as offensive as other stereotypes. They have just not been stigmatized, which I am starting to do.
I’m not just focused on people from the hippie generation, though. I am talking right now and here, with my own experiences. Similar to talk of “hippie punching.” I know a lot of people who believe that Big Pharma is using their power to block remedies that “we all know work” because of “profits.” Hell, some of them are convinced we have the cure to cancer but they just keep it under wraps because cancer treatment brings in big money whereas cancer cures don’t.
It’s funny they say that, when they’re the ones shilling expensive supplements that you take twice daily and continuously buy.
My parents are deeply red conservatives and they are big believers in vitamins, minerals, etc.
it ain’t just hippies, real or imagined, my young friend, who are in this camp. There are many, many fundies as well.
I agree. That’s why I said, “common held belief on the left, TOO.”
OK, I see your point. Yes, unfortunately, this is one of the consequences of that old garbage about “Question authority”. I DESPISE that saying, it makes me entirely crazy. OK, ask a question. But all too often, it is taken to mean “Authorities are idiots, experts are con artists, and you have as much right to make statements about economics as Paul Krugman”.
My grandmother died of intestinal cancer. They spent some money at the end on laetrile, a quack medicine from the pits of apricots (and thus a cyanide compound). She died anyway.
Expanding on who pays the bill…if the estate, friends, family & church don’t pony up then after the wrangling is done you’ll see the clinic, hospital & emergency care corporations be forced to absorb the balance of the $400,000 that remained uncollectible.
And since people die uninsured and without sufficient funds to cover their final expenses every hour of every day in this country, the businesses that are our hospitals and clinics charge US to cover those expenses in the form of overhead…and I’m not arguing that they shouldn’t, only that Paul is conveniently omitting this trouble from his answers.
What else is new, eh?
I’m so glad you put this point out.
In addition to your cogent point that SOMEONE must cover the vig, an additional point is that using the ER as the adminstration point for primary care means that actual emergencies get slower treatment. 4 years ago, I was sucker-punched by some morons who had apparently been watching “Clockwork Orange”. I had 3 fractures around my eyesocket, and required 40 stitches. I waited in the ER for 6 hours prior to getting stitched up, holding a towel under my eye to keep the blood off the floor. Thanks, Republicans!
And since the insurance companies have enough clout to negotiate lower rates for most medical care for their clients, all of that extra cost gets tacked onto the bills of those who don’t have insurance, driving up their costs even more. Some of them, in turn, get pushed into untenable financial situations, bankruptcies, etc.
Rinse, repeat, ad nauseum.
Mock the Dummy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUZI1w0Wec4&feature=feedu
In case you’ve never seen this channel, it’s a great series. They take puppets to read exact quotes from Republican politicians. This one isn’t exact quotes and they clearly wrote a script, but at the end it includes a scene Ron Paul on the Federal Government “fence” from the last debate.
The Donald Trump one was probably my favorite.
I just heard live on Democracy Now! that Troy Davis’ case has been stayed.
Edit, no stay of execution granted…he’s been given a reprieve. It came from the SCOTUS.