NEOAVATARA

First, was this not the most choreographed ‘townhall‘ you have seen in the past month?  Yeah, Obama took a few opposition questions, but as you can see, were outnumbered by Obama supporters.  In the crowd, there was little or no dissent.  This was nothing more than a campaign stop ala 2008.

Pro-Obama questions:  6

Anti-Obama questions: 3

Again, what a joke.  (Update:  Michelle Malkin has an excellent expose that many who asked questions were Obama plants.)

Oh, and note:  Obama thugs have already attacked anti-health care protesters outside, according to number of sources.  Hope and change, baby.

This kind of meeting is not going to convince anyone who has doubts about health care reform.

1.  You can keep your health care -- Well, maybe the President should read the bill he is backing in Congress.  That bill actually would shift people to the public option by default if a plan changes.  Maybe the President supports being able to keep your insurance…but he better get Congress to listen to him.

2.  Coverage for pre-existing conditions -- This is easily solved…just pass a bill that would require insurers to take those people. I don’t think this is a very controversial subject at all.  Regulation of insurers is absolutely necessary.

3.  Almost all insurers already pay for preventative care, especially mammograms and colonoscopies.  Very few don’t cover these things.

4.  Maybe Obama should mention to his allies (Pelosi, Hoyer, Dingell) that just opposing Democrats does not make us Nazis, any m0re than it makes Democrats Nazis.  Of course, Obama has not said one word against his Democrat allies.

5.  Obama did not exclude the possibility of reconciliation…which would be the equivalent of political war.

6.  Obama doesn’t get it about end of life care, as I said in my recent blog post:  government should have NO role in it whatsoever.  It should be a personal decision.  Obama gives no way to lower end of life costs.  None.  He just ‘hopes’ people will spend less?  We should shift more costs to patients, and see the market work.

7.  As I have said before…Obama and Democrats are right.  Private insurance IS rationing care.  So IS Medicare.  So IS Medicaid.   They all are.  No one is being honest about this.  The question is, as health care becomes more expensive, and the government goes more in debt, what are the chances of MORE rationing from the government?

8.  A patient asks about rationing in Medicare…which is a reality. It is a reality throughout health care.  And remember:  Medicare is $31 TRILLION DOLLARS in debt.

9.  Patient asks about supplemental care.  Obamacare will likely not cut Medicare benefits…but it isn’t going to pay for supplemental care.  We simply cannot afford it.   As for Medicare, benefits likely won’t be cut in the short term…but total Medicare expenditures by the federal government is going to be cut by about $100 billion a year in both the Senate and House bills.  Whether that carries over to benefits…only time will tell.

10. The Medicare Part D prescription drug ‘donut hole’ will certainly be closed under this bill.

11.  Question about single payer (even though the questioner screwed it up) and Obama’s support for such a plan.  Good question.  Obama’s answer?  Well, first he did not tell the truth.  There is many videos showing him stating CLEARLY that he would prefer a single payer plan.  At least he should admit his past support of such a system.  He is still voicing his support for a public option…something that looks dead in the water.  Obama’s argument: ‘If the public option provides a good option, and has to run like any other private insurer, than it should be able to compete.”  True.  But Medicare, for example, DOES NOT DO THESE THINGS.  He used the post office as an example.  The post office doesn’t use tax dollars.  If he is arguing that a public option will use NO FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS, then go right ahead.  And Medicare clearly has NOT been self-sustaining.  That is why it has a $31 TRILLION DOLLARS in debt.

12.  Mental health is severely undercovered in this country, and needs to be covered.  It would be cost efficient.

13.  How to pay for the system?  Well, Obama reiterates his budget neutral stance.  Obama then told a falsehood:  Medicare Part D program was paid for.  That is one of the reasons the drug benefit had a donut hole…because they couldn’t pay for that portion.  So totally false.

14.  We are going to add 50 million people (Obama admits that 10 or so million will not be covered later in the townhall), and that will cost $1 trillion (at the low end, by the way).  And that will be budget neutral? Obama says 2/3 of that can be paid for by getting rid of inefficiencies.  I wish it were that easy…it is not.

15.  New sources of revenue = New taxes.

16.  Limiting the itemized deduction would have significant repercussions.  For example, house purchases…it would be a signficant deterrant.  As for charities, and as someone who runs his own charity, it would cut back charitable giving more than anything else, during a time of recession when you need charities the most.  This is also likely a dead proposal in the senate.

17.  Question about lack of doctors and nurses.  Simple…there won’t be enough.  That is a fact.  Massachusetts is a perfect example.  That is why Obama and Democrats want to shift more health care to non-physicians.  There are provisions that will increase funding to Nurse practioners, chiropractors, and others.

18.  End of life care…again, I have a better way.  Government should not be involved.

19.  Obama’s medical panels…the way he is describing it, they are just advisory.  I am sorry, but those guidelines already exist. Almost every medical group has such best practices.  The only reason to have the government involved would be to mandate those decisions.

20.  Why are we paying more?  Because health care is FREE.  We need more patient participation in costs, otherwise costs can only be controlled with rationing.

21.  A question from someone that turned themselves in on ’snitch’ website.  Excellent question about Congress exempting themselves from health care reform.  Of course, Obama avoided the question.

22.  Obama pushed security and insurance reform.  Clearly trying to change the direction of the debate.  However, never really answers the question of how to pay for the bill.