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10/5/2010
Shown: Steve Kagen can’t figure out where Wall Street is
In defending his repeated votes for Obamacare, Congressman Steve Kagen recently touted some of the healthcare reform provisions that went into effect last month. He outlines what he calls five new freedoms, but then ends with this note:
These new freedoms are yours for only as long as you can hold on to them. Hang on tight.
We have worked too hard to allow them to be repealed by powerful Wall Street-run insurance corporations.
This may come as a surprise to the Congressman, but insurance companies are among the largest employers in the Green Bay area, which he represents. According to the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce, Humana employs over 3100 people and United Health, over 1500 in the area as of August, 2009. Humana's office is located near Scheuring Road and Highway 41 and United Health's office is near Pamperin Park. Neither of those locales sound like Wall Street to me.
Kagen may think demonizing Wall Street is good politics, and perhaps he is right, but the reality is that the government still wields much more power than Wall Street. The power to tax, to wage war - these aren't powers Wall Street has, or will have any time soon. I would argue that no Wall Street corporation is yet able to fine you for not buying their products – but Kagen, along with President Obama and the Democratic Congress, found a way to make that a reality through the health reform's individual mandate.
It’s worth noting that the inflamed rhetoric of Kagen's anti-Wall Street stance distracts from the parts of health reform he would prefer we just forget. These include the sweet-heart deals made with individual legislators to secure passage and the delay in implementing the tax on high cost health plans – a tax opposed by labor organizations. There is also the matter of what reform is missing, e.g., tort reform – just one more little item opposed by another big Democratic constituency, trial lawyers.
Kagen takes pains to remind voters he is not a career politician. That may be, but it is certainly clear he is a quick study. In four short years in Congress he has picked up the technique of distracting voters through fiery, but ultimately meaningless rhetoric.
Jeremy Shown blogs at Rhymes with Clown and frequently hits on politics and economics in Wisconsin and the U.S.
COMMENTS
Indeed Kagen's vote for ObamaCare was reckless. Mainly because ObamaCare doesn't go far enough and Kagen should have supported the Conyers single-payer plan.
Health care costs should NOT be borne by employers... PERIOD! They should be funded through our national infrastructure as they are in Canada (their taxes are only 2% higher than ours). And if Canada increased its spending from 10% of GDP to 12% (compared to our 17%), they could totally eliminate their wait times. We in America could provide healthcare to 100% of our residents and save $400 billion per year if we'd copy that country and convert to a single-payer Medicare-for-all system. Importantly, Medicare-for-all *IS* a jobs bill, as Canada has demonstrated. They make more Big Three cars in Ontario than we do in Detroit. Go Figure.
And surprise... for every make-work job lost in the insurance industry, TWO better paying jobs will be created in the health care industry.
Jack Lohman (Wed Oct 06 08:43:17 2010)
Well Jack, if things are so rosy in Canada why don't you just pack up your bags and move there..I for one won't miss your socialist drivel on this blog. Better yet, let me know when you want to leave and I'll even fund your one way ticket...Ciao !!
Guido (Wed Oct 06 09:54:52 2010)
Every time I read something about Steve Kagen, I throw up a little in my mouth.
Andrew Ellis (Wed Oct 06 10:00:26 2010)
Call it socialism if you wish, but it is the most practical and least costly and most humane way of delivering health care and saving jobs. Unless you are independently rich, you are just one job-loss away from needing it. (And a little obnoxious too, I might add.)
Jack Lohman (Wed Oct 06 10:01:27 2010)
"the Green Bay area, which he represents."
BIG misconception. The good doctor does not represent us, he represents the Democratic Party.
integr8r (Wed Oct 06 10:13:16 2010)
Oh, now I understand the problem that the Republicans have with health care reform. I see it all clearly. JOBS. yes, the bloated inefficient and unfair health care "system" we have that wastes 3x as much dollars on administration as any other country on the planet and delivers poorer results than any other westernized country should be allowed to survive in it's inefficient form because of JOBS. How terribly hypocritical. The very same people that decry extending unemployment benefits, that decry the "welfare" Mom, and have a buck it up, pull yourself up by the bootstraps attitude are the very same people who want to preserve the bloated health care status quo because it creates make work jobs. I think that's the perfect definition of socialism.
dave allen (Wed Oct 06 21:08:56 2010)
Guido,
If you think it is so great here you must either be independently wealthy or have employer coverage that you don't even pay for. Come on which is it?
In fact, I submit that no one on this post who is against the reforms done so far is paying for their own care. If you were you'd know the truth. Oh yeah, I just love that "then go to Canada" remark. It's a clear sign that you have nothing substantive to say about the issue, just philosophy and nothing more.
dave allen (Wed Oct 06 21:17:41 2010)
The privately run insurance companies do a better job at administering health insurance than the government every could.
The biggest cause of rising health care costs is health care fraud. Our government should be going after the source of the problem. Here is how big the issue is. Taken from the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association; The United States spends more than $2 trillion on health care every year. Of that amount, NHCAA estimates conservatively that at least 3%--or more than $60 billion each year--is lost to fraud. This loss directly impacts patients, taxpayers and government through higher health care costs, insurance premiums and taxes. Additionally, health care fraud often hurts patients who may be subjected to unnecessary or unsafe procedures or who may be the victims of identity theft.
For more, go to www.nhcaa.org.
My parents know people in Canada that come over to the U.S. to get care because the care is better. Now, if everything keeps going our President's way, when you get to be of a ripe old age, Uncle Sam will be determining if you WORTH it to society to stay alive and recieve treatment.
I guess I would rather let God determine when my work for Him is done.
Jeff (Thu Oct 07 01:25:39 2010)
>>> "The privately run insurance companies do a better job at administering health insurance than the government every could."
That's absolute fallacy. You obviously haven't heard of Medicare Advantage, the private option Bush gave to us seniors in 2003 (which 25% have opted into). It is run by the private insurance companies and cost taxpayers 15% MORE than traditional government-run Medicare. So much for private being more efficient that public.
And fraud? It's higher in the private sector because defrauding Medicare usually leads to jail time. And people come from Canada because we have no "wait times," not because we are better (though in some cases we do have newer high-tech gear).
And killing granny? Ah yes. Talk to Ryan and Boehner about that. Having been in health care for forty years, I'll take public over private any day.
Jack Lohman (Thu Oct 07 07:54:44 2010)
Jack, you're blowing smoke now. When has government ever done better than the private sector except for wars. They certainly don't kknow how to do the part of their job which requires their protecting our borders against foreign incursion.
The fact is that Canadians do come here to get health care. The fact is that Canada has a health care contract with Detoit MI to take care of patients when their health care is overwhelmed because they don't have the specialists or medical equipment needed. That's the only border state I know of personally. Are there more contracts with more border states/cities?
Big shots and the wealthy in Canada come to the US for surgery and treatment as witness the prime minister of Newfoundland (and he didn't apologize to the common folk, either) who came here for surgery.
There are few MRIs in Canada, so many patients are sent to this country to receive them. Those that are deemed worthy.
Our cancer survival rate is much better than any country in the world. Even you must have seen those stats.
The fact remains that countries with socialized medicine use what is in effect triage, on their population and if you pass muster you get it, if not, "Sayonara".
Bottom line? We're the last resort for many people around the world for health care when it comes to the more esoteric diseases and surgeries. When our health care is cut to bare bones by the government, where do we go for extraordinary treatment?
Perhaps, if you're a wealthy US citizen you'll be able to go to a foreign "medical island" that is simply bristling with hospitals, doctors, nurses, other medical personnel and all the equipment now extant and run by people, not government.
If not..... no!
C. R. Stevenson (Thu Oct 07 10:46:31 2010)
C.R., you have wrong information regarding single payer and Canada. Those coming to the US do so because we spend almost twice what Canada spends and have no wait times.
But let's assume that you are correct and a US single-payer system would be atrocious. Then objectors can simply buy their own care the good old-fashioned way, with cash dollars on the free market. If I were unhappy with Medicare I could do that today, but I'm not. I see the same doctor I've seen for twenty years... he just sends his bill in a different direction.
Jack Lohman (Thu Oct 07 19:30:12 2010)
I love it, I am in the insurance industry. I can write a home policy, it will provide personal liability coverage, it will provide structure coverage on the home and it will provide coverage for the contents of the house for about 500 dollars per year, in the Green Bay are.
If I write a flood policy, it provides for one peril, flood, it depreciates the covered loss and the cost is about 800 per year in Green Bay, plus the flood program is 40 billion in the red with about 5 million policies in it.
Yes, let's have the Federal government run more of the health care, sounds like a good move, they have done s good job on flood insurance.
Just so you know this, the industry did offer to take over flood coverage, but FEMA did not want to give up control.
Joel (Mon Oct 11 19:13:23 2010)
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