Obama Asked if We Have "Better Ideas" on Health Care; Here are Ten
"If you have a better idea, show it to me." That was President Barack Obama's challenge two weeks ago to House Republicans regarding health care reform. He has since called for a bipartisan forum, not to start over on health reform but to "move forward" on the "best ideas that are out there."
The best ideas out there are not those that were passed by the House and Senate last year, which consist of more spending, more regulations and more bureaucracy. If the president is serious about building a system that delivers more quality choices at lower cost for every American, here's where he should start, say Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and founder of the Center for Health Transformation, and John C. Goodman, President, CEO and the Kellye Wright Fellow of the National Center for Policy Analysis.
- Make insurance affordable.
- Make health insurance portable.
- Meet the needs of the chronically ill.
- Allow doctors and patients to control costs.
- Don't cut Medicare.
Also:
- Protect early retirees.
- Inform consumers.
- Eliminate junk lawsuits.
- Stop health-care fraud.
- Make medical breakthroughs accessible to patients.
The solutions presented here can be the foundation for a patient-centered system. Let's hope the president has the courage to embrace them, say Gingrich and Goodman.
Source: Newt Gingrich and John C. Goodman, "Ten GOP Health Ideas for Obama," Wall Street Journal, February 10, 2010.
For text:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704820904575055190217079952.html
For more on Health Issues:
Sign up for the OV Daily Newsletter
OV Social
.
Well, this is either funny or a phony, that besides being 2 weeks too late.
Anyways; Who are Newt Gingrich and John Goodman?
Are they members of the Congress that Obama's address was directed at?
Are they (G & G) elected officials?
Are they members of the Cabinet?
Where were they when both Dem's & Rep's, were scrambling around to find those so Grrrreat ideas of Gingrich & Goodman?
Did they seek for or obtain the endorsement of either Political Party representing in Congress?
Why is it that Republicans best ideas, always come like Post-partum anxiety? Always Post never Pre!
I could go on and on, but I won't waste any more of my time.
.
Why does it matter who is proposing the ideas? When you devote your entire post to attacking the credentials of those proposing the ideas rather than the ideas themselves, it becomes clear that you are a partisan idelaogue who only cares about scoring political points.
These ideas listed above have been proposed as nauseum by every clear thinking person in the health care debate. Unfortunately, Obama and the Democrats in Congress were only interested in pandering to special interests and increasing their own power so they ignored all of the good ideas that might actually address the issue of health care cost.
You claim that Republicans only put forth ideas after the fact but you are wrong . I listened to many Republican legislators propose good ideas all throught the period that the Democrats were crafting their health care monstrosity behind close doors and away from public scrutiny. Republicans can't be blamed for the fact that the Democrats would rather gain power and pay off their special interests rather than solve problems.