by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Aug 11, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

      Entering the eye of the storm, President Barack Obama faced his critics at a town hall meeting in Portsmouth, N.H., addressing the same GOP spin machine that sold weapons of mass destruction to start the war in Iraq.  Today’s WMD includes well-crafted Republican talking points that Barack’s plan involves a “government takeover,” wrecking America’s quality health care system.  “For all the scare tactics out there, what is truly scary is if we do nothing,” Barack told a crowd of around 1,800 in a high school gymnasium.  During the summer recess, Obama tries to confront powerful right wing propaganda that his health care plan amounts to socialized medicine.  Currently, only the Veterans Administration Health System operates hospitals, clinics and medical offices, in what amounts to a government-operated HMO.  Both Medicare and Mediaid utilize private doctors, hospitals and clinics.

            Contrary to GOP disinformation, Barack’s plan simply offers government subsidized health insurance, allowing individuals to go to the doctors and hospitals of their choice.  There’s no government takeover and no government-run clinics, hospitals or labs in the mix.  GOP opposition was revealed June 21 by Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.)  that defeating Barack’s health care plan will be his political “Waterloo,”  “If we’re able to stop Obama on this [health care], it will be his Waterloo.  It will break him,” DeMint told a “Conservatives for Patients Rights” conference call, revealing the GOP’s real strategy behind the fierce opposition to health care reform.  While GOP strategists have been writing GOP talking points opposing health care, the real agenda is to weaken the president.  Whipping up conservative radio and TV audiences into a lather, the GOP seeks a political victory.

            Town hall meetings around the country have reached the boiling point, with proponents and opponents losing control.  “For all the chatter and the yelling and the should and the noise, what you need to know is this . . . if you do have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care you need,” said Barack, setting the record straight about a government takeover.  All businesses and individuals will be allowed to either purchase the government plan or retain their own.  Because of the possibility of a government plan, the insurance industry has already compromised, ending exclusions for preexisting conditions.  Barack’s affordable government plan intends to keep runaway premium prices down.  Controlling future health care costs, both costs to consumers and providers, builds stability into the system.

            Conservative senior talk show hosts and members of Congress have no problem using their government health plan called Medicare or, if they’re veterans, using the Veteran’s Administration. They routinely cash their “socialist” Social Security checks, despite being, in many instances, multimillionaires.  Let there be no mistake, GOP opposition isn’t only on philosophical differences but rather a deliberate, calculated attempt to sabotage the Obama presidency.  DeMint tipped the GOP hand, playing politics with the 50 million or uninsured Americans or countless others getting fleeced by the insurance industry.  Barack’s plan only subsidizes health insurance, doesn’t provide a single payer system like Medicare and Medicaid.  Barack doesn’t want to take away anyone’s health care, he wants to insure those without coverage and control costs for those that do.   

            Instead of speaking in generalities, Barack needs to get down to brass tacks:  Specifying deductibles, co-payments and waiting periods for outpatient and inpatient services.  Until subscribers know the details, national health care is gibberish.  He also needs to level with taxpayers on how he’s going to pay to enroll 50 million citizens without busting the federal budget, already running nearly $2 trillion in the red.  Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, while speaking Aug. 2 with ABC’s George  Stephanopolos, indicated he agreed with former Clinton Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman urging a value-added tax—a type of national sales tax.  Getting down to specifics should allay much of the propaganda advanced by conservatives purely for political gain    Obama’s health plan attempts to solve both accessibility and runaway costs.

            Republicans have done a good job scaring the public much the same way they did hyping Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction to justify the Iraq War.  Barack’s best defense is getting into the details of how his plan will insure 50 million citizens currently without health care and promote better competition among private insurers.  No government plan will break private insurers unless they offer obsolete policies, excluding preexisting conditions and charging exorbitant premiums.  Private insurers for too long have given individuals the short end of the stick, while lavishing benefits on group plans.  Barack’s government plan should set minimum benchmarks for accepting preexisting conditions, reasonable deductibles, co-pays and waiting periods.  Instead of sabotaging a good thing, the GOP should join Democrats in fixing a broken system for the good of the country.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Charisma.