Seriously? This is why we can’t have nice things.
You know me — I’m a pussy: I’m predictably delighted by the historic health care bill that passed on television last Sunday night.
I’m gay like that: Even though I’m personally going through some tough financial times, I’d actually be willing to pay more taxes if it meant poor people could have health care like I do. When I confess this feeling to Real Men, I end up being ashamed for being ashamed that our nation has gone so long without providing basic medical care for its citizens.
My friends who are doctors — good people — say it’s the end of the world. They say that in ten years it will be impossible to get a hernia operation. Their explanation for this is so complicated and boring that I just keep zoning out. No hernia operations in ten years? Sounds melodramatic — I have no choice but to believe that they are full of shit.
I’m going on my gut: With every single republican voting NO on this bill, after 16 months were spent making concessions for them, it says to me that something fishy is going on. Human beings don’t organically agree on logical topics with that kind of unanimity — it points to coercion and concern for appearances, like everyone in the 1950s mysteriously agreeing that you shouldn’t give blowjobs.
That vote was some Stepford Wives shit, and it makes me question the integrity of their ostensible argument.
To vet this theory, I ran it by my hunch-buster friend — good person; smartest guy I know. He’s so smart that he’s a complete failure, living off his grandparents’ inheritance and making less than 30k a year. He’s unable to function in society; too smart. What does he think of the health care reform?
“It’s the greatest thing ever,” he said.
“Really?!”
“Yep, I’ll never pay for health care again.”
What did he mean? Well, he found a hack in the system — the first of many, to be sure:
1. Cost of Health Insurance = $6500
2. Cost of penalty for not having health insurance = $750
3. 750 < 6500
4. Hack: give up health insurance, just buy it if you get very sick or have accident. Insurance company can’t deny you because of pre-existing condition.
5. Profit.
That sounds scary; I’m sure someone on Obama’s team thought of it. Right?
(Don’t tell anyone about that trick by the way — loose lips and all.)
I’m going with my gut: I believe Obama. He knows more than I do, and he’s the first leader I’ve ever innately trusted. I think it’s likely that the same crew who during the election shouted that he was a Socialist and a Muslim and a Black Supremacist are now shouting similar lies about his legislation.
As for N.O.W. and the lefties whining that Obama’s a sell-out and pushing him in between a rock and a hard place? Fuck you too, amirite? Your candidate, Ralph Nader, didn’t win –- and this is exactly why. This is about compromise and realism –- the only way a leader in this clusterfucked shithole government can get things done.
Seems to me that both ends of the political spectrum are acting like selfish ideologue fuckholes who would rather further their own agendas than bring people better health care.
My gut tells me this bill was a historic effort that will start to do just that. It’s just a hunch I’ve got, because above all I trust our president.
Maybe I’m part of the problem.
Headline and pic make a winning combo. Fuck Obama tho.
Here Here
How can you innately trust a politician and most likely someone you have never met. Maybe I am remiss of the meaning of innate but I just can’t wrap my head around something like that. Trust? I don’t even trust my dog.
Sike!
Uhhhh, I know you probably ignore most conservative media outlets, but your buddy’s “hack” has a been a major talking point for pundits over the last few months
holy fuck was this a shitty, childish, idiotic article. try actually listening to your doctor friends, opinions of ends of the spectrum, etc, and then think gaytard.
Stephanie- nice one!
ty- fuck off with your shitty website pushing comments- shut up.
Cpt. Obvious- i know, what a shitty uninformed article…
did you just discover /b/? wtf! i refer you to gwar’s giant internet robot that shoots blood.
Can you pleeeeeease stick to dick jokes? they have websites that do this already.
Actually, cunthair, you do sort of sound like a frothing at the mouth psycho. You’re not working wonders for the Rush-Is-Right crowd.
Agree 100% this speaks to me, thank you.
And the cunts bitching that SBTVC shouldn’t post stuff like this, gtfo.
This is actually a pretty deep piece that describes how most people who aren’t political pundits (who I “innately” don’t trust) are actually feeling.
This law means you are mandated by law to buy insurance from the wretched, scum sucking, for-profit insurance companies.
Haha! Cunt hair has a hair in his cunt because he found a shitty, childish, and idiotic article on Street Bonrz.
Glenn Beck cries for you, whaaaaaaaaa!
Ever since that whole killing-the-public-option-to-get-FAH-support thing leaked, this whole trusting-that-Obama-has-our-best-interests-in-mind thing has become a little more difficult. At least for me. Still think he’s an OG though.
All I learned from is that if Obama’s ever in Brooklyn, he knows where to go for a blow job.
okay- clearly we’re not going to get past partisan politics here, and are not interested in examining the issues as objectively as possible. i believe you’re all missing the point- Stephanie put it best: no politician is interested in you; and Joe Blow followed up with some serious truth: it’s not going to help anyone but insurance companies. if that’s the case, let’s keep the site to poos shaped like letters, etc. we cool? thanks.
WELL YOUR RIGHT B.N. THE LEFTIE DEMO-CRAP’S OUR TOO EXTREME FOR THIS COUNTRY, WHICH ALL WAYS BEEN AND WILL BE CENTER-RIGHT COUNTRY. WELL AS I SAY, POLITICLY, I AM A MODERATE, BUT I HAVE TO APPLOD THE REPUB’S BECASUE WIHT OUT THEM THIS BILL WOULD’NT OF PASSED.
WELL RALPH NADAR, LOL, CA’NT BELEIVE THAT SO MANY DEMO-CRAP’S STILL PUSHING HIM. I DEFINATELY WISH HE WOUDL GET OFF MY T.V., I SEE HIM ON THEIR EVERY DAY, EVEN ON FOX NEW’S
WELL ANY WAYS I’M STILL AT MY GRAND-MAS’ HOUSE PROTECTING HER FROM THE DEATH PANEL’S, WHICH DEFINATELY WAS ONE PART OF THE BILL I DID’NT LIKE
How about we balance the budget first? Before universal health care I would bring back a universal Federal land tax, flat income tax adjusted annually dependent on economy, and a universal draft before I add more into our “broken by bureaucracy” health care system.
Joe Blow is right – why are we forcing people to give insurance companies money? Because we love the nice insurance companies that always treat us so well and never, ever, ever screw us over? Also, two of my doctors already “retired”, and my main doctor is back in school getting an accounting degree.
“With every single republican voting NO on this bill, after 16 months were spent making concessions for them, it says to me that something fishy is going on.”
LOL. You are an idiot if you think this is true.
This guy Benjamin is obviously an idiot. Where’s Arv? smack this guy with some inanimate object please.
Health care industry types donated $20 Million to Obama’s campaign. When it all goes down, they and the newly empowered federal govt. will emerge with more wealth. We’ll be sitting in dirty waiting rooms for 4 hours with half the ‘hood, reading US magazine.
Even though I won’t see a tax increase, I wouldn’t be too thrilled at the prospect of getting one. I mean, who really likes to pay taxes? The issue is finding a balance between taxing too much and taxing too little. This bill seems reasonable. I’ll probably never use it though, I’m fortunate and wouldn’t expect the government or anyone else to take care of my healthcare.
Listen guys I am too cool for school. I hate Obama, he’s lying about everything, not a decent leader trying to work hard and do what he can for us in light of the hand he was dealt.
Politicians are all liars, the US did 9-11, and no one can ever be trusted.
^^^^ this is what you sound like. If this was a movie, you’d be the first one to on IMDB and write a review about how transparent the characters were. No one, you’d say, could ever be so predictably cynical and shallow.
I agree with Taeil. There’s no way this thing is ever going to cost what they say it will (which is true about every entitlement ever). What did he say? Some shit about it costing almost $1trillion and it not making the deficit go up. Yay! Ben can go to the money tree and pick more fresh dollars when the cost of this thing starts going up and up and up.
I got bugged because I read that I “had” to buy insurance, and I don’t like to be told what to do. But then I read that it is essentially unenforceable – i.e. if you don’t pay the penalty there’s no way they can make you. So it turns out, it doesn’t matter.
It may help people who need it, though it seems like part of the problem is that it places the burden on people who have already shown themselves to be not very adept at negotiating societal obligations.
Whatever. It’s a step in the right direction, but what we really need to do is more tightly control the borders, raise the minimum wage, and mandate the purchase of cheap health insurance by employers. That way we’d have fewer people in the job market, better paying jobs, and employers that actually take care of their employees.
I’m excited that health care passed just so the conservatives have a stroke over it.
My country is gone
…….. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
for-profit insurance companies now get your tax dollars. they will milk every dime they can out of your tax dollar. insurance was not fixed just got a guarantee paid day.
enjoy being bitched slapped
i like Obama. I would love to smoke a joint with him and while out on the white house lawn.
So, Obama basically just passed a republican health care bill without one republican vote. Great. I mean, seriously, if you’re just gonna cram something down everyone’s throats, and you know that not a single republican is gonna vote for it, why not get a little crazy with the bill?
But no. Hey, at least now I might have the opportunity to get health insurance by 2014-2018, assuming the bill isn’t gutted by then. Yay?
@Ultimate Scumbag Warrior: Or stop whining in the comment sections of blogs and get a job, asshole. Are you fucking serious?
Holy SHIT skull front and others, I can’t believe how anti-fcking healthcare everyone is on this fucking site!!!
I refuse to believe you represent young intelligent Americans. Skull Front, the whole idea that the insurance companies “get a pay day” is the whole reason this can work- it compensates them in exchange for regulating their anti-human and evil behaviour which is also enforced by the bill.
Jesus CHRIST Americans are thick.
fuck poor people who are too dumb to make more money. they’re supposed to die, that’s how evolution works.
Idiots.
My asscrack needs healthcare.
you guys actually have it all wrong. This legislation will infact bankrupt health insurers, thusly making the US Govt the largest provider. If the only people buying health insurance are those with pre-existing conditions (as per your “hack” example) the insurance companies will be forced into excessive payouts on more expensive treatments. This comes without the healthy people on their rolls that pay their premiums as a risk avoidance measure to help offset the costs. Oh and in regards to the fees, if you actually read the bill the IRS is given direct, electronic access to your account in order to withdraw the penalty as they see fit.
Youve all been hoodwinked.
Retards
ALERT! ALERT! Guys, STOP FUCKING DEFERRING TO DOCTORS’ OPINIONS ON THE HEALTH CARE DEBATE! Doctors don’t know SHIT about the minutiae of health insurance. They don’t deal with the administration aspect of the business. They know “if I do procedure Y, I get x amount of money in my pocket” the very same way patients know “if I get procedure Y, I get the bill and pay z amount of dollars.” You know who is more qualified? The medical billers (and even the general office staff who refer to the in-house biller in easier insurance cases) who handle insurance coding, and get on the phone with the companies to ensure that procedure y is covered. Perhaps even more so than insurance agents, as billers deal with a the patients, an assortment of private companies, as well as medicare and medicaid.
Fiscally conservative doctors have fiscally conservative opinions about health care just as liberal doctors will side with liberals.
Normally I wouldn’t wade into this kind of discussion because I have real things to think about but I thought I’d point out why your “hack” isn’t going to work. Insurance companies can still deny you coverage for pre-existing conditions, they are just charged a fine if they do so. That charge is $100 a day. So, you get a brain tumor that’s going to cost $500,000 in medical bills? They’ll come out ahead in denying you as long as you die sometimes within the next 4,999 days–13 years. To put it like you put it:
500,000 > 100 x small number of days until you die
Now, my “Cadillac” health plan costs my company more than most of you make in yearly income, so I have actual problems to worry about. But I just thought I’d give you the heads up.
the great thing about posts like this is every single person in here, including the author, have no fucking idea what they’re talking about in reference to insurance. none. i loved the quip last night by some liberal douchebag on tv about paying for insurance for 15 years and then getting dropped when they got cancer. ha. never happened and never will.
Billy, I’m not claiming to know what I’m talking about and anyone who does is a fucking liar. I’m just going with the ignorant opposition’s default argument against the fed controlling more of our lives, taking working people’s money, and turning the general populous into overgrown babies who can’t wipe their own asses. Personally, I think it’s a pretty good argument, but I’m really not willing to plumb the depths of what’s in that boring ass health bill. Why even go there when I can already smell the ZOG in Obama’s panties from hundreds of miles away?
Yeah but Billy Cox, the author’s tone is the only one here, including yours, that doesn’t pretend to know-it-all
PROOF that Obama is the Anti-Christ!
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/march2009/kevinh319.htm
this bill is ridic…i think 1 out of 3 people in america are obese, people will get helped that deserve to but what about the lazy fat low life bastards this country is full off…obesity causes almost all problems when it comes to health, obesity is a choice and so is doing drugs and they shouldn’t receive health care from our tax dollars because they like going to mickey dee’s and have diabetes, heart conditions etc. or because their a low life junkie…by 2016 its gonna cost over 2,000 a month for a middle class family of 4…and if your healthy and don’t want it you gotta pay 750…not fair and unconstitutional its like saying i don’t want you to mow my lawn and then having to pay 5 dollars just because you declined lol this whole thing is a joke and is going to bring this country in to a bigger slump then we already are plus they are hiring thousands of new IRS policemen to make sure they steal as much from the people as possible to support this ridiculous bill
trust no one
all we know is that America is heading towards a colossal butt fuck from China in 25 years. get ready to stop being a super power and join the club in europe
someones making bank. its definitely not me.
i don’t know what the fuck everyone is whining about. people not dying is pretty fucking good. so is not having to get your parents to mortgage a house and take out loans you can’t repay because you blew out your knee trying to skid on your fixie after too many PBR’s while wearing your ironic glasses listening to a band you hope no one else ever hears.
but hey i’m canadian, and that citizenship shit has saved my ass for years.
who’s getting married?
agree with bilarj. why people aren’t more upset by that is beyond me.
Looks like Americans don’t want or deserve Health Care
Looking at the comments, I don’t think anyone gets this article. Benjamin is against this health care bill.
DW: Through what GRE decoder ring did you deduce that? Next I’ll be hearing that the sky is actually green.
In a long car ride from fishing the other day, a good friend and myself pooled our knowledge together on the economy and the health care bill. He’s got his master’s in history and teaches 2nd grade, I’m an environmental engineer. We both realized we don’t know shit, more importantly, we don’t understand anything about these debates. We came to the conclusions that you gotta do some serious research to have an unbiased understanding of what the fuck is going on.
“Looking at the comments, I don’t think anyone gets this article. Benjamin is against this health care bill.”
hahah, no shit, when I was reading the article, I was thought, shit, BN going for this based on his GUT feeling, wtf is that shit. the i TRUST our president shit should have made it more clear.
@DW
I was going to say your retarded, but I think your right. It’s like it’s written as a guy who feels this way. Like a parody of a simpleton.
RE: “Looking at the comments, I don’t think anyone gets this article. Benjamin is against this health care bill.”
I’m not trying to say the readers of this site are a bunch of Magnus Carlsens, but I don’t think anyone gets the thesis, including me. And just like the bill itself (also don’t understand it), if no one gets it, it’s poorly written. And please don’t give me that, it’s-wishy-washy-to-make-people-think-critically bullshit. It’s an opinion piece.
p.s. you fucked the meme up, you forgot the ??????? step before PROFIT. fail.
@ Vane$$a and whatever-
i do know. all i’ve ever done is sell health insurance and i work under one of the largest MGA and IMO in the individual market. so, this shit makes me laugh. group insurance, i’m clueless to bc i dont sell it. but the talk about individual and what thats actually going to do/not do for the agents/agencies and clients…yea i got a handle on that. if i took the tone wrong and BN doesn’t support the bill, then I apologize. but this isn’t the godsend that the liberals are talking about and it def isnt the socialist health plan that the conservatives are talking about.
btw that was me ^^^^
Yyyeah, douche baggette, you’re not gonna beat /b/n at a who was on 4chan first contest. Nigger was inb4 moot
newfags can’t sage
SIXTIETH!!!
don’t even expect Us magazine. take it from red canadian
So every other developed nation in the world can handle having some sort of public option for health care, but the US sees it like some sort of doomsday for the whole economy?
Has anyone even tried considering what the hell is wrong with your country?
Have you ever considered that the reason we’re so fucking great is because we DON’T do the same shit other countries do? Instead of patting everyone on the back and subsidizing everyones shit, we say, WORK HARD, MIND YOUR BUSINESS and DONT COMPLAIN and you will live a good life. Oh whats that? You did that and its not working out? TOUGH. Life isn’t fair. Whatever happened to working hard and personal responsibility? Now, because America has been so liberalized and we basically have no more work ethic or national pride, we’ve become soft and we’re looking to countries that we’ve far outshined for advice. Thats disgusting to me.
I just think we’ve all become more mercenary. Why devote your life to a company when they’ll just lay you off fifteen years down the line anyway? On an international level, I believe that we are quickly drawing to a point where we should regard nations in the same way. I believe that national pride, in this day and age, would be better off as a myth.