YES how DARE any logic be used...

The people of Ga. have spoken and do not want Obama Care. Obama will just have to force it on us as he has many other things he has done in the last 4 years. Stephen you are just a bigot who tries and use the Redneck word as a way to shame those who disagree with your illogical thinking. Rednecks come in all shapes sizes and colors get over it .

Like libs have any logic at all. Just look at the news day in and day out and you see the how illogical the libs are in all they say and do.

Maybe he should award a "Hawk Emergency" metal to you E.P.?

There can be NO risk WHATSOEVER with the ever vigilant Eye Candy 1 at the helm …

Things did shift ,the state used to be all Democrats E my boy. Some of us came around earlier then others to the Right way of thinking and became Republicans.

"E Pluribus Unum" some name for a person of the lib left democratic party. Not sure what god you have your trust in but I am sure it is not the God of Abraham Isaac and the father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. From what I saw at the DNC God was only a second thought and then almost was not recognized. If you went by voice vote God did not carry in the motion. "In God We Trust" words people live by everyday that live by Faith.

Karsten, I'm so glad you think that Deal is protecting Georgia citizens. How about the people who don't have insurance because they've lost their jobs? How do you suggest those people get health care? The only citizens that Deal will protect are the lucky ones with jobs and insurance. Just forget about the thousands of other citizens who are living with health problems because they can't afford insurance or medications.

PamJ, The plan you are looking for already exists. It's called Medicaid.

Pam, like No Name said, plans already exist to cover those people. This bill really doesn't help them. All this does is raise costs for other people. In fact, all the government intervention into healthcare does is raise costs. But, nobody's better than the government at creating a problem and then posing supposed solutions for that very problem.

Well, I can't get on Medicaid. If you live with someone who has money coming in, even though it's not your money, you get turned down for everything. Food stamps, welfare, Medicaid, etc. I will admit that, when I had a job, I didn't think about things like this. I thought, like you, that anybody who wanted health care could get it. But now that I am in that situation, I know different. It's not as easy as everybody thinks it is. Now Cobb County has started this thing with Wellstar to provide healthcare to people who are 55-64 and have limited or no funds. But you have to fill out tons of paperwork to get approved. I've sent the info in, now I will just see if I get approved. Like I said, unless you are faced with this problem, you really don't understand it.

This person is CORRECT! Check it out before you look like a fool on here. This health care mess will ONLY HELP low income and needy people and, I can tell you now, there isn't ONE Democrat politician in GA that is poor and needy, they are all in the 1% group and don't want their taxes to go up. Understand?

You are correct Deal is doing what he was elected to do by the people of the state of Ga. he answers to those very people and not Obama and D.C.

Charles Schwable dont know where you have been but I am sure that over half the state is not Ga. born. We will see in 4 years what the American people have to say about who is then in charge of the country. I have a strong feeling after 4 more years of the same bull as the last 4 years most will be ready for a change bake to the values of the Conservative movement. That is those who don't vote race over what is good for the country. Justice is blind but it seems that some American voters vote only because of the color of the skin as they did in this last election.

You think health care is high now? Just wait..................... Start looking for a part time job to pay for the increases.

wrong again ma'am Governor Deal is protecting his own Republican trashbag jock strap swooning cronies like George W did when he was in office as most Republican's do

Wow. You like the words jock strap and trashbag and swooning. Not real original though, are you? Douche....

rpatton - Right on. As someone recently quipped, "If you think health care is high now, just wait until it is 'free'. "

As original as any garbage can Republican can muster up with limited mentality.

Tammy the health exchanges will be set up with or without the support of our dear leader Gov. Deal, this just means it will be a programe administered by the Federal Government and we all know (red and blue) it will be a humungus mess. The state would have been able to set up their own programe administered it and controlled it.

"As original as any garbage can Republican can muster up with limited mentality."
-Huh? Please, at least put forth some attempt at decent grammar....

And Neil, not sure how much difference it would really make to be able to control that fiasco at a local level. It would still have federal oversight, and without us setting it up, companies can't be fined for failing to provide the appropriate coverage. I still see the way we're doing it as better.

Health Care Free and the Witch Doctor will see you next No name.

I wonder what rock Charles Schwable crawed out from under. Gov. Deal is doing what is best for the people of Ga. who are mostly against Obama Care. Those of you who want everything given to you need to craw back under the rocks where you came from. We the tax payers are tired of supporting the 40% who pay nothing in taxes and think those who do should pay more. Go out and learn to make a living or just cut back on you big screen t.v smart cell phones pay t.v services (we have 80 over the air stations in the ATL alone) keeping your homes heated to 80% then complain you can not pay the heating bill and the list goes on. You want to live like you have money then go out and earn it . My family and I did , without help from any Govt give away programs. You people have no pride in self or country.

Might be a good idea to stay on topic, John Q Public. I am sure your candidate for Mayor, Sandy Murray, would disapprove of your blatant spamming of unfounded accusations against Murray's opponent.

Listen Mr Lutz,
You hush!

Mr Lutz,
What office are you running for?

Thank you. Why in the world would we need to build another stadium? And why would the taxpayers need to foot the bill?

Of course, unrelated to the healthcare discussion, since we shouldn't be paying for them through tax dollars anyway....

as both of you females will realize you do not make the decisions in state or federal oe county government, the whole stadium idea is roughly 1 billion dollars with retractable roof, which the Falcons will pay about 700 million dollars, and the 1% sales tax which will come up with the difference over a period of 10 years to absorb the remaining cost.

Both of what females, there, junior? And why do we need an additional sales tax to replace something that ain't broke? Why on Earth would we need to spend money on this? And why would it take somebody on the Conservative side to call them out for it, and why would it be defended by somebody on the Liberal side? Do you guys just really like spending money that much?

Junior is only your mental state whomever you are! You ought to be used to being taxed to death! Georgia is worst state for burdening the taxpayers with such tax agendas as SPLOST, hotel tax, Cobb's County manager now wants lawmakers to raise liquor tax to 50% so you should be used to it.

What makes you think these guys won't find satisfaction in the clutter of uninsured sick upon our sidewalks. It is precisely this clutter that will affirm their sense that the uninsured are deadbeats and losers who are only getting what they deserve.

Wow. I actually feel dumber for having read that. Thank you....

Who in ga goes without healthcare?

Karsten---GREAT Post...and valid analogy with car insurance and health care. The other side will say that one is life and death and the other is just a property repair at risk. But the priniciple is the same.

Mandatory health care insurance should NOT include contraception, annual physicals and a number of other services. They should be a part of everyone's personal cost (unreimbursed) per year. Part of your budget. If you can afford cable, you can afford the above. Again, it is a question of choice. Now, if you are below the poverty level, there can be assistance for these basics. But we have to get back to paying directly for some basics. If I do not need contraception--I do not have to pay for a policy that pays it for others. $9/ month for the Pill is a discretionary cost for most. Why should I have to pay through a higher premium?

Thanks again, Karsten.

"NObody dies from lack of healthcare.." - what an stupid, misinformed statement...go spend a day at Grady... how insensitive!

so I guess if you are childless, you don't want to pay for public education either? how stupid can you be

What the hell does public education have to do with anything that was said? Is it that difficult to stay on topic?

But since you brought it up, no, we shouldn't be paying for public education through the federal government. It's not their right to control it, it's a state's responsibility to delegate it as they see fit. But nothing you said has anything to do with paying for anything. We're talking about health insurance here, and the mandates that everybody HAS to have it and a state's refusal to set up the exchange. Focus.....

Canada is great this time of year!

Most people will go to the doctor for a nasty (something) infection, and kids take the brunt of all the illness that is spread through human contact. When we pay into an insurance plan, we know we are not necessarily going to be the beneficiaries of the investment. On a note: The reason Pots and congress raised the healthcare age for kids to 24 is that.... well, that's when they can get a loan and go to school. LOL!

1) You conflate "Cancer" with "catastrophic illness". An convenient conflation if the goal is to mislead.

2)We are 8th, not 1st, in shortest wait times. A convenient untruth for those who wish to mislead.

3) We are 34th in "infant mortality rate". According to you, the 33 who best us all classify "infant mortality" using less stringent criteria. Can you document this claim? We'll wait.

"However, the method of calculating IMR often varies widely between countries, and is based on how they define a live birth and how many premature infants are born in the country. Infant mortality rates can be flawed depending on a nations’ live birth criterion, vital registration system, and reporting practices.[22] Certain practices of measurements have the potential to be underestimated. Measurements provide a statistical way of measuring the standard of living of residents living in each nation. Increases and decreases of the infant mortality rate reflect social and technical capacities of a nations’ population.[4] The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a live birth as any born human being who demonstrates independent signs of life, including breathing, voluntary muscle movement, or heartbeat. Many countries, however, including certain European states and Japan, only count as live births cases where an infant breathes at birth, which makes their reported IMR numbers somewhat lower and raises their rates of perinatal mortality.[23]"

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_mortality

Now, I'll be the first to say that I don't generally use Wikipedia as a source, but there's plenty of references in the paragraph, you're welcome to check them out.

EPU
Nail on the head.
What other 'industry' is allowed to scrape 30% off every dollar passing through their hands without providing ANY added value?

Ha! Ha! tell them just because there Republican trashbag candidate was a loser from his mother's womb

The Federal GIVERMENT!!!

EPU, when you have time, review the reasons given by the automotive companies for the need of a bail-out. 20% of the cost every automobile manufactured by a US company is for healthcare costs. I don't believe your comment about corporations going out of business is accurate. Oldsmobile, Hummer, Saturn, Plymouth...the list goes on.

At least you will have health care when you are in the unemployment line or the soup line when unemployment runs out. You will quickly find out how many you are supporting with your own job when you can't pay your own bills with all that you actually earned. Divide and conquer has nested itself well in our country.

One of many, you're mistaken. The only folks who will remain upset aren't just the insurers. It will be those who opposed the bill for its end political results. Forcing the citizens of this country to purchase a product is a slippery slope. I believe exchanges have merits. I believe distributing the costs of healthcare among everyone has merit. I even believe that putting in pre-existing condition mandates has merit. But regardless of where something seems logical on the surface, the federal government was never empowered to force its citizens to purchase a service. What happens next time when they force you to buy a government issued newspaper? What happens next time when they force you to work in a particular industry. Do tell me if they have the power to force you to buy one thing why they don't also have the power to force you to buy everything else whether you like it or not.

So how's that fiscal cliff looking?
Oh YEAH when you're on the winning side there ISN'T one...

He has every right to "stop" his feet and refuse to play because the healthcare legislation allows him to do so ... legally AND the 10th amendment puts Georgia in charge of most issues and not a single person elected as president. Now that you're a bit more educated, perhaps you might learn to spell the word "stomp" and resort to facts instead of name calling next time.

There is supposed to be a cap on how much insurance companies can raise your premiums. $100 sounds a little fishy. I would look into that if I were you. The insurance companies are madder than hell right now and they are going to try anything they can to get more money. The insurance companies need to be brought down a notch or two, but they have too much clout to fight them. What the government is trying to do is make insurance more affordable for everybody and expose overcharges from doctors and hospitals. Everybody should be happy about that, but it looks like it's every man (or woman) for themselves. We don't care about our neighbors or anybody besides ourselves. If healthcare is being paid for already for uninsured people, don't you think it will be better if we have the health care exchanges where some of us can actually buy insurance instead of "milking" the system? Like I said, if you make $25,000 and your insurance went up $100, I would fight that.

Exactly. I have osteoporosis and the medication I was on was helping. Unfortunately I can't afford it without insurance, so my bones are slowly "dying". I was scheduled to have a colonoscopy before I lost my insurance, but they had to reschedule it and it was after my insurance ran out. I haven't had a mammogram or pap smear in three years. I've talked to my doctor, but they will not "negotiate" anything. Sure, I can hit the emergency room with an emergency and get taken care of, but preventive care and long-term medication because of an emergency situation are not an option without insurance. I can guarantee that some of the people who die from colon cancer or breast cancer or some other kind of treatable cancer will be people who don't have insurance. The way our healthcare system is set up now, you can't negotiate anything worthwhile. It's all about money, not about human beings. We are the only socialized country in the world where the healthcare companies are in it for profit. And our healthcare is no better than some other countries.

One billion dollars was given to the Presidential campaigns. Think of how much of that money could have been spent to save the lives of Americans who are uninsured. Just a thought from someone who is pro-life not just for the pre-born, but for the post-born as well.

When we eventually don't have to give insurance companies 30% of every dollar just for existing, tremendous sums will be available.

Exactly my point - get government out of it and we can reduce the cost of the coverage...

Michael k, in my values system, peoples lives are more important than money coming out of my pocket.

Austria and Germany have entirely 'not for profit' health insurance available by mandate to all Citizens and include prenatal care.
The physician is seldom if ever in a situation where they are meeting the mother for the first time in the delivery room.

That's the plan for ObamaCare. If you're too old, we just let you die. So, what are you complaining about?

I have done my research. The plan will work the same as the VA is currently run. The men and women that defended our country are turned down for routine procedures once they reach a certain age. My father in law is 85 and is no longer eligible for anything besides service related injury follow up. You are the one that should read the bill. I read it recently and was appalled. There are tax increases in the bill that aren't even closely related to healthcare. Pay-offs for votes to get it approved. Treasonous in my opinion.

Mr. B. I am wondering where you did your research, but the information that you have is not correct. I have heard so many negatives about the VA over the years and that too is very unfortunate and sad, as well as unbelievable that we should treat our veterans this way. I have family members who are caught up in that system. The payoffs for votes not to pass the bill are greater. A similar comment written earlier: the insurance companies and their lobbyist are the ones who will be negatively affected (pissed off) by the Healthcare Act because they will not be able to make the huge profits and decrease healthcare services as is currently happening. They have us in a serious stronghold! Imagine being in the ER for hours and cannot get dinner because the hospital stopped serving meals to patients because poor, homeless, etc. were coming into the ER as patients so they could get a meal. Yes, there are many places to help the people, but not always in the area where these people have access.

Nod, the main place I did my research is in the bill itself. I read every word. It's huge and difficult to read. Takes days if not weeks to get through it, especially when you have to keep back tracking to see the controversies in it. Please read the bill. But be forewarned, you will spend all your day writing your congressmen, phoning them, banging your head against the wall. People like Marsi will become dead to you. Disgusting individuals that take credit for writing such a damaging piece of crap.

I've read every word. And highlighted many passages. If you were involved in writing any of my highlighted passages, you should be ashamed for contributing to the demise of America. This bill is a disgrace and anyone connected with it should be tried for treason. Spin it all you want, its an abomination.

Marsi did you even read the whole bill. I bet not. Unless you did you are just not informed at all. Another tax payer rip off and the spending goes on .

The only sketch I see are people that openly take credit for driving America into the ground. Please don't procreate.

Marsi you better hope you just never get sick under the plan that goes into effect this year. Soon you will be waiting in line to find a Doc. and when you do find one you will be waiting weeks and months before you get in to see them. I lived in the EU and have seen it over and over again.

Never to late and the fight will go on. One day the American people will open their eyes and see how stupid they where and vote to turn the tide on your beloved plan. We are not sore losers as those who cried when Bush won two elections Yes we remember those days of the left crying like little babies .

How's the new job going?

Chris, I'm doing great. Thanks for asking.

First Health Care now spell NAZIs I wonder what will be next?

LIKE! Also, Medicaid eligibility is a vast matrix of considerations and services. It is not a one-size-fits-all program. And poor adults without a disability are not eligible. Poor pregnant women (below poverty level) can get Medicaid in GA until the baby is 8 weeks old. GA Medicaid also has certain cancer waivers. But it is by no means available to every "low income" person.

You obviously are using the wrong carrier. Your Medicare Part B shouldn't cost you anything. Part D is included in most policies but the most I have ever seen it quoted is $25 per month. I don't know how much Supplemental you're carrying but it sounds like you are paying too much is you have no money left and still owe Emory $1000. Try BC/BS of GA.

Mr. B, I laughed out loud, very loud! My carrier for Supplemental Insurance IS BC/BS! My relative has the same plan with UnitedHealth for a lot less. :-o !! I do not care to do business with UH. I just learned a couple of days ago from an insurance rep why my relative's is lower than mine. Medicare B is NOT free; none of it is free! Medicare A does not cost a person (or spouse) who has worked for 40 or more quarters. For those that have not met the specific requirements by age 65 there is still an opportunity to enroll at a cost
■Those only having 30 – 39 quarters the Part A premium is $248.00 per month.
■Those that who are not eligible or have less than 30 quarters the Part A premium is $451.00 per month. There is an annual deductible of $1,156 (2012) per year Source of this info and a lot more about Part A: http://www.hvsfinancial.com/2012/04/is-medicare-free-it-is-far-from-being-free
If one enrolls in Medicare C/Medicare Advantage, it may not "cost" anything according to what one reads on the carrier' s info; however, one carrier who has $0 for premium, Part B deductible, etc. charges a lot more for co-pay of prescriptions. If one has a Tier 4 medication, the cost/month for a Rx can be more than my monthly co-pay, which is currently $229/month and has risen each year, as well as the cost of Part D, which has risen approx. $2/year for me. For most people the 2012 PartB premium is $99.90/mo. ($104.90 in 2013). Part B deductible in 2012 is $140/yr ($147 in 2013)."

CONTINUED: What determines how little I have left of my soc. sec. check is the amount of my total soc.sec. benefit. This is based on the amount that I paid into the system, which unfortunately was not as much as my children are paying because although I have college degrees I happened to be in what was a low-paying profession at the time. The annual pay now is 2-3X what I earned/year. I also do not have a pension because pensions were not offered. And I had to repay several school loans for this life in my old age; I do not regret going to college one bit. http://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/decide-how-to-get-medicare/original-medicare/how-original-medicare-works.html
Medicare Part D (Prescriptions): My monthly fee is $39/month, which includes $2 or $3 extra because I did not sign up for Part D the 1st year I was eligible. The penalty will continue throughout my life. ”Most Medicare Prescription Drug Plans charge a monthly fee that varies by plan. You pay this in addition to the Medicare Part B premium. If you belong to a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) or a Medicare Cost Plan that includes Medicare prescription drug coverage, the monthly premium you pay to your plan may include an amount for drug coverage “

Basically learning about Medicare is similar to on-the-job training; you learn as you go. I hope this information has been helpful to you and others.

BTW, my cost for surgery at Emory was just short of $9,000. Medicare B paid 80% of their approved cost and BC/BS paid 20% of the approved cost. Emory billed me almost $1000 for "non-covered services," whatever that is. I will be in contact with Emory for a detailed invoice of this.

I have the top level of coverage available under Medicare, which has served me very well, since I have spent the past 2 years mainly seeing specialists and having many tests (from low-cost to ricidulously expensive) and several surgeries. My prescription co-pay has been quite good, except when I went into the "doughnut hole" last year. After entering the doughnut hole my cost for prescriptions increased tremendously for 5 or 6 months (the end-of-the-year). With Affordable Healthcare the doughnut hole is being decreased or maybe phased out in 2012 (can't remember for sure). I was told by Medicare that most people enter the "doughut hole" about June. BTW, some of the Medicare plans that cost less have high out-of-pocket limits for the insured.

When I was in college, I worked part time and made $17,000 per year. Somehow I managed to pay $330 a month for a private insurance policy. I did without to make sure I had health care. It's ALL about personal responsibility & not playing the victim!

Lissa, were you paying rent and have a car payment when you were in college? People now have to use what little money they have to pay for basics. It's not the college kids that are the problem because their parents can keep them on their insurance until they are 26. The problem now is all the people without insurance. The Health Exchanges would give those people the option of buying a policy at a reasonable price. And believe it or not, it's okay to call yourself a victim sometimes. It's not a bad word.

Wow, a liberal promoting the idea of calling yourself a victim. Who'da thunk it?

It's how you react. Calling yourself a victim and crying "Woe is me! Whatever shall I do? All this must be somebody else's fault! It's not fair!" isn't helping anybody. Most people are exactly where they are thanks to choices that they've made in their lives. You can either be a victim, or not. But those that promote the idea of government nanny-ism declaring that some people are just victims really isn't, again, surprising.

Lissa M. you are as insensitive and judgemental as too many people who comment on sites like this. Hooray for you for earning $17,000 while you were in college; you were truly blessed. Lots of people take responsibility and do not claim to be a victim (of circumstances); they simply state what their situation is or was. How about I tell you about the $800/mo. that I paid for healthcare when I was out-of-work in the late 1990's & again in 2000s. I paid it because I knew that I needed insurance, even though I was in very good health. I do not put myself on a pedestal, applaud myself, or belittle others because I did that. Everyone has different circumstances. Why you people think the majority of poor people & middle class people who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances are freeloaders is beyond me. I was amazed at how much money my child made while in college full-time & during the summer. She made more than many 2 parent families. She made Dean's List every semester, went on to grad school free & made even more money while there. NOW, everyone is not that blessed or fortunate. As a friend said to me, you should stop reading the garbage written by people who do not care about anyone else but themselves, who are biased, judgemental & many other negative attitudes re others who are different than they. I have decided to do that because it is not worth my energy or time to read this BUNK!

Chris we know the democrats think the world is flat.

VA healthcare has been known to have problems for as long as I have known about it, but it is not the same as what is proposed in the Affordable Healthcare Act. I don't trust government on any level (from the lowest to the highest), and I think that is sad, very sad. There may be a very few politicians that I might trust, albeit cautiously. My distrust goes back many years; it is not just recent.

So what's the big deal that the governor of NJ, "yes New Jersey" has vetoed, etc. Christie never changed his party affiliation to Democrat; he never said he supported President Obama in the election. After Hurricane Sandy, Gov. Christie did what any intelligent human being should have done, whatever was necessary to help his people in New Jersey; that is the reason so many eggheads thought he had switched his support to President Obama and began to attack him. Christie, being an intelligent man, also heard very clearly that Mitt Romney was flip-flopping faster tha a surfer on a surfboard during the hurricane.

Just in case anyone questions the validity of this post, it appeared in a Letter to the Editor, the doctor is a real person, and there were a couple more letters in a series between him and someone else on this subject. http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/starner.asp

This letter was written in 2009 and I can't believe any doctor would print something like this. Basing their care on how a person looks. Looks are very deceiving sometimes and I bet this doctor is charging the insurance companies thousands of dollars for little things. People who were doing very well financially have lost their jobs and either can't find another one or had to take a job making a lot less. So maybe this woman with the gold tooth got that tooth when she was doing well financially. Maybe she had a good job and lost it through no fault of her own. And the cost of pretzels and beer will not pay for any halfway decent insurance policy. And insurance companies need to stop paying for everybody who makes bad decisions about their health. None of us would have insurance if they did that. Common sense has deserted most people.

Did you even read the letter, Pam? Your reply makes no sense.

Yes, I read the letter and I went to the snopes site and read everything else. If you can't understand what I was saying, too bad. It doesn't matter if you do or not because you wouldn't agree with me anyway.

Pam J's reply makes lots of sense to a sensible person. Mr. B you probably promote the nonsense in the so-called letter from a doctor because you appear to be biased and judgemental towards anyone who may be different than you. That's the problem with too many of us today. We make fun of people who are different than we are, have less than we have, and on and on. Sad, very sad!!

Absolutely! I worked for a doctor for over 8 years & she said every time she went in to the clinic at Grady she was having to tell a poor single mom that she had AIDS. They had to test the children too. She said it was just pitiful, but it's their culture.

EVERY (??) time the doctor went into the CLINIC at Grady she had to tell a poor single mom that she had AIDS. "Pififul, but it's their culture." Who is "their?" What is the culture of single moms? Are single moms at Grady the only people who get AIDS? How was AIDS acquired by these poor single moms? Are they the majority of people with AIDS? You know who I pity? Lissa M. and the doctor who made that statement. Well, we know that GA is one of the lowest rankiing states in education, medical care, etc. so wonder if that has anything to do with "their culture?"

Well, my father went into Northside Hospital on March 5, 2012. We moved him to the hospice on March 8 and he died exactly 24 hours after he checked into the hospice. First, they charged him for Intensive Care but he was in a regular room. Charged him for surgery, didn't have any surgery. All they did do were x-rays and blood tests. Found out he had terminal cancer and couldn't help him. Still charged us for physical therapy and speech therapy. $2,254 for labs, nearly $5,000 for drugs. Total of $20,083 for three days and most of the time they had him on high doses of morphine. Granted, the insurance company paid for most of it, but we still should not be happy about the high costs. Now, if I have a serious illness (and I don't have insurance), I really don't want to charge the taxpayers thousands of dollars for things to keep me going. So my only other option is just to suffer and die. Fair enough?

Sounds great to me. By the way, the unemployment rate supposedly dropped again this month. Those who refuse to work are running out of excuses. Regardless of true unemployment facts, Obama, his minions and the media will have the unemployment rates back down to the Bush years while 13,000,000 Americans will still be unemployed and desperately seeking legal means to support themselves and their families. Never mind getting back to where they used to be 12 years ago.

WAKE UP AMERICA! Obama is Transforming The United States of America and you MORONS are voting for it.

Healthcare? REALLY? HEALTHCARE? That is of the past

Hi Chris, we've missed you. Sure, the unemployment rate is going down. That just means that fewer people are losing their jobs and a lot of people fell off the rolls because their benefits ran out. We still have millions of unemployed people out there. I don't expect you to agree with me (oh wait, I think you did) because I could say the earth is round and you would disagree with me. It's in your nature. I quite enjoy it. Oh, and thanks for thinking that my dying sounds great to you. I really have not done one thing to you except to disagree with you. I appreciate the special attention you give me, but I guess I really don't understand why.

Did they charge you for rent on his building? Did they charge you for his student loans? Did they charge you for his nurses and staff payroll? Did they charge you for all the equipment, medicines, etc. that it takes to run a doctor's office? Do you think maybe he charged fairly to cover his expenses?

Now that you know, throw up outside or in the toilet. Or bring your own bag.

not to mention the nurses student loans..... if my $9 for a rubber glove is going to cover my doc's student loan.... i'm switching doc's

Emory once charged me $218 for 3 pills. They said they are medications that I would or could take at home. Well, I had never been given these medications before and the doctor ordered them after surgery. Even so, you cannot take your medications from home to a hospital and self-administer them. Indeed, medical charges are severely over-inflated! There was a time when we paid our own doctors bills, paid the full cost of our prescriptions, supplies, etc., but then HMOs came along and changed everything (may have been something else as well), and some greedy people saw an opportunity to squeeze the public and insurance companies, and healthcare costs went into orbit. Medicare and insurance fraud skyrocketed, Medicare decreased payment after many years of this abuse, and the game continues because the providers are inflating charges because they get less money and Medicare and insurance company continue to reimburse them at a lower rate. And most of all, this is all President Obama's fault because he has been in office for at least 40 years.

Nod, I remember when I had to pay for doctor's visits and full prices for medications. I had the same doctor in Smyrna for probably 40 years. When he retired, that is when I signed up on the HMO. If we could just get doctor's visit costs back to a manageable amount and if prescriptions didn't cost so much, a lot of us would be okay. But a visit to my regular doctor costs $80 and the specialist is $175. The osteoporosis medication, without insurance, is $900 each month. If the exchanges would offer policies at a reduced rate, more people could get insurance. Heck, people who already have insurance may be able to find a cheaper policy.

The office has to pay its staff, medical malpractice insurance, rent, utilities, other supplies, etc. Yes, they have contracts with the managed care companies on how much their fee schedules are (published annually), which is based on a Medicare formula. If they choose to bill above and beyond, the patient must pick up the tab for the difference. You sign papers (maybe only on your first visit) agreeing to pay any charges that are not covered by your insurance. In Medicare, that form is called an Advance Beneficiary Notice.

As the mother of 2 preemies I can tell you that at Northside they don't call them million dollar babies for nothing.

Pam J, congratulations on the job. I know it's not as much as you need but hopefully it will open some doors for you. You never know. Right? You have a lively personality (to say the least) and you are no doubt a fighter. Keep up your spirit. I sincerely wish the very best for you. I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Always fight the Good Fight!

p.s. Of course the earth is round.

Thank you, Chris. I hope you have a nice holiday season also.

Wow! So forgiving. Another fine trait of yours I'm sure. : )

I have a lot of fine traits. Just like I'm sure you have a lot of fine traits. We just choose to disagree. As you may notice, I don't really ever attack anybody. I state what I think is true, but I don't really ever call anybody a name or wish anyone bad stuff if they disagree. Some of you may want to try that sometimes.

You're right Pam. One thing that I admire most about you is your honesty. It doesn't take much to be mean but it takes a lot to survive hardships and maintain integrity and honesty. I am sorry. We can all learn from others.

You're very intelligent, strong willed and you're tough. That's very admirable. Please forgive me. I truly wish you the very best.

Chris, thank you so much for the compliments. It seems to have taken some time to get here, didn't it. We can still disagree about some things, but let's try and do it in a nicer way. I hope you and your loved ones have a great holiday season too. My first one without my dad, so it will be a little tougher, but we will survive it.

I HOPE he sends me a check!!

What is the point of (gov) borrowing money from the american people if you know your going to have to pay it back in a year..... without interest.

That's a great little video.

It is true that many doctors do not make as much money as we think and it is due to the overhead, especially if they have a private practice. Although they are not the only professionals these days who leave school with a lot of loans and do not have a sufficient salary.

Pam,
Please understand that in order to cure the problem John first has to admit there is one. Epiphany coming soon. Stay tuned.

Can you name one Dem legislator that isn't a lawyer?

Trial lawyers that are Republican? I think you are confused, Marsi. The Rep. party is made up of business people, historically speaking. Ya know, aka, the taxpayers?

Lawsuits, a big problem. Some years back some Ob/Gyn physicians dropped Ob because of the cost of malpractice insurance. A friend had cataract surgery and a few weeks later the lens slipped, so the surgery had to be repeated. The response from a relative was, "Do you have a good lawyer?" My friend asked, "For what?" We are too quick to sue and if we are not successful in criminal court (or whichever it is), we file a civil suit.

Interesting. I looked in the white book and determined that in the Senate 7 out of 33 Republicans (21%) are lawyers (assuming the retired judge was also a lawyer; none are listed as TRIAL lawyers, btw). 3 out of 20 Dems are lawyers (15%). So you're telling us this small minority of Senators is blocking tort reform? Seriously?

Whether they block tort reform doesn't really have anything to do with their own personal vocation, they get so much money from the Lawyer's unions and groups that they don't want to push the reform agenda....

george, even you know this will never happen. Costs will be so much higher for Georgia as the federal government goes further and further into the red. Soon, and sooner than 10 years, all of this will be dumped on the state. And we can't afford it. Smart is the best word applied to Deal.

Yes the FEDS would fund 3 years worth and then the full cost to operate and expand from there on belongs to GA. for EVERMORE but you're stuck with DC conditions.

Mandates - we need them to survive...

A real money saver if you blow the pittance in the FIRST year...

At what point ever has an infusion of cash from the government ever helped the economy or unemployment?

Absolutely BUY it now and we pay for the first 3 years...

(With money we DON'T have, but that's not important now)

Easy as pie, just like a car loan or a "room to go" ...

THEN you get the full upkeep all by yourself for EVERMORE- Joy to the checkbook!

Kinda like splosts, getting the seed money isn't hard - its the little things like staffing, operation expansion and upkeep on the back end that gets ya where it hurts... After the salesmen all leave and the warranty is over....

Why it's a national HOT Lane on steroids!!!

But I could see where the confusion comes from because if you take the new Falcon Stadium @ 1.5 Billion "DEAL", it seems we are made of money.

Gee its just ONE year of Gwinnett County's general operation budget.

@North Georgia weather
We end corporate welfare and tax loop holes, we cut 68 billion in wasteful pentagon spending (per Republican Senator Tom Coburn's list).we cut over 3 billion dollars in aid to Israel unless they stop building illegal settlements in disputed Palestine territory's.I could give you more but you catch the drift.

Maybe we should cool the advice to world until we get our own ducks in a row, or at least in the same state as the farm...

I think we should get border control advice from Israel on our own border situation, not tell them to disarm like the foolish approach we take.

I just can't help but think that the visit from our Homeland Secretary under President Obama and her attempts to "guide" Iraqi leaders in security is the sole reason they rejected troop agreements shortly thereafter. They listened to our "current" approach on national borders as done in the USA and kicked us out as a result.

I have yet to ever see any facts of the sort support this idea. Keynesian economics is flawed at best. Japan tried it. Fail. Our stimulus plan was based on the idea. Fail. The problem is when you take in one hand and pass out with the other, eventually you have to stop taking in with the left hand. Any small gains are temporary at best. And usually the after result is worse than what you started with.

@Karsten Torch
Japan did not try this which was why their economy experienced slow anemic growth after their recession.

You're right Pam, there ate some good parts. But the bad parts and high costs outweigh them significantly. This bill is not the answer. It is worse than what we had before the bill was passed and it hasn't even all gone into effect yet.

Heaven forbid we're going to be forced to bjy government life insurance now. Can you imagine how horrible that plan would be implemented.

There is affordable insurance available. You just have to do your research. I have it and it is very reasonable. MUCH cheaper than my previous employer plan for similar benefits.

Mr. B, I have done some research. There are some rather affordable premium plans, but the deductibles are ridiculously high. If I have to spend upwards of $5,000 to be covered for a lot of services, it's not really helping a lot. I would pay $200 a month if there wasn't a deductible to be met. I would be willing to pay $75 for an office visit, but I need the prescriptions to be affordable and all lab work and special services to be affordable. It won't help me at all if, when I go to the doctor, I find out I need special services of some kind, and still can't afford to pay for it because I have to meet a deductible. The deductibles are the main problem.

You need to do more research Pam. And be realistic. Its there, I have it. But I don't know your specifics, age, location, SSN, etc so you'll have to do the work yourself. Or not, and continue to complain it doesn't exist.

We also freely confess that a broken analog watch is right twice a day, EVERY day...

New Jersey...welcome y'all.

George... how much should the top income pay? What do you think is fair and why? Let me ask you another question, you didn't have economics in school apparently? As far as a business is concerned, what is a tax to them? Is it an expense or income. I'm pretty sure you'd get that answer correct. Now... if it is an expense, how is that business going to cover that expense? It seems that they have three choices, they absorb it by cutting corners, tightening inventory, cutting benefits, and even reducing the workforce. Or, they can increase the cost of what they sell. Or both. Companies have already tightened the belt, so what does that leave? Now when the cost of good go up, what happens George? And if people weren't spending to start with, and you raise the cost of goods, where does that leave you George? Prosperity?
And yes, much of the problem is entitlements George, and it's rapidly increasing. It's got to stop.

The entitlement unfunded liability is estimated to exceed $46 trillion (GAO). Sorry sir, these must be reformed and the populist talking points about the rich paying for all this don't begin to scratch the surface of the problem. Simpson-Bowles starts to get at it while reforming the tax code enough to keep us competitive internationally, promoting growth so more people become tax payers (jobs), and yes generating more revenue from those that can afford.

Financially, I'd rather be in GA than CA (its not a republican vs. dem issue).

I agree on the highest health cost point but ACA just hits insurance and not true costs. There are better ideas than ACA to do this. Actually ACA mandates could even increase costs more. The ACA approach will likely create a two-tier system (Doctors opting out of accepting insurance with less that do). I am hopeful this doesnt reduce just reduce supply of healthcare to those in need. Sadly, this is already starting to happen.

The debt will never be solved if we keep adding to it at $1T per year. And on what planet does it make sense to stimulate the economy by handing out money to people that you first had to take it from?

George, that has to be one of the most stupid way of thinking I've ever heard of.

So you propose taking more money from the people that already pay the vast majority of income taxes, and do what?

The private sector is not producing jobs because they are afraid of the government and the direction they are headed. These are business people that do know how to balance a budget, maybe they understand a few things that you don't, did you ever that about that?
.

If all Republicans became Democrats, there would be no one left to pay taxes. Then what do you propose George? Where does this endless supply of government money come from? Temporary jobs for construction is what you're proposing. So when those infrastructure jobs are complete, we go back to full unemployment again. New public buildings? I assume these are for the new government employees to have a place to sit and play computer games. There are empty buildings sitting in every city in the US. Why build more?

The private sector is not producing jobs because the government is stymying them from doing so with threats of new taxes, etc.

And to think the Dems complain about the Republicans not having any good ideas. Stupid, just plain stupid.

The Senate is Democratic controlled. What have they done?

@Mr.B
The senate is not controlled completely by the Democrats because it takes 60 votes to get past the Republican filibuster.Yes it is unfair and the rules need to be changed.

Well its time to shut down some businesses then ...

Why wait for taxes to push you over the cliff?
Really it's the village thing to do - GOVERNMENT will catch you.

Care to give it a try and report results first hand??