tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post2037283215676313558..comments2023-10-10T06:51:06.526-04:00Comments on Ryan's Take: RIP Republican Party, 1854-2008Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-29483466147181964252007-10-13T14:22:00.000-04:002007-10-13T14:22:00.000-04:00The Frost family is a GOOD example to use to suppo...The Frost family is a GOOD example to use to support S-CHIP.<BR/><BR/>Lots of families in America don't have financial security. Healthcare costs are a leading cause of bankruptcies--but it should not be that way. They should not have to give up homeownership just because of a bad carwreck.<BR/><BR/>We're all in this together--and it doesn't cost that much to make sure all our kids are provided for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-6615988112790997072007-10-11T12:20:00.000-04:002007-10-11T12:20:00.000-04:00Ryan - the Federal Kennedy-Kassebaum Act disallowe...Ryan - the Federal Kennedy-Kassebaum Act disallowed refusing to cover people based on pre-existing conditions years ago. You can be rated higher, just like if you were a smoker, but you cannot be denied coverage.<BR/><BR/>That may be why the state found them eligible, because the premium costs were so high. But can you grant that this was a DUMB example to use - if an example was even needed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-86311572463058259052007-10-11T05:58:00.000-04:002007-10-11T05:58:00.000-04:00I'm glad we live in the Democratically control nir...I'm glad we live in the Democratically control nirvana they call Massachusetts. Everything is so wonderful here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-5139863548800082842007-10-10T18:40:00.000-04:002007-10-10T18:40:00.000-04:00BTW, Joe, continuing on the 'was Graeme Frost too ...BTW, Joe, continuing on the 'was Graeme Frost too rich for SCHIP' meme is purely Michelle-Malkin, ingnoring-the-key-points debate tactics. I hope you'll aspire to actually debate the key points, rather than participate in the same attacks on adolescents. The key points here are "is the republican party still alive if the Party/smear machine will even go as far as to attack their own, if silly things like compromises are done." I'm sick of reaching fair, bipartisan compromises, only to watch the Party and allied Smear Machine go on the hunt after. It's only another reason why your party has to go through the entire Pheonix phase - complete destruction - before it can be reborn into something better. The smear machine - and the Party establishment that props them up - need to go.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-45522726277397549902007-10-10T18:13:00.000-04:002007-10-10T18:13:00.000-04:00s-chip is private insurance, Joe. It's just the go...s-chip is private insurance, Joe. It's just the government contributing a little to help parents afford it. And, maybe at 45k a year, they could have afforded it.. but not with 2 children with preexisting conditions, and not given the fact that 45k was a very good year for them (they made no more than 55k over the previous two years combined). Seriously, it would have been nearly impossible for them to afford decent coverage in that kind of a situation, and unlikely they could have gotten it anyway. <BR/><BR/>Finally, maybe it's the key difference between conservatives and progressives, but I don't think a choice between a home and job or health care to survive is a choice at all. That's when freedom dries up and no longer exists. <BR/><BR/>Furthermore, for the real conservative in you, we can create a universal system that's both more efficient and cheaper than what we've got right now - so these are all false choices anyway. Not everyone has to choose between a home and job versus health care, even in today's world, because of programs like SCHIP. Of course, we could bring far more people to that level of freedom - freedom from worry about what happens because of diseases and accidents no one can control - but that's not going to happen as long as the Republican Smear Machine and Party as a whole is alive, in this current form. If you want to keep it alive, you're going to have to deal with that at the grassroots level, otherwise it's inevitable that we're going to crush Republicans for years and years to come.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-43622744548242693392007-10-10T17:12:00.000-04:002007-10-10T17:12:00.000-04:00I agree that the party on the whole has lost its w...I agree that the party on the whole has lost its way, but it's by no means dead or dying. <BR/><BR/>Choosing between business and home vs health insurance? Welcome to the real world, and it's full of choices. I think that this family could have gotten private insurance. There's a lot of people out there who can't afford it, and that's why there's s-chip.<BR/><BR/>I wonder, and this is honest: is eligibility in s-chip and private insurance mutually exclusive?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-44189229814030417622007-10-10T16:43:00.000-04:002007-10-10T16:43:00.000-04:00I did read Malkin. The fact of the matter is that ...I did read Malkin. <BR/><BR/>The fact of the matter is that insurance is different in other states. In Massachusetts, anyone can get it. In most other states, that's far from a reality. Because of their preexisting conditions, I doubt many insurances - if they were getting it on their own - would even cover them, or at the very least it would be significantly more expensive than the rates Malkin was talking about. Their "400,000" house, from where I've read, is actually assessed much, much lower (even Malkin said that was high). Furthermore, they bought the house years ago for 55k. So, in order to afford insurance, they should either have to sell their house or refinance to rediculously high rates (and I mean that in a few ways) to get health insurance? In effect, they're supposed to choose between their business and home vs. health insurance? Do you see how sick that is? <BR/><BR/>The state of Maryland found them eligible: who are we to judge? Isn't it intelligent to err on the side of caution, getting as many children as possible insured? In most other countries, the whole concept of health insurance is foreign - yet they spend less and generally get better coverage per capita. Now, we're fighting over whether middle/lower-middle class ought to be able to insure their children? <BR/><BR/>I repeat my mantra: Rest in Peace, the Republican party. They've completely lost their way, Joe, and I hope you open your mind and see that.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-6143547470118722052007-10-10T16:32:00.000-04:002007-10-10T16:32:00.000-04:00Ryan, I read the article you linked to and actuall...Ryan, I read the article you linked to and actually gave it thought and reason. Then I read some articles that <I>that</I> article linked to, specifically the Malkin piece along with the Steyn work she cites...<BR/><BR/>You know, I'm not afraid to read an article and give it thought even though its on "thinkprogress" but I get the feeling you might see "nationalreview" and already have your opinion written down before hitting the author of the column. <BR/><BR/>Read Malkin, check out the first link to Steyn regarding plan costs, and tell me why I should hold the anecdote of a injured kid above the empirical evidence presented. Tell me why they can't refinance on their $400,000 house, have a GMC Suburban, a $160,000 building for a business, etc etc but can't find an affordable health insurance plan. Tell me why income should determine eligibility and not an asset analysis too. <BR/><BR/>Now, before I'm labeled as some wacky nutjob, I support s-chip, but I don't support people who take advantage of programs like this (and don't put your head in the sand, they're out there!).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com