Healthcare reform

[lostfan]

Healthcare is the cookie jar the government has never been able to get near -- every time they've tried to reach in for some, the bad ass cookies inside beat it down with a rusty aluminum bat...but they smell blood in the water now. Why now? Because, the people have turned on healthcare unlike ever before...so strike while the irons hot. They realize the cookies overflowing in that jar are made of money...and they want it. All of it. Regardless of what happens after they get it.

WTF

[NorthSideSox72]

I think Kap, and myself to some degree, are going to extremes to make a point. People are taking these extremes in a very literal sense, which is their right, but the point is that neither of us (from what I gather here) trust the government to run health care any differently than it runs everything else -- right into deficit and right into the ground.

 

Healthcare is the cookie jar the government has never been able to get near -- every time they've tried to reach in for some, the bad ass cookies inside beat it down when it tried...and they smell blood in the water now. The people have turned on healthcare...so strike while the irons hot. Why? Because they realize the cookies overflowing in that jar are made of money...and they want it. All of it. Regardless of what happens after they get it.

And in my opinion, all chance of good discussions flies out the window when you decide to use silly extremes, strawmen and ALL CAPS POSTZZZ to make your point. Think about it for just a second. If you are at a party, do you really want to talk to the raving lunatic who has no personal space and gets all frothy at the mention of politics? Or would you rather talk with someone sane?

 

Because you, and kap, are probably smart folks. But if you don't post like one, I know no different.

 

Sorry if that is a bit stinging, but its what I see.

 

[bmags]

going to extremes to make a point is incredibly annoying because you aren't debating with the people in front of you, you are ignoring them and taking them to a field they aren't playing on, don't want to play on, and can't understand even what you are talking about.

[NorthSideSox72]

That.

Except I don't.

 

Why is it everyone here assumes I like the idea of universal government-run healthcare? Have I ever said anything of the sort?

 

[Y2HH]

WTF

 

WTF what?

 

You don't think the government sees the healthcare industry as another stream of income?

 

Give me a break.

[NorthSideSox72]

WTF what?

 

You don't think the government sees the healthcare industry as another stream of income?

 

Give me a break.

I think his WTF was not understanding your cookie jar. I don't understand it either. But I could sure go for a chocolate chip cookie right now.

 

[lostfan]

WTF what?

 

You don't think the government sees the healthcare industry as another stream of income?

 

Give me a break.

It was just a really, really bizarre paragraph.

[Y2HH]

It was just a really, really bizarre paragraph.

 

It was...it was just an example. People tend to call things "cookie jars" and when you stick your hand in the jar, you're looking for a cookie -- that cookie can be anything, money, sweets, whatever. I think you can put 2 and 2 together here and see what I meant.

[dasox24]

It was...it was just an example. People tend to call things "cookie jars" and when you stick your hand in the jar, you're looking for a cookie -- that cookie can be anything, money, sweets, whatever. I think you can put 2 and 2 together here and see what I meant.

I understood what you were getting at.

[kapkomet]

I think Kap, and myself to some degree, are going to extremes to make a point. People are taking these extremes in a very literal sense, which is their right, but the point is that neither of us (from what I gather here) trust the government to run health care any differently than it runs everything else -- right into deficit and right into the ground.

 

Healthcare is the cookie jar the government has never been able to get near -- every time the badass cookies inside beat it down when it tried...and they smell blood in the water now. The people have turned on healthcare...so strike while the irons hot. Why? Because they realize the cookies overflowing in that jar are made of money...and they want it. All of it. Regardless of what happens after they get it.

Here's an angle that a lot of people probably haven't thought of, and I have over the last week or so, anal accountant that I am. How much reserves have to be kept to pay out insurance claims? That is another HUGE reason they want their hands on this, is because there's a lot of real money tied up for "reinsurance" and the government wants it in their coffers. Hello, William Buffet, Obama supporter. You don't think he's going to get a huge chunk of this deal? Why? Where's the money...?

[bmags]

It's just usually cookies aren't animate objects with rusty aluminum bats beating the s*** out of things and bleeding when you eat them.

[Y2HH]

Here's an angle that a lot of people probably haven't thought of, and I have over the last week or so, anal accountant that I am. How much reserves have to be kept to pay out insurance claims? That is another HUGE reason they want their hands on this, is because there's a lot of real money tied up for "reinsurance" and the government wants it in their coffers. Hello, William Buffet, Obama supporter. You don't think he's going to get a huge chunk of this deal? Why? Where's the money...?

 

Did you see they suddenly have a new plan in action and it somehow lowered the cost by over 100B?

 

I'd like to know how. heh

[Y2HH]

It's just usually cookies aren't animate objects with rusty aluminum bats beating the s*** out of things and bleeding when you eat them.

 

Health care cookies aren't like regular cookies.

 

They have powerups.

[lostfan]

It's just usually cookies aren't animate objects with rusty aluminum bats beating the s*** out of things and bleeding when you eat them.

Yeah. Cookies + blood + rusty aluminum bats = ?

 

The analogy made sense after reading it 2-3 times but holy s***.

Edited July 29, 2009 by lostfan

[kapkomet]

Did you see they suddenly have a new plan in action and it somehow lowered the cost by over 100B?

 

I'd like to know how. heh

$100B = pimple on an elephant's ass. GMAB. OOOOOOOOOOH COMPROMISE! What's really happening? $100B goes to the Blue Dog districts in some other bill.

[Y2HH]

$100B = pimple on an elephant's ass. GMAB. OOOOOOOOOOH COMPROMISE! What's really happening? $100B goes to the Blue Dog districts in some other bill.

 

Before anyone beats me too it, allow me ample time to use the following words on what you just said:

 

Kaperbole

 

Straw-something or other

 

Scarecrows

 

Blah.

[lostfan]

Before anyone beats me too it, allow me ample time to use the following words on what you just said:

 

Kaperbole

 

Straw-something or other

 

Scarecrows

 

Blah.

Kaperbole is a word he made up to describe his own actions, you know.

[kapkomet]

Kaperbole is a word he made up to describe his own actions, you know.

Surely you kid.

 

[Y2HH]

Kaperbole is a word he made up to describe his own actions, you know.

 

I don't know if that's true or not, can you show me a scientific poll for proof?

 

I'm kidding...I'm kidding.

 

I didn't know that, but still...it's no longer a word he uses to describe his own actions, but a word commonly tossed out around here when anyone disagrees with anyone elses views.

 

I consider myself a staunch Kaperboleist, btw.

[lostfan]

I don't know if that's true or not, can you show me a scientific poll for proof?

 

I'm kidding...I'm kidding.

 

I didn't know that, but still...it's no longer a word he uses to describe his own actions, but a word commonly tossed out around here when anyone disagrees with anyone elses views.

 

I consider myself a staunch Kaperboleist, btw.

Did you have permission from kap to use the term kaperbole™ and subscribe to the methods? Technically it should be typed with the trademark after it.

 

Actually though people only do that to kap and sometimes he does it on purpose to f*** with people.

[vandy125]

I'm all for shifting the profits currently directed at insurers (because I see no innovation incentives there) to doctors and researchers.

 

Why should the insurance (not provider, care, hospital, research, etc) industry be for-profit?

 

I just did a quick search on the percentage of health insurance plans that come from for-profit vs the non-profit and found this out:

Non-Profit Stats

Of the 138 health plans in the United States with at least 100,000 medical enrollees, 84 or 61% are nonprofit.

 

So, that seems to me to point that a good percentage of health insurance companies are not out there focusing on profits. Granted, I did not follow through completely on the source of the information from that web site (Primary AIS's Directory of Health Plans: 2008), but it does seem to be legit.

[Balta1701]

Here's an angle that a lot of people probably haven't thought of, and I have over the last week or so, anal accountant that I am. How much reserves have to be kept to pay out insurance claims? That is another HUGE reason they want their hands on this, is because there's a lot of real money tied up for "reinsurance" and the government wants it in their coffers. Hello, William Buffet, Obama supporter. You don't think he's going to get a huge chunk of this deal? Why? Where's the money...?

Point 1...the government clearly needs to restore its insurance reserve coffers anyway. It just bailed out the largest insurer in the world.

 

Point 2...who is William Buffet?

[Y2HH]

Did you have permission from kap to use the term kaperbole™ and subscribe to the methods? Technically it should be typed with the trademark after it.

 

Actually though people only do that to kap and sometimes he does it on purpose to f*** with people.

 

I don't have permission, no. I hope he doesn't sue me for subscribing to his methods.

 

I plan on creating a splinter faction of Kaperboleism that will be more radical/extreme. I'm thinking Y2Kaperboleists Anonymous.

[lostfan]

Point 1...the government clearly needs to restore its insurance reserve coffers anyway. It just bailed out the largest insurer in the world.

Yeah, probably not the direction you wanted to go with that, just saying.

[NorthSideSox72]

I just did a quick search on the percentage of health insurance plans that come from for-profit vs the non-profit and found this out:

Non-Profit Stats

 

 

So, that seems to me to point that a good percentage of health insurance companies are not out there focusing on profits. Granted, I did not follow through completely on the source of the information from that web site (Primary AIS's Directory of Health Plans: 2008), but it does seem to be legit.

48% of actual subscribers is a more meaingful number. But still, I am pleasantly surprised at even that number.