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Is Apple the big winner in Health Care Reform legislation?

As someone who dedicates their life to best serving the needs of clients and making sure that they are adequately protected from the "real" holes in insurance, I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of disinformation and villianization of the entire health insurance industry.   I am equally shocked by the general lack of understanding of how the insurance system works, even on the most basic level. 

There is a growing and disturbing amount of propaganda appearing in conservative and liberal publications seemingly for no other purpose to sell media.    The lack of research people of authority or influence conduct before weighing in with an, all knowing, summary is, in my opinion, inciting.    Over the past week, I have stumbled on to two enormous articles with, an apparent, intentional misrepresentations of facts and reason.  

Representative Joe Wilson summarized the lack of respect that exists in our country towards those with other opinions by yelling at President Obama “Lie” during his address to a Joint Session of Congress and the nation.  

While I am not prepared to offer commentary on a bill that has yet to be proposed, I would like to address the issue that Rep. Wilson addressed in that one word.   Rep. Wilson yelled when President Obama said that there would not be benefits for people here illegally.   The rudeness aside, was he right? 

The Senate Health Care Bill has not yet been published, but a summary of the bill has been leaked.   The bill is probably passable with minor adjustments and lobbying efforts.  It will likely get the universal support of conservative Democrats, even some Republicans.  Those numbers will probably be larger than the number of defecting liberal Democrats who will undoubtedly be against the bill.  (Having Liberal Democratic objection, even boisterous at times, is a smart political move to gain Centrist support.)

I have argued since the introduction of HR3200 that the reason for the quick legislation was not about true reform, but rather addressing two issues that can’t be openly discussed in Washington. (ref:  Why is this happening now, so quickly? Is there a secret? 7/17/09). Those reasons?  A tax increase and rescission of the Medicare Revitalization Act of 2003, MRA 2003 was designed to slow medicare growth rates.  

Here are the two items that start in 2010: 

Tomorrow President Obama goes on national TV and before a joint session of Congress to re-clarify his position on the necessity of meaningful health care reform.   With two months of fear mongering from the right, and industry nationalizing calls from the left, I believe that President Obama will attempt to deliver a more centrist view of the issues and the needs as he sees it.  

There is so much misleading and exhausting information out there that any clear message may be successful if only because centrists are tired of the rhetoric and hyper-claims from both hard liberals and staunch conservatives.  

With a new direction at hand, this seems like a good time to review the key articles on the blog so that you can follow the progression of the arguments and assess how accurate my view has been. 

As stated here before, the goal no longer appears to be about fixing health care, but rather SAYING that you fixed health care.   Both sides will give themselves a hearty pat on the back claiming victory, and very little will be accomplished except a tax increase and the undoing of the 2003 Medicare Revitalization Act.

Obama Press Secy. David Axelrod indidated to David Gregory on Meet the Press that the President will not insist on a Pulbic Option.   

This signals that a compromise is at hand.   Look for that compromise to be a tax increase to finance insurance pools.   ...

Next week President Obama will address a joint session of Congress in an attempt to get some form of health care legislation passed.   It’s reasonable to believe that liberal democrats will be miffed that President Obama may not publicly support the Public Option anymore.  Instead he may press forward with a more limited scope plan that will address some of the major issues.      

Likely to get enough support to pass will be, even with some bipartisanship, will be:

1. Elimination of the preexisting condition clause.  (In general a good thing, but will raise costs for all since less healthy people will now have easier access to coverage