Interesting...

[TheAnvil 0]

I'm interested in this. I've a friend who is doing some work up there in MassHealth Operations. Quite interesting. Any thoughts/commentary on this?

Clicky

Vinny

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[IanHarrop 43]

Your clicky seems to have issues...

how about www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008213

Is this the article?

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[TheAnvil 0]

yep! fixed it. thanks!

Vinny

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[Gravitymaster 0]

I'm not sure whether Romneys plan will work of not. It sounds reasonable to me. What I will do is take a more serious look at Romney if he decides to run for President in 2008.

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[akarunway 1]

You gotta be joking , right?

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

You gotta be joking , right?

Joking about what? Looking closer at Romney as a Presidential Candidate? Don't you believe we should carefully examine all candidates? Particularly those who show an ability to solve problems?

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[Nightingale 0]

That's a really interesting proposal, and it might work. What I'm uncertain about is the requirements on the health insurance companies to provide insurance that the government agrees to be "affordable".

[lawrocket 3]

Quote

You gotta be joking , right?

Why would anyone be joking about Romney? Think about it - the guy is a Republican governor of pinko Massachussetts. HE must be doing something right.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[lawrocket 3]

Quote

What I'm uncertain about is the requirements on the health insurance companies to provide insurance that the government agrees to be "affordable".

I think that therein lies the issue, and the reason why I will admit that I cannot find a solution to health care.

There are three competing forces in health care: 1) quality; 2) availability; and 3) affordability. (actually, we have this with all products, don't we?).

Now, you can have any two of those three qualities. For example, you can have wonderful health care that is available to all - but that will be expensive. Or, you can have inexpensive healthcare of high quality - this will be rationed. Or you can have inexpensive healtchare available to all - but it won't be good.

I don't know how to fix it. The problem is that people want all three, and it can't happen. Efforts have been made at the "efficiency" level, usually via a "single-payor" system. This "single-payor" has usually been proposed to be the govt.

I actually believe that healthcare could be much more efficient - and therefore much less expensive - with a single payment method, i.e., "cash payment." In a very real sense, cash payments are much more cheap considering the compliance costs of the present system. My problem is that I don't know how it would work.

There MUST be something done about the free riders. While the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act was a good law that prevented patient dumping, the last 20 years have shown that there is a rule of unintended consequences - a person shows up at an ER with a complaint, the person must be stabilized.

As an aside, EMTALA only applies to hospitals that accept Medicare. If a hospital drops its Medicare account, EMTALA doesn't apply. Hospitals don't do that, though.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[TheAnvil 0]

I'm interested to see what happens with this health care system he's concocted. It does have potential. I think it a solution at the state and not federal level, obviously, but something that should be watched by all. The effect of getting a larger chunk of the eligible populace enrolled in medicaid will not be insubstantial, I do believe.

Romney will be an interesting candidate when he runs - and I do believe that he will. If he gets on the ticket, it will force the Dems to spend more time in New England than they otherwise would have to do. Not good for them. I see no chance of the lefties losing CA, but Romney's New England residency gives the GOP a fighting chance up there. I honestly don't know the man's policies and opinions on many issues, so anything else I would say on the subject would be baseless conjecture. It IS of note that a Republican Gov exists in the state that elected legendary swimmer Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. If Romney truly is a conservative leaning fellow, it would make him a most formidable candidate for the presidency.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[kelpdiver 2]

A Mormon in the White House is a joke. It's not going to happen.

And given how the LDS church has stuck its nose into politics in recent years, I don't mind this particular pettiness coming from all the other Christian sects.

If the GOP is looking for Democratic votes, they got McCain. Of course, they hate him, but they hate losing much more.

[TheAnvil 0]

I didn't even know Romney was Mormon. Hard for me to believe that a Mormon has no shot at the big prize. Mormons have a lot in common with other Christians and I believe his beliefs will contrast with whomever the left decides to nominate on issues that resonate with folks whose religious beliefs are the dominant factor in determining for whom they cast their vote.

I think the GOP candidate in '08 could be McCain, but it could be somebody else as well. Perhaps Romney, Rice, Allard, or someone else. We shall see.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

I didn't even know Romney was Mormon.

He's not going out of his way to advertize it.

You would if his campaign had any traction. Then his opponents will make sure a lot of of stuff would start floating out, sort of the way Bush's campaign smeered McCain in 2000.

[TheAnvil 0]

Perhaps. I don't really see his being Mormon as a political liability. Anti-Mormon sentiment has never been as strong as anti-Jewish or anti-Catholic sentiment in American society. If anything, his candidacy would shed a bit of light on the religion.

The '06 and '08 elections will be quite interesting - as all elections are.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Anti-Mormon sentiment has never been as strong as anti-Jewish or anti-Catholic sentiment in American society.

umm, their leader was lynched, and the rest driven out to Utah. How much stronger does it get?

[TheAnvil 0]

I was referring to the last few decades.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[kelpdiver 2]

never = last couple decades?

in any event, I don't think you'll see too much anti Catholic sentiment during this timeframe either. Kennedy was 46 years ago. And he still won.