Obama Health Care Interview (Cont’d.)

Getting (several) compliments from the President on your coverage. Congratulations. But it’s well deserved based on your reporting here.

But I noticed a decided frustration at the MSN at large in the interview – that was a long speech he spent on how the press framed the question wrong – which I would agree with in this and many other cases. Obama strikes me as a supremely rational and intelligent person. Constrained by other factors, but well aware of what needs to be done.

“Without giving you a hard time, Karen, because I think you’ve been terrific in reporting this, the press gets bored with the details easily…”

“Well, I appreciate you. You’ve been doing a good job on the reporting on this.”

Thanks, Karen. My kudos is nowhere as valuable as Obama’s, but that aside, thx, really. Keep feeding us details, please. Public option or not, at least I’d want to see insurance cos. from denying claims / policies from pre-existing conditions, etc…..let alone trying to reframe the debate as HC being a public safety necessity like police / fire (not a privilege or a product), insurance cos. practicing medicine without a license, or other unanswerable items. (maybe OTHER media cynicism is wearing me down too, sorry *sigh*) Levity needed here.

KT — too little too late because the media has promoted the Republican lies in the name of equivalence and has abdicated its responsibility to inform the public. If we don’t get health care reform this time I’ll blame the media. Frankly, it’s time to stop thinking that by just claiming you’re the megaphone you’re absolved of complicity.

MSN=MSM of course. Need to spellcheck first when there is no edit…

well, you did ask most of the right questions — and its understandable that you would choose not to challenge Obama on his BS — after all, if you called him on his BS, you’d never get another interview, and access is the coin of the realm among the beltway media….

most of his responses were BS — Obama kept talking about cost savings that could be achieved, but those cost savings are acheivable only under systems that are radically different from what we have now. (and btw, where did Obama get the stuff about CAT scans and MRIs costing ten times more in the US than in Japan? This site http://www.checkupjapan.com/price-compare.php suggests that the real nuimber is four to five times more… and that looks like its based on “retail” US pricing for the tests, rather than UCR pricing.)

The bottom line is that he doesn’t really confront the biggest reason why our costs are higher than those for the rest of the developed world — the fact that health care in the US is dominated by parasites who are focussed on profit rather than the health of the patients. (THAT is the question you didn’t ask that you should have asked…) But its from those profits that Obama will be funding his re-election campaign,….

Evem though his talking points are longer and more erudite than those of Bush, I do notice Obama slipping into boilerplate a bit too much with many of his responses to KT similar to things he has hammered before.

Yes, he inherited a big mess. It stinks. He has been president 6 months, it is his mess now. It’s long enough for him to stop reminding us of that.

Other points that he made here, he hasn’t done well enough repeating though. Explanations of what we pay for drugs, per capita expenditures for like items haven’t really sunk in w/ the public. The increase from 5% overhead to 20% overhead in private insurers since 1994 is not well known.

Maybe I am tilting at windmills.

Looks like an excellent interview — Thanks. You appear to have covered a lot of ground. I’ll be finishing it tonight.

Page numbers!!! Kudos on the blog improvements. Most of it looks very good. There does seem to be a problem with the carriage returns disappearing within comment replys, however.

I agree w/ most of what you said there and the “unasked question”, but re-election campaign funds being a basis I just don’t get.

Wasn’t one of the biggest stories about Obama’s election the number of individual (relatively) small donors he had compared to campaigns in the past?

At any rate, yes it’s the fat in the system that follows a mantra of “profit first” instead of “care first” that dictates most of our health care failings.

Obama constantly promoted the “record breaking” number of small donations he’d received, but most of the funds for Obama’s election campaign came from big donations — a fact that Team Obama has consistently downplayed.

I’d say he’s made the points well enough, but what we have to truly note is

A) who is (not) repeating the information
B) who is (not) listening

I believe that even in the interview the President highlights how details on something of this magnitude are long, large, complex, boring. This immediately means the average citizen is not going to listen to any discussion on them which will take hours if not days, let alone read anything in depth. Most people don’t even read the legislation that is readily available online. Hell members of Congress don’t read it.

Media being primarily a profit based entertainment industry now sees this and rightly determines long, detailed analysis of such a thing is not good use of air time or print. Simply put, most of their customers don’t have the time or attention span for it. So they go to the punditry, opinions, and if possible some clash of arguing ideology to spice up the coverage. This is exactly what Obama talked about, and it happens on every subject.

This is why Rush Limbaugh is a (business) success story in America and Book TV is not. (*chuckle*)

That was fascinating. I wish I had time to comment more…

And I join Obama et al. in appreciating your great work on this.

Ditto those kudos!

1st time I’ve seen comment #s either

I’d say the key word in there was ‘relative’. IE: relative to what we traditionally have seen.
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Even with that said, even with the billions of dollars floating in the health care system, we are not talking about a make-or-break a campaign amount of donations from this sector to Obama. The way you framed that statement would imply they represent a large enough percentage to cripple a sitting President’s re-election.

A) I don’t think all the interests within the system are that coordinated under one effort. IE: Losing some doesn’t mean losing all.

B) I don’t think the motivations of the President, nor people in the health care industry, nor any individual are that black-and-white.

I know I’m tilting at windmills. I guess we can’t stop trying to get HC changed or even questions answered, etc….or just settle for page numbers.

Kudos to High Sheriff Shefik Macauley for fixing the pagination of the comments!!!!!

Yes. Nice interview KT. I wish this was the ‘norm’ for our media instead of the exception.
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Next time you do one of those big media conventions I hope that is the keynote topic.

Thanks for getting that done KT. Seriously.

Trifecta are you kidding me? With every right wing nut job trying to tell the country the economic crisis never happened and its all an Obama ploy to take over the country he should stop reminding these folks whose at fault for the mess we’re in?

The Republicans may be telling the lies but the media has been lining up to be their megaphones and they should be ashamed of themselves. Just as Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs are trying to get attention to make money the mainstream press tries to cloak themselves in the banner of being commenters and then invite someone like former Congressman Tancredo (bat sh*t crazy) or Pat Buchanan (Historically and currently a racist) to explain the likes of Glenn Beck.

The media has gone out of their way not to tell the American people the truth. They fuel the fires of controversy and lies for their own entertainment and then blame the President for mistaking them for mature, responsible adults. They are enjoying tearing down the President and his agenda because its what they do, never mind that its tearing down the country — please some one tell me the difference between the msm and Rush Limbaugh?

Country first hmm, you would think the media wouldn’t contribute to this dangerous rise in populism, because trust me, if they think Cheney wanting to use the military for domestic law enforcement was horrendous — let these birther types get in charge, the first amendment will be the first thing to go..

Here’s a list of his top contributors:

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638

But note, it also says: “This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2008 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate , rather the money came from the organization’s PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals’ immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.”

So there are diff kinds of individuals, right?

And this FEC link breaks down the size of his donations:

http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.do?cand_id=P80003338

In the end, I’d say the infamous Durbin quote is far more relevant to our legislature’s (and thus govt’s) failings. As Taibbi said yesterday: “Our government doesn’t exist to protect voters from interests, it exists to protect interests from voters.” Presidential campaigns could be publicly financed, but as long as congress continues to whore itself out…

Not to mention that the guardians of the establishment would have never pivoted from Clinton to Obama had he represented any more of a threat to the status quo. This doesn’t mean he was a less of a threat–they simply made a calculated decision that he was the winning horse. Dean, OTOH, was a threat.

Very good job Karen. I wonder if there was a time in the past where the best journalists all worked for magazines? Certainly you’re right up there with the better ones, and I can’t think of more than one or two who work for newspapers any more. I think you might have missed a couple of possible follow-up points, but then you hit most of what I thought were the key things. One particular area that I think may not get enough attention is this idea of ‘defensive medicine’. Obama’s comment about how many tests were ordered in the US, and ascribing it to hospitals attempting to recoup some of the cost of the machines – well, I’m sure that there’s some truth to that; modern hospitals, like insurance companies and pharma companies, being for-profit establishments (at least in their dreams). However, I’ve heard too much grumbling from medical colleagues about the necessity for ordering every conceivable test to ensure that in the event of a lawsuit you can’t be hammered by the blood-sucking ambulance-chaser for overlooking something on which the problem can be blamed. It’s all a very nasty, inter-twined problem, and one that I wish your colleagues and the President had taken more seriously sooner. It’s pretty clear now (regardless of what Nate Silver and co. think) that this delay-to-destroy strategy is working just fine for the Republicans and the more corrupt Democrats. When Obama’s attempt fails, as it now seems pretty sure to do, there will be much wailing and finger-pointing as usual, but the media must bear the lion’s share of the blame this time. It’s impossible to make good decisions when all the information you get is biased, inaccurate or outright lies. No press, no Republic.

Maurice…
I think that the presence of Rahm Emmanuel as Obama’s chief of staff tells you everything you need to know about how high a priority Team Obama places on corporate campaign contributions for Obama’s re-election effort (perhaps even more crucially is keeping as much money out of GOP hands, and the hands of “527″ groups opposed to Obama’s re-election.)

Pffft –

It were more o’ th’ same…more o’ th’ same.

‘E said nothin’ I ‘aven’t ‘eard ‘im say b’fore.

YARR.

less than 1% of medical malpractice suits result in jury awards for the plaintiff — in most cases, the suits are settled out of court. And in most cases, the plaintiff’s lawyers work on a contingency fee basis — in other words, unless the lawyers think they have a damned good case, they aren’t going to waste their time with a lawsuit.

Doctors are no different than anybody else — they’ll complain about the “burden” of medical malpractice insurance — while driving in their brand new lexus to their summer home in the Hamptons.

“too little too late because the media has promoted the Republican lies in the name of equivalence and has abdicated its responsibility to inform the public.” – and what else is new? I am so frustrated by all this I can’t see straight. The number of people in the media who don’t frame the discussion through a RW lens is vanishingly small. Kudos to KT, but we need a lot more KTs.

I accept what both of you two put there, but neither of those things substantiate that last line that implied Obama is not targeting certain profits due to fear of campaign donations from a particular source.
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Nor does it contradict my statement that different groups and individuals that might normally be lumped into “the health care industry” are motivated by different causes.
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I’ll even go out on a limb (not really) and say that just because Rahm works for Obama, doesn’t mean Obama and Rahm have the exact same view on any subject. If there is any doubt on that, how far down the tree do you want to make that gross generalization? Obama and Clinton are the same? How about Pelosi? I mean she is the speaker of the house for the democrats. Hell, how about Joe Biden, the Vice President?
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All I’m saying is be careful about making cut and dry over simplifications. This is a tactic a lot of the media and politicians do all the time in order to trigger an emotional response and some manner of support, whether it be vocal or financial. Ultimately, things don’t ever really turn out to be so simple even for our individual lives. It certainly doesn’t when applied to the scale of 300 million plus Americans.

In fact, every reasonably large institution has a budget and insurance that specifically is set aside to deal with any such legal issues. They’ve already calculated in the expected number of cases and dollars in their business structure. All they do is go through a flow chart of PR responses and communications to the plaintiff and the media, and then when the ‘numbers are right’, cut the check and move on.
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There is nothing really hardship about it, or even difficult at all. It is a pre-designed response plan with a pre-set budget. IE: Just business as usual, nothing to see here.

Great interview Karen I am glad you were able to ask your press conference question.

I don’t know if anyone saw HRC on MTP, but I thought her comments on health care were very interesting. Obviously she has spent a lot of time thinking about selling health care reform, and she really focused on the danger of losing health insurance.

Basically, she was playing the fear card: she talked about the decline in small business employees with health insurance, the 16,000 people who lose their health insurance every day and the economic collapse that would result from not solving this.

Honestly the right – and I’m including the Blue Dogs there – are fear-mongering about debt and rationing and unless the left starts responding in kind I can’t see how they can possibly win the public opinion war.

Excellent interview, KT. Like some here, I have heard all or most of it before, but not everybody is obsessed as those of us who post here. (Arrr!) I suspect it will reach some new eyes in this context.

It is actually comforting that Obama is so darn consistent about this subject. And I also appreciate the fact that he has noticed (or been informed about) your work on the subject.

Mat I suggest a follow-up article debunking all the horsep**p that is being spewed against healthcare reform – such as, euthansia of old folks? It is beyond ridiculous, and not enough has been done in the MSM to present the truth.

Rose I’m afraid you have hit the nail on the head. Democrats are failing to attack these nuts because they don’t take them seriously. They give the Republicans respect based on the relationships they have with them in the Congressional dining rooms, not based on the crazy crap they say on Fox news. They need to treat their Republicans counterparts exactly as they deserve to be treated based on how they act in public. But no, Democrats want to say well this is just politics and not cut them off at the knees. They say things like they are frustrated by the rumors and confusion. They should say these Republicans are telling you big fat sweaty lies period and shun them in the capital when they don’t denounce the Limbaughs and the birthers and that Fox woman talking about euthanasia health care.

JC

How’s the DPJ looking for next month’s elections? Any insider information?

“With every right wing nut job trying to tell the country the economic crisis never happened and its all an Obama ploy to take over the country he should stop reminding these folks whose at fault for the mess we’re in?

“The Republicans may be telling the lies but the media has been lining up to be their megaphones and they should be ashamed of themselves. “

Dee is exactly right. I don’t claim to know the man’s intentions but if he does want to do the people’s business he has to pull it up hill, both ways, in a blizzard with his shoes on backwards, all while trying to obscure that fact that he is trying to do the people’s business.

Let me rephrase that:

If Obama does want to do the people’s business he has to pull it up hill, both ways, in a blizzard with his shoes on backwards, all while trying to obscure the fact that he is trying to do the people’s business to the aristocrats and convince everyone else that he’s trying to do the people’s business.

I frequently get the impression that the people who are complaining most voraceously about the watering down of the public plan or the influence of lobbyists seem less interested in having a health system that works than they are in punishing the people who allowed it to get as effed up as it is in the first place.

While there are indeed lots of areas where savings are possible, simply handing the keys to the city to the Feds isn’t going to magically materialize those savings.

I think Obama is correct in insisting that a public plan be self-sustaining and I think the Blue Dogs are right to insist that PayGo is adhered to. It’s there for a reason.

I still haven’t seen much discussion of Medical provider’s practice of charging the unisured ‘list’ price while offering insurers discounts. Certainly a proper accounting of what would happen if everybody were covered and therefore paid the same amount and didn’t sink into unsustainable debt would provide a wealth of savings opportunities.

Perhaps if you get the opportunity to follow up, you could ask……

I won’t try to speak for the voracious but I’d bet that they find not only the complaints of the people who built, or maintained, or subsidized, or profited from the current system ironic but also the fact that they’re the ones who oppose just about every measure that is presumed to reduce cost (a strong public option, tweaks in Medicare reimbursement, employer mandates, etc.) all while preening about in deficit-hating pumps.

donovong, I received one of the scary emails on end of life counseling. This one quoted information from Fred Thompson’s radio show. I knew it would be asked at the AARP Town Hall and it was. Today more questions were asked and it seems like the rumor has grown.

I understand politics and ratings, but I do not understand news media allowing scare tactic’s on the elderly. This should be quickly refuted and the names of the people doing this made public.

I hope this is something that Karen thinks she can do.

but most of the funds for Obama’s election campaign came from big donations — a fact that Team Obama has consistently downplayed.
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This is of course an inevitable result of arithmetic and is precisely why progressive income taxes actually make sense.

If you want money, It’s easier to get it from the people who have it than from the people who don’t Just Integrate to get the area under the curve and it becomes obvious……

Well this healthcare thing is all very fine and dandy, KT, but why didn’t you ask him something important like why he doesn’t carry a copy of his birth certificate with him at all times, or why he thinks all white cops are stupid racists?

I don’t be advocatin’ simply handin’ th’ keys o’er t’ th’ feds – I think we all be knowin’ thar needs t’ be other actions taken, too – an’ I mentioned ‘em sev’ral times. T’ be quotin’ KT, tho’, I don’t want t’ be “wastin’ me time” enumeratin’ ‘em ag’in ‘ere.

Th’ frustration be (fer me, anyway), tha’ based on th’ facts, an’ th’ experience o’ ev’ry nation I be knowin’ ’bout wi’ single-payer, it be th’ system we need t’ be adoptin’ t’ pr’vide quality, universal care at a reasonable price. I be angry as p*ss tha’ ev’ryone in th’ other Washington be knowin’ tha’, an’ still be refusin’ t’ consider it!

They were promisin’ a “strong public option” instead, bu’ now they be tryin’ t’ take all th’ teeth out o’ THA’, too! If they left it strong, an’ open t’ everyone who be wantin’ t’ participate, I b’lieve it WOULD be self-sustainin’! Th’ problem be, those who suck th’ corporate health teat don’t be wantin’ it t’ be self-sustainin – they be settin’ out a purpose t’ make it fail!

THA’ be wha’ I be so vociferous ’bout!

Th’ whole sorry bunch o’ ruffians be deservin’ o’ bein’ tossed o’erboard an’ left adrift!

YARR!

Since no one else is likely to, let me say at least one positive thing about more government control of health care: at least we have the power to eventually fire people who give us results we don’t like. Try that with Cigma.

Oi.

I can haz betr trollz plz? Kthxbi!

The above may be absolutely true, and yet it doesn’t change the point, that “defensive medicine” leads to multiple (presumably unnecessary) tests to avoid falling prey to the bad outcome. The observed outcomes don’t change the costs incurred, since it only takes a few costly lawsuits to lead to an institutionalized preventative practice. Any “business-as-usual” set-aside funds are immaterial to the point, which is that ‘unnecessary’, expensive tests are one of the big reasons for the grossly high health care costs in the US. Any “business plan” funds have to come from somewhere – and you shouldn’t need too many guesses to guess from where.

Wha’ happened t’ me paragraph breaks?

Arrgh.

The best trolls are the ones that you have to stop and wonder if they really are trolls. They’re few and far between.

Trolls are like skillfully applied makeup. If you can’t tell, it’s really good.

Ezra Klein on teh KT interview, in which Obama Speaks About Speaking
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In a weird way, it would be easier to make this argument if the situation wasn’t so dire. If our health-care system was a little bit better, and the median system in Europe a little bit worse, you could probably convince people of this stuff. But to say that Britain gets comparable results while spending 41 cents for every dollar we spend? To say that the French system . . .

I think we traded them for numbers…or something. Interesting way to illustrate the development of health care policy, eh?