The Funniest Guy In Washington: An Oxymoron? Or Austan Goolsbee?

im laughing at your brain most of the times

HA HA HA, HO HO HO. While Rome burns, Michael and the rest of the liberal media celebrate yet again with jokes and jokesters.
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While the Senate Finance Committee is passing their bill with admendments through the committee, the middle class tax payer is yet again falling on the knife for the Democrat bill for health care reform.
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Defeated by the majority Democrats just now, the excise tax contained in the Baccus HCR bill will allow the government to tax the health care benefits for those of us who have health care insurance paid for by our employer.
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Present Baccus bill has an excise tax, a tax increase to the middle class. Why is that Michael? Karen? Why are the Democrats asking for a tax increase on the middle class by taxing their current health care benefits they receive from their employers? This was Obama’s pledge during the campaign that he would not raise anyone’s taxes who made less than $250 thousand dollars a year.
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“Spreading the wealth”. Simply by this “excise tax”, Democrats are proposing to create a new entitlement program to pay for the insurance of those citizens who currently do not have health insurance to fund them with tax dollars taken from the middle class.
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First we saw a 500 BILLION cut in Medicare on the backs of our seniors. Now we are also seeing that the Democrats are also going to TAX the middle class to pass a Democrat Health Care Reform bill.
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Simply, more government as usual. Simply more Democrat TAX AND SPEND policies.
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Yes Michael, laugh at the loons on the left. Let’s play funny videos about nothing of consequence. Where does TIME get off in all of this? Perhaps we need a bill to TAX TIME out of existence. Put an excise tax on magazines like TIME and put them out of existence once and for all.

I hope to God someone’s paying you to post these, rusty, because otherwise, it’s just plain sad.

Michelle Bachmann was doing her own comedy routine on the House floor: claiming that Health Care Reform will result in teenage girls getting abortions at school health clinics.

OMG, rusty!
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OMG!!!1!
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Get to the Choppa!
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Why some folks might not find this extra-curricular stuff to be such a barrel of monkeys right now:

Dear Stuart Zechman,
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I’m at the end of my rope. What CIGNA is doing to me is—well, it’s outrageous.
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I have a brain tumor. Doctors are ready to help me. But CIGNA has been blocking me from getting testing and treatment for two years, while almost doubling my premiums.
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Then, this week was the kicker. CIGNA’s pharmacy called to say that the co-pay on the medicine that helps control my debilitating head pain is skyrocketing from $10 to $1,115. That’s not a typo. They’re making me pay one hundred times what I’m paying now, in addition to my $753/month premium.
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I can’t afford that. So when the pain comes, I won’t have any defense. I’ll spend hours in the fetal position, out of my mind with pain.
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When my story went public a couple of weeks ago—with the help of over 100,000 MoveOn members—CIGNA said they would pay for a test I’d been asking for at Cleveland Clinic. It was a step in the right direction. But after two years of denials, and with a long course of treatment ahead of me, I knew better than to just take them at their word.
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So I asked questions. But they wouldn’t offer any explanation for why they denied my coverage for so long, or any assurance that they had changed their procedures so I wouldn’t face the same unjust denials again. And I began to wonder if they were more interested in just sweeping my story under the rug than actually helping me.
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When I got this latest news from CIGNA’s pharmacy on Tuesday, I kept asking myself, is this a mistake? Or is this happening because I went public with my case? Are other CIGNA customers receiving the same phone calls?
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I used to give CIGNA the benefit of the doubt, but after years of unexplained denials, I’ve had enough. So I’m asking for your help again. For myself, and for everyone else who is suffering, I am asking CIGNA for answers.
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And I think it would help if thousands of people like you were to join me in demanding them. I’m writing them a short letter with a simple question: Why?
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Can you add your name to my letter?
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Here’s what I’ve written to Dr. Jeffrey Kang, CIGNA’s Chief Medical Officer:

As you probably know, your company has denied me needed care for two years while I suffer from a debilitating but treatable brain tumor. I pay my $753.47 premiums. I follow the proper procedures. But CIGNA refuses to give me the care I need.
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Instead, you keep increasing my prices. First my premiums rose by hundreds of dollars, and now my prescription costs are going up by more than 10,000%.
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What makes you think you can treat sick people this way? When will you stop doing this to me and the thousands of people like me who are suffering? And if you solve this latest problem, how do I know you won’t do this to me again next week—that you’re actually changing your ways and not just trying to make your PR problem disappear?
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Please answer these questions. I need to know, for the sake of my health and my life. Many others have signed this letter too, to support me and make sure I get answers.
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Respectfully,
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Dawn Smith

Thanks for all you’re doing. I don’t know where I’d be without MoveOn members’ help.
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Most sincerely,
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Dawn

For a variety of reasons, many, many folks are bitterly angry in this country right now.

After reading that do people still think we need to let the market take its course? That nothing should be done to put these money hungry companies in their place? My god people what is happening in this country is criminal!

Oh, never mind stuart. I was able to find the scam site, MoveOn.Org is promoting these types of stories in hopes of eliciting donations to this far left liberal group.
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I do hope people can see through this political activist group’s real intentions.
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They are also soliciting other people who have “had similiar experiences with health care insurance companies as Dawn has experienced.
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But, the problem is, anyone can get up and shout out how badly they have been treated by an insurance company. But, the insurance company cannot defend themselves from these attacks because of HIPAA. Meaning they cannot release the medical records of these individuals to fight against the fraud.
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But, we shall just simply believe that Dawn is being truthful, shall we not?
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Subject: Join me and stand with Dawn

Hi,

Four years ago, Dawn Smith was diagnosed with a rare, but treatable brain tumor. CIGNA denied her treatment for more than two years, but MoveOn members put the spotlight on them, and now they’re changing their tune.

Unfortunately, they didn’t offer any explanation for all the previous denials or a guarantee that they’ll approve the next step in Dawn’s treatment.

I just added my name to the group of people standing with Dawn. Will you join me so we can shine a light on Big Insurance’s abusive tactics, get Dawn the care she needs, and make sure they don’t do this to anyone again? You can sign at the link below

http://pol.moveon.org/dawnsmith/

Thanks!

The final step:

Donate: Can you make a financial contribution to support this campaign?
Volunteer: We need your help. If you have some time to give, press here.

Let me get this straight, Rustydog:

But, the problem is, anyone can get up and shout out how badly they have been treated by an insurance company. But, the insurance company cannot defend themselves from these attacks because of HIPAA. Meaning they cannot release the medical records of these individuals to fight against the fraud.
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But, we shall just simply believe that Dawn is being truthful, shall we not?

You believe that there’s a greater likelihood of Dawn having committed fraud against CIGNA than CIGNA having done its best to (legally, at this point) delay and deny her claims?
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You think that CIGNA probably has a really good reason to do the things they’re doing to Dawn, but they just aren’t allowed to show us her medical records proving how fraudulent her claims really are, and how their treatment of her is really justified?
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That’s really what you believe, Rustydog?

Yes I do stuart. I have seen the blantant political activism that MoveOn.Org has done in the past and this is simply that, a political stunt.

And since TIME has my other comment in “moderation”, perhaps you would like to visit this site to see more political activism on the part of “Dawn”.
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http://ablogination.tn420.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/18/dawn_smith_cigna_to_murder_again

I don’t know how many people are out there with rusty’s attitude, but MoveOn and Dawn could defuse it by announcing publicly that they have no objection to Cigna’s going public with their reasons for denying her claim. (Or if that’s not good enough, Dawn could sign some form supplied her by Cigna authorizing disclosure to the whole world.) I’d really like to see what Cigna has to say. And it’s only because I try never to bet on anything that I won’t be taking wagers on how unpersuasive Cigna’s response is likely to be.
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And of course there is a deeper issue: Why can’t people like Dawn get decent health care without having to endure the agony and humiliation to which Cigna is subjecting her (and still apparently with no guarantee that shee will receive adequate treatment)? I was going to start the next sentence with “If we can land a man on the moon …” but of course rusty would just deny that we ever had.

Oh don’t loose faith in me bobell. I am only skeptical of left and right wing political activist groups, like MoveOn.Org.
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I am not stupid enough to believe that the real motive behind this poor woman’s plight is simply more of the same from MoveOn.Org.
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I am sure there will be thousands of people like you who will fall for their dog and pony show. But, I also know there are thousands of people like me who can appreciate reform needs in our health care system. Reforms such as the abolishment or regulation of pre-existing conditions. No cancellation of a person’s policy at the whim of any insurance company once they have signed you up and have taken your money, even it was just 1 month’s worth. Pass legislation that covers someone who has the unfortunate illness that can be deemed castastrophic.
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I have been in health care for 30+ years now. Have I seen cases like Dawn’s before? No. Have I ever seen or heard of a patient having their health care needs denied, yes, but for very good reasons, mainly due to fraud and abuse. Fraud on the part of the patient, and abuse by other health care providers trying to bilk the insurance company out of thouands and thousands of dollars. Each State has very strict regulations that cover this type of condition. What is required is a peer to peer review. Once this is completed and proven that the care needs for that patient are necessary, then the insurance company is obligated to pay for it.
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I believe that we should have adequate care for everyone who wants it, wants to buy healthcare insurance and who will pay the monthly premiums once they get it.
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What I am totally against are those on the left who feel that somehow healthcare is a right in this country, and the tax payer should be footing the bills. That their idea of socialized health care is the answer, when in fact it could lead to the total destruction of this country, and then no one will have any health care benefits.
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If government wants to be involved, then the government should regulate the insurance industry. The government should stop enacting laws and regulations which set up monopolies within any company and restricting supply / demand. Once you get a government to use it powers in that manner, then you will see the free market forces work as designed.

But Rustydog, surely you don’t dispute the facts in the case of the tragic death of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan
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http://i.abcnews.com/GMA/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=4038257&page=1

Health Insurer to Be Charged With Teen’s Murder
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California Family Will Sue Medical Insurer for Delaying a Potentially Lifesaving Surgery
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Dec. 21, 2007
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The family of a California teenager who died awaiting a liver transplant said they would sue the insurer whom they blame for their daughter’s death.
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Nataline Sarkisyan, a 17-year-old from Glendale, Calif., died Thursday just a few hours after her insurer, Cigna HealthCare, approved a procedure it had previously described as “too experimental.”
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“They took my daughter away from me,” said Nataline’s father, Krikor, who appeared at a news conference with his 21-year-old son, Bedros.

Cigna appears to have reversed its decision to deny the transplant after about 150 teenagers and nurses protested outside its Glendale office Thursday. “Protestors are here, the war is here,” Hilda Sarkisyan, the girl’s mother, told the group hours before her daughter’s death. “We have a war here.”
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Geri Jenkins of the California Nurses Association said the Sarkisyans had insurance, and medical providers felt comfortable performing the medical procedure. In that situation, the the insurer should defer to medical experts, she said.

“They have insurance, and there’s no reason that the doctors’ judgment should be overrided by a bean counter sitting there in an insurance office,” Jenkins said.

Doctors at the UCLA Medical Center actually signed a letter urging Cigna to review its decision. Nataline Sarkisyan was sedated into a coma to stabilize her as the family filed appeals in the case.

, do you?
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Whatever tragedy has driven this person Dawn to intense, angry activism, at least you accept the facts in the case of poor Nataline’s private health care rationing-related death, right Rustydog?

So, SZ, how’s your attempt to reach out to rusty going?

I’d say it’s more productive than Baucus’ attempts to reach out to Chuck Grassley.

Zing!

Alternatively:
Oh, snap!

Michele Bachmann is a disgrace to the USA, MN, and the 6th. If you’re interested in getting rid of Bachmann, support democratic candidate Dr. Maureen Reed! You can learn more about Maureen, and donate, at:
http://maureenreedforcongress.com/
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_Reed