You know, what you are saying is 100% impossible to believe.  

"You say "you saw President Obama say this, and heard it"--where is your proof? A link to the article, and/or a link to the video, would help prove your case. 

I know for a fact that you will not be able to produce either, because--he would never say that. His goal is to reform healthcare by adding a Public Option to break up the monopoly the insurance industry has in America, and over Americans, to cause competition so prices will drop, and to insure ALL Americans. The booming insurance industry that you support will not die off, or be over taken by the introduction of a Public Option, and you, along with others like you, can continue to support an industry that has sucked the LIFE out of America for 50 years. You will still be able to keep your own insurance, so in that case, exactly how will the president be able to ration your healthcare, even if he wanted to, which he does not.

Has it occured to you that the insurance industry ALREADY RATIONS healhcare? They do it by excluding pre-conditions, insuring only the rich and the healthy. They are also in between you and your doctor right NOW.

Yours is right-wing fearmongering. Period. And you have taken the bait. 

To be clear, I am not calling you a liar. I am requesting proof of your claim. IF the prez said this, I would like to see it, along with many others. Don't you think the GOP would have made an attack ad to run on TV about it by now...I say it never happened, and you are fighting against your own best interests based on a pack of GOP created lies.

Really!  No rationing.

I saw and heard an interview between Obama and an older woman's daughter whose mother had received a pacemaker under Medicare. When she asked Obama if  the life saving treatment would have been given to her mother under his healthplan, Obama told her that instead of the pacemaker she received, pain pills would be more cost effective for an older woman her age.  Since pain pills don't correct heart irregularities, he might as well have said "LET YOUR MOTHER DIE".

If that ain't rationing,I don't know what is!

I can't even say that i would like to see how he would feel if he was in the older persons's position since he will have the "cadillac" of healthcare the rest of his life as will his family - compliments of the taxpayers.

     Appropriate name.

     (1) Government employees have the federal healthcare plan.  That plan won't be terminated therefore there is no need for them to be covered by healthcare reforms.

     If you are covered by an employer plan you will remain under that plan, but if your employer terminates his plan then since you are covered by healthcare reform - you can buy any plan from the insurance exchange (some better than the federal plan) - and your employer has to pay an 8% federal tax

     If you are currently uninsured you will have the option to buy a plan from the insurance exchange (some better than the federal employees plan)

     The fact that the federal employees are in  or not in healthcare reform does not effect your benefits or cost one iota.

     This is just more fear tactics from the insurance companies.

     (2) We should be so lucky to be in the single payer plans in Canada and Europe - lower costs - better outcomes - faster access - better public satisfaction.

     (3) Illegal immigrants are excluded from healthcare reform

     (4) the President gets nothing that Congress doesn't provide - no pension, no security and no healthcare.  When he gets near the end of his term Congress provides for him as it sees fit.

     (5) I voted for him and I am enjoying what he is doing (which is what he promised to do and what we elected him to do). 

For all the kool-aid drinkers:  Obama's health care plan is so good Congress, federal employees, and their families are exempt.  They'll still be able to maintain their "Cadillac Coverage" while everyone else will eventually end up with the single-payer, government-run, treatment-rationing system they have in Canada and England.  Joining us in this socialistic healthcare system will be the 12 million illegal aliens already in the U.S. and the hoardes that will flock to get free-healthcare.

By the time the lemmings have actually realized what hit them, Obama will be on his second term knowing when he leaves office he and his family will enjoy their "Cadillac Coverage" for the rest of their lives, courtesy of the taxpaying public. 

For those who voted for him, enjoy.

So sorry to hear you have a chronic illness.

Fearmongering republicans are insisting that rationing will occur w/a public option, and that the public option will put those "poor insurance companies out of business" (The same insurance industry that discriminate against Americans... yeah right!). Pence even went so far as to compare the two as an "Alligator fighting a Duck". The big bad Alligator (gov) will eat the poor Duck (private insurer) and private insurance will be a thing of the past, all those insurance theives will be out of work, and everyone will be at the mercy of the big bad government Alligator. Absolute NONsense!

Haven't heard the one about the "government just printing money", but I don't watch Fox Hate network, listen to Limbaugh, newt, cheney, or the GOP. They are just trying to scare people who are vulnurable. Rationing is NOT going to happen, nor is it the intent.

Good luck to you.

This most is the most uninformed person I have ever heard. Reform is necessary and insurance companies are in business to make money. So if the govt competes (I use that lightly) because if the govt olses money they will simply print more money or tax more , the private ins. cnn't do either.

A bigger concern I have is healthcare rationing, as a person with a chronic illness< I have not heard anyone state that we will be protected from this practice. In England ( I lived ther for several years) they have a value place on a person, if a procedure cost more that you are worth , that procedure is denied.  I sure hope we have some assurance this procedure won't happen But I have heard a couple of congress men say this should happen to control cost .

No one has gone after the lawyer and ask for "meaningful tort reform" I am not saying, don't hold bad physicians liable for their mistakes ( I am not a  friend of doctors" but if good doctors have to practice defensive medicine, we all suffer from more testing, used only to cover the doctors back.

I am sure I have made enough people angry at me so I will say no more today, but I will in the future.

SKL, Mason, Mi

     Interesting, basically you are saying that insurers will change stripes and become efficient and honest if there is a real viable public plan competing with them.  That possibility might keep me awake at night!  I'm an ex-policeman, I have only rarely seen people change their stripes, but these are corporations that put together some pretty elaborate spreadsheets and they do change (notice the cop in me still won't let me go all the way to "change their stripes")

     OF put together a list of items that insurers spend and a public plan wouldn't:

1. Pay large commissions to selling agents and to their brokers
2. Pay huge salaries and stock bonuses to executives
3. Pay huge sums to lobbyists to protect them in Congress
4. Pay huge bribes (Oops! I mean campaign contributions) to state and federal elected officials (over $2 million to Senator Nelson)
5. Pay dividends to shareholders
6. Pay huge advertising costs in print and in TV and radio
7. Pay huge legal bills because of denying coverage
8. Pay royalties to use AARP’s name
9. Earn profits that recently have been gigantic

      Insurers might reduce or eliminate some of these costs, but somehow I doubt that that would be enough to be competitive with a real efficient public plan.  But I could be surprised.  If so it would be a pleasant surprise that the private sector could be as efficient as a well supervised public sector enterprise.

     But as you say this all depends on a real public sector company.  Not one that has to operate on a level playing field with bloated corrupt insurance companies.

     Thanks for the interesting observation, I sure hope we get to see who might be the closest to being right.

You said: "I believed the government plan was a quick way to get single payer which can manage costs like no plan involving insurers could."

Possibly. For your idea (Great idea!) to happen, mega insurance would have to refuse to conform, give up, and shut down. There is no-way that will happen. Period. Give up a dynasty? Not a chance in hell! Although, big insurance, along w/fearmongering gopers, are scaring some into thinking it would, that a government option could cause a industry to fall and all those employees to lose their jobs. Hardly! 

Mega insurance absolutely WILL conform IF our government is their competition! Insurers can cut costs because their total operational costs are so ultra-inflated, that they have tons of areas they could revise, while still be very profitable. 

Will they be "as profitable"? Yes. Volume of sales will increase with everyone eligible to be covered. They will make the same amount of money while covering more people vs. making zillions off of a few, while deliberately dooming the rest of us.

The GOP Underestimate our president's tenacity (even after the campaign he ran! DUH.). President Obama is committed to this reform of healthcare and he knows, along with anyone else with a brain, that a public option must to be in the mix. We need to use reconciliation to get this done, rather than allow the gopers to ruin--yet another attempt to keep Americans down.

The gopers co-op plan--pure crap. It favors only them, and big insurance.