Why don't the Democrats drag out the policies of the big insurance companies?

Not sure what you’re asking. In general, people who have insurance through their employers have insurance coverage that is selected by the HR person. There are no “surprises”. Carriers have a document called a pre-enrollment disclosure guide. This explains how your plan works before you enroll. You should also get a plan summary at the time of enrollment, and after you enroll, you get a certificate of coverage.

Take the time to read the documents. If you have specific health issues, ask questions. “I want everything for free” is not an option for any plan, with any carrier.

This is a question I ask myself all the time. Why don’t the Democrats copy some plays from the Republican playbooks?

Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I imagine liberals can’t bring themselves to stoop to those levels. For all we know, it could hurt the party to use Republican tactics, but considering the mess that the healthcare bill is right now, I’m all for it. I’m for anything that makes the Democrats seem less cowardly and more willing to stick to a progressive agenda.

@PandoraBoxx I am not asking about my coverage. I am saying that many people are very naive about insurance companies. They don’t realize what is not covered until they themselves get sick with it. Plus some of the things the Republicans have sent around in emails make no sense to me. Like one line from the bill covered marital counseling, and the email I saw twisted this to mean the government will be in your marriage. Probably if you have mental health coverage with your insurance company it states the exact same thing.

@drdoombot I understand not wanting to stoop to their level, I don’t want to do that either, I don’t want to scare people. I want to show them that these same things they fear are also offered in many insurance companies many times. Or, things that disgust me like my yearly mammogram is 100% covered, but if I find a lump it isn’t (this is really how my current insurance works).

I think that would be a great idea! They could pull one of those ‘scare tactics’, and make it seem like it comes from the health care bill, and then WHAMMO! show that it’s actually from existing health insurance policies. Honestly though, I truly believe it’s too far gone. Those who are against it will remain against it no matter what. :(

@augustlan I love that idea. I do agree that it is probably too far gone, but I fault the dems for not being faster on their feet about it.

@JLeslie I think some of the media is already trying this by showing cases of coverage denial like this too big baby or this too small child

Because Democrats are

1) Big fucking pussies who harbor some illusion that if they play fair, so will their opponents,
2) When they are in power long enough, just as corrupted by lobbyist money as Republicans

Is this any different than all of the elections Democrats SHOULD have won, but didn’t because the Republican pulled out some lying shitbag tactic and the Democrat didn’t have the balls to call his opponent a fucking liar? Obama won because he called them on their bullshit. That’s what the PEOPLE want, someone with slightly less far right ideals but also who has a pair, unfortunately nature doesn’t seem to create that type of beast. Even Obama who won by displaying a fairly generous set of cajones has pussed out far too many times for my comfort…don’t get me wrong…I voted for him and I’d do it again, I just hope he starts to see that he’s not going to magically get bipartisanship and start making the other side irrelevant.

You want real activism, people who actually stand up to DO something about it, you need to look at Move On or something like that, where yes maybe they’re too far left to be mainstream, but in the past couple weeks, they’ve taken up the cause of one woman whose brain cancer treatments have been disallowed, and another who donated a kidney to her dying son, only to have it used against her later in life as a pre-existing condition.

Nothing happens in politics without money, lies or public outrage (which can often be manufactured with money or lies or both). Republicans learned this a LONG fucking time ago, but the Democrats seem to think that they somehow can get by without playing this game, so they lose by forfeit. Or you get a guy like Obama who is sharp, has great ideas, is very much committed to the change we REALLY need in this country, but who seems to think that we can somehow restore bipartisanship at a time when Republicans would just as soon see the entire economy fail and take down everyone with it if it meant that Obama wouldn’t be re-elected, and who seems to paralyze himself from taking desperately needed action in pursuit of EVERYONE’S input.

I’d be the first to say, we got a mandate, we got 60 Senators, we have both houses, we have a crisis that almost everyone blames on the other side, grind the boot in their faces, but they won’t do it. Why? Refer to my two points above.

They are just doing their usual pandering to the poor and under-educated. They try to position themselves as redeemers to the people who are either to lazy (complacent) to work or to ignorant (uneducated) to hold a job, in hopes of buying their votes.

Most (not all) democrats seek votes from the poor and working poor (because there are a lot of them) by enabling and encouraging them to stay poor via programs that redistribute the wealth of people who are self-supporting

If congress really cared about anyone, they would give the people the same health plan the voted for themselves.

@SpatzieLover I think it isn’t quite the same thing. That large baby eventually got coverage and the insurance companies always come back with you can challenge when you are denied and that in the end the capitalist health care system works. The Democrats basically just keep explaining themselves when it comes to the health care bill, they need to use some of the same language the Republicans are. Again, not scare people, but show how all health care picks and chooses using similar tactics and pick and choose the same lines the Republicans are picking out whenever possible and get some of the reps from the big insurers on tv and put them on the spot.

@JLeslie I’ll agree that it’s not the same thing, however, I do believe someone on the Dems side thought media reports like those examples would help their case.

I must whole heartily agree with @dalepetrie. We have a frickin’ mandate and still aren’t ruthless enough to just DO IT!

@SpatzieLover I think you are right, they probably thought the baby story would help. Did Fox news even play that story? I know, we have the votes lets just pass single payer and get it over with.

@JLeslie I’m not sure if they played it on the Faux Noos channel, but they do have an article on their web site

I’m with you on the “just pass…get it over with” statement. I’m so over this. We’ve become the butt of jokes in other countries again.