Sunday, November 29, 2009
Far from free
I really am sick and tired of people calling in about Medicare being free government health care. It is no more free than automobile insurance. It is paid for by a Medicare tax that is taken out of the paychecks of working people, with employers paying an equal amount. It is paid for by an optional Medicare B premium ($96.40 per month) that is withheld from a person's Social Security. It is also paid for by doctors and hospitals because Medicare payments are less than normal charges, and the doctors and hospitals either eat the difference or pass them on to non-Medicare patients. (Which would you do?)
Then, Medicare only pays 80 percent of the Medicare-approved amounts, and the other 20 percent falls to the patients. Optional Medicare supplement insurance premiums to cover the 20 percent are not cheap, and that's another cost to patients. For a mid-level Medigap policy, my monthly premium is $163.
To add insult to injury, Medicare requires a tremendous amount of paperwork and delays payments to doctors and hospitals during government budget shortfalls.
Another thing to remember is that Medicare rations care. One way I know of is by setting limits on rehabilitation time after hip and knee surgeries. Prescription Plan D, another optional insurance, is paid for by monthly premiums, except for low-income people. I haven't even mentioned deductibles, such as the first $1,068 ($1,100 in 2010) of hospital charges, and the $135 ($150 in 2010) deductible for doctor charges. Note, that there will be no increase in Social Security payments in 2010.
C.J. Vetter
St. Joseph
No substance
We've seen this movie before, and it was played by James Dean and Natalie Wood. Nobody really knows what Sarah Palin is trying to accomplish, other than get attention and make money. She is all style and no substance. Her strength is her contrast to President Barack Obama. She is white, not highly educated and anti-intellectual. She is a hunter, comes from a small town and is not weighed down by the burden of having to give consistent or coherent viewpoints. Her body language and demeanor radiate confidence and straightforwardness. But her words are less than genuine. Take her response to Oprah Winfrey's question about her son-in-law. Does anyone really believe that he actually was invited to spend Thanksgiving with the family?
Rami Saffarini
Platte City, Mo.
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He_who_opines_behind_anonymity says...
Rami,
Have you ever even seen or heard Sarah Palin speak? She gives very intelligent, clear answers when asked questions very much unlike the bafoon currently in office. She can speak for herself without the help of a tele-prompter and she doesn't stumble over every answer she gives. People are so enamored by the fool Obama that they have forgotten what it is like to hear a person who actually IS intelligent person speak.
The theme of the media is to try to trip up Mrs. Palin and they do there darndest in almost every interview and that lady-bafool Oprahbama is no different. She only had Mrs. Palin on because she knew her ratings would go through the roof. And how on Earth would you know what her her Thanksgiving plans are. Even more importantly, why would you or anyone else care?
November 29, 2009 at 5:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Realityck says...
I heard they had moose instead of turkey
November 29, 2009 at 5:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wright_Winger says...
Rami should stick with watching re-runs of "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner."
November 29, 2009 at 5:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pops says...
I think she was trying to be kind....but if it were me, and after all this "son in law" has done, I wouldn't invite him to ANY family dinner. Sarah Palin is a good person, very intelligent and thoughtful. She's also painfully honest, and can't be bought. It's no wonder she's being castigated....she represents everything the left abhors.....
Frankly, I think she scares them to death....
November 29, 2009 at 7:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalearch says...
Since the NP removed my comments about boycotting Home Style Furniture due to their chicken shot (my i quit working) pop up ads, I can only assume they will continue.
Here's the email address to tell them you won't shop there as long as they continue the pop ups.
homestylefurniture@stjoelive.com
November 29, 2009 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
77cod says...
Rami
Keep drinking the empty suit kool aid and just go along like a nice little no nothing and you will enjoy all the government can give you (Oh I forgot you have to pay more taxes and do as the government tells you in the "change" socialist US)>
It was the uniformed, academia, media hood winked that elected the clown we now have. Sarah Palin and even the Clinton woman would have been much better for this country than the great community organizer from Chicago.
November 29, 2009 at 9:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
joz1984 says...
Sarah palin gives horrible speeches, they are absolutely horrible. She gives absolutely horrible answers to questions. She can see russia from alaska, ex 1. What newspapers do you read? She couldn't name one. I could name at least five without thinking. Of course people in this town like her she uses words like "darndest" and "you bettcha" and is an avid hunter. I watched a speech she gave a few months back and it was all rambling. I get tired of hearing this teleprompter argument like obama is the first and only to use a teleprompter. Even before teleprompters people wrote speeches and notes down. Do you think abraham lincoln just got up there and winged it with "four score and seven years ago..."
November 29, 2009 at 11:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wright_Winger says...
Obama sans TelePrompter:
"I have travelled to all fifty-seven states."
"Ten thousand people were killed by the tornado in Greenburg (KS)."
Joe Biden:
"We have to spend more money to avoid going bankrupt."
Dumb?....You betcha!!
November 29, 2009 at 11:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rk92559 says...
If your basing your opinion of someone on how they answered a question from Oprah..that pretty much speaks for itself.
November 29, 2009 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
longarm45 says...
#1 YOU CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM ALASKA (look at little diomede & big diomede islands)
#2 Sarah is a college graduate.
#3 Sarah has governing experience,AND business experience!
#4 I would stutter too if asked the stupid questions she has been asked, in such a PATRONIZING manner, esp by OPRAH-who made her a political expert? did she ever run for an office?
I rest my case.
Phil Prawl
cdr usn retired amd gs-13 retired, a world traveler
longarm45@yahoo.com
November 29, 2009 at 4:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
joz1984 says...
Even if you can see russia from alaska that doesn't give you foreign policy experiance.
November 29, 2009 at 10:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lbc says...
You do recall that the see Russia remark was made by the phony Sarah P. on Saturday night live. Naturally the Dems jumped on it and tried to attribute it, to the real Sarah P.
Looks like they were partially successful......there are always some idiots who hear what they want to hear.
November 30, 2009 at 12:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalearch says...
lbc:
"there are always some idiots who hear what they want to hear."
My thoughts exactly:this is exactly the behavior the dems know they can depend on their base for.
November 30, 2009 at 1:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )