Harry Reid Hates Seniors and The Disabled

From Bloomberg: Reid called the rare weekend session to meet his deadline of getting a bill by year-end. Republicans, unified in opposition, forced the Democrats yesterday to reiterate their support for cutting more than $40 billion in home health-care services funding under Medicare. It was the latest Republican effort to highlight the bill’s potential impact on the elderly. That should also include the disabled.
Further: The Senate also turned back a Republican bid to restore the home health services funding. The Republicans are trying to draw attention to the impact on the elderly from some $400 billion in proposed Medicare savings. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aoruBc3aj0PA
Nevada has a lot of Seniors moving here because of the climate (well, not this week), low taxes and a lot of things to do. Apparently, Harry Reid (Dumbass-NV) doesn't really care about them as he wants to slash Medicare and home health care services. As Dad29 (http://dad29.blogspot.com/) points out, home health care is one of the best parts of Medicare. It saves money because it is far cheaper keeping someone at home than in a nursing home or assisted living, it is more comfortable for the patient and their family and there is less chance for abuse.
When conservatives say this plan will kill people, this is one reason how this bill will kill seniors and the disabled. But Harry Reid and the Democrats supposedly know better than families.
Harry, Obama, Democrats and liberals, why do you hate seniors and the disabled so much?

And the Health Care Rationing Begins

From Fox News: "Most women don't need a mammogram in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50, a government task force said Monday. It's a major reversal that conflicts with the American Cancer Society's long-standing position.
Also, the task force said breast self-exams do no good and women shouldn't be taught to do them."...But the government panel of doctors and scientists concluded that getting screened for breast cancer so early and so often leads to too many false alarms and unneeded biopsies without substantially improving women's odds of survival.
"The benefits are less and the harms are greater when screening starts in the 40s," said Dr. Diana Petitti, vice chair of the panel.
However, the American Cancer Society disagrees strongly: "This is one screening test I recommend unequivocally, and would recommend to any woman 40 and over," the society's chief medical officer, Dr. Otis Brawley, said in a statement"...."That stance "is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives, just not enough of them," he said. The cancer society feels the benefits outweigh the harms for women in both groups."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575354,00.html
First, why would the government say that women should not be giving themselves self-exams is just outrageous. It is called preventable medicine. Yes, there are times when a woman given themselves a breast exam feel something and it is a false alarm. But there are times when it is not and the woman is the first to know when something is not right and the government wants to take that out of the woman's hand (bad pun) and let a professional do it.
And what about those times when a young woman has breast cancer and yet the government says they should examine themselves or get a mammogram until they are 50. Yup, you are screwed.
This is what government health insurance will do for you and women, you are getting screwed. Don't worry, guys, we are next when we are told not to give self exams for testicular cancer and screw the prostrate cancer tests.

More Federal Health Care Woes

From the Havre (MT) Daily News: A federal employee said that the closure of the diabetes prevention program at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation could set back work done by the program. “Temporarily closing the program halts current efforts and activities.,” Carol Strasheim, diabetes consultant with Indian Health Services in Billings, said in an e-mailed response to questions...The Fort Belknap government confirmed last week that its Diabetes Prevention Program was being terminated effective Friday. The federal funding for the program, through an Indian Health Service grant program, expired Sept. 30 and applications for the next grant cycle are not due until this week...
Ok, the federal government runs Indian Health services and I don't think there is any doubt that the IHS is the worst run health care system in the nation- private or government.
The diabetes program was funded by a grant and the grant ran out (call it rationing?) and the applications are not due until this week, the middle of October? Does that make sense.
Oh, and this: Strasheim said the protocol of Indian Health Service is that all questions must be submitted in writing. Her supervisor, Susan Fredericks, forwarded Strasheim’s response to questions from the Havre Daily News Friday afternoon. http://www.havredailynews.com/articles/2009/10/19/local_headlines/state.txt
Apparently the federal government is so secretive or stuck up- you choose, that they won't answer any questions unless the questions are in writing and you have to through layers of bureaucracy.
This is your federal government in action. And this is who you want to make "health care reforms"? Why doesn't the federal government get their act together first before they intrude in the health care debate.
BTW, the Senator for Montana is Max Baucus. No word from him, Wow, he really supports his constituents.

Nevadan's Don't Support Health Care Reform: More Trouble For Harry Reid

From the LVRJ:
"A large majority of Nevadans believe health care reform -- which President Barack Obama has promised will not add one dime to the budget deficit -- will result in tax increases, according to a poll commissioned by the Review Journal.
The telephone poll of 500 registered voters found 77 percent of Nevadans, including two-thirds of voters from Obama's own Democratic Party, believe the estimated cost of almost $1 trillion over 10 years for a health care reform package will require tax increases."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/nevadans-see-tax-hikes-in-plan-63916877.html
Nevadan's, contrary to a certain stupid poll, are pretty smart. We generally don't believe in big government and the distrust of government is even bigger.
Showing how really stupid Democrats are: "But the difference between how Republicans and Democrats responded is huge -- 74 percent of Democrats back the Obama initiative while only 9 percent of Republicans approve" And what imitative is that? Obama has been a wuss when it comes to the health care debate. He says he wants it, but he has not put out a plan. So what is the Obama imitative? What specifics has he put forth in a bill?
Finally: "If U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., were to try to circumvent the filibuster rule and to get a health reform bill through the Senate with only 50 votes, only 32 percent of the state's voters would approve." If Harry did this, that would be the final nail in the coffin for Harry Reid. With unemployment projected to be around 14% or higher when election comes around and his actions on health care, Harry will be defeated by anybody the GOP throws up there. Hell, even Jim Gibbons would be able to beat Harry if this scenario works out, which I hope the scenario doesn't pan out.