Jonelle, why wouldn't it make sense for insurance companies to cross state lines and form huge groups - like phone companies do, cable companies? I agree the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies don't want this - they want the status quo, but if we held our leglsiators accountable to accomplish some meaningful insurance reform, then there could be large private companies who could negotiate on the level of a public option.

Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: "A government big enough to give you everything you want - is strong enough to take away everything you have."

The PEOPLE have to take back control of this country. I am also in favor of term limits for Senators and Congressmen. It was never intended by our founding fathers that the job of Senator or Congressman be a CAREER - how can they really be in touch with the people when they live their life in the ivory tower inside the beltway?

Did you know the government seized Mustang Ranch in Nevada (a brothel), tried to run it and failed? Look at what they are doing with GM. They give an incentive "cash for clunkers" but do they put a caveat on it that GM cars should be bought or American cars? No, so guess what people bought? Japanese cars mostly. How did that help our American auto makers? I think we should help our own industries first, don't you? The government is not good at business and these are two examples.

Look at the TRILLIONS that are being spent. Guess who is going to pay that back? Your generation and your children's generation. We need a grass roots effort to hold our elected officials accountable and limit their terms so we get some people in Washington who know what it's like to have problems like the one you have and also know the frustration of trying to get anything done efficiently by the government.

Sharon

Yes, I did. My comment was a response to the video. Public entitlements are impossible to get rid of once you have them. Since the 1930s our government has steadily increased the entitlements to the public, growing government and taking away our freedoms along the way. Bigger and bigger government - "A government big enough to give you everything is also strong enough to take everything away." Thomas Jefferson. "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."- can't remember who said that, you can google it.

Jonelle, there has to be a private sector solution to this without giving our government another huge portion of our economy. I do not think the insurance companies are saints by any means, or the pharmaceutical companies. There are so many things you can do alternatively to keep your immune system strong, but this is not even on the table in any of the proposals from either party.

Why don't we open up the competition by letting insurance companies cross state lines so we have huge groups that can afford to let people in with pre-existing conditions like yourself and my husband. It is my remembrance that if you have a pre-existing condition and you don't have a recurrence for five years, then it is the same as if you never had it. Are you saying this has changed?

I think that we as a country need to call our representatives into accountability and have them represent the PEOPLE, not the insurance companies or unions or their political party, and come up with an honest solution that is better for the PEOPLE, not the large companies or political parties in power or out of power.

My daughter went through Medicaid when she had a baby and if that treatment is any indication of what would be coming with the public option, Jonelle, it is not what you want. When we asked them questions, many times they couldn't answer. Sometimes they would not even call back. The doctors taking care of her weren't even OB/GYNs, they were on a rotation there, wanting to be other kinds of doctors. If a doctor failed to find a life threatening ailment, there is no penalty for that. Do you think that encourages excellence?

Look at the generations of people who are in Welfare and have no desire to work. Welfare has failed in giving people a helping hand until they can get back on their feet, but there is no way we are going to get rid of it. Of course there are those who are honest and do not want to live off the government, but this is the minority. Instead of 'teaching people how to fish' we are just giving them a fish. It has created an endless cycle of poverty that has actually discouraged men and women from marrying and raising their children because the mothers won't get as much money. This is an example of a government-run program that had the best intentions, has FAILED and we cannot get rid of it. It will be the same with a public option for healthcare.  There has to be a private sector solution - why don't you work on that? What are your ideas? I've given you some of mine.

Sharon

Jonelle, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. What's wrong with a profit motive? Don't you want to make a profit when you sell a house? That's the way businesses are run in our country. What is wrong is when greed enters in because the people in charge have no moral compass. Then it is profit above our health, but it doesn't have to be that way. It hasn't always been that way.

The French people have a much healthier lifestyle than we do. They walk everywhere. They eat small portions for their meals, and they don't eat fast food. Red wine with beef actually aids digestion. Even though they eat very rich food, you just don't see fat people in France. Most of the country takes a month's vacation in August. Many Americans just do not take care of themselves. Our addiction to fast food, sugar and white flour is playing havoc with our health. The amount of preservatives and additives in prepared foods is overwhelming. And yet we do not teach nutrition either in our schools or our medical schools. The so-called Food Pyramid - it is the same pyramid used to fatten farm animals! If we ate more whole grains, less processed food, like the French do, we would be much healthier.

I understand your concern about bottom line vs. your health, but if you think you won't have to wait with public healthcare, think again. My daughter could not get in to see the OB/GYN for almost two months after she was supposed to be on government healthcare. When she called to ask a question, it would be a day or two before they would call back. That would not have happened in a doctor's office where she was paying - and it if did, she would fire them and move on to someone conscientious.

There have always been waiting periods for pre-existing conditions. That is really nothing new, except you are young so you haven't experienced it. American health care has never been big on preventative care - and I am very pro-preventative care. But that is not on the table for any options as far as I can see. Europeans do practice preventative care and they practice holistic medicine - it is much less expensive. But that is not what is being proposed in our health care bill from anything I have read.

Sharon