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Meghan McCain Rips
Palin's 'Retarded'
Double Standard

'Exactly what's wrong with politics today'

12 hours, 15 minutes ago
Mystery Bush
Billboard Appears

Sign shows up in Minnesota with no sign of buyer

7 hours, 13 minutes ago
Palin Blasts Global Warming Studies as 'Snake Oil'

... in speech to Calif. logging conference

Feb 8, 10 10:04 PM CST
Tea Partiers Attack... Ron Paul?

Texas congressman draws three primary challengers

10 hours, 52 minutes ago
OPINION

Good Riddance to Rep. Murtha

Late Democrat slammed for corruption, stance on Iraq

13 hours, 13 minutes ago
WILLIAM MCGURN

Look Who Says Bush
Was Right on Terror

Obama invokes Bush policies as defense in Couric interview

13 hours, 31 minutes ago
analysis

Meg Whitman
Is the
Anti-Palin

She's known for her business smarts, not her personality

6 hours, 1 minute ago
OPINION

Sarah Palin
Must Heed
Yogi Berra

She has to somehow lead the leader-shunning Tea Party

5 hours, 6 minutes ago
Democrats Fault
Rahm Emanuel
on Health Care

Many believe his inexperience in Senate maneuvering stalled bill

6 hours, 21 minutes ago
GOP Threatens to Sit Out Obama Health Care Summit

Boehner, Cantor demand Democrats scrap old bill

10 hours, 45 minutes ago
OR MAYBE BORING OLD CORRUPTION

Swingers to Drugs,
Rumors Swirl
Around Paterson

New York governor denies any involvement with sex, drugs

8 hours, 54 minutes ago
Robert Gibbs
Pokes Fun at
Sarah Palin

Press chief writes grocery list on his hand

2 hours, 43 minutes ago
Shelby Drops
Holds on Obama
Nominees

Alabama Republican says he was just trying to get the president's attention

11 hours, 30 minutes ago
ANALYSIS

Murtha Leaves Huge Shoes ... and Big Chance for GOP

Republicans have long eyed the Pa. seat for takeover

Feb 8, 10 6:53 PM CST

|NEXT STORY »

Wanted: Economist to Trash Health Bill

Foes look for an expert to prove that Obamacare kills jobs

By Jane Yager| Posted Nov 16, 09 9:01 AM CST|

(Newser) – Pro-business groups opposed to the president's health care reform are raising funds to hire a "respected economist" to study the impact of the reform—and find that it is a threat to jobs and the economy. In an email obtained by the Washington Post, a top official at the Chamber of Commerce writes: "The economist will then circulate a sign-on letter to hundreds of other economists saying that the bill will kill jobs and hurt the economy.

"We will then be able to use this open letter to produce advertisements, and as a powerful lobbying and grass-roots document," he adds. The email, proposes spending $50,000 for the study, also says the idea was "suggested by our Congressional allies"—a sign of intensifying attacks by opponents as Dem health reform plans move into the Senate.

Bruce Josten, chief lobbyist of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which opposes the President's health care reform, is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The United States Chamber of Commerce building in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Dr. Margaret Flowers, Aetna CEO Ron Williams and Randel Johnson of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce take part in a health care roundtable before the Senate Health Committee, June 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

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24 comments

VIEWING:

Caps
Nov 16, 09 9:03 AM CST

What a bunch of "STUPID" Reply

-1

IN RESPONSE:

Reader64481089
Nov 16, 09 9:06 AM CST

Well, first off if they have to look for one that means the end result is going to be a total fabrication, if it were true then they would not have to search one out as hundreds would have already stated it as fact and they have not

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 10:20 AM CST

First, everyone repeat after me: no matter who is paying for it (whether government, employers, or individuals) HEALTH CARE IS NOT FREE! If anything, our current healthcare system (where employers pay for a significant percentage of our healthcare) is what is killing jobs, hurting their competitiveness with companies where healthcare is paid for by the government, and causing stagnant wages? Why don't they try to find respected economists who believe that a single-payer system is far and away the most effective way to drive down costs and control cost shifting and moral hazards? Because that’s even harder than trying to find an economist that doesn’t prefer the proposed health care bill over what we have now. And, on the point of finding a respected economist that thinks the current bill is a job killer, what about the other 99% of economists who say the bill, though far from perfect, is a step in the right direction to addressing many of the problems that EVERY rational person (i.e., not rabid conservative) realizes are causing great harm to our economy. Our current healthcare system leaves 30 million uninsured, many of whom end up in emergency rooms anyway when the costs are significantly higher than if they had decent healthcare all along. We spend about 16% of our GDP on healthcare costs compared to around 6% in countries with government organized healthcare. And we have the largest economy in the world by far, so economies of scale should have kicked in a longtime ago (i.e., we should actually be spending LESS of a % our GDP than other countries). We also have one of the highest infant mortality rates and one of the lowest life expectancies of any developed country.

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 10:21 AM CST

editor's note: that should be try to find a respected economist that doesn't believe in single-payer (i.e., they pretty much all do).

IN RESPONSE:

hybrid
Nov 16, 09 10:35 AM CST

because every econ knows that single payer is a joke......free market while difficult to control is still the best answer.

-1

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 10:47 AM CST

I apologize for not being clear (too many negatives gets confusing). Every respected economists is FOR single-payer, not against it.

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 10:48 AM CST

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2007/07/economist-argues-that-single-payer.html - "Economists believe in markets. Market-determined prices allocate scarce resources efficiently, encouraging individuals to put them to their best possible uses. This improves everyone’s welfare. But there are times when private markets break down, and insurance is one of them. When markets fail, the government inevitably has to step in and provide insurance. That’s the case with deposit insurance as well as with insurance against the devastation from natural disasters. The future is one in which health care will fall into this same category. Even in countries like the United States, the government, not the market, will ultimately control the level and cost of the medical care we will receive."

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 10:49 AM CST

http://www.healthcare-now.org/economist-joseph-stiglitz-a-single-payer-supporter/ - Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz told Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, after being asked if he supported single-payer healthcare, that, “I think I’ve reluctantly come to the view that it’s the only alternative. You know, we’ve tried a lot of other things. And we’ve been — you know, I was in the Clinton administration, and we debated a lot of alternatives, and I’ve watched things as they’ve emerged and, you know, evolved over the last twelve, sixteen years, and I think there’s a growing consensus that the private market exclusion is not going to work.”

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 10:50 AM CST

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113069651.html - Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Massachusetts physicians favor single-payer national health insurance, far more than support managed care (10 percent) or fee-for-service care (26 percent) according to a Harvard Medical School study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

IN RESPONSE:

dax
Nov 16, 09 11:03 AM CST

hybrid (wrote): "free market while difficult to control is still the best answer" ---- Free market is a myth and a platitude used to tug at heart strings. There is NO free market. All corporate entities are subject to the imperatives of the humans who create and populate them, and as such seek to control the market, eliminate competition, and maximize returns. Monopolist behavior is a biological imperative expressed at the institutional level.

IN RESPONSE:

hybrid
Nov 16, 09 11:53 AM CST

"Economists believe in markets. Market-determined prices allocate scarce resources efficiently, encouraging individuals to put them to their best possible uses. This improves everyone’s welfare............that is good point but the next two sources where from MASS, and a man that worked for the clintions, Boy i wonder why he would want a single payer.....as for dax, free market is the quest for dominace if your a corp, its the gov job to level the playing field not play in it, that is why now we dont have a free market. Agian every respected econ knows that a free market is the most efficent.

IN RESPONSE:

Snowleopard
Nov 16, 09 2:17 PM CST

gnieberg: can you be a bit more succinct?

| 0 minutes ago

Doctor_Supercilious
Nov 16, 09 9:04 AM CST

I'm sure they will have no problems finding one willing to cash their checks. Here's a clue, if you already know the results before you hire the expert to figure it out, it's probably a bullshit study designed to say what you want it to say. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

hybrid
Nov 16, 09 10:03 AM CST

Watch CNBC and about every econ guy on there will tell you that this bill will do nothing but add to the deficit and raise cost, They can find plenty there.

IN RESPONSE:

Ucantusethatname
Nov 16, 09 10:29 AM CST

Correct. Real researchers pose important questions and use scientific methods to answer them. Findings are reported honestly, regardless of whether the outcomes support a particular point of view. Otherwise, the conclusions would be biased and untrustworthy.

| 0 minutes ago

carol
Nov 16, 09 11:13 AM CST

Whether it cost more or not, this healthcare bill will only be useful to about 10 pct of the American people. In the end, taxpayers will end up getting the tab. Reply

-2

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 11:21 AM CST

Forgetting the moral imperitives for the richest country in history of the world to provide basic necessities like health care....THE TAXPAYERS ALREADY PAY FOR THE UNINSURED. When they go to the emergency rooms (which FYI costs significantly more than if they had health care all along) WE PAY FOR IT. And, when people without healthcare (or are underinsured) stop taking adequate preventative measures to prevent the spread of diseases WE ALL PAY FOR IT in money and when we get sick because DISEASE DOES NOT SEE YOUR PAYCHECK,

IN RESPONSE:

myvoice
Nov 16, 09 11:35 AM CST

gnieberg... you are correct but the majority of people who oppose this cannot be reason with. They spew out stuff like socialism but they themselves, their parents, or grandparents collect social security. So how do reason with ignorance? can anyone here answer that question with out ignorant responses? we will see....

IN RESPONSE:

gnieberg
Nov 16, 09 11:42 AM CST

I agree that you can't, by definition, reason with the unreasonable. But I have faith that most people in thist country are intelligent, well-meaining people who not only would do what's right for them if properly explained but want to do what's right by others as long as it's not unreasonably burdensome to them. The problem is it's a complex problem that hasn't been sufficiently outlined for people.

IN RESPONSE:

hybrid
Nov 16, 09 11:57 AM CST

@myvoice sure not everyone collects ss. Just look up galveston social secrity and you can see what the program was intended to be. Social security was not indended to be a hand out it was a savings account that you payin to then recieve, thats far from socialism.

| 0 minutes ago

myvoice
Nov 16, 09 12:06 PM CST

Hybrid... we pay SS tax to help the elderly today. Its not as if they are getting what they paid into it back, its not investing. If what you say was the case then why is there serious concerns for the baby boomers reaching 65? and why is it called Social Security not personal security? Reply

IN RESPONSE:

hybrid
Nov 16, 09 12:12 PM CST

just look up the galveston like i told you. SS is in trouble for the simple reason of the gov borrowing from it. Inflation and deficits also impact that but what we pay today is going to elderly but it didnt have to if it had been left alone as was its intention. Its broken and there is an alternitive but many are unaware of it.

IN RESPONSE:

myvoice
Nov 16, 09 1:28 PM CST

I looked it up and this is what i found....When Galveston county opted out of Social Security, it was essentially “free riding” on the rest of the country. Galveston county workers do not provide any contributions to support current Social Security beneficiaries, including former Galveston county workers who retired prior to implementation of the county’s system in 1981. Only about 5,000 employees participate in the plans run by Galveston and the two other Texas counties opting out of Social Security,[7] so these counties’ opting out of Social Security has a negligible impact on the finances of the program as a whole. But the Galveston model would be impossible to replicate on a national scale. If Americans in general redirected all of their payroll taxes into new private plans, there would be no tax revenue left to pay the $500 billion in annual benefits promised to Social Security’s 45 million current beneficiaries. Those benefits consequently would have to be funded by income taxes or an entirely new tax, such as a Value Added Tax. Even if the new private plans appeared to provide a better deal than traditional Social Security (which is not case with the Galveston plan), that apparent free lunch would evaporate once the cost of the additional taxes needed to support current beneficiaries was factored into the equation.

IN RESPONSE:

hybrid
Nov 16, 09 2:54 PM CST

@my voice I dont know what you looked at but the galveston plan is easy,,,gov bonds that are garenteed and annuities that are garenteed(you appearently dont know how annuities are garenteed). The new plan could be inacted today by using the money that ss has now,,,,witch at just better than 6% apr could easily make up any shortfalls, not to mention the money that congress has to pay back to the program witch is more than enough to cover the obligation we have to our already retired. Instead of typing in to google "how does galveston not work" witch has been debunk you would have conceided the point.......i have put alot of work into trying to get the loophole opened back up for Qualified counties but the irs and the us congress doesnt want to let thier piggy bank go.

| 0 minutes ago

View all 24 comments »

health care • health care reform • bias • President Obama • US Chamber of Commerce

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Wanted: Economist to Trash Health Bill

Foes look for an expert to prove that Obamacare kills jobs

Obama Calls
GOP's Bluff
With Health
Care Summit

President thinks Republican ideas will look worse in the spotlight

Obama Calls GOP's Bluff With Health Care Summit

President thinks Republican ideas will look worse in the spotlight

Obama Will Host
Bipartisan
Health Care
Talks—on TV

GOP, Dem leaders to hash out reform with president

Obama Will Host Bipartisan Health Care Talks—on TV

GOP, Dem leaders to hash out reform with president

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President moves to engage Republicans

Obama Invites GOP to Policy Sessions, Super Bowl

President moves to engage Republicans

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Wanted: Economist to Trash Health Bill

Foes look for an expert to prove that Obamacare kills jobs

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Obama Calls GOP's Bluff With Health Care Summit

President thinks Republican ideas will look worse in the spotlight

Obama Calls GOP's Bluff With Health Care Summit

President thinks Republican ideas will look worse in the spotlight

Obama Will Host Bipartisan Health Care Talks—on TV

GOP, Dem leaders to hash out reform with president

Obama Will Host Bipartisan Health Care Talks—on TV

GOP, Dem leaders to hash out reform with president

Obama Invites GOP to Policy Sessions, Super Bowl

President moves to engage Republicans

Obama Invites GOP to Policy Sessions, Super Bowl

President moves to engage Republicans

health care • health care reform • bias • President Obama • US Chamber of Commerce

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Obama Calls
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