# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 140
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2781 "2011-04-08T15:13:37Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > The current benefits are unsustainable because the cost of healthcare vastly outpaces inflation. > > Ryan’s plan would give seniors vouchers whose value doesn’t rise with healthcare costs. Somehow, the hard constraint of the voucher is supposed to prevent hospitals and HMOs from gouging patients for the costs of necessary care. At the exact moment that the healthcare industry has someone by the balls, you expect them to only charge up to the amount of the government voucher, and not totally clean them out. > > Have you been paying attention to corporate behavior for the last 30 years? Health care costs do not outpace inflation ebcause doctors or hospitals are making more money. Its because we have developed really expensive ways of keeping people alive longer. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2782 "2011-04-08T16:44:13Z")
[http://www.aztecmesa.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=np&thread=12641&page=1#192728](http://www.aztecmesa.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=np&thread=12641&page=1#192728) here is a partial list of riders tha Repubs have attached to the budget. Can you figure out why it has problems passing? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2783 "2011-04-08T17:24:52Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.aztecmesa.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=np&thread=12641&page=1#192728](http://www.aztecmesa.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=np&thread=12641&page=1#192728) here is a partial list of riders tha Repubs have attached to the budget. Can you figure out why it has problems passing? Thanks for the URL. The whole list is worth a laugh, but here is the Homeland Security section > [@](#): > > Homeland Security > > - Prohibits transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Sec. 1112 > - Prohibits transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Sec. 1113 > - Prohibits constructing facilities to house detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Sec. 1114 > - Prohibits funding for hiring new TSA employees. Sec. 1614 > - Prohibits funding for immigrant integration programs. Sec. 1635 > - Prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from collecting information on multiple sales of rifles or shotguns to the same person. Sec. 4030p I’m confused by items 1, 2 and 3. We want to leave them at Guantanamo but leave them unhoused? Wouldn’t it be even better to fund the destruction of the limited housing they already have? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2784 "2011-04-08T17:53:00Z")
I think the entire list of riders should be published as widely as possible, under the heading: REPUBLICAN PLATFORM ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2785 "2011-04-08T18:06:52Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > The current benefits are unsustainable because the cost of healthcare vastly outpaces inflation. > > Ryan’s plan would give seniors vouchers whose value doesn’t rise with healthcare costs. Somehow, the hard constraint of the voucher is supposed to prevent hospitals and HMOs from gouging patients for the costs of necessary care. At the exact moment that the healthcare industry has someone by the balls, you expect them to only charge up to the amount of the government voucher, and not totally clean them out. > > Have you been paying attention to corporate behavior for the last 30 years? What would they do about pre-existing conditions? The senior might end up paying \>$1,000 a month or be denied coverage altogether. And how about people who decide to not get insurance because the cost is more than the voucher. Do they have a free ride until they get sick? It seems like no system will work unless everyone has to participate and no one is denied coverage. At that point aren’t we back at the current UHC law? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2786 "2011-04-08T18:20:28Z")
So now the Republicans insist on defunding Planned Parenthood or NO DEAL. Makes sense, all of our woes point back to the 3% of segregated funding that Planned Parenthood spends on abortion. If only John Boehner’s tears were gold bars we would solve this so-called budget crisis in no time. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2787 "2011-04-08T18:29:33Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > So now the Republicans insist on defunding Planned Parenthood or NO DEAL. Makes sense, all of our woes point back to the 3% of segregated funding that Planned Parenthood spends on abortion. > > If only John Boehner’s tears were gold bars we would solve this so-called budget crisis in no time. What is funny (alright, it is not) is that many pundits insisted that the teaparty movement and most republicans had dropped or not made too much of a fuss about social issues like abortion, and that is why they managed to get many independents to think that voting for republicans was safe again… When will they learn?.. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2788 "2011-04-08T18:49:07Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > So now the Republicans insist on defunding Planned Parenthood or NO DEAL. Makes sense, all of our woes point back to the 3% of segregated funding that Planned Parenthood spends on abortion. > > If only John Boehner’s tears were gold bars we would solve this so-called budget crisis in no time. That pissed me off so much when I heard in on my way home from work this morning. I wonder if Planned Parenthood could spin off their abortion clinics into a different entity to get around the policy rider. I also wonder if President Obama would veto the bill should it come to his desk with that rider. I’m not real hopeful that he would. Or entirely certain if he should, as courageous as I think it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2789 "2011-04-09T19:59:00Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > The current benefits are unsustainable because the cost of healthcare vastly outpaces inflation. And how do you propose to address THAT issue? > [@](#): > > Ryan’s plan would give seniors vouchers whose value doesn’t rise with healthcare costs. Somehow, the hard constraint of the voucher is supposed to prevent hospitals and HMOs from gouging patients for the costs of necessary care. At the exact moment that the healthcare industry has someone by the balls, you expect them to only charge up to the amount of the government voucher, and not totally clean them out. The cost of health care isn’t rising because doctors or hospital are making more money, its because we now have many new expensive treatments available which medicare is happily paying for. We need to limit what medicare pays for to make sure it survives long enough to take care of our kids, if we spend it all trying to keep a bunch of 90 year old guy alive until their 91st birthday we will have an unsustainable health care costs no matter what. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2790 "2011-04-09T20:03:19Z")
I renew my offer to be a member of a Death Panel, any Death Panel. Or all of them! ---
**Author:** ![AlienVessels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@AlienVessels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlienVessels)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2791 "2011-04-09T20:12:25Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > And how do you propose to address THAT issue? > > The cost of health care isn’t rising because doctors or hospital are making more money, its because we now have many new expensive treatments available which medicare is happily paying for. We need to limit what medicare pays for to make sure it survives long enough to take care of our kids, if we spend it all trying to keep a bunch of 90 year old guy alive until their 91st birthday we will have an unsustainable health care costs no matter what. We need to mandate the effective treatments so that costs come down and sales of high tech medical gear and meds come down. You can also negotiate with big Pharma on the expensive meds with volume buys. They spend a TON more on marketing than on R&D. You can still leave the ultra high end available for the people that can afford to pay anything for their medical care. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2792 "2011-04-10T02:07:02Z")
We have money driven medicine. The doctors are paid for doing things not results. Every test is more money. Every procedure is more money. Every operation is more money. Cranking out patients is the aim. It makes more money. You better be done in less than 15 minutes. The doctors send patients to clinics thy are part or full owners of so they make more money. our system is broken. Do we wonder why poor people can not afford to go to doctors ? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2793 "2011-04-10T03:26:03Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > We have money driven medicine. The doctors are paid for doing things not results. Every test is more money. Every procedure is more money. Every operation is more money. Cranking out patients is the aim. It makes more money. You better be done in less than 15 minutes. > The doctors send patients to clinics thy are part or full owners of so they make more money. our system is broken. > Do we wonder why poor people can not afford to go to doctors ? I’m guessing you don’t talk with doctors often. Doctors do lots of tests because they’re afraid of getting sued. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2794 "2011-04-10T04:30:33Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > I’m guessing you don’t talk with doctors often. Doctors do lots of tests because they’re afraid of getting sued. Maybe. I think doctors do lots of test because they are (part) owners of the labs where the tests get done. [cite](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3230/is_n11_v23/ai_11593005/) > [@](#): > > Florida clinical laboratories owned by physicians performed almost twice as many diagnostic tests per patient as facilities that were not owned by physicians. And the average charge in a physician-owned lab was $43 per patient, compared with $20 per patient in the other labs. > [@](#): > > The study found that clinical labs owned by referring physicians performed 3.3 tests per patient versus 1.7 tests for the non-joint venture labs, a 94% higher utilization rate. Further, the HCCCB report stated, “All of the objective indicators of quality reported by both groups indicate that non-joint venture labs provide a higher quality product than their joint venture counterparts.” What cites do you have for your contention? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2795 "2011-04-10T04:36:58Z")
I meant to write: Maybe. I think **one reason** doctors do lots of test **is** because they are (part) owners of the labs where the tests get done. Bold parts correct my poor sentence construction (missed the edit window). ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2796 "2011-04-11T15:24:14Z")
> [@AlienVessels](#): > > We need to mandate the effective treatments so that costs come down and sales of high tech medical gear and meds come down. You can also negotiate with big Pharma on the expensive meds with volume buys. They spend a TON more on marketing than on R&D. > > You can still leave the ultra high end available for the people that can afford to pay anything for their medical care. What do you mean mandate the effective treatments? That ultra high end never gets developed if only the rich can afford it. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2797 "2011-04-11T15:27:16Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > We have money driven medicine. The doctors are paid for doing things not results. Every test is more money. Every procedure is more money. Every operation is more money. Cranking out patients is the aim. It makes more money. You better be done in less than 15 minutes. > The doctors send patients to clinics thy are part or full owners of so they make more money. our system is broken. > Do we wonder why poor people can not afford to go to doctors ? Are you under the impression that doctors are making more or less money than they did 30 years ago? Really poor people get medicaid, they can afford to go to doctors because its free for them. Its the working poor that that live paycheck to paycheck that go to sleep praying they don’t get sick. So money drives medicine, what doesn’t it drive? What is your alternative? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2798 "2011-04-11T15:29:58Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > I’m guessing you don’t talk with doctors often. Doctors do lots of tests because they’re afraid of getting sued. I don’t know if you are talking a jab at tort reform but doctors would order those tests whether we had tort reform or not. Unless you simply got rid of the concept of medical malpractice a doctor is going to order the test, its no skin off his nose to order the test and he takes a risk if he doesn’t ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2799 "2011-04-11T15:42:15Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > So money drives medicine, what doesn’t it drive? What is your alternative? I assume he’s referring to the various outcome-driven provider reimbursement models, which are of questionable practicality. However, the NHS (and most single-payer systems) use a much simpler (and more logical) patient-driven reimbursement system; primary care physicians/general practitioners get paid according to the number of patients on their rolls, regardless of whether or not they actually need treatment. Patients can choose any doctor they like. The crappy doctors get fewer patients, but can spend more time with each one, so everyone theoretically gets roughly the same level of overall care. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/2800 "2011-04-12T19:22:38Z")
maybe having stupid ideas is to be expected because it is biological. they have a larger amygdala which is associated with fear and anxiety. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog\_theticket/20110411/pl\_yblog\_theticket/will-president-obama-and-the-house-gop-ever-agree-science-suggests-no](http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110411/pl_yblog_theticket/will-president-obama-and-the-house-gop-ever-agree-science-suggests-no) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=139) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=141)