Comments about ‘Cold, hard numbers on health reform point to out-of-control spending’

Senator Hatch, The reason the Democratic majority and many of us want this health care bill "jammed through" is that we think this is now or never. Your party was in power eight years and did nothing to solve the health care financing mess. For that reason, I'm not convinced you're serious about health care reform.

I'm afraid that if either house is returned to Republican control we can kiss health care reform good bye for at least another ten years.

Why is your party only interested in protecting the interests of the insurance companies that routinely look for any excuse to deny coverage? The GOP did nothing for 8 years. Thank goodness Obama and the Dems are willing to stick up for ordinary Americans.

Not much to disagree with hear Orrin.

2 major points that you make.

1) we need healthcare reform
2) deficits are out of control

Questions for you.

1) didnt you vote for the Medicare part D which added tremendously to our deficit?
2) What did the Republican controlled congress do from 2000 to 2006 to reform healthcare?
3)Prior to 2009 what did you do to stop the DOUBLING of the DEFICIT under Republican control? Where was your outrage then?
4) How much money have you taken in the last 10 years from the Health insurance lobby?

Yes Orrin, we do have a big problem.
The problem is that people like you are only OUTRAGED when its the other party doing it.

We need to curb spending and deficits and neither party is willing to do it.

YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

This like all the other commentary on the health care reform misses the point around 40,000,000 Americans don't have coverage for cancer, heart attack, developing diabetes, serious illness. They come too late, they come to the charity programs, they come to the ER and we all have been paying for their health care..why not do it before they get sick? How about looking hard at the "non profit" that Blue Cross clains to be, this is what the TALK should be about... PA-C Michigan

i am a 55 yr.old handicapped man with a 18 yr. old in college. all my life i have stood on my own 2 feet provideing a life for my family ....now due to goverment trade policies and ignorant fiscal policies im out of work and terrified my family will suffer at the hands of political agendas.there is simply not an ounce of common sense anywhere in washington. the current controllers in washington have absolutely no regard for real people and families that will be forced to pay for their ideologies . im terrified , furious and praying someone or something will turn the ruin of our country around

Democrats under Obama have self destructed faster than Republicans did under Bush
Hopefully congress and the presidency will change hands soon enough to undo this mess becore if fully kicks in and smothers us all.

Senator Hatch, you and your party got beat, fair and simple. The truth is, the American people want reform. Your clumsy candidate, George W. Bush, had 8 miserable years in office to do something and didn't. I praise Pres. Obama for having the leadership, initiative, and wherewithal to do what should have been done years ago.

Strong words from a man who has benefited from socialized medicine!

Senator Hatch, it is time for you to retire and enjoy all of the plush benefits you and others in the Senate have provided for your future. Does your health care provisions as a US Senator compare with the average American's health care? I suppose the answer to this question is heard with a resounded cry of in "no way does yours compare to other American citizens. It is time for you to step aside and return to PA and enjoy your retirment years. Farewell!!

The upshot is that GOP leadership, with its past history of perpetuating irresponsible economic theories, did far more damage to the United States than anything seen so far from the Obama administration, particularly when one considers the destruction of wealth occasioned by war. Maybe the numbers cited here should compare the costs of Iraq. It's estimated in the New York Post that the wars will hit the 3 trillion dollar mark: (By Linda J. Bilmes and Joseph E. Stiglitz
Sunday, March 9, 2008) but the GOP promise in the early days was that it would cost 50 -60 billion dollars. Compare that to the cost estimates of health care reform: 1 trillion over ten years.

Here we go again ... on the cusp of passing another bill that virtually none of our senators has read.

How stupid can we be?

Rarely am I a supporter of Hatch but in this case he has gotten it right.

Do we need health care reform? Absolutely, but not this bill. And not in this manner.

This Bill is terrible; the numbers prove it. It is crazy for people to say: "I don't care what the numbers show; my mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts." The ignorance of voters is incredible. It is fine with me for them to get what they deserve, but don't impose this idiocracy on me.

Don't forget the republican party is now the party of NO! If the democrats would develop a cure for cancer the r's would vote against funding just on their st-pid principles. What a great system we have.Please do not re-elect the 'Music' man.

Bah the way to go about health care reform is not to throw money at it. We have to find out what is driving the cost up and then through legislation and enforcement drive those costs down.

I had posted first on this opinion piece - pointing out the Iraq wars were estimated to cost 3 trillion dollars, while the Health care reform bill would cost 1/3rd of that, nearly 1 trillion over ten years. This newspaper deleted it. The point was that the GOP priorities in the past were based on self-serving and flawed economic theories that damaged the US economy more than anything we've seen coming from the current administration. I do not believe deleting my post was ethical journalism. However, one party seems to wish to destroy the collective wealth of the United States for personal gain, another party wishes to create wealth in the form of good health care for *all* of the population. The progressives have already given up too much for this: including single payer, expanded medicare, and re-importation of prescription drugs. Lest ye forget, having a good type of reform will make the average citizen more wealthy: including less expensive auto insurance, (as health care is covered)lest reliance on expensive emergency room care, and on down the line. Currently, Americans spend about 17% of the product on health care: Canadians, 10%. Those are the numbers.

I couldn't agree more with most of my fellow commentors here: Hatch, you state that health care reform is needed, but what have you and your party done to achieve it?

The ONLY thing I've heard you say regarding health care reform is that you disagree with everything that's been presented.

Your consitutuents are tired of you. It's time to give up your place in the Senate to someone who is willing to work for us now.

It is done, it is over. Does Hatch really care, probably not, he is in tight with the demos. It is all a wink and nod back in Washington. He and McCain are suppose to bark, the demos know there is no bite.

The future of the country, decline, central government planning over all aspect of the economy. A contiued 10% or more unemployment. After the hyper inflation caused by the spenders comes the tax hikes. Hunker down, get used to it. Of course for the socialist losers, they will be happy, misery loves company. And get used to more terrorist attacks. The US is weak. Our enemies circle.

Mr. Hatch missed the most important number, 17. That is the number of enumerated duties of Congress. That is the number of authorized responsibilities that the Citizens of America have passed to Congress.

Mr. Hatch has become so obsessed with politics that he has forgotten that he represents the interests of the State of Utah and that he is bound by the Constitution to do ONLY those things that WE the people have asked him to do. We DID NOT ASK him, or any other legislator to provide health care for us.

Granted, a vocal minority think that they have the right to ask for things that are not allowed by the Constitution, but there are always ignorant people who think that they are so special that they can ignore the law.

Even if one were to ignore the Constitution and focus on the wishes of the people, only 34% think that passing health-care legislation is better than doing nothing at all. 56% of the people disapprove of the plan being pushed by Mr. Obama and the Democrats.

Federal health-care is both unconstitutional and against the will of the people. Stay focused on the Constitution, Mr. Hatch.

6:26

Agree.

"Insatiable appetite to spend"
Mr. Hatch, have you forgotten that it was YOUR party that spent us into the RED during the last administration. I don't hear ANY plans by Hatch and his party for ANY reform. Just outrageous spending for WARS! What we spent in Iraq would have left our country solvent.
I used to be a republican, and probably would change back, IF they had any plans at all for a SOLVENT government. Same goes with health reform.