At an event with First Congressional District candidate Allen Quist on Monday, Rep. Michele Bachmann warned that it’s possible that critics of health care reform could get on a list that would single them out for denial of health care services.
CityPages has a transcript of the appearance:
He said that in Japan, to wait and get health care is almost impossible. You get on a list and you wait and you wait and you wait. But he said this is something people don’t know: in Japan, people have stopped voicing their opinion on health care. There are things that are wrong with Japanese health care, but people are afraid of voicing. ‘Well why is that,’ I asked. [He said], ‘Because they know that would get on a list and they wouldn’t get health care. They wouldn’t get in. They wouldn’t get seen. And so people are afraid. They’re afraid to speak back to government. They’re afraid to say anything.’ Is that what we want for our future? That takes us to gangster government at that point!
The Star Tribune tried to verify the accuracy of Bachmann’s claim that Japanese citizens are denied care if they criticize that nation’s health care system, but could find no mention of such a policy.
The Rochester Post-Bulletin captured this video of the event:













10 Comments »
Comment posted February 2, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
If she was truly engaged in the health care debate, she would know that the reimbursement rates to a place like the Mayo Clinics would not change. The Democratic Representatives in the MN delegation have been fighting for higher reimbursement rates, and rewards for good practices. Good practices already used and originated at the Mayo. The idea of rewarding good and efficient medical practice is in the Health Care legislation already passed by the House and Senate.
This is more fear mongering on the part of Mrs. Bachmann.
Erasing state lines means that federal law would preempt good state law that protects its consumers from under capitalized and corrupt insurance companies. Here’s a litle secret: You can buy insurance across state lines now. I’ve done it. Not a big deal. She is negotiating for the insurance companies to have a much freer hand in colluding on their rates across the country. Remember, the insurance companies are exempt from anti-trust regulations.
(And I thought she and her party were for state’s rights?)
Her tax solutions are meaningless if the cost of healthcare continues to grow and the premiums for health care insurance continue to increase by 50% each year.
And she doesn’t address the inequities in our health care system. That is at the heart of the matter. Morally and financially.
Nice try Michele. Same old tired rhetoric. I’d like to see her try to sell that in front of room full of the opposition, like the President did.
Comment posted February 2, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
Michele Bachmann continues to make the most ascinine unfounded statements of nearly any politician in Minnesota.
For Shame Ms Bachmann!!!!
Comment posted February 2, 2010 @ 10:33 pm
I’m sure that her excuse will be that she was just telling what someone had told her.
In BachmannWorld, you have no responsibility to verify anything before you widely disseminate it. You just repeat lies that are told to you.
Jesus must be very proud of this supposed follower.
Comment posted February 3, 2010 @ 3:56 am
More comprehensive report:
Michele Bachmann, Nuts, Peddles New Conspiracy Theory
http://www.immelman.us/news/bachmann-healthcare-paranoia/
Abstract:
At a political forum in Rochester, Minn., U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, the “Empress of Exaggeration,” makes the wild claim that the president’s health reform proposals, beyond being “the crown jewel of socialism,” could lead to “gangster government” and “absolute abject corruption,” with people terrified to speak out against the government for fear of being blacklisted for denial of health care.
Comment posted February 3, 2010 @ 7:22 am
I find it so amazing that this woman continues to be voted into office! Sure doesn’t say much about the folks in her district does it?
Comment posted February 3, 2010 @ 11:49 am
Bachmann and her crew have no problem with bare-faced lying. If someone wants to start a “truth squad” to follow her around and challenge her stream of untruths, I’d contribute.
Trackback posted February 4, 2010 @ 4:19 am
Bachmann Healthcare Paranoia…
At a political forum in Rochester, Minn., U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann makes the wild claim that the president’s health reform proposals, beyond being “the crown jewel of socialism,” could lead to “gangster government” and ….
Comment posted February 4, 2010 @ 8:45 am
realist posted February 3, 2010 @ 11:49 am:
“Bachmann and her crew have no problem with bare-faced lying. If someone wants to start a ‘truth squad’ to follow her around and challenge her stream of untruths, I’d contribute.”
Dump Bachmann
http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com/
Michele Bachmann’s Bizarro World:
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/page/Michele_Bachmann_BIZARRO_WORLD
Bill Prendergast’s Michele Bachmann Updates:
http://www.dailykos.com/user/Bill%20Prendergast/diary
http://www.BachmannWatch.org
http://www.immelman.us/news/bachmanns-march-of-folly/
Comment posted February 4, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
WTF does “Japan” have to do with health care in the USA? Why even mention it?
What evidence supports the notion that the proposed health care bill will lead to “Gangster Government?”
What color is the sky in your world, Michelle?
Comment posted February 5, 2010 @ 11:41 am
As someone who used to live in Japan and was under its health care system for 5 years, I can confirm her comments are not grounded in reality. My family and I, though foreigners, got prompt and high quality medical treatment whenever needed. In fact our children’s care was completely free because they were both under 6 years old, though this was a benefit of the municipality within Tokyo where we lived, and not the national system. The way the system works, there’s no way any alleged critic can be denied health care… those comments are pretty fantastical.
By the way, when I came back home to the States, I was promptly denied coverage for “pre-existing conditions”, went without health insurance for 6 months, and then was slapped with an ungodly premium when I finally secured insurance. I was really wishing I still had Japanese health care for a while!
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