Today on MSNBC, Rep.. Mark Sanford (R-SC) was discussing his own proposal for an ACA alternative. He was being reasonably even-handed compared to most Republicans, though had two big glitches.
At one point, he was asked if his plan included the two most-popular parts of the ACA -- children staying on their parents' plan until the age of 26 and pre-existing conditions -- and without any exceptions. "Yes," he said, emphatically -- only to add, "...except for one exception."
No, really, he said that!
Hey, guy, the question was "and without any exceptions." Saying yes, with one exception does not qualify as "no exceptions."
The other glitch came when he was trying to make a point about how bad insurance companies are. And he uses an example from a movie, As Good as It Gets. He talked about how audiences cheer at the moment when Helen Hunt's character starts swearing at "her insurance company," as Sanford described it.
Except he's not only completely wrong in what was said, he got the point of the scene completely wrong. The character is NOT complaining about "insurance" companies. Her complain is very specifically about HMOs. They may be a form of insurance, but a very different form and one that people use because they're usually less expensive, though give much more limited and restrictive coverage. Which is the point of the scene.
The exact quote is, "Fucking HMO bastards, pieces of shit." When her mother reminds her that there's a helpful doctor at her elbow, she apologizes -- but the doctor played by Harold Ramis replies, "That's okay. Actually, I think that's their technical name."
The point of the scene is that insurance is so expensive that the mother has been unable to get good insurance for her son -- who has a long-standing, pre-existing condition -- and has been forced to use emergency rooms and HMOs with all their restrictions. When she's actually able to finally use a doctor of her choice (or rather, the choice offered her by her customer, Jack Nicholson...), her son gets great health care and put on the road to recovery.
But there was Mark Sanford trashing "insurance companies" to try and make his fake point in order to tout his own plan.
For those who want the evidence, here's the full scene. The particular passage and lines in question start around the 1:45 mark.
At one point, he was asked if his plan included the two most-popular parts of the ACA -- children staying on their parents' plan until the age of 26 and pre-existing conditions -- and without any exceptions. "Yes," he said, emphatically -- only to add, "...except for one exception."
No, really, he said that!
Hey, guy, the question was "and without any exceptions." Saying yes, with one exception does not qualify as "no exceptions."
The other glitch came when he was trying to make a point about how bad insurance companies are. And he uses an example from a movie, As Good as It Gets. He talked about how audiences cheer at the moment when Helen Hunt's character starts swearing at "her insurance company," as Sanford described it.
Except he's not only completely wrong in what was said, he got the point of the scene completely wrong. The character is NOT complaining about "insurance" companies. Her complain is very specifically about HMOs. They may be a form of insurance, but a very different form and one that people use because they're usually less expensive, though give much more limited and restrictive coverage. Which is the point of the scene.
The exact quote is, "Fucking HMO bastards, pieces of shit." When her mother reminds her that there's a helpful doctor at her elbow, she apologizes -- but the doctor played by Harold Ramis replies, "That's okay. Actually, I think that's their technical name."
The point of the scene is that insurance is so expensive that the mother has been unable to get good insurance for her son -- who has a long-standing, pre-existing condition -- and has been forced to use emergency rooms and HMOs with all their restrictions. When she's actually able to finally use a doctor of her choice (or rather, the choice offered her by her customer, Jack Nicholson...), her son gets great health care and put on the road to recovery.
But there was Mark Sanford trashing "insurance companies" to try and make his fake point in order to tout his own plan.
For those who want the evidence, here's the full scene. The particular passage and lines in question start around the 1:45 mark.
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