Republican Health Care Plan: Beg and take charity if you want to live!

I found this frightening jolt of reality an interesting take on health care reform:

Carl Peterson: Missourians must beg for health care

The St. Charles County Council and the Missouri Legislature voted to … opt out of the new health care plan ... and on Aug. 3 Missourians will vote on a referendum on whether to legally attempt to opt out of the new health care plan … a simple "no" does not solve the problems with our current health care system. The obligator question for health care opponents is, "What is your plan?"

Republican Congressional leaders will tell you they have a plan. In fact, their Health Care Solutions Group, chaired by U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, has put out a 219-page supposed plan. Their proposal centers on encouraging states to create a "Universal Access Program for pre-existing conditions or past illnesses." In other words, the Republican "plan" is to ask states to create pools for high-risk people. This is exactly what the insurance companies told Obama and Congress they would not do. Unfortunately, these vapid 219 pages are a waste of a good tree.

Health care opponents' philosophy was most clearly expressed at a town hall meeting with Republican House Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia. A woman asked Cantor if he had any hope for her friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer and had lost her job and insurance to the recession. Cantor callously replied there were several charity hospitals in the area, and her friend should try to get medical help there.

Is "go beg" the Republicans' plan? That was their plan 50 years ago when my poor tenant farming grandfather needed a second cancer surgery. His life savings had gone for the first operation, and all he could do was rely on charity for the second operation. Rather than beg, he chose a 12-gauge shotgun. For me, Cantor's remarks were deja vu all over again.