Health Care

[Guardian Angel]

Well said DJ.  We are the wealthest and most advanced nation in the world but we are the only one without national healthcare.  It's a travesty.  I have relatives in both Canada and England who are perfectly satisfied with their healthcare.  Our niece in England was born in 1945 with Spina Bifida.   People with Spina Bifida are only expected to live to their early adult years.  She is 65 and could not have survivied this long without good healthcare.  George's sister in Canada has just completed treatment for stomach cancer and is doing great!  His brother had prostate cancer treatments several years ago and has been cancer free since.    They have all survived what some Americans want to paint as horrible healthcare.   Quite frankly the Canadians and the English, as well as the people of other countries are tired of certain Americans painting their healthcare system as a bad deal because it's not bad and it's fair for everyone.   

[DejaVu]

Quite frankly the Canadians and the English, as well as the people of other countries are tired of certain Americans painting their healthcare system as a bad deal because it's not bad and it's fair for everyone. 

Exactly GA....I've been hearing the same thing about other countries for a long time. Just because we have the most expensive health care in the world doesn't mean it's the best.

[buzorro]

So can we agree that this is simply a case of capitalism vs. socialism?

The insurance companies only 'care' about profits?  Insurance companies are not human, they would not survive unless they make profits,  If you had money invested in an insurance company, you would be pretty pissed if they didn't make a profit.  Generally, investors (share holders) seek out the companies that will give them the most bang for their bucks.

The foreign countries mentioned above have a socialized health care system.  The costs of their treatments for the various maladies are paid for by the taxpayers of that country.  'From those who have, to those that don't.'  We have the same type of systems already with Medicare and Medicaid.  We have a socialized retirement system called Social Security.  

The problem I'm having in accepting a socialized national health care system is seeing the results of the three government-run systems mentioned above.  Ultimately they're all destined to fail because of the human factors called greed and corruption.  There are too many political bureaucrats that use their positions for their own personal advantage...taking bribes or payoffs to look the other way.  Their are too many unscrupulous doctors who try to cheat the system.  There are too many patients who try to cheat the system.  Granted, the vast majority of government over-seers, insurance companies, doctors, and patients, are those who play by the rules.   But the few who don't can bankrupt the whole thing.

Why should I pay for someone else's problems?  I like my insurance plan.  True, it has been better, but it still, IMHO, if someone else doesn't have insurance, why is that my problem?  Why should I, as a taxpayer, pay to give them insurance?

You say that I will pay anyway when hospitals are forced to close because they are forced to accept illegals?  That's not a health-care issue, that's an immigration issue.

If a National Public Health Care system is passed by Congress, the insurance companies are going to make even higher profits,...right?  They'll be able to refuse even more questionable clients.

So let's recognize this as what it is, an attempt to slide even further down the slippery slope to a socialistic economic system and making a centralized federal government bureaucracy (teamed with large corporations) even more powerful.  The exact opposite of what our Founding Fathers had in mind.

The fascist Mussolini defined fascism as the melding of government and corporations.

[Guardian Angel]

Health bill gains ground with weekend vote likely


WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's sweeping health care legislation won precious support from a longtime liberal holdout in the House on Wednesday and from Catholic nuns representing dozens of religious orders, gaining fresh traction in the run-up to a climactic weekend vote.

"It's a good sign," said Obama, two weeks after taking personal command of a campaign to enact legislation in what has become a virtual vote of confidence in his still-young presidency.

After days of secretive meetings, Democratic officials said they hoped to release the wording of the final legislation within hours, pending final cost and deficit-reduction estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

The long-anticipated measure is actually the second of two bills that Obama hopes lawmakers will send him in coming days, more than a year after he urged Congress to remake the nation's health care system. The first cleared the Senate late last year but went no further because House Democrats demanded significant changes — the very revisions now being packaged into the second bill.

Together, the measures are designed to extend coverage to more than 30 million who now lack it and ban the insurance industry from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions. Obama also has asked lawmakers to slow the growth of medical spending generally, a far more difficult goal to achieve.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich's announcement in the Capitol made him the first Democrat to declare he would vote in favor of the legislation after voting against an earlier version, and he stressed he was still dissatisfied with key parts.

"I know I have to make a decision, not on the bill as I would like to see it but as it is," said the Ohio lawmaker, who twice ran for president advocating national health care. "If my vote is to be counted, let it now count for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform."

Referring to the political struggle under way, Kucinich said, "You do have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama's presidency not be destroyed by this debate. Even though I have many differences with him on policy, there's something much bigger at stake here for America."

Story

[Bingo]

Well...I've come to look at it this way, who is footing the bills for all those people who don't have insurance now? The problem is the Insurance co.'s only want to insure young healthy people. They care more about profits than people and that is never going to change. Look what they do to people who do have insurance....there are so many cases where they end up going into debt because their Insurance Co. decides they're not going to cover something or they claim it's a pre-existing condition. Government employees get government run health care....and they seem to like it just fine. 

I have not heard of one senior who is unhappy having Medicare. 

[Guardian Angel]

Neither have I Bingo, neither have I!

[jeffc]

So can we agree that this is simply a case of capitalism vs. socialism?

The insurance companies only 'care' about profits?  Insurance companies are not human, they would not survive unless they make profits,  If you had money invested in an insurance company, you would be pretty pissed if they didn't make a profit.  Generally, investors (share holders) seek out the companies that will give them the most bang for their bucks.

The foreign countries mentioned above have a socialized health care system.  The costs of their treatments for the various maladies are paid for by the taxpayers of that country.  'From those who have, to those that don't.'  We have the same type of systems already with Medicare and Medicaid.  We have a socialized retirement system called Social Security.  

The problem I'm having in accepting a socialized national health care system is seeing the results of the three government-run systems mentioned above.  Ultimately they're all destined to fail because of the human factors called greed and corruption.  There are too many political bureaucrats that use their positions for their own personal advantage...taking bribes or payoffs to look the other way.  Their are too many unscrupulous doctors who try to cheat the system.  There are too many patients who try to cheat the system.  Granted, the vast majority of government over-seers, insurance companies, doctors, and patients, are those who play by the rules.   But the few who don't can bankrupt the whole thing.

Why should I pay for someone else's problems?  I like my insurance plan.  True, it has been better, but it still, IMHO, if someone else doesn't have insurance, why is that my problem?  Why should I, as a taxpayer, pay to give them insurance?

You say that I will pay anyway when hospitals are forced to close because they are forced to accept illegals?  That's not a health-care issue, that's an immigration issue.

If a National Public Health Care system is passed by Congress, the insurance companies are going to make even higher profits,...right?  They'll be able to refuse even more questionable clients.

So let's recognize this as what it is, an attempt to slide even further down the slippery slope to a socialistic economic system and making a centralized federal government bureaucracy (teamed with large corporations) even more powerful.  The exact opposite of what our Founding Fathers had in mind.

The fascist Mussolini defined fascism as the melding of government and corporations.

**********************************************************************************************************************

Buzz,
I'm sorry but the Founding Fathers that you speak so highly of really could have had no concept what so ever of what life would be like in 2010. A country has to make adjustments to life as problems are encountered, not what was simply in the present moment of the 1700's. The Founding Fathers, as you well know, had their fair share of corruption and I dare say they were trying harder to protect their interests than they were of protecting the general population. As long as you were a white, rich landowner or government figure of sorts you did very well for yourself.
Please do not pull a Shawn Hannity on us and exclaim that if we don't follow the Constitution verbatum exactly as it was written by our forefathers then we're not patriotic Americans. That dog won't hunt anymore my friend. Corruption was as rife in 1776 as it will be in 2076, it's just more prolific and out in the open now that we have 50 states instead of only 13. Each generation has their own crosses to bear and bear them we will and we will be better for it.

[Guardian Angel]

AMEN!

[Bingo]

 'From those who have, to those that don't.'  We have the same type of systems already with Medicare and Medicaid.  We have a socialized retirement system called Social Security.  

**********************************************************************************************************************

Buzz,
I'm sorry but the Founding Fathers that you speak so highly of really could have had no concept what so ever of what life would be like in 2010. A country has to make adjustments to life as problems are encountered, not what was simply in the present moment of the 1700's. The Founding Fathers, as you well know, had their fair share of corruption and I dare say they were trying harder to protect their interests than they were of protecting the general population. As long as you were a white, rich landowner or government figure of sorts you did very well for yourself.
Please do not pull a Shawn Hannity on us and exclaim that if we don't follow the Constitution verbatum exactly as it was written by our forefathers then we're not patriotic Americans. That dog won't hunt anymore my friend. Corruption was as rife in 1776 as it will be in 2076, it's just more prolific and out in the open now that we have 50 states instead of only 13. Each generation has their own crosses to bear and bear them we will and we will be better for it.

High  Five! Great post

[DejaVu]

This is an e-mail I just received.

 

Good afternoon,

Since the House of Representatives voted to pass health reform legislation on Sunday night, the legislative process and its political impact have been the focus of all the newspapers and cable TV pundits.

Outside of DC, however, many Americans are trying to cut through the chatter and get to the substance of reform with a simple question: "What does health insurance reform actually mean for me?" To help, we've put together some of the key benefits from health insurance reform.

Let's start with how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage:

This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.

This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.

This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage.

This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.

This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.

In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.

This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs.  Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:

This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.

This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.

Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.
 
Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services.

Any insurers who don't meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.

Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.

Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:

This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.

This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.

This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.

This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the 'donut hole.'


Thank you,

Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform
 

[Guardian Angel]

Thanks for sharing DJ.  If American's would do some research instead of believing FOX news and their doom and gloom, they would understand that there is more good in this bill than they realize.   I am not saying that it's all good, but it's a damn good start to fixing what is wrong with healthcare in America.

[Tuck]

You know...I have been confused for most of the time on this health bill issue, but the last few days since they have passed it, things have been explained a bit more, and for me and my wife, it sounds good. First off, I will not be taxed any more than I already am, unless I make over $200,000 or $250,000 for a family. I am on a pension, so that's not going to happen.

If I understand correctly, people who make under I think it was $25,000 a year would be put on Medicaid. That's my wife and I. So, it sounds as if we will get free medical and dental. So...how's this bad for us? We can not be turned down for pre-existing conditions.

For my wife and I, we think it is a good deal. For a retired couple, health premiums now and prescriptions are outrageous.

[Guardian Angel]

I think a lot of people have been confused about it and now that it is passed the truth is finally coming out.  I think there is going to be a turn around in how people feel about it when these things finally are put into action.  I have been on Medicare for 7 years.  It's government healthcare and I have never been dissatisfied with anything about it.....................and regardless of what some say, it DID NOT increase this year, however, those who made the choice to go with Medicare Advantage when they signed up for the Part D drug program did see an increase in cost.  People were warned when they signed up for the drug program not to drop their regular Medicare.  A lot of them did and now they are learning the hard way that they shouldn't have.

[DejaVu]

The irony is, this bill passing is probably going to end up helping all those ignorant, out of control, racists teabaggers out there.  Oh well...

Time for a Red State Update! 

[music man]

This is exactly why there needs to be a public option. That poor woman and her husband have health insurance...but they refused to pay for treatment that he desperately needs. This same thing happens to hundreds maybe thousands of people every day. They have insurance but what good is it? Disgusting!

  Right on FJ! I was all for the bill until the public option got tossed. How in the heck did the insurance industry become 1/6 of the economy anyway? That should tell us everything we need to know. Look at the legacy of the insurance industry. They collect for your health,car,house,life & managed to seperate flood & earthquake from your policy.

  Doctors pay malpractice high premiums. The insurance industry collects from both ends here. The patient pays the higher cost passed down from the ins.co.to the Doctors.Plus,the patient is paying his own premiums.