Obama's Health Care Overhaul: Your Opinions

[Jess]

Originally Posted by theoddz

Casey, I'm not picking on you here, but do you make $250K/year or more?? What's wrong with "how they're going about it"?? Because your taxes haven't gone up and won't go up to support this bill, which:

* Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children who were born with illnesses or have pre-existing conditions.
* Insurance companies are prohibited from dropping people because they get sick.
* They must allow children to stay on their parent's insurance plans until age 26.
* Starting in 2014, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
* Insurance companies in 2014 will be barred from imposing annual limits on the amount of coverage people can get. There also will be no lifetime coverage limits.
* 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured will be covered.
* The uninsured and self-employed people will be able to buy insurance through state-based exchanges with government subsidies given to those who can't afford it.
* There will be limits on what people have to pay for premiums and out-of-pocket costs based on income.
* Wasteful spending on insurance company executive salaries will be stopped by limiting how much of people's insurance premiums can go toward company administration and profits. A company that goes over the limit has to rebate it back to consumers.
* Insurance companies will be forced to end discrimination against women by charging more for groups with high percentage of women.
* Large employers will pay a penalty if they don't provide health coverage and their employees have to get subsidies in the exchanges to buy their own insurance.
* Small businesses that provide their workers with insurance will get tax credits that cover 35% of premium costs immediately and 50% in 2014.
* Seniors will get additional help for prescription drugs by closing the Medicare "donut hole" or coverage gap, which requires patients to pay the full cost of prescription drugs that cost between $2,830 and $6,440. The donut hole affects about one in four Medicare recipients, forcing them to start splitting their drugs or stop taking medications altogether. Seniors who fall into the donut hole will get a $250 rebate this year, a 50% discount on brand-name drugs starting next year and the donut hole will be completely eliminated by 2020.
* In 2018, there will be an excise tax on employer-provided health plans costing more than $27,500 for family coverage and $10,200 for individual coverage. The tax is imposed only on the amount of the premium that goes over the threshold. It is to be paid by the insurance companies.
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You see, I don't see Obama's health bill as costing either YOU or ME more in taxes, because neither you or I make over $250K/year. In fact, you and me both are going to see our taxes actually go down.

I just don't understand why you think something like this is about taxing either you or me to death......but it is going to cost the big health insurance companies their huge profit margins and obscene executive pay and bonuses. The only way these insurance companies can "fight back" is to spread lies and misinformation to the average American. They hope to generate fear, and that fear will manifest itself in making John and Jane Q. Public run to the voting box and cast his/her vote in favor of keeping Wall Street in control of our political system.

My suggestion to anyone in this country who is buying into the misinformation and lies is to turn off Fox News and do some reading. Spend LESS time with Pogo.com, American Idol and the X-Box and educate yourself on political happenings and where the money flow in this country is heading. Become active in the political process and know who and what you are voting for.....and why.

Knowledge really is power.

~Theo~

While the list of goodies above regarding insurance reform ( I truly don't see this as healthcare reform) is all good.. I see no where limits being placed on insurance companies for what they can charge or how often they can increase. That is one of the greater issues I have with this bill. It is NOT what Mr Obama wanted. It is not what our country needs. It may be a start, but until insurance companies get capped and until pharmecuticals have shorter limits set on the time before drugs can be made generically, then we are still at their mercy. Until malpractice suits stop making decisions for our medical professionals and until more med students become general practioners again instead of cosmetic surgeons ( because that is where the big bucks vs low risk is), we are still at their mercy.

Frankly, this country and the folks running it have forgotten what "mercy" really means.