Fix and then Pass the Healthcare Bill

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by MsDemeanor

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

Senate will have to return health bill to House

Senate Republicans learned early Thursday that they will be able to kill language in a measure altering President Barack Obama's newly enacted health care overhaul, meaning the bill will have to return to the House for final congressional approval.

linkyloo

Ocho Fuck!

[Linus]

That link doesn't have anything that indicates a second return. It may have happened yesterday and was completed last night. AFAIK, Obama signed it into law today. I do believe it's political suicide to repeal it after so many will benefit from it in the next 6 months.

[Andrew, Jr.]

I am really saddened by the shooting of the office buildings, and the threatening vm's left for Senators and Congressmen & Women - all over this bill. Now Glen Beck is having a revival starting in Orlando, FL.

What is wrong with these people? Oh, that's right...they are republican and have good healthcare benefits. Talk about frustrating.

[Soon]

"Of course, a lot of right wingers are very upset about this because they believe this health care bill will cost a lot of money. You know what I think? Just pretend it's another unnecessary war. You'll feel better about it already." -Jay Leno

(caveat: not that I like Leno or believe that this will amount to the billions (trillions?) that the wars have cost)

"If conservatives get to call universal healthcare 'socialized medicine,' I get to call private, for-profit healthcare 'soulless, vampire bastards making money off human pain.'" --Bill Maher

(caveat: not that your HCR is universal HC! at all!)

[theoddz]

What I find totally baffling is that these nuts are whining about so called "high cost" of the recent legislation which only put limits on some of the abuses of Big Health Insurers. These same foolios didn't make a friggin' PEEP when the Bush Administration passed laws giving the wealthiest top 1% insane tax cuts that cost (and are continuing to cost) waaaaaay more.

I still maintain that "cost" is not the issue.....at least where these right wingnut Repugs are concerned. They just cannot STAND that there is a BLACK man in the WHITE House and they are determined to see or cause him to fail at *everything*, no matter how it would harm this country. They'd rather sabotage this country and throw the populace under the bus.

Idiots.

~Theo~

[MsDemeanor]

Originally Posted by theoddz

What I find totally baffling is that these nuts are whining about so called "high cost" of the recent legislation which only put limits on some of the abuses of Big Health Insurers. These same foolios didn't make a friggin' PEEP when the Bush Administration passed laws giving the wealthiest top 1% insane tax cuts that cost (and are continuing to cost) waaaaaay more.

I still maintain that "cost" is not the issue.....at least where these right wingnut Repugs are concerned. They just cannot STAND that there is a BLACK man in the WHITE House and they are determined to see or cause him to fail at *everything*, no matter how it would harm this country. They'd rather sabotage this country and throw the populace under the bus.

Idiots.

~Theo~

That accounts for some of them. For the veterans and the seniors and the unemployed out at the Tea Parties who are living on government checks and/or getting their medical care via taxpayer dollars, there's really no other explanation. I think that the biggest issue is that the wrong party passed this legislation. It gives the republicans and conservatives pretty much everything that they want, and totally sells out the left and near-left, so the lame excuses from the right wing about costs and socialism and such are clearly lies pulled out of their asses.

[Linus]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/he...health.html?hp

This is why this country seriously needs single-payer. Really. The insurance companies will try and wiggle their way out of providing support because it hits their bottom line. They truly do not care about the health and welfare of the individuals they insure. They only care about how many shares/stocks they sell in a year.

[key]

Originally Posted by Linus

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/he...health.html?hp

This is why this country seriously needs single-payer. Really. The insurance companies will try and wiggle their way out of providing support because it hits their bottom line. They truly do not care about the health and welfare of the individuals they insure. They only care about how many shares/stocks they sell in a year.

and we have known this for generations (since the early 1900's when this debate started in America). In California the people have passed single payer TWICE and TWICE it has been vetoed by the sitting Governor. What you are not acknowledging is the stranglehold that corporations have over our Government. I am saying this, seriously, as a warning and a pre-emptive cry for help from the global community. Corporations own the US Government and are getting more and more "human rights" everyday (through the Supreme Court). It is only a matter of time before the ACTUAL humans of our country either take it out of the jaws of this dragon, or we will need the help of the world community to do so....I am sad to say that Fascism (the marriage of Corporations and Government) is alive and well on the planet, and it is growing here in America....And guess what? The Tea Partiers are now ready to fight to make fascism a full blown reality. They are protesting against their own human rights - and they are armed. Soon we will all have to take sides in this struggle.

or

[Linus]

Originally Posted by key

and we have known this for generations (since the early 1900's when this debate started in America). In California the people have passed single payer TWICE and TWICE it has been vetoed by the sitting Governor. What you are not acknowledging is the stranglehold that corporations have over our Government. I am saying this, seriously, as a warning and a pre-emptive cry for help from the global community. Corporations own the US Government and are getting more and more "human rights" everyday (through the Supreme Court). It is only a matter of time before the ACTUAL humans of our country either take it out of the jaws of this dragon, or we will need the help of the world community to do so....I am sad to say that Fascism (the marriage of Corporations and Government) is alive and well on the planet, and it is growing here in America....And guess what? The Tea Partiers are now ready to fight to make fascism a full blown reality. They are protesting against their own human rights - and they are armed. Soon we will all have to take sides in this struggle.

or

Hrmm.. perhaps that's because from my POV, a Canadian rosy eyed glass one, there is a separation between State, Church and Corporations. I'm not used to this idea that Corporations, via lobbyists (I suspect that's where they do this, no?), have such a strong hold on the Gov't. And to be honest, with media outlets like Fox News this will never change in this country. As long as this is accepted as norm and ok, then no one will want it changed (in the larger society as a whole -- certainly there seems to be voices in US Society that encourage people to ask and challenge this but..)

[theoddz]

This (today) in an email newsletter from my union (AFGE - American Federation of Government Employees). This lines out what the recently passed health care legislation will do.

How Americans Benefit from New Health Care Law

Last year as nearly six million people lost their jobs and most economic sectors saw their profits plummet, the nation's five largest health insurance companies – WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, Aetna, and Humana – took in combined profits of $12.2 billion, up 56% from 2008, but at the same time covered 2.7 million fewer Americans. Each of these five CEOs was compensated up to $24 million in 2008. This was happening when Americans saw their premiums skyrocket and went though the worst recession since the Great Depression. One CEO – WellPoint's Angela Braly – recently admitted to Congress that Anthem Blue Cross of California has raised its individual plan premiums by 39% to feed its profits, not to cover health care cost. Besides California, WellPoint has raised or is about to raise premiums in 11 other states. Meanwhile, Braly's 2009 pay went up 51% from $8.7 million in 2008 to $13.1 million.

Insurance companies and their CEOs prosper at the expense of working families. They make money by raising premiums and dropping people when they get sick despite the fact that these people have been paying their premiums for years. A recent study shows that more than 60% of bankruptcies are because of medical bills, and most of those who filed for bankruptcy were middle-class, well-educated homeowners.

For decades, we have seen more and more companies eliminate health insurance coverage as premium costs have risen. We all know relatives and friends who are without coverage. Young people are finding it more difficult to get coverage. Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums are taking a larger share of our paychecks. And if federal employees want to leave government, they fear losing their coverage. As more and more companies drop providing health insurance, it makes our health insurance benefits a target for anti-federal employee politicians. Making sure everyone in America gets covered is not only the right thing but protects our ability to have health insurance coverage as well.

That's why the American Federation of Government Employees strongly supports the new health care law that will end the worst insurance company abuses and make sure they are held accountable. Like Medicare and Social Security, Americans will be able to secure affordable health care. Under the law signed by President Obama March 23, 2010:

* 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.

How does the new law affect federal employees?

* Dependent coverage: AFGE was successful in persuading the Office of Personnel Management to apply the dependent coverage provision to federal employees so they can keep their children on their FEHBP plans until age 26, up from 22. OPM recently informed the union that the dependent coverage provision will apply to federal employees, effective Jan.1, 2011.
* Premiums: Federal employees who are enrolled in FEHBP are in a separate risk pool from uninsured Americans, so there will be no effect on their FEHBP premiums. In the long run, reform is expected to slowly reduce the growth in premiums.


~Theo~