It is so good to see all of you are serious & reading this bill!! Pass the word to all you know – get those phone calls out to your representatives NOW!
Clearly, this is not an informative venue, but rarher an expose’ for illiterates. Just the fact that the term “death panel” came from Sarah “I quit” Palin ought to be enough to warn someone “Here comes a load of ********”!
Pull your heads out people, politicians opposed to health care reform are bought and paid for by the insurance companies, and so are those who join their opposition. The president of United Insurance Co. makes $102,000 an HOUR. You don’t think we need health care reform?
Geno, i don’t think anyone disagrees that we need some reform. What is so disturbing is (1)it is being labeled as URGENT (2)there is so much control by govt involved. there is NO sense of urgency; take the time to do it right.
Insurance Journal, this is clearly biased reporting. Most of the proposed provisions mentioned in this article seem reasonable, and no where in this article does it mention the Obama Death Panel. I want to know more about the specifics of the Death Panel. Who will be on the Death Panel? How will the Death Panel members be selected? Will we be able to appeal Death Panel rulings?
Don’t blame IJ for not fulfulling your political agenda; it’s just reporting facts. There is no death panel. Some of the bills seek to encourage people to complete living wills so their care will meet their wishes. These are strongly supported by insurers, hospitals, doctors and almost everyone. You are passing along misinformation designed to scare people and take discussion away from what we might be able to do improve the system. The turn the media “discussion” on health care has taken is very discouraging for most Amercians who just want the truth. It’s very sad really how bullies and their backers with money have dominated the airwaves and web.
Cannot afford health insurance now that I am out of work. My spouse and I are almost 60. The individual health insurance premiums are ridiculously high and so are the deductibles. Not to mention, pre-existing conditions are excluded.
We need a safety net for the unemployed who do not qualify for COBRA. Maybe something just temporary to see us all through until we land on our feet with a new job.
This issue is too important to drink anyone’s coolaide. Please go to http://www.factcheck.org and see who is lying to you about what. Neither side is perfect on this one, but we should dig a little deeper than just believing these boneheads who have guaranteed healthcare for life. They all have a political stake and YOU aren’t real important to that.
What do you mean there are no Death Panels? Sarah Palin said there will be, and she usually seems like she’s well informed and has a thorough understanding of complex issues.
Oh well, never mind. I have to go to a Town Hall meeting now. I was going to ask whether Obama is a Muslin, but maybe I’ll ask about the Death Panels instead.
Such a thing under a different name already exist. A friend of mine was recently in hospital with blood clots. Also has successfully battled cancer for 2 years. Doctor comes in asks about his living will and if he has his affairs in order. All this with the statement “we no longer try to prolong life after 65”. This healthcare “reform” is just another name for the dems to interfere and control our lives even more.
“Payments to be designed to encourage quality, not quantity of services” – At what point does a procedure no longer meet the “quality” standard? A one in five chance of success? One in three? And who makes the decision?
I do not want the government involved in my health insurance or health care in any way shape or form. Period. Once this camel gets his head in the tent its just a matter of time before we have full blown single payer government health care as Obama has said he wants many times. The person that had the question about death counceling. Yes that is in the bill. And the other question as to Obama beging a muslum, he probably is.
Codger, you ask “And who makes the decision?” Why the politicians and bureaucrats of course! Just look at how well they handle everything else! I hope that you’re not even thinking of implying that anyone who has the label “government employee” behind his name is anything less than omniscient or morally flawless? Here’s how it works: a man or woman is a “normal” person. Then they either get elected, appointed or hired to be a bureaucrat or politician by the “normal” people; then they go through a purification process (then a miracle happens)which makes them into a god-like being above reproach or criticism.
Question government? Why you just want to see poor people die in the streets! What about the children? (just fill in any other mindless cliche that the media mindlessly parrots here-they’re all the same)
Many of this looks good on the outside but it will still leave thousands of workers uninsured.
There are quite a few employees with payroll under 250,000 and an even larger number with 500,000 or less. Since these will be exempt there will still linger this problem.
Just another empty promise made so one can get into the White House regardless of political affiliation.
I would ask if Laura has read the bill. Check it out. This bill is a nightmare on so many levels. Please pull it up and read sections in their entirety. It will open your eyes. the number of government employees it will require is unbelievable. Not to mention the paperwork; you think you can’t find a doctor accepting Medicare/Medicaid now, just wait! they will set up their practices for non-insured or cash only!! But please READ it.
NO-what’s sad is to see people who disagree with a terrible plan painted as bullies who spread misinformation. Even worse-that you would be so arrogant and moronic as to say that “most people” support this plan. I bet most people in your own office don’t support the plan! Foolish arrogance will be rewarded with a quick pendulum swing.
The politcs of promise…..He said he will get a health care reform bill passed in the first year of his administration. And with a Dem majority the odds were favorable. That’s all that’s left…the objective is to pass a bill…ANY bill, at ANY cost…and call it health care reform.
What a joke this vindictive House and Senate are.
quote..”If anyone thinks health care is expensive now…wait till it’s free”
The way I read it, bill calls for “advance care planning consultation.” The measure would MAKE AVAILABLE to individuals the OPTION of a consultation with a medical provider who would explain “advance care planning,” if they have not met with a medical practitioner WITHIN the PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS. These sessions would be an OPTIONAL BENEFIT, and WOULD NOT be MANDATORY under the legislation.
During these consultations, the doctor would answer questions about care, suggest other professionals to speak with, and offer an explanation of the legal definitions of living wills, powers of attorney and the role of a health care proxy.
This does not sound like a death panel. To me,it sounds like education. Educating those individual who had not been fortunate enough to have an experience with the medical world under our current system.
On the surface, the majority of the various plans seem on par with other health care plans on the market today. The real challenge IMO has to do with mandating coverage while not doing enough to contain administrative and legal cost. A statistic that was floated was that 85% of the expenses a person generates is in the last bit of their life. This to me is much of the fear about death panels and related. The plan does not seem set to succeed. I have not seen anything that would lower cost while still providing an excellent level of benefit. They are talking about new tax or penalties…not really a positive way to sell a great cost containing plan. The gov’t (Health & Human Services Dept) is setting up the minimum levels of coverage and defining the essential level of benefits, which is a concern for me due to this being billed a cost containg plan. It is reasonable to be concerned that coverage will be minimized in a way to lower cost. The real fear for me is that in the end we will have a gov’t created system that is more flawed than the current system. I have not seen that many, if any, politician step up and say they were wrong. They do point fingers. They do spin figures to show us how much they are doing for us. That is the rub, once they put this legislation into effect, we will be stuck with it and they will have to find ways to make it work. I see cost issues, unfair practices with private insurers and I do see a thinning of benefits for those who need them most when they need them most. To those that are putting on the political hack hat, think what the system will look like 20 years from now. From the way it is starting, I can only see it will degenerate into something abhorent that will have tremendous cost to stay on a private plan. This will further add to the destruction of the middle class. What fact finding went into the plans and was published about costs of current health care services? Did they include cost of med mal, new privacy related regulation? I see too much politicizing on all parties to make this work. Vote it down and make them do a better job!
Than the boring facts. I am stunned that so far it looks like a bunch of Kool aid drinkers on both sides. Not a bit of real debate. Pathetic! It is really sad to see you all being pulled by the marionette strings of your party or some entertainers who get ratings from this stuff.
The proposed health care bill has problems, but not a “death panel”.
Bureaucrats making medical decisions is concerning, shareholders makeing the same decisions is frightening.
I work for an insurance company (not health care) we spend all of our energy figuring out how to make maximum profit, get the highest premium we can sell while paying the fewest claims. trust me, we are not figuring out how to give the highest risk insureds the best deal.
Why would any private for profit company do that for a cancer survivor? Or even someone who has had some depression. If the current bill won’t work, what will give those people options?
My questions aren’t being answered. Further, anyone who is espousing the fanatical “stories” loses credibility, so their answers are no longer trustworthy.
This bill is laced with avenues opening to the gov’t being in charge of who lives & who dies. Read pages 425-430. This makes end of life consultation mandatory. The gov’t decides how often & by whom. They have authority to assign end of life Dr. While the bill is apparently silent on abortions it leaves the door open for the gov’t (you & I) to pay for same. Some lawmakers say that is not the intent yet they are not willing to exclude it. The last 400 or so pages of the bill are mostly about social programs. This bill has little to do with actual health care. It is more about gov’t control of our lives & our death! It is a sham. That’s why they wanted it passed thru so quickly. They don’t want we the people to know what is in it.
None of the plans address cost reduction in any meaningful way. Cost drivers that should be considered for reduction include:
Broad coverage – State regulatory officials over time have pushed comprehensive health plans to cover more and have resisted many limitations and exclusions, growing the cost per benefit.
Coverage mandates – Legislators hearing from special interests have levied over 40 coverage mandates in the State of Oregon alone over the years, again, growing coverage, growing cost.
Coverage design lacking consumer responsibility – State regulatory officials have emphasized consumer-friendly policy design inhibiting incentives to those willing to undergo better health maintenance, and disincentives to penalize those unwilling to deal with more simple health issues which typically lead to chronic and costly care in the future.
Un-equal playing field – ERISA protected self-insured groups and Union Trusts from State regulations like mandates, taxes and fees, leaving small group and individual health plans unequally burdened. This inequity stimulates healthy groups with low losses to leave the higher cost commercial plans for self-funded plans, exacerbating cost differences between the two systems. You have those healthier groups that can leave the commercial system for the lower cost self-insurance system, leaving higher cost population holding a more expensive bag.
Inadequate or innefective regulation from some states – State regulation is only as good as that state’s regulation. Some states do not have guaranteed issue, some only small groups. Some allow rates based upon past claims, some for only larger groups. The feds can mandate certain mimimum regulation, such as guaranteed issue all plans and elimitate the decline issue (though this alone WILL remove lower cost options for the healthy, which include the younger tax-paying public).
Address defensive medicine. Now, with fears of lawsuits in every procedure, providers are quick to order tests and procedures to build a defense should there ever need to be, that they did everything to help the patient, regardless of cost or effectiveness. Limit negligence or provide immunity for certain procedures known to be the routine and correct treatment.
Address profit seeking by providers who duplicate services not needed, but creating a PPO network identifying a core need of providers, subjecting those not identified as core need to higher out of pocket by consumers, rewarding use of core need with lower out of pocket
Allow a voluntary essential benefit package way below mandated regulated coverage required to be used today. Utilize a Prioritized Services List, embed a variety of copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, limitations and exclusions focusing on low consumer cost-share for more effective treatments, high consumer cost-share, limitations or exclusions for less effective treatments.
Privatize Medicare and surcharge Original Medicare plan design incentivizing people to move to more effective plan designs (Managed Care Medicare Advantage Plans
Re-design Medicaid lowering the covered prioritized list, implementing a wider schedule of copayments, coinsurance, deductibles and limitations.
And yes, I will be contacting my congressman with my many concerns during the recess, face to face, unless Homeland Security decides I need a face-washing, oops, water-boarding.
I don’t know if you are totally right, but I like the way you cut to it. What I do know…you are on the money. Call em out for the crap they are pushing down our throats.
Interrelations between the health care industry, legal, federal and state laws, providers, regulators, the public, hey this is complex. I spent over a year on a State committee researching cost reduction ideas. Sad thing, is the liberals in control of what was presented to the Legislature failed to present most of these concepts, only presented a governmental take-over.
Congressman DeFazio is also a good example of what’s NOT working. He’s frothing at the mouth about how insurers are declining people, how they are charging obsured rates, duh, like they are free to do what they want Peter. Have you heard of State Regulation? (Some better than others).
He also rants about insurers exempt from Anti-Trust. You mean McCarren Ferguson Peety? Where Congress agreed to continue insurance regulation on a State Basis once insurance was defined as interstate commerce, subject to federal regulation?
Granted state regulation lacks some national standards, but in the case of AIG, who faired better, the state regulated insurers, or AIG Financial, regulated by the Office of Thrifts?
…and they wonder why we’re fighting federal regulation, and a federal insurer (Medicare and Medicaid’s cost-shift is a lot of the problem!)
the dems could pass the bill in both houses without any repub support. if left totally to them, health care would be issued by govt purvue. the brits have their socialized medicine and there are 1.4 million people employed to administer it. the vast majority are just bureaucrats, not md’s or nurses. O wants a single payer plan, which he has made crystal clear on more than one occasion. if it weren’t for all the “radicals” storming the politicians meetings this would already be law. the system needs reform but O and his cronies way isn’t the answer. if he truly understands the word compromise, then a reasonable solution can be reached.
“When Congress agrees to be part of our new healthplan” will happen when I learn to flap my arms and fly to Jupiter.
We all know certain things: Congress doesn’t read the bills that it votes on; Congress exempts itself from the laws that the rest of us suckers must “obey.” Case in point: if anyone besides “Congress” trades stock & makes money on “inside information” they can get thrown in jail. If Congress does it (excuse me, I mean, when they do it), nothing happens to them. Why do you think that the average Congressman increases his net worth by several million after a few years in Congress-on a $200,000 annual salary?
It’s time to stop treating the members of “Congress” like anything even resembling “honorable” people and realize that they are nothing but lying, thieving, & killing criminals. The point being: do you really trust this pack of scum to work up a “plan” that will benefit anything other than their wallets and their special interests?
Interesting point. With all of the rhetoric being spewed, I haven’t heard much about the approaches that are working in different states. I am in the big bankrupt one, so we do not have a working plan!
By requiring everyone to pay for healthcare – that they can afford – they are trying to assure that you and I aren’t unduly burdened by people who are irresponsible and don’t purchase healthcare when it’s there for everyone. We pay for everyone to have healthcare now. Citizen or not, if you walk into an emergency room, they serve you. Who pays for that? The taxpayers. We’d all think it was unconscionable if they said “Did you have an opportunity to purchase insurance?” Did you turn it down? Then sit over there and die because we’re going to make you live (or die) with the consequences of your poor decision.” People who have been unable to afford health insurance, preventative and early care, are costing all of us a fortune by delaying care until it is urgent. Mandatory participation is necessary. And a penalty for failure is reasonable. Auto insurance is mandatory.
Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back
Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!
The truth: These accusations—of “death panels” and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: “No ‘death panel’ in health care bill.”4 What’s the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.5
Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!
The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama’s reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.6 Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.7
If you’re happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.8 But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can’t afford health care now.
Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!
The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.
Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.9 And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.
Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens’ Medicare benefits!!!
The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.10 Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.11
Lie #5: Obama’s health care plan will bankrupt America!!!
The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.
Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.12 The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade13—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.14 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama’s reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.15
We’re closer to real health care reform than we’ve ever been—and the next few weeks will decide whether it happens. We need to make sure the truth about health care reform is spread far and wide to combat right wing lies.
Can you forward this email to your friends today?
Thanks for all you do.
-Nita, Kat, Ilya, Michael and the rest of the team
Did I read that correctly? Individuals required to get coverage or pay a penalty for every year they don’t….!!! What if I don’t want to have insurance? What if I (like I do now) pay for my own healthcare and that of my family? What if I still cannot afford the coverage I would need? What the heck are they trying to do ? Big Govt. wants to keep closer tabs on people….Just say “NO” to the NWO!!!
Nope, not Geico. Fourteen of my 21 years in the industry has been on the carrier side (P&C) with more than one carrier. Managing our combined is a way of life no matter who’s logo is on my business card.
In a free market, it is obvious that the health carriers are going to operate at a profit. Providing coverage that is affordable to high risk individuals, will not be profitable. I don’t get how the for profit companies can possibly do such a thing. I don’t get how mandating that can work.
Anyway, I am confused by all of the arguements. I am really hating the partisan bickering, which deflects from understanding.
I think that everyone should have health coverage. I think that the people who say “what if I don’t want health coverage” are full of beans. If they become seriously ill or injured, we just have to pay for them.
All of that said, I believe in free market. I know as a company person for the most part, the people who don’t have coverage, are the people who I probably wouldn’t want to insure.
I will say that if I knew I could buy insurance on my own (I have a pretty serious pre-existing condition) my life could be totally different. I would consider starting a business. As it is today, I am in charge of bringing home a group insurance benefit package for my family. I have an excellent job, but can take virturally no risk because of health insurance issues.
Don’t paint the nation by how your State has chosen to regulate it’s health insruance.
In my State, we have a plan for those who can’t get insurance. It’s price is subsidized to bring the cost down to what an employer pays for employee coverage (more than individual coverage, because individual coverage is underwritten in this state, NOT guaranteed issue, like in Washington State)
That said, because of how the pieces are put together by out State regulator, we have relatively low cost individual insurance, and high cost small group.
In Washington State, individual insurance costs are going through the roof, because guess what? Even though individual health insurance is guaranteed issue, it’s not mandated, therefore, those who dont’ need it, don’t get it. Wait till you have a problem! Then get the coverage. Hum, see the problems?
Get the picture, that it’s not those greedy insurance companies, it’s the idiot regulators (or their polititians telling them what do to, or passing laws to do it)
President Obama wants single payer. He has said so in the past. Read the bill. Getting people off of private insurance and onto Gov’t insurance seems to be the goal long term. Elements or framework for that are in the bill.
The lies mentioned: There are people who want those things. I can’t speak for the president, but it is a reality that whether you want them or not, they will be necessary to one degree or another. The plan is unsustainable cost wise.
Buying private insurance for the uninsured is the most cost effective solution, and the Gov’t could do it today with the money they already have set aside. Everything else being discussed is an unnecessary expansion of Gov’t.
HR3200 is a bad bill!! It’s bad for consumers, it’s bad for businesses, it’s bad for Americans.
Page 429 – Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient’s health deteriorates. This can include an order for end-of-life plans. Page 425 goes into how care providers must consult with government body regarding advanced care. Much like the UK and Oregon plans and there is historical data to show what the outcomes for seniors are – they are final.
Page 65 – Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans.
Page 195 – Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaurcracy will have access to ALL Americans financial and personal records.
Page 59 – The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funs transfer. This means irrespective of the amount of money in your bank account the government health plan will bang your account when services rendered.
Given the track record of the federal government it is naive to think that we will end up saving money. Amtrack $2billion in the hole, yesterday learned the U.S. Post Office $7b in the hole. Medicare in the red, Social Security is broke. You are a better person than I if you think that there will actually be a savings with the government taking over our healthcare system. I think President Johnson said the Medicare program will only cost $6b year?
Remember the same cast of characters, the same den of thieves who failed in their fiduciary responsibility to oversee our financial markets are the same den of thieves who are writing these bills. This is one of the worst programs that will ever be set up and will be the final straw in showing the American people that our elected officials have total disregard for the U.S. Constitution!
Were you taught what the constitution says? We live in a free country!! Suppose to be anyway…
Insurance, be it auto insurance or health, or home owners, is a rip off!! People should not be forced to pay for something they may never use or will use seldomly. It is a waste of money!! And the only people who profit from it is, U GOT IT, the insurance companies. Insurance is a scam…never liked it, never will…And being forced to pay for more insurance is going to just burn my butt even more…it’s ridiculous!!
I finally found a copy of HR3200 yesterday, amazing 1018 pages. I suggest you read it. There are many areas that are so broad, anything could eventually be established & applied to those being forced into this plan. I agree there are many areas of healthcare that do need refinement but do push through legislation without looking at the consequences.
There are those of us who pay our own bills, however large they are…and there are those of us who take care of ourselves well enough that we are not prone to cancer, diabetes, AIDS, and other terminal illnesses that require expensive treatment. You think everyone should have health coverage, and you probably think it’s ok to force it on people too. People like me, who pay my own medical bills, and feed my own family. I don’t look for hand outs and I don’t want handouts. My husband and I work hard for the money we use to pay our bills and feed family. It is our right to live this way, and I shouild not be forced to buy insurance when it means that I will have LESS MONEY TO FEED MY FAMILY!! NEXT THING YA KNOW OBAMA WILL TELL ME TO GO TO dEPT. OF hUMAN sERVICES TO GET ON THE FOOD STAMPS. BUT I WILL HAVE TO WAIT BECAUSE I AM NOT PART OF A MINORITY GROUP!! Mandatory anything in this country (except for reasonable taxes to fund necessities for Gov’t operations)is a crock of crap! Auto insurance is one of the biggest rip offs in the world!! I have made about 4 claims in my 13 years of haviing auto insurance. That money I have paid in all those years has just gone to pad some fat, greedy jerk’s butt while he sits there and taps that “collect payment” button. I have paid in tens of thousands of dollars into insurance and have only made claims that equal less than ten thousand dollars. It is disgusting to me and I, for one, am sick of the way capitalists get away with being so damned greedy. I’m not against capitalism, I am against the greed that drives the owners of those businesses!!!
Oh, hell is on it’s way and Obama is just another usher in the aisle. GOD HELP THE GOD FEARING,OBEDIENT CHRISTIAN PEOPLE IN THE DAY THAT IS TO COME!!
I’m not spewing hate. Christ would not have me sit and become a victim of socialist agendas. He would not want me to lie still while communist pigs come to slit the throats of my family and myself. Jesus Christ may have went to the cross willingly, but that was what the Father sent Him to do. The Father did not send me to be a slave, or a pawn, or anything less than His child. You may think I am scarry, but that’s because you fear what you don’t know. You may fear more than you realize if you don’t what the BIBLE says. You say you are done with this thread, and that’s because you are afraid of my reply to your judgemental position. You may not be my Judge unless you are He who created my soul and my flesh.
You say all these “anti-insurance” things until you have a claim. What about the person that is at fault in an accident? Lets say they hit you hard enough to put you in the hospital and totals out your car. And guess what, they don’t have insurance. If they don’t have insurance, good luck trying to collect the money owed to you from them. Not you are out of a car and have medical bills on your credit. Why should YOU be punished because the other party was negligent and did’t carry insurance?
Was that meant for me? I am not at all anti insurance. I think the folks that say they don’t want to have coverage are dreaming for exactly the reasons you state. I am quite pro insurance, I just don’t see how private insurance will make any money insuring high risk insureds with mandated low rates.
Health Care Reform COULD be good for Casualty and Work Comp companies…
-LESS FRAUD- If after health care reform the USA is left with fewer citizens with no health care, then is it not logical to assume that there would be less fraudulent claims against Work Comp and Liability policies. After all, if people have access to health care, then it’s less likely they will have to fake or exaggerate injuries to get health coverage through General Liability or Work Comp coverages.
-HEALTHIER WORKFORCE- Presuming that America will have less people without access to preventative health care, I believe it logical to assume that American’s will be happier, healthier and more productive. This may be a Mary Poppins view of the world, but we all have attended the wellness seminars which say just that. All wellness coordinators will say that healthy workers are productive workers.
-MEDICAL PAYMENTS- If Uncle Sam mandates that all citizens be required to carry health coverage, Either through work or personally, then it’s possible Uncle Sam could mandate that work related injury’s be covered. After all at one time it was crazy to think that Uncle Sam could regulate against Pre-Existing Conditions. Now that may be a part of this bill. Obviously work related injury’s is not, but at one point it time it could become a consideration. Then workers comp carriers would not have to deal with the Medical Payment issues, only indemnity issues. After all Health Insurance is nothing more than a contract to negotiate and arrange payment for medical services. It seems incomplete to reform health care in the USA and not discuss work comp payments.
Just some thoughts, I am curious to see what others think. I am not supporting health care reform, I am simply suggesting that there may be a positive side to the coin for the P&C Industry.
Sorry, I meant that comment for A.M, and well, anyone that is anti-insurance. I get them in my office all the time, and I rage when I hear such ignorance from people. The majority of the time, the people that are anti-insurance will be the first ones to flip out and start screaming at other people when they cause an accident and don’t have insurance to pay for the damages.
I still don’t know how I feel about the Health Care reform yet. I have the bill saved on my computer, but haven’t had the time to read the 1K+ pages of it.
One thing that makes me rage as well is when people that are pro-public health option, say that private insurance is wrong for excluding preexisting conditions. If the companies didn’t exclude them, no one would buy the insurance until they had a condition that required extensive medical care. Think about it, if you didn’t have to carry car insurance, and you could buy auto insurance AFTER the accident, and have the company pay for the accident that you caused prior to the policy, no one would pay for car insurance month to month, and the insurance company would last….I don’t know, 1 week? It angers me that people that have NO idea how insurance works are passing bills, telling the companies how it should be.
I have one problem with your theory. If health insurance is mandated by Uncle Sam, then people will try to file claims against their health insurance AND the workers comp insurance. They will use their health insurance to get the bills paid for, and they will use workers comp to get free money so they can sit on the butts at home and be lazy good for nothings. You know, how the disablity system and welfare is right now, and we all KNOW how wonderful the welfare system works. (for those of you not quick enough, I was being sarcastic in the last sentance).
I am not anti helath reform per se, I’m just looking at it from a private insurance agent’s (P&C) point of view.
I love how insurance salesmen respond to people who KNOW that their business is a scam! If their business was a fair business, they could still profit and stay in business, and their customers wouldn’t feel the rage they feel when they have to bend over and just take it. Insurance salesmen don’t have the reputation they have no reason….they are so good at talking lines of crap that they could sell a turd.
Auto insurance premiums should be, at the very least, partially refundable to responsible, safe drivers.
I don’t mind paying for auto insurance for the obvious benefits…what bites my butt is that I am responsible and safe…i don’t get in an accident, but I still have to pay every year for insurance that I don’t use!!! THAT IS A RIP OFF… that’s all I was saying.
Insurance and Interest are the biggest money making scams on the face of the planet….it’s LEGAL HIGHWAY ROBBERY…PERIOD! Health insurance included… :)
My healthcare insurance provider, Horizon BC BS of New Jersey, contacted my mother, while I was an inpatient in the hospital, to downgrade my Traditional Plan. Every time I entered the hospital as an inpatient this occurred without my knowledge and without my consent as a 35 year old woman, suffering from SLE. To make a long story short, the representatives of Horizon BC BS of NJ had my mother fill out forms to downgrade my insurance, where the anual premium rose to $29,500 with the apparent blessing of appointed and elected officials in the state of New Jersey. I was then forced onto an HMO with the same provider. When I attempted to use my insurance coverage with this HMO policy, the Horizon BC BS of NJ sent one of their representatives to my house to intimidate me into not seeking medical treatment. I am going to sue my now former insurer for millions upon millions of dollars for damages. If this causes my fellow citizens rates to go up — good! As far as I am concerned, my fellow citizens have been nothing less than collaborators in this health care insurance ponzi scheme. The people in this country are extremely selfish in addition to being extremely complacent. If you don’t want your premiums to become prohibitive, then revamp the system and put all of the miscreants profiteering off of your misfortune and demise in prison. Any healthcare executive with blood on his hands (and any doctors, employed by these healthcare insurance companies, denying treatment to patients) should serve long prison terms in a federal, maximum security facility with hardened criminals.
You obviously do not understand the principles of insurance. Your money goes into a pool to pay for accidents that happen (because auto accidents happen everyday). Your company might not be paying for an accident you have caused, but they are paying for an accident that someone in your “pool” (insurance carrier) has caused. So you are a good driver, great. So here’s a thought, let’s say that your insurance company does give you a refund on your premium, then the next time you are at fault in an accident, you give all that money back, in full, without hesitation. Better yet, you pay for half the damages out of pocket yourself. Oh wait, thats why we have insurance in the first place. Let me guess, you say that’s unreasonable, too. I don’t know what state you live in, but as of right now, in my state, if you have the bare minimum liability limits, the total the company will pay out is $75k. On average, my clients pay about $550 a year for bare minimum liability. It would take them about 136 years to pay that back if they just keep paying $550 for the year. Still a rip off?
Or here is another example. Do you think cable companies are a rip off? “Well I don’t watch TV when I am working 9-5, so I should get some of the money back”. How well do you think that conversation will go?
But anyhow, I think I’m just fighting ignorance, which is a battle no one can win. “You can’t teach anything to someone who knows everything already”
Your are correct. The cable companies are a rip off. When I am home, I barely watch TV. What have they done for me lately? Somebody owes me, I just know it. Sarcasm intended.
Yesterday Obama came out with he is willing to accept no public option. Be careful about this, that means right now he is willing. Later once reform is established and he runs all carriers into bankrupcy with actuarily insufficient rates, The public option will surface. This is a bait and switch coming. Mark my words. REFORM YES, TAKE OVER NO!
Democrats began the debate with H Clinton talking about single payer during the debate, then it was Obama talking about the public option, now this weekend he said that’s not essential…
Democrat’s are folding faster than superman on laundry day.
Why do I have to join a “qualified” plan if I already have insurance I’m happy with? So the Dems can control my life in the smallest details and thereby solidify their control of the govt forever.
Read “Treason” by Ann Coulter, available from amazon for about $11. Exposes the Dems as enemies of freedom.
You’re right; even under medicare, patients routinely are denied care, b/c it’s not cost effective considering the age and etc. This is one criteria that may not be used by health ins. cos. when deciding if a procedure or drug is covered under a policy.
Even with the elimination of the death panels, the bill still would include such a cost-effective provision. All universal and single-payor programs have this. For this reason, US residents with life-threatening illnesses live much longer than those residents who the same medical conditions and live in a single-payor or universal health care jurisdiction.
Also, the coop thing won’t work with its proposed mandatory acceptance and no denial of coverage for prior conditions. What happened in Massachusetts was that people would purchase health insurance and receive treatment for the pre-existing condition nd then drop the insurance and risk the fine for not having insurance.
Look, the gov’t runs the postal service and, by all legal and accounting criteria, it’s broke. The same goes for Amtrak. Do we really want any gov’t involvement in anything?
Americans are stupid. First of all, all of you, if you live long enough or obtain the right lawyer for disability benefits, will be going on Medicare. Medicare is a government-run coverage. I don’t hear any of you complaining about receiving your social security and Medicare benefits. That’s all run by the government. Why should you pay some CEO’s bonuses with your annual premiums, which continue to rise to astronical costs? These CEOs have college degrees from fifth to sixth-tier colleges. They just know how to cheat, steal, and lie. Bottom line is: they are evidently a lot smarter than most Americans. Most Americans are stupid. Over a half million (over 500,000) Americans each month are losing their jobs, which means they are losing their healthcare insurance coverage. What are you going to do, when you lose your job? What should any American do, when they lose their job? You couldn’t be that selfish and that stupid, could you? Basically, the problem is: most Americans are stupid and uneducated.
Simple rule of thumb…when people call others stupid, they are usually rationalizing due to their own shortcommings. That or they are jsut asses. Which are you?
You’ve never heard us complain about Medicare or SS? Sorry, but I’ve never heard you say you don’t beat your wife so…
There’s NO fraud or waste in Medicare or SS? Puhlease. One thing’s for sure: Medicare, Medicaid, and SS have $42 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities. So let’s put the same morons in charge of our healthcare?
What makes someone more virtuous just because he works for the govt? We should get the millionaires who drove Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac into the ground to run OboobaCare, I guess.
–Will cover the cost of voluntary discussions with healthcare providers on end-of-life care.–
Voluntary? I think the word “shall” was used which, when referring to a third party, means must.
Oh, and the “death panels” that mandated these discussions, the ones Obooba said weren’t in the bill, were removed. Remember when Palin was excoriating for talking about them? They’re gone. Funny how something that was not in there could be removed.
IJ is, as usual, taking the libtard side of an issue, as it did with Gorebal Warming (which has not made many appearances lately since we’ve set 3,000+ low temp records this year…).
You…..you got to be kidding me. No one has complained about SS or Medicare? Just because you personally haven’t heard it doesn’t mean it was never said. Since you are so anti-american, I’m guessing you don’t live in America. Well, when all this healthcare issue has been taken care of, people will go back to talking about SS and Medicare.
When its time for me to retire (I’m currently 23), there will be no SS for me or my generation to collect. I have to put more money into my 401(k) because I know if I don’t, there will be no money for me, unless I plan to work for the rest of my life. I forget the acutal stats, but it takes several working people to pay for one retired person’s SS right now. There is so much fraud in the Medicare system right now, its sicking, with people claiming they are “disabled” and “can not work” to support themselves.
Since I have to put more money into my 401(k) now, that is less money I can put into the economy.
Who is running the ship, is it Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Ried, Axelrod. I dont know but this government is out of control now. Sebilius comes out and says we dont need a public option and the next day the white house says no she was mistaken. This should not happen at the Whitehouse. Did Sebilius talk to Biden and get it wrong or was this a trial balloon to see how the liberals would respond. A community organizer should not be president.
Bush complained about Social Security, and Obama is complaining right now about Medicare. Just the last two Presidents.
I am a fiscal conservative and I believe that as Obama stated in one of his hundred daily town hall meetings yesterday. “75% of our annual government budget is made up of Social Security and Medicare 1% Foreign Aid 1% Pork 8% Defense and 10% other “essential” programs”. That 75% is projected to hit 85% by 2017 if we dont do something about healthcare. As americans not (R)’s or (D)’s we do need to do something about this. So whats the solution?
NO SACRED COWS!
Doctors need a fee schedule if they want to be reimbursed by Insurance, otherwise your on your own. Doctors should not be allowed to own testing labs, clinics or physical therapy clinics. Chiroprators your out like witch doctors.
Drug companies – you have to charge us what you charge other countries for your drugs. And STOP YOUR STUPID ADS.
Insurance companies need an excess profit law like WC in many states and standardized forms like homeowners or auto has. NO MORE FINE PRINT EXCLUSIONS.
Playing politics is the biggest mistake American People got into anyway…Way back when they took prayer out of schools people should have stood up then (and even sooner) to stop gov’t take over in our lives. This health care reform is just yet another tool the gov’t is implementing to take control over even more the private citizens of this nation. It may be too late for the American people to actually do something about ir though. If they will go against the constitution and bring tanks into Waco, TX and burn out innocent women children and others they will do the same to anyone else. They broke the law then and didn’t answer for it, not to mention the countless other times they have done unspeakable acts upon the People of this country, and they will not stop now. All they have to do anymore is write somethiong into law….they don’t have to listen to what THE PEOPLE want…they haven’t for decades!! And since they can write into law whatever tickles their fancy, they will take over more and more, little by little. It has been going on for over 60 years at least!! They aren’t about to back step now… They will pass a reform of some kind…and they don’t care if WE THE PEOPLE like it or not.
HOW DO YOU OBAMA SUPPORTERS FEEL ABOUT YOUR “MESSIANIC” PRESIDENT NOW!!?!!
Did you hear about primary care doctors wanting to chop off feet, and pediatricians wanting to perform tonsilectomies?
Obooba said that diabetics get their feet chopped off by greedy doctors because, whereas they only get a few dollars for preventive treatment, they can make “$30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 to amputate a foot.”
The AMA said the next day that a foot amputation is between $500 and $700.
And did you know that pediatricians yank out healthy tonsils? That’s right! Obooba said that if you take your child to the doctor with a sore throat, that doc only makes a few dollars to treat it medically, but he can make hundreds of dollars by performing a tonsilectomy.
I guess O’Joker forgot that primary care physicians and pediatricians do not perform surgery!
And he just makes up the price of an amputation, inflating it x100 – and he has put himself in charge of reforming healthcare costs!!!
This narcissist has never been held to account in his life. Let’s all hold him to account, shall we?
Young Agent, I feel your pain. I’m in my 20’s and would love to be able to “opt out” of SS. It’s depressing to look at my paycheck and know how much of my income is being taken away from me, never to be seen again. Like you, I contribute a hefty amount to my 401K each month for starters to make up for that. But will it be enough?
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!! That’s what people voted for when they voted for Obama! They thought they would never have to worry again about how they will pay their mortgage, or how they will put gas in their car, or how will they get health care!! They were deadly wrong!! Now alot of them are seeing the folly in the change they voted for!! It’s a good thing I haven’t put my faith in humanity! Humanity just likes to play popularity contests and vote for whoever can spill the best line of horse-dung while believing every hunk of crap that comes out of the politicians mouth. What happened to integrity, conscience, respect for not only the Constitution of The United States, but for We The People!!
We The People are to blame for our own downfalls. Since we didn’t fight for our rights back when it would have been easier to put congress and our presidents back in their respectful places according to our Constitution!! It’s shameful what we have allowed our nation to become!!
We, The Complacent People of The United States are to blame for the Socialist freaks taking over the White House and Congress.
They will come in with their guns and their bombs if they have to in order to keep the resistance down. It’s coming. Whether we want it or not…it’s too late now for us to fight it….anyone who resists will be shoved back down. That’s what we have to look foward to since we allowed the beasts to take over.
You cant argue with a liberal, They use ridicule and some nameless sources “a university study” or maybe a poll taken at a liberal university. Give me a break. Conservatives use facts and reason and a position which relys on personal responsibility of which liberals have no use for. Anyway Barbara you will get your health reform and we will get rid of the liberal majority in congress soon.
I see the problem with Barbara, She watches CNN Fact check, what a oxymoron. CNN maybe she thinks that MSNBC or The New York Times are legitimate news sources too. LOL…..
So right now, private insurers take 25% off the top of my premiums (if I could afford insurance) for admin. overhead; M-Care takes 3%. Private ins. cos. restrict patient choice by having networks of contracted doctors, labs, xray, ets.; M-Care uses all providers, everywhere. Priv. ins co.s restrict care choices with hundreds of coverage and pre-existing condtn restrictions; M-Care doesn’t. The 1,300 priv. ins co.s’ differing paperwork (for coverages, billings, appeals, denials, arbitration) costs doctors/labs etc. over twice as much to process as M-Care’s paperwork. Businesses’ competition is hindered by some paying for insurance, and others not. Businesses without insurance also lose when their employees OR their families get sick & the employees miss/leave work as their illnesses get worse. Priv ins cos hold corporate annual mtgs in one city where 51% of the shareholders win the vote. We’re 100% of the shareholders of the gov., and have access to our reps. at local offices and by all our votes & shouting. Why aren’t priv. ins. co.s demanding the end of gov. interference in M-Care, M-Caid, VA, children’s, uninsured, public health, public health education campaigns about tobacco/exercise/food, basic research done by Natnl Instit of Hlth, CDC and state univ.s, loans and debt repayment provisions for doctors/nurses. It’s b/c they profit from us paying taxes to subsidiize their businesses with healthy working customers. Priv ins cos have death panels every day, who deny pre-existing condtns, raise rates on businesses with sick/expensive employees, restrict coverages, have affordable premiums with unaffordable deductible levels, and don’t continue coverage if you lose/change jobs or move. Some HMOs are SOCIALIST when they not only provide the insurance but employ the providers. As are the military, Dept of Public Works, police, fire, public schools, public hospitals. M-Care isn’t – it has private providers. The CIA’s “The World Factbook” annual survey of countries’ life expectancy has US at #50! That’s b/c the poor health of our un and under-insured skews ALL our cost and quality ratings internationally. Priv. ins. co.s don’t ask you for input on their policy changes for next yr.; the gov. is posting them on the internet, holding town meetings, and listening to people shouting “death panels”. What’s cheaper and less fascist? “M-Care for All”‘s largest possible risk pool of insurers and shouters (ALL Americans) is. I’m a life-long RN, & I won’t kill your or my grandma, unless she doesn’t have insurance.
From the CIA Factbook you reference, regarding life expectancy:
total population: 78.11 years
country comparison to the world: 50
male: 75.65 years
female: 80.69 years (2009 est.)
As for your other accusations, the govt pays 47% of healthcare bills now. That is, they pay about 80-85% of the dollar amounts, Providers make up the difference by overcharging private health insurers.
Govt involvement in markets distorts them, causing shortages or surpluses the markets don’t require.
If you want more of that, they already have it in Cuba. Please more there rather than move Cuba here.
Sorry, forgot to make my main point: the US is at #50 in life expentancy because the countries above us for the most part do not count infants who die for lack of healthcare, including denial of service due to age. We count them, hence, we fall to 50.
Barbara, I started to read your post, but didnt get past your first outburst of emotional fictional figures. Private Insurers dont take 25% off the top for profit. Wrong, wrong wrong. If that was the case there would be alot more carriers writing the coverage. Remember this is a post on the insurance journal, not a left wing blog. Please use facts not emotional outburst. Isnt that what the president was complaining about the other day with the protesters of his plan, upps thats right he really doesnt have a plan. Its a moving target of socialism. That is how all liberals argue but it will not work here.
OK, edjeekate me, por favor. How much is the average administrative overhead for private insurers’ and what is your source (mine is a univ study)?
And, Al, how would that work, if private insurers took over all the tax-subsidized programs i listed? And, what is your source for the CIA sutdy?
Thank you for allowing this discourse. I don’t require you to move out of OUR country.
You cannot equate a government run program with the private sector run insurance programs. Under a rational insurance program, they must be actuarily sound or else the respective state in which they are domiciled steps in and shuts them down, puts them in receivership. You state companies have a 25% profit, that is misleading. A company tries to keep their acquisition costs under 25% cost to run a plan at 75%; aquisition costs are cost of underwriting, policy issuance, agents commissions, overhead (employees and taxes) and yes sadly to left – profits. Some companies exceed that 25% cost and rely on investments to offset the additional costs/expenses incurred.
The federal government does not run like an insurance company, they have the luxury to increase taxpayers taxes and/or borrow and borrow and borrow. With Medicare and Social Security Congress/Government has borrowed. They are accountable to no one. The state does not shut them down when they pay out more than they take in and run at deficits for years and years. Private insurers don’t have that luxury. To compare medicare to private insurers is intellectually incorrect. If you believe the government should run our healthcare system, then you’re “entitled” to that belief. No where in the U.S. Constitution does it state the federal government is to provide and pay for healthcare. Why should taxpayers pay for 17% of the population who is uninsured? HR 3200 is a bad bill. It has pay backs to unions, community organizations, gives government access to your checking/savings and personal and financial acocunts. It limits cares to seniors (contrary to the left wing propaganda machines) and does set up counceling for final care versus treatment (which the Senate version conveniently just took out of their bill – after members of the GOP were vilified for bringing this portion of the bill up). Obama is so hell bent on socializing this part of our economy and yeilding more power to the federal government. This is not Europe, Canada we are the United States of America! He can take his happy marxist butt to Russia with his warped vision for America.
–And, Al, how would that work, if private insurers took over all the tax-subsidized programs i listed? And, what is your source for the CIA sutdy?–
As noted, I quote the same source you did – the CIA Factbook. The difference is minute, measured in months, but it’s because many countries don’t count infants in their mortality calculations, greatly increasing their life expectancy. I mean, look up some of the countries supposedly above us.
“Does the U.S. really rank behind Italy, Greece, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Malta in terms of infant mortality? Are we really wasting so much health care money that we rank behind Bosnia, Jordan, Israel and Guam in terms of life expectancy?
“While politicians love to cite these international comparisons, they are rife with problems that end up making the U.S. look worse, a fact pointed out by researchers for years.
“Take infant mortality. The international statistics that Hillary, Ted and others love to cite come from the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines a life birth as any baby showing any signs of life. While the U.S. carefully follows this definition, many other countries do not. As the WHO itself points out, ‘underreporting and misclassification are common, especially for deaths occurring early on in life.’
“For example, the U.S. tries to save extremely premature babies, many of which die and then get counted as an infant mortality. Other countries simply count these as stillbirths.
“In Switzerland, a baby must be at least 12 inches long to be counted as living, according to Nicholas Eberstadt, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
“In Japan, ‘social and cultural customs favor the recording of infant deaths as stillbirths because the latter are not recorded in the Koseki, the Japanese family registration system,’ noted a report from the congressional Office of Technology Assessment.”
OK, statistics are unreliable. Do you think we’d be #1 counting our un and under insured (who don’t “deserve” coverage).
Let’s talk compassion. “do unto others”; sermon on the mount: “heal the sick”; U.S. Constitution: it’s not unAmerican to have different ideas.
You’d make an excellent employee of M-Care for All – you speak up. I’m serious. You’d have a job. Hopefully, your bosses expect the same from you re pt. care now.
Re death panel. Your private ins. cos, hospitals and doctors hand out DPOAs for HC, info about Living Wills, etc. regly. Do those Drs. get re-imbursed for discussing it w/pts? Wouldn’t Drs. want their pts. to live so Drs. could get reimbursemt? Like for Terri Shaivo? Anyway, all the paperwork says it’s for the pt to make choices. They might not know what it all means, tho, if it’s handed to them as they’re admitted for an emergency.
You have your sources, I have mine CNNpolitics.com): ‘The CNN Truth Squad, which fact-checks political claims, has debunked the bank-access rumor as false
The CNN Truth Squad determined the “death panel” claim was false, along with others spread by conservative commentators and activist groups who say Democratic proposals would promote euthanizing elderly Americans and mandate free health insurance for illegal immigrants.”
I truly appreciate this opportunity to discuss.
If the death panels were not in the bill, why were they taken out two days after Palin mentioned them? Mandatory end-of-life counseling is not something I want the govt paying for.
In UK they now no longer prescribe cortisone to elderly patients. So if you were faced with living with excruciating pain or just dying, what would you choose?
On the one hand there is no bill to talk about: the senate has several, and the house hasn’t passed one, they just made their draft public. So why is Obooba talking about what it’s going to be like once it’s passed? he’s just making stuff up to calm the public.
As for private insurers vs govt mandated services: I’m not comfortable with the govt telling me I can’t have something that, in the draft at least, will not be appealable.
There is no shortage of info here http://www.hotair.com from a perspective you may not have considered. Please check it out.
Finally, where in Art I Sec 8 do you find the legislature empowered to fund a single-payer healthcare program? (Not to mention 90% of what the govt does.)
Cuba, Russia, China etc all made the mistake you are advocating: turning our lives over to the govt.
You can disagree all ya want, you’re wrong baby wrong.
Americans are living nearly two-and-a-half months longer, according to new life expectancy statistics released today. In 2007, life expectancy in the United States reached a high of nearly 78 years, up from 77.7 a year earlier.
Thank you for your opportunities to discuss health reform. I learned from you. Thank you for providing health care insurance (I’m assuming you work in the industry).
Sincerely, Barbara
Babara, Since Obama’s healthcare reform does nothing to rein in the cost of doctors visits, Make drug companies cost less as a matter of fact he has already made a deal with them. The only thing it does is change from the private sector insurance to a collosal government run program. I can only asume you are a political operative, maybe a paid acorn employee.
In the health care reform I find that there is additional work for the Practitioner on regard to “Death Advising”. This is not a new concept just more rules and laws.
My issue is it does not address the Ambulance chasing Lawyers. They are the large reason for the expence for health care.
Bill,
I’m a 60 yr old, white haired lady who has opinions based on being an RN since 1971. I’ve sat with suffering people/families in hospitals, clinics and their homes. When the bodies give way, it proves us all to be the same: fragile, beautiful, miracles of life, that need some help to mend.
Yes, I vote Democratic. As does about half the country. I imagine you are a Republican. We’re doing what we should as citizens, trying to discuss public policy.
I had hoped by writing to an ins. industry magazine that its employees could help me understand how so many who can’t afford or have lost their insurance, could be helped. I have seen too much misery in untreated illnesses. I left my job to move to another state to help my ill parents remain in their apt., &, w/o work, can’t afford health ins. But, I believe that this world can be lived according to the Golden Rule and Sermon on the Mount. Each of us just has to implement them. I don’t represent anyone except 1,000s of patients and those who couldn’t get care, whom I met, & are part of me everyday.
People need to keep these posts Civil. Its rude and childish to call people names, as well as to question their motive’s for posting. Yes, this is a topic that people take to heart, but noone learns from name calling. I wish the Insurance Journal would police this better. It makes us all look bad to have childish people in this forum. Perhaps these people need mental health reform.
It is so good to see all of you are serious & reading this bill!! Pass the word to all you know – get those phone calls out to your representatives NOW!
Clearly, this is not an informative venue, but rarher an expose’ for illiterates. Just the fact that the term “death panel” came from Sarah “I quit” Palin ought to be enough to warn someone “Here comes a load of ********”!
Pull your heads out people, politicians opposed to health care reform are bought and paid for by the insurance companies, and so are those who join their opposition. The president of United Insurance Co. makes $102,000 an HOUR. You don’t think we need health care reform?
Geno, i don’t think anyone disagrees that we need some reform. What is so disturbing is (1)it is being labeled as URGENT (2)there is so much control by govt involved. there is NO sense of urgency; take the time to do it right.
Insurance Journal, this is clearly biased reporting. Most of the proposed provisions mentioned in this article seem reasonable, and no where in this article does it mention the Obama Death Panel. I want to know more about the specifics of the Death Panel. Who will be on the Death Panel? How will the Death Panel members be selected? Will we be able to appeal Death Panel rulings?
Don’t blame IJ for not fulfulling your political agenda; it’s just reporting facts. There is no death panel. Some of the bills seek to encourage people to complete living wills so their care will meet their wishes. These are strongly supported by insurers, hospitals, doctors and almost everyone. You are passing along misinformation designed to scare people and take discussion away from what we might be able to do improve the system. The turn the media “discussion” on health care has taken is very discouraging for most Amercians who just want the truth. It’s very sad really how bullies and their backers with money have dominated the airwaves and web.
Cannot afford health insurance now that I am out of work. My spouse and I are almost 60. The individual health insurance premiums are ridiculously high and so are the deductibles. Not to mention, pre-existing conditions are excluded.
We need a safety net for the unemployed who do not qualify for COBRA. Maybe something just temporary to see us all through until we land on our feet with a new job.
This issue is too important to drink anyone’s coolaide. Please go to http://www.factcheck.org and see who is lying to you about what. Neither side is perfect on this one, but we should dig a little deeper than just believing these boneheads who have guaranteed healthcare for life. They all have a political stake and YOU aren’t real important to that.
What do you mean there are no Death Panels? Sarah Palin said there will be, and she usually seems like she’s well informed and has a thorough understanding of complex issues.
Oh well, never mind. I have to go to a Town Hall meeting now. I was going to ask whether Obama is a Muslin, but maybe I’ll ask about the Death Panels instead.
Oh, well if Sarah Palin said it, then it must be true. Get real.
Such a thing under a different name already exist. A friend of mine was recently in hospital with blood clots. Also has successfully battled cancer for 2 years. Doctor comes in asks about his living will and if he has his affairs in order. All this with the statement “we no longer try to prolong life after 65”. This healthcare “reform” is just another name for the dems to interfere and control our lives even more.
“Payments to be designed to encourage quality, not quantity of services” – At what point does a procedure no longer meet the “quality” standard? A one in five chance of success? One in three? And who makes the decision?
I do not want the government involved in my health insurance or health care in any way shape or form. Period. Once this camel gets his head in the tent its just a matter of time before we have full blown single payer government health care as Obama has said he wants many times. The person that had the question about death counceling. Yes that is in the bill. And the other question as to Obama beging a muslum, he probably is.
Codger, you ask “And who makes the decision?” Why the politicians and bureaucrats of course! Just look at how well they handle everything else! I hope that you’re not even thinking of implying that anyone who has the label “government employee” behind his name is anything less than omniscient or morally flawless? Here’s how it works: a man or woman is a “normal” person. Then they either get elected, appointed or hired to be a bureaucrat or politician by the “normal” people; then they go through a purification process (then a miracle happens)which makes them into a god-like being above reproach or criticism.
Question government? Why you just want to see poor people die in the streets! What about the children? (just fill in any other mindless cliche that the media mindlessly parrots here-they’re all the same)
Many of this looks good on the outside but it will still leave thousands of workers uninsured.
There are quite a few employees with payroll under 250,000 and an even larger number with 500,000 or less. Since these will be exempt there will still linger this problem.
Just another empty promise made so one can get into the White House regardless of political affiliation.
I would ask if Laura has read the bill. Check it out. This bill is a nightmare on so many levels. Please pull it up and read sections in their entirety. It will open your eyes. the number of government employees it will require is unbelievable. Not to mention the paperwork; you think you can’t find a doctor accepting Medicare/Medicaid now, just wait! they will set up their practices for non-insured or cash only!! But please READ it.
NO-what’s sad is to see people who disagree with a terrible plan painted as bullies who spread misinformation. Even worse-that you would be so arrogant and moronic as to say that “most people” support this plan. I bet most people in your own office don’t support the plan! Foolish arrogance will be rewarded with a quick pendulum swing.
What a line of lying bull! Gengis why don’t you read the story and tell the truth. I guess you believe if you tell a lie enough times it becomes true.
The politcs of promise…..He said he will get a health care reform bill passed in the first year of his administration. And with a Dem majority the odds were favorable. That’s all that’s left…the objective is to pass a bill…ANY bill, at ANY cost…and call it health care reform.
What a joke this vindictive House and Senate are.
quote..”If anyone thinks health care is expensive now…wait till it’s free”
The way I read it, bill calls for “advance care planning consultation.” The measure would MAKE AVAILABLE to individuals the OPTION of a consultation with a medical provider who would explain “advance care planning,” if they have not met with a medical practitioner WITHIN the PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS. These sessions would be an OPTIONAL BENEFIT, and WOULD NOT be MANDATORY under the legislation.
During these consultations, the doctor would answer questions about care, suggest other professionals to speak with, and offer an explanation of the legal definitions of living wills, powers of attorney and the role of a health care proxy.
This does not sound like a death panel. To me,it sounds like education. Educating those individual who had not been fortunate enough to have an experience with the medical world under our current system.
On the surface, the majority of the various plans seem on par with other health care plans on the market today. The real challenge IMO has to do with mandating coverage while not doing enough to contain administrative and legal cost. A statistic that was floated was that 85% of the expenses a person generates is in the last bit of their life. This to me is much of the fear about death panels and related. The plan does not seem set to succeed. I have not seen anything that would lower cost while still providing an excellent level of benefit. They are talking about new tax or penalties…not really a positive way to sell a great cost containing plan. The gov’t (Health & Human Services Dept) is setting up the minimum levels of coverage and defining the essential level of benefits, which is a concern for me due to this being billed a cost containg plan. It is reasonable to be concerned that coverage will be minimized in a way to lower cost. The real fear for me is that in the end we will have a gov’t created system that is more flawed than the current system. I have not seen that many, if any, politician step up and say they were wrong. They do point fingers. They do spin figures to show us how much they are doing for us. That is the rub, once they put this legislation into effect, we will be stuck with it and they will have to find ways to make it work. I see cost issues, unfair practices with private insurers and I do see a thinning of benefits for those who need them most when they need them most. To those that are putting on the political hack hat, think what the system will look like 20 years from now. From the way it is starting, I can only see it will degenerate into something abhorent that will have tremendous cost to stay on a private plan. This will further add to the destruction of the middle class. What fact finding went into the plans and was published about costs of current health care services? Did they include cost of med mal, new privacy related regulation? I see too much politicizing on all parties to make this work. Vote it down and make them do a better job!
Than the boring facts. I am stunned that so far it looks like a bunch of Kool aid drinkers on both sides. Not a bit of real debate. Pathetic! It is really sad to see you all being pulled by the marionette strings of your party or some entertainers who get ratings from this stuff.
The proposed health care bill has problems, but not a “death panel”.
Bureaucrats making medical decisions is concerning, shareholders makeing the same decisions is frightening.
I work for an insurance company (not health care) we spend all of our energy figuring out how to make maximum profit, get the highest premium we can sell while paying the fewest claims. trust me, we are not figuring out how to give the highest risk insureds the best deal.
Why would any private for profit company do that for a cancer survivor? Or even someone who has had some depression. If the current bill won’t work, what will give those people options?
My questions aren’t being answered. Further, anyone who is espousing the fanatical “stories” loses credibility, so their answers are no longer trustworthy.
This bill is laced with avenues opening to the gov’t being in charge of who lives & who dies. Read pages 425-430. This makes end of life consultation mandatory. The gov’t decides how often & by whom. They have authority to assign end of life Dr. While the bill is apparently silent on abortions it leaves the door open for the gov’t (you & I) to pay for same. Some lawmakers say that is not the intent yet they are not willing to exclude it. The last 400 or so pages of the bill are mostly about social programs. This bill has little to do with actual health care. It is more about gov’t control of our lives & our death! It is a sham. That’s why they wanted it passed thru so quickly. They don’t want we the people to know what is in it.
None of the plans address cost reduction in any meaningful way. Cost drivers that should be considered for reduction include:
Broad coverage – State regulatory officials over time have pushed comprehensive health plans to cover more and have resisted many limitations and exclusions, growing the cost per benefit.
Coverage mandates – Legislators hearing from special interests have levied over 40 coverage mandates in the State of Oregon alone over the years, again, growing coverage, growing cost.
Coverage design lacking consumer responsibility – State regulatory officials have emphasized consumer-friendly policy design inhibiting incentives to those willing to undergo better health maintenance, and disincentives to penalize those unwilling to deal with more simple health issues which typically lead to chronic and costly care in the future.
Un-equal playing field – ERISA protected self-insured groups and Union Trusts from State regulations like mandates, taxes and fees, leaving small group and individual health plans unequally burdened. This inequity stimulates healthy groups with low losses to leave the higher cost commercial plans for self-funded plans, exacerbating cost differences between the two systems. You have those healthier groups that can leave the commercial system for the lower cost self-insurance system, leaving higher cost population holding a more expensive bag.
Inadequate or innefective regulation from some states – State regulation is only as good as that state’s regulation. Some states do not have guaranteed issue, some only small groups. Some allow rates based upon past claims, some for only larger groups. The feds can mandate certain mimimum regulation, such as guaranteed issue all plans and elimitate the decline issue (though this alone WILL remove lower cost options for the healthy, which include the younger tax-paying public).
Address defensive medicine. Now, with fears of lawsuits in every procedure, providers are quick to order tests and procedures to build a defense should there ever need to be, that they did everything to help the patient, regardless of cost or effectiveness. Limit negligence or provide immunity for certain procedures known to be the routine and correct treatment.
Address profit seeking by providers who duplicate services not needed, but creating a PPO network identifying a core need of providers, subjecting those not identified as core need to higher out of pocket by consumers, rewarding use of core need with lower out of pocket
Allow a voluntary essential benefit package way below mandated regulated coverage required to be used today. Utilize a Prioritized Services List, embed a variety of copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, limitations and exclusions focusing on low consumer cost-share for more effective treatments, high consumer cost-share, limitations or exclusions for less effective treatments.
Privatize Medicare and surcharge Original Medicare plan design incentivizing people to move to more effective plan designs (Managed Care Medicare Advantage Plans
Re-design Medicaid lowering the covered prioritized list, implementing a wider schedule of copayments, coinsurance, deductibles and limitations.
And yes, I will be contacting my congressman with my many concerns during the recess, face to face, unless Homeland Security decides I need a face-washing, oops, water-boarding.
I don’t know if you are totally right, but I like the way you cut to it. What I do know…you are on the money. Call em out for the crap they are pushing down our throats.
Yeah, Like your answers Fact Chucker.
Interrelations between the health care industry, legal, federal and state laws, providers, regulators, the public, hey this is complex. I spent over a year on a State committee researching cost reduction ideas. Sad thing, is the liberals in control of what was presented to the Legislature failed to present most of these concepts, only presented a governmental take-over.
Congressman DeFazio is also a good example of what’s NOT working. He’s frothing at the mouth about how insurers are declining people, how they are charging obsured rates, duh, like they are free to do what they want Peter. Have you heard of State Regulation? (Some better than others).
He also rants about insurers exempt from Anti-Trust. You mean McCarren Ferguson Peety? Where Congress agreed to continue insurance regulation on a State Basis once insurance was defined as interstate commerce, subject to federal regulation?
Granted state regulation lacks some national standards, but in the case of AIG, who faired better, the state regulated insurers, or AIG Financial, regulated by the Office of Thrifts?
…and they wonder why we’re fighting federal regulation, and a federal insurer (Medicare and Medicaid’s cost-shift is a lot of the problem!)
the dems could pass the bill in both houses without any repub support. if left totally to them, health care would be issued by govt purvue. the brits have their socialized medicine and there are 1.4 million people employed to administer it. the vast majority are just bureaucrats, not md’s or nurses. O wants a single payer plan, which he has made crystal clear on more than one occasion. if it weren’t for all the “radicals” storming the politicians meetings this would already be law. the system needs reform but O and his cronies way isn’t the answer. if he truly understands the word compromise, then a reasonable solution can be reached.
When Congress agrees to be part of our new healthplan, I’ll vote for it. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”.
“When Congress agrees to be part of our new healthplan” will happen when I learn to flap my arms and fly to Jupiter.
We all know certain things: Congress doesn’t read the bills that it votes on; Congress exempts itself from the laws that the rest of us suckers must “obey.” Case in point: if anyone besides “Congress” trades stock & makes money on “inside information” they can get thrown in jail. If Congress does it (excuse me, I mean, when they do it), nothing happens to them. Why do you think that the average Congressman increases his net worth by several million after a few years in Congress-on a $200,000 annual salary?
It’s time to stop treating the members of “Congress” like anything even resembling “honorable” people and realize that they are nothing but lying, thieving, & killing criminals. The point being: do you really trust this pack of scum to work up a “plan” that will benefit anything other than their wallets and their special interests?
Interesting point. With all of the rhetoric being spewed, I haven’t heard much about the approaches that are working in different states. I am in the big bankrupt one, so we do not have a working plan!
By requiring everyone to pay for healthcare – that they can afford – they are trying to assure that you and I aren’t unduly burdened by people who are irresponsible and don’t purchase healthcare when it’s there for everyone. We pay for everyone to have healthcare now. Citizen or not, if you walk into an emergency room, they serve you. Who pays for that? The taxpayers. We’d all think it was unconscionable if they said “Did you have an opportunity to purchase insurance?” Did you turn it down? Then sit over there and die because we’re going to make you live (or die) with the consequences of your poor decision.” People who have been unable to afford health insurance, preventative and early care, are costing all of us a fortune by delaying care until it is urgent. Mandatory participation is necessary. And a penalty for failure is reasonable. Auto insurance is mandatory.
Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back
Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!
The truth: These accusations—of “death panels” and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: “No ‘death panel’ in health care bill.”4 What’s the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.5
Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!
The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama’s reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.6 Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.7
If you’re happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.8 But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can’t afford health care now.
Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!
The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.
Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.9 And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.
Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens’ Medicare benefits!!!
The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.10 Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.11
Lie #5: Obama’s health care plan will bankrupt America!!!
The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.
Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.12 The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade13—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.14 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama’s reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.15
We’re closer to real health care reform than we’ve ever been—and the next few weeks will decide whether it happens. We need to make sure the truth about health care reform is spread far and wide to combat right wing lies.
Can you forward this email to your friends today?
Thanks for all you do.
-Nita, Kat, Ilya, Michael and the rest of the team
Did I read that correctly? Individuals required to get coverage or pay a penalty for every year they don’t….!!! What if I don’t want to have insurance? What if I (like I do now) pay for my own healthcare and that of my family? What if I still cannot afford the coverage I would need? What the heck are they trying to do ? Big Govt. wants to keep closer tabs on people….Just say “NO” to the NWO!!!
… do you work for Geico?
Nope, not Geico. Fourteen of my 21 years in the industry has been on the carrier side (P&C) with more than one carrier. Managing our combined is a way of life no matter who’s logo is on my business card.
In a free market, it is obvious that the health carriers are going to operate at a profit. Providing coverage that is affordable to high risk individuals, will not be profitable. I don’t get how the for profit companies can possibly do such a thing. I don’t get how mandating that can work.
Anyway, I am confused by all of the arguements. I am really hating the partisan bickering, which deflects from understanding.
I think that everyone should have health coverage. I think that the people who say “what if I don’t want health coverage” are full of beans. If they become seriously ill or injured, we just have to pay for them.
All of that said, I believe in free market. I know as a company person for the most part, the people who don’t have coverage, are the people who I probably wouldn’t want to insure.
I will say that if I knew I could buy insurance on my own (I have a pretty serious pre-existing condition) my life could be totally different. I would consider starting a business. As it is today, I am in charge of bringing home a group insurance benefit package for my family. I have an excellent job, but can take virturally no risk because of health insurance issues.
Don’t paint the nation by how your State has chosen to regulate it’s health insruance.
In my State, we have a plan for those who can’t get insurance. It’s price is subsidized to bring the cost down to what an employer pays for employee coverage (more than individual coverage, because individual coverage is underwritten in this state, NOT guaranteed issue, like in Washington State)
That said, because of how the pieces are put together by out State regulator, we have relatively low cost individual insurance, and high cost small group.
In Washington State, individual insurance costs are going through the roof, because guess what? Even though individual health insurance is guaranteed issue, it’s not mandated, therefore, those who dont’ need it, don’t get it. Wait till you have a problem! Then get the coverage. Hum, see the problems?
Get the picture, that it’s not those greedy insurance companies, it’s the idiot regulators (or their polititians telling them what do to, or passing laws to do it)
President Obama wants single payer. He has said so in the past. Read the bill. Getting people off of private insurance and onto Gov’t insurance seems to be the goal long term. Elements or framework for that are in the bill.
The lies mentioned: There are people who want those things. I can’t speak for the president, but it is a reality that whether you want them or not, they will be necessary to one degree or another. The plan is unsustainable cost wise.
Buying private insurance for the uninsured is the most cost effective solution, and the Gov’t could do it today with the money they already have set aside. Everything else being discussed is an unnecessary expansion of Gov’t.
HR3200 is a bad bill!! It’s bad for consumers, it’s bad for businesses, it’s bad for Americans.
Page 429 – Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient’s health deteriorates. This can include an order for end-of-life plans. Page 425 goes into how care providers must consult with government body regarding advanced care. Much like the UK and Oregon plans and there is historical data to show what the outcomes for seniors are – they are final.
Page 65 – Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans.
Page 195 – Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaurcracy will have access to ALL Americans financial and personal records.
Page 59 – The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funs transfer. This means irrespective of the amount of money in your bank account the government health plan will bang your account when services rendered.
Given the track record of the federal government it is naive to think that we will end up saving money. Amtrack $2billion in the hole, yesterday learned the U.S. Post Office $7b in the hole. Medicare in the red, Social Security is broke. You are a better person than I if you think that there will actually be a savings with the government taking over our healthcare system. I think President Johnson said the Medicare program will only cost $6b year?
Remember the same cast of characters, the same den of thieves who failed in their fiduciary responsibility to oversee our financial markets are the same den of thieves who are writing these bills. This is one of the worst programs that will ever be set up and will be the final straw in showing the American people that our elected officials have total disregard for the U.S. Constitution!
Were you taught what the constitution says? We live in a free country!! Suppose to be anyway…
Insurance, be it auto insurance or health, or home owners, is a rip off!! People should not be forced to pay for something they may never use or will use seldomly. It is a waste of money!! And the only people who profit from it is, U GOT IT, the insurance companies. Insurance is a scam…never liked it, never will…And being forced to pay for more insurance is going to just burn my butt even more…it’s ridiculous!!
I finally found a copy of HR3200 yesterday, amazing 1018 pages. I suggest you read it. There are many areas that are so broad, anything could eventually be established & applied to those being forced into this plan. I agree there are many areas of healthcare that do need refinement but do push through legislation without looking at the consequences.
There are those of us who pay our own bills, however large they are…and there are those of us who take care of ourselves well enough that we are not prone to cancer, diabetes, AIDS, and other terminal illnesses that require expensive treatment. You think everyone should have health coverage, and you probably think it’s ok to force it on people too. People like me, who pay my own medical bills, and feed my own family. I don’t look for hand outs and I don’t want handouts. My husband and I work hard for the money we use to pay our bills and feed family. It is our right to live this way, and I shouild not be forced to buy insurance when it means that I will have LESS MONEY TO FEED MY FAMILY!! NEXT THING YA KNOW OBAMA WILL TELL ME TO GO TO dEPT. OF hUMAN sERVICES TO GET ON THE FOOD STAMPS. BUT I WILL HAVE TO WAIT BECAUSE I AM NOT PART OF A MINORITY GROUP!! Mandatory anything in this country (except for reasonable taxes to fund necessities for Gov’t operations)is a crock of crap! Auto insurance is one of the biggest rip offs in the world!! I have made about 4 claims in my 13 years of haviing auto insurance. That money I have paid in all those years has just gone to pad some fat, greedy jerk’s butt while he sits there and taps that “collect payment” button. I have paid in tens of thousands of dollars into insurance and have only made claims that equal less than ten thousand dollars. It is disgusting to me and I, for one, am sick of the way capitalists get away with being so damned greedy. I’m not against capitalism, I am against the greed that drives the owners of those businesses!!!
Oh, hell is on it’s way and Obama is just another usher in the aisle. GOD HELP THE GOD FEARING,OBEDIENT CHRISTIAN PEOPLE IN THE DAY THAT IS TO COME!!
Where did you find the HR3200? Provide the web site, please.
ROCK ON!! ONE PERSON!!! ROCK ON!!
You will find the actual bill listed on the Energy & Commerce website
http://www.energycommerce.house.gov
scroll down to: America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009″
Wow – you are scary. You are dreaming if you think that your lifestyle will protect you from being hit with tragedy.
Please don’t use christianity to spew hate. That is not what Jesus would do. Please, in the name of Christ, be more like him.
I’m done with this thread.
I’m not spewing hate. Christ would not have me sit and become a victim of socialist agendas. He would not want me to lie still while communist pigs come to slit the throats of my family and myself. Jesus Christ may have went to the cross willingly, but that was what the Father sent Him to do. The Father did not send me to be a slave, or a pawn, or anything less than His child. You may think I am scarry, but that’s because you fear what you don’t know. You may fear more than you realize if you don’t what the BIBLE says. You say you are done with this thread, and that’s because you are afraid of my reply to your judgemental position. You may not be my Judge unless you are He who created my soul and my flesh.
You say all these “anti-insurance” things until you have a claim. What about the person that is at fault in an accident? Lets say they hit you hard enough to put you in the hospital and totals out your car. And guess what, they don’t have insurance. If they don’t have insurance, good luck trying to collect the money owed to you from them. Not you are out of a car and have medical bills on your credit. Why should YOU be punished because the other party was negligent and did’t carry insurance?
Was that meant for me? I am not at all anti insurance. I think the folks that say they don’t want to have coverage are dreaming for exactly the reasons you state. I am quite pro insurance, I just don’t see how private insurance will make any money insuring high risk insureds with mandated low rates.
Health Care Reform COULD be good for Casualty and Work Comp companies…
-LESS FRAUD- If after health care reform the USA is left with fewer citizens with no health care, then is it not logical to assume that there would be less fraudulent claims against Work Comp and Liability policies. After all, if people have access to health care, then it’s less likely they will have to fake or exaggerate injuries to get health coverage through General Liability or Work Comp coverages.
-HEALTHIER WORKFORCE- Presuming that America will have less people without access to preventative health care, I believe it logical to assume that American’s will be happier, healthier and more productive. This may be a Mary Poppins view of the world, but we all have attended the wellness seminars which say just that. All wellness coordinators will say that healthy workers are productive workers.
-MEDICAL PAYMENTS- If Uncle Sam mandates that all citizens be required to carry health coverage, Either through work or personally, then it’s possible Uncle Sam could mandate that work related injury’s be covered. After all at one time it was crazy to think that Uncle Sam could regulate against Pre-Existing Conditions. Now that may be a part of this bill. Obviously work related injury’s is not, but at one point it time it could become a consideration. Then workers comp carriers would not have to deal with the Medical Payment issues, only indemnity issues. After all Health Insurance is nothing more than a contract to negotiate and arrange payment for medical services. It seems incomplete to reform health care in the USA and not discuss work comp payments.
Just some thoughts, I am curious to see what others think. I am not supporting health care reform, I am simply suggesting that there may be a positive side to the coin for the P&C Industry.
Sorry, I meant that comment for A.M, and well, anyone that is anti-insurance. I get them in my office all the time, and I rage when I hear such ignorance from people. The majority of the time, the people that are anti-insurance will be the first ones to flip out and start screaming at other people when they cause an accident and don’t have insurance to pay for the damages.
I still don’t know how I feel about the Health Care reform yet. I have the bill saved on my computer, but haven’t had the time to read the 1K+ pages of it.
One thing that makes me rage as well is when people that are pro-public health option, say that private insurance is wrong for excluding preexisting conditions. If the companies didn’t exclude them, no one would buy the insurance until they had a condition that required extensive medical care. Think about it, if you didn’t have to carry car insurance, and you could buy auto insurance AFTER the accident, and have the company pay for the accident that you caused prior to the policy, no one would pay for car insurance month to month, and the insurance company would last….I don’t know, 1 week? It angers me that people that have NO idea how insurance works are passing bills, telling the companies how it should be.
I have one problem with your theory. If health insurance is mandated by Uncle Sam, then people will try to file claims against their health insurance AND the workers comp insurance. They will use their health insurance to get the bills paid for, and they will use workers comp to get free money so they can sit on the butts at home and be lazy good for nothings. You know, how the disablity system and welfare is right now, and we all KNOW how wonderful the welfare system works. (for those of you not quick enough, I was being sarcastic in the last sentance).
I am not anti helath reform per se, I’m just looking at it from a private insurance agent’s (P&C) point of view.
I don’t mind paying for good business….Auto Insurance can be good…but as of now it’s a RIP OFF!!
I love how insurance salesmen respond to people who KNOW that their business is a scam! If their business was a fair business, they could still profit and stay in business, and their customers wouldn’t feel the rage they feel when they have to bend over and just take it. Insurance salesmen don’t have the reputation they have no reason….they are so good at talking lines of crap that they could sell a turd.
Auto insurance premiums should be, at the very least, partially refundable to responsible, safe drivers.
I don’t mind paying for auto insurance for the obvious benefits…what bites my butt is that I am responsible and safe…i don’t get in an accident, but I still have to pay every year for insurance that I don’t use!!! THAT IS A RIP OFF… that’s all I was saying.
Insurance and Interest are the biggest money making scams on the face of the planet….it’s LEGAL HIGHWAY ROBBERY…PERIOD! Health insurance included… :)
My healthcare insurance provider, Horizon BC BS of New Jersey, contacted my mother, while I was an inpatient in the hospital, to downgrade my Traditional Plan. Every time I entered the hospital as an inpatient this occurred without my knowledge and without my consent as a 35 year old woman, suffering from SLE. To make a long story short, the representatives of Horizon BC BS of NJ had my mother fill out forms to downgrade my insurance, where the anual premium rose to $29,500 with the apparent blessing of appointed and elected officials in the state of New Jersey. I was then forced onto an HMO with the same provider. When I attempted to use my insurance coverage with this HMO policy, the Horizon BC BS of NJ sent one of their representatives to my house to intimidate me into not seeking medical treatment. I am going to sue my now former insurer for millions upon millions of dollars for damages. If this causes my fellow citizens rates to go up — good! As far as I am concerned, my fellow citizens have been nothing less than collaborators in this health care insurance ponzi scheme. The people in this country are extremely selfish in addition to being extremely complacent. If you don’t want your premiums to become prohibitive, then revamp the system and put all of the miscreants profiteering off of your misfortune and demise in prison. Any healthcare executive with blood on his hands (and any doctors, employed by these healthcare insurance companies, denying treatment to patients) should serve long prison terms in a federal, maximum security facility with hardened criminals.
You obviously do not understand the principles of insurance. Your money goes into a pool to pay for accidents that happen (because auto accidents happen everyday). Your company might not be paying for an accident you have caused, but they are paying for an accident that someone in your “pool” (insurance carrier) has caused. So you are a good driver, great. So here’s a thought, let’s say that your insurance company does give you a refund on your premium, then the next time you are at fault in an accident, you give all that money back, in full, without hesitation. Better yet, you pay for half the damages out of pocket yourself. Oh wait, thats why we have insurance in the first place. Let me guess, you say that’s unreasonable, too. I don’t know what state you live in, but as of right now, in my state, if you have the bare minimum liability limits, the total the company will pay out is $75k. On average, my clients pay about $550 a year for bare minimum liability. It would take them about 136 years to pay that back if they just keep paying $550 for the year. Still a rip off?
Or here is another example. Do you think cable companies are a rip off? “Well I don’t watch TV when I am working 9-5, so I should get some of the money back”. How well do you think that conversation will go?
But anyhow, I think I’m just fighting ignorance, which is a battle no one can win. “You can’t teach anything to someone who knows everything already”
Your are correct. The cable companies are a rip off. When I am home, I barely watch TV. What have they done for me lately? Somebody owes me, I just know it. Sarcasm intended.
Yesterday Obama came out with he is willing to accept no public option. Be careful about this, that means right now he is willing. Later once reform is established and he runs all carriers into bankrupcy with actuarily insufficient rates, The public option will surface. This is a bait and switch coming. Mark my words. REFORM YES, TAKE OVER NO!
Democrats began the debate with H Clinton talking about single payer during the debate, then it was Obama talking about the public option, now this weekend he said that’s not essential…
Democrat’s are folding faster than superman on laundry day.
Go here for up to the minute OboobaCare news: http://hotair.com/
Why do I have to join a “qualified” plan if I already have insurance I’m happy with? So the Dems can control my life in the smallest details and thereby solidify their control of the govt forever.
Read “Treason” by Ann Coulter, available from amazon for about $11. Exposes the Dems as enemies of freedom.
You’re right; even under medicare, patients routinely are denied care, b/c it’s not cost effective considering the age and etc. This is one criteria that may not be used by health ins. cos. when deciding if a procedure or drug is covered under a policy.
Even with the elimination of the death panels, the bill still would include such a cost-effective provision. All universal and single-payor programs have this. For this reason, US residents with life-threatening illnesses live much longer than those residents who the same medical conditions and live in a single-payor or universal health care jurisdiction.
Also, the coop thing won’t work with its proposed mandatory acceptance and no denial of coverage for prior conditions. What happened in Massachusetts was that people would purchase health insurance and receive treatment for the pre-existing condition nd then drop the insurance and risk the fine for not having insurance.
Look, the gov’t runs the postal service and, by all legal and accounting criteria, it’s broke. The same goes for Amtrak. Do we really want any gov’t involvement in anything?
Wake up, America.
Americans are stupid. First of all, all of you, if you live long enough or obtain the right lawyer for disability benefits, will be going on Medicare. Medicare is a government-run coverage. I don’t hear any of you complaining about receiving your social security and Medicare benefits. That’s all run by the government. Why should you pay some CEO’s bonuses with your annual premiums, which continue to rise to astronical costs? These CEOs have college degrees from fifth to sixth-tier colleges. They just know how to cheat, steal, and lie. Bottom line is: they are evidently a lot smarter than most Americans. Most Americans are stupid. Over a half million (over 500,000) Americans each month are losing their jobs, which means they are losing their healthcare insurance coverage. What are you going to do, when you lose your job? What should any American do, when they lose their job? You couldn’t be that selfish and that stupid, could you? Basically, the problem is: most Americans are stupid and uneducated.
Max,
Simple rule of thumb…when people call others stupid, they are usually rationalizing due to their own shortcommings. That or they are jsut asses. Which are you?
You’ve never heard us complain about Medicare or SS? Sorry, but I’ve never heard you say you don’t beat your wife so…
There’s NO fraud or waste in Medicare or SS? Puhlease. One thing’s for sure: Medicare, Medicaid, and SS have $42 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities. So let’s put the same morons in charge of our healthcare?
What makes someone more virtuous just because he works for the govt? We should get the millionaires who drove Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac into the ground to run OboobaCare, I guess.
–Will cover the cost of voluntary discussions with healthcare providers on end-of-life care.–
Voluntary? I think the word “shall” was used which, when referring to a third party, means must.
Oh, and the “death panels” that mandated these discussions, the ones Obooba said weren’t in the bill, were removed. Remember when Palin was excoriating for talking about them? They’re gone. Funny how something that was not in there could be removed.
IJ is, as usual, taking the libtard side of an issue, as it did with Gorebal Warming (which has not made many appearances lately since we’ve set 3,000+ low temp records this year…).
You…..you got to be kidding me. No one has complained about SS or Medicare? Just because you personally haven’t heard it doesn’t mean it was never said. Since you are so anti-american, I’m guessing you don’t live in America. Well, when all this healthcare issue has been taken care of, people will go back to talking about SS and Medicare.
When its time for me to retire (I’m currently 23), there will be no SS for me or my generation to collect. I have to put more money into my 401(k) because I know if I don’t, there will be no money for me, unless I plan to work for the rest of my life. I forget the acutal stats, but it takes several working people to pay for one retired person’s SS right now. There is so much fraud in the Medicare system right now, its sicking, with people claiming they are “disabled” and “can not work” to support themselves.
Since I have to put more money into my 401(k) now, that is less money I can put into the economy.
Hows that change working out for you.
Who is running the ship, is it Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Ried, Axelrod. I dont know but this government is out of control now. Sebilius comes out and says we dont need a public option and the next day the white house says no she was mistaken. This should not happen at the Whitehouse. Did Sebilius talk to Biden and get it wrong or was this a trial balloon to see how the liberals would respond. A community organizer should not be president.
Bush complained about Social Security, and Obama is complaining right now about Medicare. Just the last two Presidents.
I am a fiscal conservative and I believe that as Obama stated in one of his hundred daily town hall meetings yesterday. “75% of our annual government budget is made up of Social Security and Medicare 1% Foreign Aid 1% Pork 8% Defense and 10% other “essential” programs”. That 75% is projected to hit 85% by 2017 if we dont do something about healthcare. As americans not (R)’s or (D)’s we do need to do something about this. So whats the solution?
NO SACRED COWS!
Doctors need a fee schedule if they want to be reimbursed by Insurance, otherwise your on your own. Doctors should not be allowed to own testing labs, clinics or physical therapy clinics. Chiroprators your out like witch doctors.
Drug companies – you have to charge us what you charge other countries for your drugs. And STOP YOUR STUPID ADS.
Insurance companies need an excess profit law like WC in many states and standardized forms like homeowners or auto has. NO MORE FINE PRINT EXCLUSIONS.
THIS IS JUST THE START.
The role of government is to legislate and regulate but not confiscate. PERIOD!
The government is confiscating my money for SS, when I will not see any benifits from it. I’m paying for something that i will not be able to use.
Playing politics is the biggest mistake American People got into anyway…Way back when they took prayer out of schools people should have stood up then (and even sooner) to stop gov’t take over in our lives. This health care reform is just yet another tool the gov’t is implementing to take control over even more the private citizens of this nation. It may be too late for the American people to actually do something about ir though. If they will go against the constitution and bring tanks into Waco, TX and burn out innocent women children and others they will do the same to anyone else. They broke the law then and didn’t answer for it, not to mention the countless other times they have done unspeakable acts upon the People of this country, and they will not stop now. All they have to do anymore is write somethiong into law….they don’t have to listen to what THE PEOPLE want…they haven’t for decades!! And since they can write into law whatever tickles their fancy, they will take over more and more, little by little. It has been going on for over 60 years at least!! They aren’t about to back step now… They will pass a reform of some kind…and they don’t care if WE THE PEOPLE like it or not.
HOW DO YOU OBAMA SUPPORTERS FEEL ABOUT YOUR “MESSIANIC” PRESIDENT NOW!!?!!
Did you hear about primary care doctors wanting to chop off feet, and pediatricians wanting to perform tonsilectomies?
Obooba said that diabetics get their feet chopped off by greedy doctors because, whereas they only get a few dollars for preventive treatment, they can make “$30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 to amputate a foot.”
The AMA said the next day that a foot amputation is between $500 and $700.
And did you know that pediatricians yank out healthy tonsils? That’s right! Obooba said that if you take your child to the doctor with a sore throat, that doc only makes a few dollars to treat it medically, but he can make hundreds of dollars by performing a tonsilectomy.
I guess O’Joker forgot that primary care physicians and pediatricians do not perform surgery!
And he just makes up the price of an amputation, inflating it x100 – and he has put himself in charge of reforming healthcare costs!!!
This narcissist has never been held to account in his life. Let’s all hold him to account, shall we?
Resist Obooba! Rage against Hussein!
Young Agent, I feel your pain. I’m in my 20’s and would love to be able to “opt out” of SS. It’s depressing to look at my paycheck and know how much of my income is being taken away from me, never to be seen again. Like you, I contribute a hefty amount to my 401K each month for starters to make up for that. But will it be enough?
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!! That’s what people voted for when they voted for Obama! They thought they would never have to worry again about how they will pay their mortgage, or how they will put gas in their car, or how will they get health care!! They were deadly wrong!! Now alot of them are seeing the folly in the change they voted for!! It’s a good thing I haven’t put my faith in humanity! Humanity just likes to play popularity contests and vote for whoever can spill the best line of horse-dung while believing every hunk of crap that comes out of the politicians mouth. What happened to integrity, conscience, respect for not only the Constitution of The United States, but for We The People!!
We The People are to blame for our own downfalls. Since we didn’t fight for our rights back when it would have been easier to put congress and our presidents back in their respectful places according to our Constitution!! It’s shameful what we have allowed our nation to become!!
We, The Complacent People of The United States are to blame for the Socialist freaks taking over the White House and Congress.
They will come in with their guns and their bombs if they have to in order to keep the resistance down. It’s coming. Whether we want it or not…it’s too late now for us to fight it….anyone who resists will be shoved back down. That’s what we have to look foward to since we allowed the beasts to take over.
IT’S NACHO COUNTRY NO MO
You cant argue with a liberal, They use ridicule and some nameless sources “a university study” or maybe a poll taken at a liberal university. Give me a break. Conservatives use facts and reason and a position which relys on personal responsibility of which liberals have no use for. Anyway Barbara you will get your health reform and we will get rid of the liberal majority in congress soon.
I see the problem with Barbara, She watches CNN Fact check, what a oxymoron. CNN maybe she thinks that MSNBC or The New York Times are legitimate news sources too. LOL…..
So right now, private insurers take 25% off the top of my premiums (if I could afford insurance) for admin. overhead; M-Care takes 3%. Private ins. cos. restrict patient choice by having networks of contracted doctors, labs, xray, ets.; M-Care uses all providers, everywhere. Priv. ins co.s restrict care choices with hundreds of coverage and pre-existing condtn restrictions; M-Care doesn’t. The 1,300 priv. ins co.s’ differing paperwork (for coverages, billings, appeals, denials, arbitration) costs doctors/labs etc. over twice as much to process as M-Care’s paperwork. Businesses’ competition is hindered by some paying for insurance, and others not. Businesses without insurance also lose when their employees OR their families get sick & the employees miss/leave work as their illnesses get worse. Priv ins cos hold corporate annual mtgs in one city where 51% of the shareholders win the vote. We’re 100% of the shareholders of the gov., and have access to our reps. at local offices and by all our votes & shouting. Why aren’t priv. ins. co.s demanding the end of gov. interference in M-Care, M-Caid, VA, children’s, uninsured, public health, public health education campaigns about tobacco/exercise/food, basic research done by Natnl Instit of Hlth, CDC and state univ.s, loans and debt repayment provisions for doctors/nurses. It’s b/c they profit from us paying taxes to subsidiize their businesses with healthy working customers. Priv ins cos have death panels every day, who deny pre-existing condtns, raise rates on businesses with sick/expensive employees, restrict coverages, have affordable premiums with unaffordable deductible levels, and don’t continue coverage if you lose/change jobs or move. Some HMOs are SOCIALIST when they not only provide the insurance but employ the providers. As are the military, Dept of Public Works, police, fire, public schools, public hospitals. M-Care isn’t – it has private providers. The CIA’s “The World Factbook” annual survey of countries’ life expectancy has US at #50! That’s b/c the poor health of our un and under-insured skews ALL our cost and quality ratings internationally. Priv. ins. co.s don’t ask you for input on their policy changes for next yr.; the gov. is posting them on the internet, holding town meetings, and listening to people shouting “death panels”. What’s cheaper and less fascist? “M-Care for All”‘s largest possible risk pool of insurers and shouters (ALL Americans) is. I’m a life-long RN, & I won’t kill your or my grandma, unless she doesn’t have insurance.
From the CIA Factbook you reference, regarding life expectancy:
total population: 78.11 years
country comparison to the world: 50
male: 75.65 years
female: 80.69 years (2009 est.)
As for your other accusations, the govt pays 47% of healthcare bills now. That is, they pay about 80-85% of the dollar amounts, Providers make up the difference by overcharging private health insurers.
Govt involvement in markets distorts them, causing shortages or surpluses the markets don’t require.
If you want more of that, they already have it in Cuba. Please more there rather than move Cuba here.
Sorry, forgot to make my main point: the US is at #50 in life expentancy because the countries above us for the most part do not count infants who die for lack of healthcare, including denial of service due to age. We count them, hence, we fall to 50.
Barbara, I started to read your post, but didnt get past your first outburst of emotional fictional figures. Private Insurers dont take 25% off the top for profit. Wrong, wrong wrong. If that was the case there would be alot more carriers writing the coverage. Remember this is a post on the insurance journal, not a left wing blog. Please use facts not emotional outburst. Isnt that what the president was complaining about the other day with the protesters of his plan, upps thats right he really doesnt have a plan. Its a moving target of socialism. That is how all liberals argue but it will not work here.
OK, edjeekate me, por favor. How much is the average administrative overhead for private insurers’ and what is your source (mine is a univ study)?
And, Al, how would that work, if private insurers took over all the tax-subsidized programs i listed? And, what is your source for the CIA sutdy?
Thank you for allowing this discourse. I don’t require you to move out of OUR country.
You cannot equate a government run program with the private sector run insurance programs. Under a rational insurance program, they must be actuarily sound or else the respective state in which they are domiciled steps in and shuts them down, puts them in receivership. You state companies have a 25% profit, that is misleading. A company tries to keep their acquisition costs under 25% cost to run a plan at 75%; aquisition costs are cost of underwriting, policy issuance, agents commissions, overhead (employees and taxes) and yes sadly to left – profits. Some companies exceed that 25% cost and rely on investments to offset the additional costs/expenses incurred.
The federal government does not run like an insurance company, they have the luxury to increase taxpayers taxes and/or borrow and borrow and borrow. With Medicare and Social Security Congress/Government has borrowed. They are accountable to no one. The state does not shut them down when they pay out more than they take in and run at deficits for years and years. Private insurers don’t have that luxury. To compare medicare to private insurers is intellectually incorrect. If you believe the government should run our healthcare system, then you’re “entitled” to that belief. No where in the U.S. Constitution does it state the federal government is to provide and pay for healthcare. Why should taxpayers pay for 17% of the population who is uninsured? HR 3200 is a bad bill. It has pay backs to unions, community organizations, gives government access to your checking/savings and personal and financial acocunts. It limits cares to seniors (contrary to the left wing propaganda machines) and does set up counceling for final care versus treatment (which the Senate version conveniently just took out of their bill – after members of the GOP were vilified for bringing this portion of the bill up). Obama is so hell bent on socializing this part of our economy and yeilding more power to the federal government. This is not Europe, Canada we are the United States of America! He can take his happy marxist butt to Russia with his warped vision for America.
–And, Al, how would that work, if private insurers took over all the tax-subsidized programs i listed? And, what is your source for the CIA sutdy?–
As noted, I quote the same source you did – the CIA Factbook. The difference is minute, measured in months, but it’s because many countries don’t count infants in their mortality calculations, greatly increasing their life expectancy. I mean, look up some of the countries supposedly above us.
“Does the U.S. really rank behind Italy, Greece, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Malta in terms of infant mortality? Are we really wasting so much health care money that we rank behind Bosnia, Jordan, Israel and Guam in terms of life expectancy?
“While politicians love to cite these international comparisons, they are rife with problems that end up making the U.S. look worse, a fact pointed out by researchers for years.
“Take infant mortality. The international statistics that Hillary, Ted and others love to cite come from the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines a life birth as any baby showing any signs of life. While the U.S. carefully follows this definition, many other countries do not. As the WHO itself points out, ‘underreporting and misclassification are common, especially for deaths occurring early on in life.’
“For example, the U.S. tries to save extremely premature babies, many of which die and then get counted as an infant mortality. Other countries simply count these as stillbirths.
“In Switzerland, a baby must be at least 12 inches long to be counted as living, according to Nicholas Eberstadt, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
“In Japan, ‘social and cultural customs favor the recording of infant deaths as stillbirths because the latter are not recorded in the Koseki, the Japanese family registration system,’ noted a report from the congressional Office of Technology Assessment.”
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=256177471631214
It took me all of a minute to find that.
OK, statistics are unreliable. Do you think we’d be #1 counting our un and under insured (who don’t “deserve” coverage).
Let’s talk compassion. “do unto others”; sermon on the mount: “heal the sick”; U.S. Constitution: it’s not unAmerican to have different ideas.
You’d make an excellent employee of M-Care for All – you speak up. I’m serious. You’d have a job. Hopefully, your bosses expect the same from you re pt. care now.
Re death panel. Your private ins. cos, hospitals and doctors hand out DPOAs for HC, info about Living Wills, etc. regly. Do those Drs. get re-imbursed for discussing it w/pts? Wouldn’t Drs. want their pts. to live so Drs. could get reimbursemt? Like for Terri Shaivo? Anyway, all the paperwork says it’s for the pt to make choices. They might not know what it all means, tho, if it’s handed to them as they’re admitted for an emergency.
You have your sources, I have mine CNNpolitics.com): ‘The CNN Truth Squad, which fact-checks political claims, has debunked the bank-access rumor as false
The CNN Truth Squad determined the “death panel” claim was false, along with others spread by conservative commentators and activist groups who say Democratic proposals would promote euthanizing elderly Americans and mandate free health insurance for illegal immigrants.”
I truly appreciate this opportunity to discuss.
Barb,
If the death panels were not in the bill, why were they taken out two days after Palin mentioned them? Mandatory end-of-life counseling is not something I want the govt paying for.
In UK they now no longer prescribe cortisone to elderly patients. So if you were faced with living with excruciating pain or just dying, what would you choose?
On the one hand there is no bill to talk about: the senate has several, and the house hasn’t passed one, they just made their draft public. So why is Obooba talking about what it’s going to be like once it’s passed? he’s just making stuff up to calm the public.
As for private insurers vs govt mandated services: I’m not comfortable with the govt telling me I can’t have something that, in the draft at least, will not be appealable.
There is no shortage of info here http://www.hotair.com from a perspective you may not have considered. Please check it out.
Finally, where in Art I Sec 8 do you find the legislature empowered to fund a single-payer healthcare program? (Not to mention 90% of what the govt does.)
Cuba, Russia, China etc all made the mistake you are advocating: turning our lives over to the govt.
Err on the side of freedom.
You & I agree to disagree.
Thank you for your time (on the clock?).
You can disagree all ya want, you’re wrong baby wrong.
Americans are living nearly two-and-a-half months longer, according to new life expectancy statistics released today. In 2007, life expectancy in the United States reached a high of nearly 78 years, up from 77.7 a year earlier.
If healthcare is so awful in this country, how could this be? Oh that’s right, seniors are eating up so many healthcare dollars, which is why OboobaCare will see about lowering that life expentancy number.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us-life-expectancy-at-all-time-high/
Thank you for your opportunities to discuss health reform. I learned from you. Thank you for providing health care insurance (I’m assuming you work in the industry).
Sincerely, Barbara
Babara, Since Obama’s healthcare reform does nothing to rein in the cost of doctors visits, Make drug companies cost less as a matter of fact he has already made a deal with them. The only thing it does is change from the private sector insurance to a collosal government run program. I can only asume you are a political operative, maybe a paid acorn employee.
In the health care reform I find that there is additional work for the Practitioner on regard to “Death Advising”. This is not a new concept just more rules and laws.
My issue is it does not address the Ambulance chasing Lawyers. They are the large reason for the expence for health care.
Bill,
I’m a 60 yr old, white haired lady who has opinions based on being an RN since 1971. I’ve sat with suffering people/families in hospitals, clinics and their homes. When the bodies give way, it proves us all to be the same: fragile, beautiful, miracles of life, that need some help to mend.
Yes, I vote Democratic. As does about half the country. I imagine you are a Republican. We’re doing what we should as citizens, trying to discuss public policy.
I had hoped by writing to an ins. industry magazine that its employees could help me understand how so many who can’t afford or have lost their insurance, could be helped. I have seen too much misery in untreated illnesses. I left my job to move to another state to help my ill parents remain in their apt., &, w/o work, can’t afford health ins. But, I believe that this world can be lived according to the Golden Rule and Sermon on the Mount. Each of us just has to implement them. I don’t represent anyone except 1,000s of patients and those who couldn’t get care, whom I met, & are part of me everyday.
People need to keep these posts Civil. Its rude and childish to call people names, as well as to question their motive’s for posting. Yes, this is a topic that people take to heart, but noone learns from name calling. I wish the Insurance Journal would police this better. It makes us all look bad to have childish people in this forum. Perhaps these people need mental health reform.