How the Senate Bill Would Change Healthcare

Reader Comments
Back to blog

The passage of the Health care reform? bill shows that the U. S. Government is out of control. We now have a President that thinks there are 58 states, that the bill
will reduce employer's health costs by 3,000 per cent, and has never served this country in anything other than a political role.
The 3,000% speech was cheered by the crowd and proved that maybe this country deserves what we now have, complete stupidity. I will name this the 3000 Company and will follow the numbers given by the President. If a company paid out $3000 per employee and had 10 employees the total would be $30,000. When we reduce the cost by 3,000% that would be 3,000% times $30,000, equals $900,000.
That means each employee that we add to the company payroll would add $90,000 to the bottom line! Wow! I like the way our President not only handles health care and solves unemployement in one simple bill.
I feel better now that I have the numbers to back the decisions.
Jerry Mobley
Retired CEO, Private Businessman, and Veteran who served 6 years in the Airforce.

JERRY MOBLEY of AZ 9:07AM March 22, 2010

When has the government ever passed anything that did not cost more than they said it would? How come the taxes start day one but no insurgence til after 5years? You are an idiot if you think this will not raise our budget! If you wreck your car shouid you be able to go buy insurance after the wreck and make them fix it! How can a company stay in business if they are forced to cover people who did not buy insurance til after they found out they were sick? This is nothing but a Big Government Takeover!

Jim of IN 6:27AM March 16, 2010

Cup Screen,soldier return discussion weekend arrive stock apparent funny hard between colour the day election secretary release heavy fast chief up judge journey normally occur widely wine support please tall too admit over because artist difficult instead second cut respect explanation life subject coffee including implication present wear summer demand enterprise transfer complete phone agree contact basic persuade alone industrial speed since exchange send soil band language statement promise all subject appear to tell let heavy conclude small weak pleasure observation temperature representation ready content budget

hotel tuerkei of 6:11AM February 12, 2010

WHAT IS THE HEALTH CARE BILL CONTINUED
For the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage, a public option type of health insurance may be offered. It is completely voluntary and will be self sufficient & rely on the premiums it collects.
THE SENATE VERSION OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL PASSED
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VERSION
OF THE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL DID NOT PASS
See the Kaiser Family Foundation website
for a comparison of the 2 bills.
SENATE VERSION:
REQUIREMENT TO HAVE COVERAGE-Everyone must purchase health insurance except those undergoing financial hardship, religious objections, Aemrican Indians, undocumented immigrants, and incarcerated individuals.
Those without coverage, who aren't undergoing financial hardship, must pay a penalty.
HOUSE VERSION:
REQUIREMENT TO HAVE COVERAGE -Same as the Senate Version.
__________________________________________________________
SENATE VERSION
REQUIREMENT TO OFFER COVERAGE-Employers with more than 50 employees will have to offer insurance coverage to the people they hire. A free choice voicher will be offered to employees with incomes less thatn 400% fo the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
HOUSE VERSION:
REQUIREMENT TO OFFER COVERAGE-Employers must offer coverage to their employees and contribute at least 72.5% of the premium cost for single coverage and 65% of the premium cost for family coverage.
_________________________________________________________________
SENATE VERSION
EXPANSION OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS-Medicaid will be available to all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For example,one person households making 14,404 a year or less will be able to receive Medicaid. Federal funding will help Me

of 7:52PM February 09, 2010

WHAT IS THE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL?
Individuals making $14,404 or less a year will be able to receive Medicaid Health Insurance.
It will be against the law for insurance companies to deny medical insurance coverage for health reasons, health risks or pre-existing conditions.
Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.
Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.
Puts a limit on out-of pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.
Protects Medicare for seniors and eliminates the "donut-hole" gap in coverage for prescription drugs.
People without insurance and small businesses will be able to compare health insurance plans and prices at the Exchange. Small businesses will receive tax credits & can enter the Exchange.
The health reform bill won’t add a dime to the deficit. It is paid for upfront through: ( A.) Health system savings & ( B.) Revenue from small taxes charged to those making 280,000 (a quarter of a million dollars a year), as well as ( C.) Fees charged to insurance companies that sell very expensive plans.
The creation of a Medicare Commission that will not be authorized to... ration or limit care or affect benefits, or determine who qualifies for care or has access to care. Tax dollars go directly to caring for seniors.
Large businesses with more than 50 workers– will be required to offer their workers insurance coverage.
Individuals who can afford it will have a responsibility to purchase medical insurance coverage – but those undergoing financial difficulties and "hardship” will not be required to purchase medical insurance.
For the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable cov

of 7:19PM February 09, 2010

Anybody who thinks the VA healthcare is so great is must be on drugs. I have dealt with the VA system since the early 70s. It is fine if you dont need anything. Even though my service connected injuries are "covered" I have had to pay for my own surgeries if I still wanted to be able to walk. That kept me going another 20 year. The VA has managed to "lose" my records more than once and change addresses on me. They have delayed things until I was past deadlines. I eventually did over 20 years in the military, half in the reserves, and added a few more injuries along the way. For many years it was cheaper for me to buy my own pain pills rather than take the VA prescriptions. The last few years I have made another attempt at getting the orthopedic surgeries I need again and the bureaucracy has decided against it. While these "benefits" were not the reason I went in the military, I trusted that they would be there if I needed them. Anybody who thinks Govt Health Care is the answer is deluding themselves. I have dealt with this system in 4 states and any good luck I have had has been cancelled out by bad experiences. While there are some good people at the VA, the system itself is there to deny and ration coverage. The VA has been a waste of time for me.

Dave of CA 8:34AM January 16, 2010

For those of us who were either too young or who have forgotten, at one time it was possible for a middle class worker to own a home, a car, have a family that a parent could stay home and care for. This same worker took two weeks vacation a year, and when someone was ill, that person went to the doctor and was examined and treated. After putting in their 25-30 years the worker retired on a decent sum and still when ill went to the doctor and was examined and treated. Fast forward to the 1980s when along came the 500 lb. gorilla. Managed Care. A euphemism for another layer of bureaucratic management that assured a greater cost to the health care consumer with less quality care and medical decisions being made by a clerk with a flowchart instead of a physician. All based on Edgar Kaiser's gold plated plan to insure more company profit. Keep control over his employees lives, including their health care. Add the union busting tactics and poof! There went the worker's job security, assured retirement and worst of all the inability to seek medical care for themselves and their dependents. As this is a forum that lends itself to short commentary the analyses of what propelled the american public into a downward spiral is actually quite simple. In the late l970s and l980s there was the ultimate clash of the titans. The insurance companies vs. the ABA, sold to us as big bad lawyers garnering huge awards for malpractice putting the poor physicians out of business. A study revealed that this was a full blown sales campaign directed by the GOP (supporters of the insurance companies) vs. the Trial Lawyers (supported by the Democrats.) In short, we were sold a share of politics in exchange for our ability to choose our own physicians and manage our care with them, not a clerk with a flowchart and incentives to discourage tests and certain treatments. Before we support ANY health care so-called reform we need to be abolutely certain that we have all the facts which seem to be either outright withheld or purposely obfuscated. Please, let's inform ourselves as to what is being misrepresented as "reform." Example: Why should a small business that has the integrity to provide at an extreme cost to itself a so-called "cadillac plan" be penalized? Does this make sense in any way?Over the last 30 years we have witnessed the crumbling of our institutions due to the overwhelming greed and lack of honor of our leaders. We elect a president on the basis of a cult of personality and the promise of change. Change for the sake of change can be dangerous if it is ill planned and ill informed. This country and its citizens cannot withstand further erosion of its schools,banking system, and tragically its healthcare system. A simple idea for healthcare reform: eliminate managed care, HMOs, PPOs and the whole gatekeeper system. Think of the huge amounts of adminstrative moneys that would make available for us to manage our care with our chosen physician.

Roberta J. Quintero of CA 10:03PM January 10, 2010

I've been following the health care debate closely, even though I will not be affected by the changes, and I feel truly sorry for those who cannot get their health care through the Veteran's Administration, as I do. During the Vietnam era, the VA got a bit of a bad reputation, but that was forty years ago, and anyone who checks today will find a system that not only produces world-class outcomes for its patient population, but does it at a lower per capita cost than any other organization in the country. The main reasons for this are a) the doctors are all on salary, b) it is a non-profit system, and c) they not only keep extremely detailed statistical data, but they are constantly doing studies to learn what is working and what is not. Thus, the doctors not only do not do unnecessary procedures to fatten their own pay checks, but the care they do prescribe is much more likely to be effective in the first place. I would add that my own physicians tell me they are very happy with the work environment, and I have some reason to believe they are typical of VA employees. Also, unlike Medicare, the VA is authorized to bargain hard with their pharmaceutical vendors, so their prescription costs are the lowest in the country as well. The irony, of course, is that the VA system is pure socialized medicine with almost no free market features at all, yet it provides care at a "price/performance" ratio that the commercial health care system cannot come close to matching. It is no wonder that all the big players are fighting the "public option" tooth and nail. They know perfectly well what is possible if the voters insisted on a true single-payer system, so they are doing everything they can to avoid letting that happen. Again, I feel sorry for the hapless voters who will have to swallow the garbage that is about to be served up in the name of "reform". All I can say is good effing luck.

Dave Johnson of NH 3:40PM December 29, 2009

Will this program be so great that my senators and congressmen will be covered by this program, or will they continue in their 'Gold Plated' manner?

T. Petrusha of MT 9:26AM December 29, 2009

We are choosing to hand over our sense of moral responsibility to be "our brothers keeper" to faceless unaccountable government-run or government-funded organizations which will inefficiently but dutifully execute flawed but well-intentioned rules and regulations that will define the quality of medical care everyone gets.
Individuals need only to write a check to "the government" who will attempt to equitably distribute acts of compassion and charity for us. Its such an easier. more sterile way to live our lives and feel good about ourselves. Yes, we will create an even wider network of people that will be able to influence the decisions made between the actual caregivers and the patient. And yes, most of us will gladly pay with a check to someone else to be our surrogates to care for our sick, tired and injured.
We won't need to be compelled to personally help Uncle Eddie, because "the government" will do what it can to fix him. Thats what we will pay "the government" for. Perhaps this is the most realistic answer to make up for the limitations of individuals, families, churches and communities.
I'm actually in the middle on this guys. How best do we live to "serve others" and truly "love thy neighbor"? Yadda..yadda..yadda...gotta get back to work.

Glenn of HI 10:55PM December 28, 2009