[neverdem]

Insurance companies practicing medicine is bad news. Socialized medicine is bad news. Employer provided health benefits needs to be taxed as ordinary income. Routine health and dental care should come out of your pocket or Health Savings Accounts. Insurance companies should only be able offer catastrophic coverage and not be able to exclude pre-existing conditions.

[Popocatapetl]

Individual States should consider legislation for their citizens to “opt out” of socialist programs proactively. That means, if people choose to, they cannot be forced to pay into a system, or ever to receive benefits from that system. Their right as a citizen of that State.

They could include a provision that the only way to force people in the future would be a referendum to change the State constitution.

The reason for doing this would be to set the State up to sue the federal government at the Supreme Court, if it ever decided to initiate any new socialist programs. Because citizens cannot directly challenge federal law, the State would then be able to do so on their behalf.

[Free Thinking Conservative]

Agree on all points. Particularly, insurers should not be able to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions. That’s the main thing that people don’t get. Even if you can afford it, you can be turned down for minor things. This doesn’t give self-employed people many options.

Look at this plan in Oklahoma. Do a search on “o-epic.” Granted it’s for lower income self-employed and employed but it’s an interesting plan.

[live+let_live]

“More than 200,000 previously uninsured residents have enrolled, but state officials estimate that at least that number, and perhaps twice as many, have not.”

Beware the power of inertia.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Any problems with the Massachusetts Health Care Plan and Mitt Romney’s Presidential chances will also seriously suffer. I don’t see problems not happening with this, especially since this is only the first year that this health care plan has existed, and having the Massachusetts government control health care instead of having only a private “entity” completely control it makes for many probable mistakes to occur during its entire duration of existence. Also, forcing all Massachusetts residents who don’t already have health insurance coverage to have this or else they will be punished the next time they have to pay taxes is truly not what the existence of the U.S. is really all about! Also, how many illegal immigrants throughout Massachusetts are also covered by this state health plan, and what is the total financial damage upon all of the law abiding state individuals because of this?

[JohnnyZ]

Mitt Romney — he brought new levels of socialism to Massachusetts and he wants to do the same nationally.

[FastCoyote]

By the way, where are the Mittbots to praise the implosion of Romneycare when you need them?

[MaxMax]

I have no idea what this means, "SO"
Here's a picture of a squirrel drinking beer

[Caipirabob]

A "captive audience" never gets a choice on the performance.

This health care plan is a menace to all Americans as is anyone who supports it.

[tiger-one]

Additional concerns have been generated by projections that the state’s insurers plan to raise rates 10 percent to 12 percent next year, twice this year’s national average. That would undercut the plan’s secondary goal of slowing the increase in health costs.

This what it's all about in the most corrupt state in this country. Lining the pockets of the insurance companies in MASSACHUSETSS. Mass was one of, if not first state to have mandatory no-fault auto insurance, and that was forced on the citizens as well.

[BlessedBeGod]

Related article about how badly the MA plan is doing: RomneyCare Revisted

[metesky]

In particular, state-subsidized insurance packages offered to low-income residents have been so popular that the program’s spending may exceed its budget by nearly $150 million.

For now...

[LIConFem]

"Routine health and dental care should come out of your pocket or Health Savings Accounts. Insurance companies should only be able offer catastrophic coverage and not be able to exclude pre-existing conditions."

Thank you!! I've been sayin' this for years! People think I'm nutz for payin' out-of-pocket for the small-ticket healthcare items (checkups, meds, et cetera).

Government meddling into healthcare is the primary cause for the outrageous costs of care and insurance. Romney's "solution" was anything but.

[socialismisinsidious]

Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care PING LIST

FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this ping list.

[goldstategop]

There are elements of the Massachusetts plan I like but the mandates need to go. The truth is Americans will not pay a great deal for health insurance. If the price tag is too high, they will turn it down.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[mvpel]

“We’re going to be very aggressive in trying to get those numbers down to single digits,” said Jon M. Kingsdale, ...