Healthcare Reform Gets Backing in Congress ( National healthcare? And how are they gonna fund it? )

Reuters ^ | Nov 12, 2008 7:20pm EST | Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

[kellynla]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Efforts to reform the U.S. healthcare system got a big boost on Wednesday as a powerful Democratic senator unveiled a plan similar to President-elect Barack Obama's and an analysis said the financial crisis could accelerate any efforts, not hinder them.

Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat who heads the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, proposed creating a national insurance exchange, similar to Obama's idea, through which millions of uninsured Americans and businesses could get health coverage.

But Baucus would eventually require everyone to have health insurance while Obama proposes making health coverage more affordable but not mandatory. But both plans would be expensive and come amid financial turmoil.

Both major parties, Congress, consumer groups and employers agree the U.S. healthcare system is in shambles and needs reworking. Obama will have to work with Congress to make any significant changes.

Nearly 46 million Americans have no health insurance and while Americans pay more per capita for healthcare than citizens of any other industrialized country, many studies show they have poorer health, suffer more medical mistakes and are in general unhappier with what they do get.

[kellynla]

"Right now, we already have a deficit of at least $400 billion before the $700 billion bailout and the economic downturn being factored in," Grassley said in a statement.

$700 Billion? Try $3.5 TRILLION!

Bailout Price Tag: $3.5T So Far, But 'Real' Cost May Be Much Higher

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/126117/Cost-of-the-Bailout-3.5T-So-Far-But-'Real'-Cost-May-Be-Much-Higher?tickers=AIG,FNM,FRE,XLF,^DJI,^GSPC,C

The federal government can't even deliver the mail profitably and we're gonna nationalize healthcare? All you have to do is look to Canada to see how lousy their healthcare is...

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Exactly. The government is handling so many things so well now, isn’t it precisely the thing we should do to hand them yet another thing, possibly one of the biggest changes to “a way of doings things” since the Depression? (I’m finding a lot of use for that phrase “....since the Depression” these days)

[Sun]

The govt. will simply print $$, & eventually our dollars won’t be worth much.

Stock up on necessities, while your dollar is still worth $.80.

[Red Badger]

they = you.......

[headstamp 2]

“Both major parties, Congress, consumer groups and employers agree the U.S. healthcare system is in shambles and needs reworking”

In shambles?

[Tzimisce]

How are they going to fund it? The old fashioned way: Raising taxes.

And you’ll be proud to pay them when you see the money going for breast implants, cosmetic surgery, sex change operations, abortions...

You can’t deny people their “rights”. :D

[Carley]

Rationing will begin in the morning.

Take two aspirin and go home to die.

You are too overweight to qualify.

You are too old to qualify.

You’re on the list, come back in six months if you don’t get better.

[FunkyZero]

"The federal government can't even deliver the mail profitably"

They don't have to. The plan now is to tap your 401k to generate the funds they need.

[socialismisinsidious]

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