Posted on 08/23/2009 2:54:29 PM PDT by Twotone
The Healthy Americans Act would guarantee every American universal, affordable, comprehensive, portable, high-quality, private health coverage that is as good or better than Members of Congress have today.
The Act includes tough cost containment measures - and would save Americans $1.45 trillion over the next decade.
(Excerpt) Read more at standtallforamerica.com ...
Yes, but does it let the Democrat machine get its’ hands on the huge pool of healthcare money, and use it to elect themselves like they do with our social security money, and decide whether other people (especially republicans) get to live or die?
I have an Idea for the democrats, What about the "Keeping up with Jones Act"? It would guarantee every American a House, Car, TV, Computer, Clothing, Cell Phone, and monthly income that that is as good or better than Members of Congress have today. I estimate this will cost roughly $500 trillion over the next 10 years. But, as Obama says about Universal Healthcare, How can afford NOT too?
It's not a savings when you spend money you haven't got to save other money you also don't have and wouldn't have otherwise spent because you don't have it to begin with.
They sell this crap with the same verbiage that is used to sell credit cards. Take 20% your total if you sign up for our credit card today!
1) His numbers don’t work. If they do, Republicans don’t have a leg to stand on — all Americans covered for only $7/mo. more out of my pocket and yours? Mmm-hmm. $7/mo. plus a 25% tax increase on the middle class.
2) This plan rules out a “public option.” Pelosi will never pick it up. Will never see the floor.
Death Panels for Veterans
Last year, bureaucrats at the VA’s National Center for Ethics in Health Care advocated a 52-page end-of-life planning document, "Your Life, Your Choices."
It was first published in 1997 and later promoted as the VA’s preferred living will throughout its vast network of hospitals and nursing homes.
After the Bush White House took a look at how this document was treating complex health and moral issues, the VA suspended its use.
Unfortunately, under President Obama, the VA has now resuscitated “Your Life, Your Choices.”
Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing.“
http://www.rihlp.org/pubs/Your_life_your_choices.pdf
Does the “Standard” Blue Cross plan include coverage for AIDS? for Mental illness? for other things I do NOT need in health insurance? Let me choose my health insurance based upon my needs...like I do CAR and HOUSE insurance. I don’t need doc visits covered....just catastrophic possibilities....like CAR and HOUSE insurance.
If you don’t have healthcare, I bet it cost more than an additional $28/month.
Sorry, I couldn’t get past this line. I don’t want to be ‘required’ to do anything.
For starters, every American will have the power to choose - and will be required to choose - a comprehensive health insurance plan.
No. What we need are:
1. Health insurance except accident insurance separate from the employer. Employer covers all accidents, work related or not. Saves millions in worker’s comp crap. (This is the Swiss way.) Employers free to pay higher salaries.
2. A wide open health insurance market, across state lines, etc. Mandating each company only one thing: at least one low cost catastrophic policy. Let families and individuals put together their own smorgasbord of coverage they need. Even with pre-existing conditions, you must be accepted but the cost might be higher.
3. Health savings accounts offered by banks and financial institutions, with tax and $ incentives to save on medical spending.
The Blue Cross standard option available to Congress costs > 12K a year for family coverage. It's not Cadillac coverage but it's darn good. So you'd be required to buy high-end insurance even if you'd prefer something less generous.
Classic RAT stupidity. A lot of people would be priced out of the market entirely.
If this guy is serious why doesn’t he also propose allowing me to do the same thing as regards social security. I could do a lot preparing for retirement with 15% of my income each month and have one hell of a health care program too.
That would make a great bumper sticker - maybe a wraparound?
Obozo told him no way and didn’t receive one vote in congress, even by the co-sponsor. Mandates everyone buying private plans and has potential yet no chance of reaching the floor.
Pray for America
HAA! (Healthy Americans Act)
Twotone, is there a verification of citizenship mandated? If not it may be subterfuge. In several places the House Bill claimed illegals will not be covered, but nowhere was there a mandated provision to verify citizenship...devils in the details.
I found a short statement on unlawful aliens to the effect that ‘a health insurance issuer shall remit to the federal gov’t any funding, including subsidy payments, received by such issuer from the federal gov’t on behalf of any adult alien who is unlawfully in the US’ on page 36. Interpreting the legalese is always fun on these things. I haven’t been all thru the bill yet. At least 166 pages is better than over a thousand.
The Healthy Americans Act would guarantee every American universal, affordable, comprehensive, portable, high-quality, private health coverage that is as good or better than Members of Congress have today. The Act includes tough cost containment measures - and would save Americans $1.45 trillion over the next decade.It has been helpfully pointed out to all of us that tort reform is also needed before anything is done with gubmint-model health care, but we also need to get immigration under control.
Private insurance plans would compete on features and price but would have to offer benefits at least equivalent to the Blue Cross "standard" option. Signing up for insurance would be as easy as ticking off a box on your tax return. In most cases, insurance premiums would be withheld from paychecks, as they are now.
OK, you do these things, require all insurance to meet a minimum standard, then make it compulsory, and it's going to be more expensive. Guaranteed.
One of the reasons insurance is so expensive today is various mandates for things all plans are required to cover that have been kicked in over the years by pressure from interest groups. I believe doing just the opposite - removing controls & mandates from the insurance market - would make plenty of affordable options available.
Now, in some employee groups an option is available for the tax deductible Health Savings Account (HSA or HRA) combined with high deductible major medical insurance coverage, and IF you're in a group that meets certain requirements and has this available, you know it's a bargain compared to traditional insurance. Employers who can offer this are so happy with it they usually kick in a good amount of money to each individual's account. Unlike a Section 125 FSA (another bit of madness), you don't have to use all your HSA money every year. It stays in your account, earning interest, until you need to use it. The insurance deductible is high so the kids don't go to the doctor for every case of sniffles, but when they need to go the HSA money is there to use and it is untaxed money. The people who have this and like it are gonna HATE the Wyden plan.
Lucky me, I'd like a HSA/HRA + major medical plan if I COULD have it. Any bank would LOVE to have my HSA on deposit, and any insurance company would LOVE to sell me individual major medical coverage, but it seems they can't because I'm not a member of the privileged group deemed worthy by Congress. So I have to just roll my own little system at considerably higher cost, and I'm holding up a special little bird right now for those responsible (this isn't the PC with the webcam so I can't show ya).
Personally, I'm baffled that most people (and especially younger, healthy working people) aren't screaming from the rooftops to release the stranglehold the government ALREADY has on the market and let choices such as this be available for everybody.
To fill another of the big gaps, the so-called "working poor", just give it to them. But put a copay on the routine visits, and I don't mean $5, but more like $50. If they're working and they REALLY need to go to the doctor they'll be able to suck it up. Oh, and that $5000 - $7000 EIC check they get at tax time? Just take the premium cost outa that. I can't afford a Cadillac for myself, and I'm kind of tired buying them for the "poor".
There. The two BIGGEST "health care" problems solved. Net cost to taxpayers, zero.
I just want to know, why is this madness continuing? Why the heck can't we just buy what we want?</rant>
BUT above the basics, the extras you can buy are pretty fairly priced, and on the biggest item most folks need that's NOT required by law, comp and collision, you can save a bunch by having a high deductible and that passes muster for most car loans.
So still you have a lot of choices unlike health insurance, and all cases with both where it seems we're getting hosed it goes right back to the nitwits in government.
Oh, Salvation, Oregon PING? Because we got us some 0bama + Romney blended by Wyden and I think it all needs to be given a good tearing up.
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