Contact your Elected Representive in DC (Welcome: insurance, credit, attorney)

[brokensky]

LOL!! There is no "free healthcare" up for discussion! Anyone who meets the criteria can already qualify for Medicaid. Folks are still gonna have to pay for healthcare. This legislation just concerns insurance - and making it possible for more folks to qualify for Medicaid. Your tax $$$ fund Medicaid, but Congress could decide to put people on a sliding scale for Medicaid, depending on salary.

And that is very true - nothing is free. Someone's tax dollars underwrite every "free" service out there!

Write your representatives and ask them about these things . . . see if they understand the legislation they vote on!

[CharlotteCharlotte]

Originally Posted by anifani821

This legislation just concerns insurance - and making it possible for more folks to qualify for Medicaid.

Ok now I understand. I thought that this legislation was for more free healthcare which would make people who are out of work like myself be eligible for free healthcare. If its mostly about Medicaid I guess that would explain why 95% of the people who attend the reform meetings seem to be in the over 55+ age group.

[sandchug]

Originally Posted by CharlotteCharlotte

Ok now I understand. I thought that this legislation was for more free healthcare which would make people who are out of work like myself be eligible for free healthcare. If its mostly about Medicaid I guess that would explain why 95% of the people who attend the reform meetings seem to be in the over 55+ age group.

You already are eligible for "free" healthcare. Emergency rooms cannot deny you based on ability to pay and the like. That's been the case since 1968.

There's a difference between health *care* and health *insurance*.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by CharlotteCharlotte

Ok now I understand. I thought that this legislation was for more free healthcare which would make people who are out of work like myself be eligible for free healthcare. If its mostly about Medicaid I guess that would explain why 95% of the people who attend the reform meetings seem to be in the over 55+ age group.

Medicare & Medicaid are 2 totally different things.

[cagman]

I'd rather not contact my rep, I'd hate for the people to get educated.

I enjoy laughing at all the angry folks on gov't run medicare at these town halls screaming about the dangers of gov't involvement in health care.

I wish one rep would have the balls to stand up and say 'as you, the vocal minority wish, we are getting rid of gov't health care, now please turn in your medicare cards at the door, and good luck to you'.

Do some of you ever stop to think about why your health care is tied to your emplyment in the first place? Does that seem logical?

[amploud]

Originally Posted by cagman

Do some of you ever stop to think about why your health care is tied to your emplyment in the first place? Does that seem logical?

It's not "tied to employment." If it was, it would only be available through employers. Health insurance is available for purchase regardless of employment status. It is a benefit that some employers offer, often at a lower rate than the employee could buy elsewhere. That's why they call them "benefits."

Health insurance is no more tied to employment than owning a home, putting gas in your car, or getting groceries. All require money, which most of us acquire by working.

[lumbollo]

Originally Posted by amploud

It's not "tied to employment." If it was, it would only be available through employers. Health insurance is available for purchase regardless of employment status. It is a benefit that some employers offer, often at a lower rate than the employee could buy elsewhere. That's why they call them "benefits.".....

It's not that simple. Employers get tax benefits for buying and then offering up insurance to it's employees. The employee also gets this insurance benefit tax free. Furthermore the amounts used to pay for the insurance of the spouse and dependants are also tax free to the employee. So right now the government is subsidizing employer provided health insurance.

An individual doesn't get the same advantage. The individual would have to pay taxes on all the money earned to purchase insurance.

Second, an individual over 45 and/or with some sort of health condition effectively can't purchase decent insurance on an individual basis. If you can get it, the costs will simply break the bank.

[Gregory P]

I'm self employed and caught in the middle of "not too poor" and "not rich." I don't have an employer to help me out and I'm very interested in hearing the facts about this "reform." I don't care if it's Republicans or Dems...we do need to make some changes.

We're all in an uproar over "reform" but $15 million bonuses for the head of a non-profit insurance company is okay?

For my young, healthy family, paying for health insurance is getting more costly every year. (As healthy as we are, we've never had our insurance reduced for going to the gym, eating well, drinking plenty of red wine...)

So my hope is this can in the end be real "reform" and it can make it affordable for me to protect my family without going broke. And without having my wealthier friends pay for me.

Sadly, the facts are hard to come by unless you have time to read 1,000 pages of "government" lingo. Getting info from the 30 second newsflash is a joke.

But this is where a lot of people are getting their information.

To take a stand and make a strong argument (from either side) without reading the facts is very difficult for any of us. (Maybe I can't speak for all).

I can say for sure there's a lot of anger about this. Which is good...but it's got to be fact-driven.

So to add a little something to the OP...I think it's important to ask questions in addition (or even before) voicing your opinion/concerns. Hopefully your specific rep has actually read all 1,000 pages and will be prepared enough to answer you back.

[uber_bwnage]

Originally Posted by Gregory P

Sadly, the facts are hard to come by unless you have time to read 1,000 pages of "government" lingo. Getting info from the 30 second newsflash is a joke.

Happy reading:

• Page 16: States that if you have insurance at the time of the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the gov option!
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission that your health care will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (there will be no appeals process)
• Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. (You will have no choice. None.)
• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
• Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (like SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation for illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
• Page 127: The government will set wages for medical professionals.
• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll
• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn't' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
• Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." (Yes, it really says that.)
• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. (Seniors and the poor most affected.)
• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same
• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
• Page 272: Cancer patients: Welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
• Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input. (From groups like ACORN)
• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures
• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills,durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
• Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment;government dictates how your life ends.
• 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. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: (more payoffs for ACORN.)
• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: (more payoffs for ACORN.)
• Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
• Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.

[amploud]

Originally Posted by Gregory P

Hopefully your specific rep has actually read all 1,000 pages and will be prepared enough to answer you back.

I sometimes wonder if most members in Congress can read.

90% of them are going to vote exactly how their respective "behind the scenes" elites tell them to vote.