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# 1 cause of bankruptcy in america: Health care bills.
They are also having a thing where businesses who hire people this year that have been out of work for over 4 months do not have to pay payroll takes for the rest of the year. I personally am sick of the "only me" mentality america has. As a country we need to support each other when one is weak. Its not only about coverage but also reform. I personally think the health care system has been ripping people off for years in this "free market economy". I think its fantastic that some poor old man that can't afford heart surgery can not be covered by my tax dollars. To be told to be bankrupt or die is BS. I wanted to cry about the BFD! I am thinking about all those army vets that get crap for coverage and have to jump through hoops! All the single mother who have to pay almost 1000$ a month because of pre-existing conditions...its over.
No one in the country cares about a g.d. thing unless its directly affecting them. Time for change and the BFD!
I wonder what you guys say to the person in 2010 (forget 2014, they might be dead by then) who gets cancer, loses their job, get dropped by insurance and then can no longer obtain coverage?
dmarie, the price of insurance will have to be regulated when they get this all sorted out.
"Health reform will immediately begin to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses, expand coverage, and curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections."
"Health reform will immediately begin to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses, expand coverage, and curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections."
How will it lower health care costs? Insurance providers will now be required to cover new groups of people, many with serious health problems. Won't that alone drive up insurance premium rates for all? What is stopping insurance companies from increasing their rates?
The government will now be subsidizing care for larger groups of people. How will they pay for that without raising taxes?
How will it lower health care costs? Insurance providers will now be required to cover new groups of people, many with serious health problems. Won't that alone drive up insurance premium rates for all? What is stopping insurance companies from increasing their rates?
The government will now be subsidizing care for larger groups of people. How will they pay for that without raising taxes?
"You will likely pay less---perhaps much less. If you buy coverage like you have today on your own, premiums are expected to drop by 14 to 20 percent. If you get coverage through your job, premiums could decline by up to 3 percent."
"In addition, many Americans buying coverage in the individual market will qualify for tax credits that reduce their premiums by an average of nearly 60 percent – and they will get better coverage than what they have today."
" The President’s plan requires public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs, so that you can be certain you are getting the best value for your premium dollars. "
"If your insurance company spends too much of your premium dollars on overhead, such as big salaries, administrative costs and marketing, they will be required to give you a rebate. "
"Until the insurance exchange marketplace is up and running, there will be a process for annual reviews of all requested increases in premiums. Insurance companies that raise rates arbitrarily will not be allowed to sell policies in the new insurance marketplace. This process continues even once the Exchange is up and running."
I like to compare this to school taxes. I don't have kids but I still pay school taxes because I am part of a community. Not a one man nation. And if I was paying for insurance out of pocket (which has some insane $$$ even without pre-existing conditions) I would love to know WHY and where my money was going. That is another great thing about this bill.
You know, I read all that legislation. Yep. Four bills. Read all of it. They were basically all the same until 2000 pages of regs, mandates, IRS regs were added.
So it really has peeved me that the reporters out there never bothered (it appears!) to read the legislation. Instead, they just mouthed talking points handed to them. This means the average citizen has been told little bits and piece about this legislation, but who really has a clue?
If you make up to $96,000 a year and are a family of 4, you can sign up for Medicaid if you don't have insurance.
YEP. Medicaid. The most restrictive possible way to get healthcare assistance. You would not believe the drugs that are not allowed under Medicaid. You get the bare minimum of whatever care you need. You can even get dental care, but here's the kicker: instead of taking care of your teeth, they will just pull them and give you dentures if you are over 50, lol. I know - sounds like I am making this up. Also, if you need a crown, they will just put a metal one on - not a nice porcelain crown. Hey - just passing on what I know! I can't believe the stuff they do in that program (and it does vary from state to state). Whatever is the cheapest, that is what you will get.
So your option is . . . buy a private policy or you can go on Medicaid (if you have 4 in your family and make under $96K and I believe that would be a huge chunk of America).
I like DMarie's solution, lol.
Just for fun - you may be interested in knowing these tidbits from the legislation, many of which I shared on this forum back in June/July and was told I was misinformed, out of my mind, over-reactionary, etc. But yeah, they stayed in the legislation - and much much more was added!
There are all sorts of IRS and tax code changes. For example, if you own rental property, they have tagged on an additional tax on that income. Why that is in a healthcare bill - beats me!
And there are mandates for the federal government to require advertisements extolling parents to make sure their kids brush their teeth - but the stipulation for these ads is - they must be in Spanish. They set aside millions of $$$ for those ads. Can't remember how much now - maybe $50 million. For ads. I thought - heck - just give free toothbrushes out at school!
Oh - those fines from the IRS . . . they increase. I don't remember what they are but they are higher the second year. The IRS has been given the mandate to withhold any tax refund you may get, so make sure you are not getting a check back. Also, they can do other things, such as - if you work for a federal or state entity (that includes universities, for ex) they can garnish your wages.
Oh . . . and as far as paying LESS . . . HECK YEAH! The White House is telling the truth on that one! The policy is gonna SUCK as far as coverage but it will be cheap.
And of course, there is always Medicaid.
OH YEAH - forgot to tell ya this. If your employer lets you set aside pre-tax dollars to use for your flexible savings account, this legislation slashes that, which is like getting a "hidden" tax increase. Sure will be at my house! My husband is a cardiac patient and our out of pocket expenses are over $300 a month just for his meds (and that is w/ very good insurance coverage). Well, we set aside about $400 a month, or $5000 a year, every penny of which we use to pay for his meds and his co-pays w/ his frequent doc visits. This "wonderful" legislation has put a CAP on the amount of money we can withhold annually and set aside in our flexible spending account - to $2500. So that means - taxes on that $2500, which is definitely a tax increase for anyone who has been withholding money to pay their medical bills.
Anyone with chronic conditions is gonna get screwed with that one.
Oh . . . and the IRS reg has been that if you pay 7.5% of your salary in medical bills, then you get to use them as a deduction. Once again, screwed by this Prez and Congress . . . they upped that to 10%.
Yeah, a WHOLE LOT to talk about in this legislation, but you better read it for yourself or talk to a professional - as in, CPA or healthcare administrator or doc who actually KNOWS what is in the legislation - b/c the info being publicized by this President and Congress is not only misleading, it is purposely deceptive.
Last edited by brokensky; 03-25-2010 at 09:21 PM..
How will it lower health care costs? Insurance providers will now be required to cover new groups of people, many with serious health problems. Won't that alone drive up insurance premium rates for all? What is stopping insurance companies from increasing their rates?
We already pay for the uninsured with our premiums. Instead of going to the doctor to get preventitive care they wait until they are sicker and go to the ER. Then they do not pay for the visit. The hospital then increases their fees for everyone to make up for the loss. If people get treatment earlier they will need less expensive care so less burden on the system.
Regarding pre-existing conditions, having grown in a country where everyone is covered, it blows my mind that people believe chronically ill people should just die because the insurance companies will not cover them because it is not profitable. Since when is money more important than people. What if the person who was uninsurable was someone you love?. Would you still feel the same way?
We already pay for the uninsured with our premiums. Instead of going to the doctor to get preventitive care they wait until they are sicker and go to the ER. Then they do not pay for the visit. The hospital then increases their fees for everyone to make up for the loss. If people get treatment earlier they will need less expensive care so less burden on the system.
Regarding pre-existing conditions, having grown in a country where everyone is covered, it blows my mind that people believe chronically ill people should just die because the insurance companies will not cover them because it is not profitable. Since when is money more important than people. What if the person who was uninsurable was someone you love?. Would you still feel the same way?
I don't believe that chronically ill people should just die because insurance companies won't cover them nor do I believe money is more important then love. I'm just trying to figure out how things will actually play out (and that is why I'm asking questions) with this bill. I believe that the insurance companies are the ones still in control with this bill and don't see how it's possible that this bill will save people money (like some people are saying) when we will have higher taxes and possibly higher premiums. I am not against health care reform but am not so sure that the reform we got is such a good thing.
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