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Ideally what I'd like to have is a single-payer system because I believe it's the best kind of system. Once you take away the premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, the single-payer system is much more efficient and the people get a lot better health care for less money. We pay 17% of our GDP on health care and we have 47 million uninsured. Countries like Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Sweeden and the UK pay 10% or less of their GDP toward health care, have no one uninsured and all have a much better performing system according to the WHO. 31% of our health care costs go to administrative costs, overhead, and paperwork because of all the billing and huge profits that are inevitable in a privatized system. Canada has 1% overhead costs, which is why they can insure everyone for a lot less money. Medicare has 3 percent overhead costs while a typical insurance company has overhead costs over 15%. Health insurance companies in the United States can have overheads as high as 35%. Of the $2.4 trillion that we spend per year for health care in, $800 billion of this goes to the activities of the for-profit system. In other words, one of every three dollars that we spend on health care goes to corporate profits, stock options, executive salaries, advertising, marketing and the cost of paper work.
There is no excuse for one third of our health care dollars going toward things like administrative costs and lining executives pockets. I’m upset that single payer was excluded from the health care reform debate, but Dennis Kucinich has introduced an amendment to H.R. 3200 that would allow individual states to set up their own single-payer health care systems if they chose to do so. I support this amendment and I want it in the final health care reform bill.
Here's what I think the bare minimum should be, meaning that anything less deserves a “no” vote.
Any health care reform must include a strong public option. For example, we could expand Medicare so that anyone who opts for this plan may do so and offer that as the public plan that exists along side of private insurance. I don’t support any triggers or co-ops. I don't support just providing subsidies for people to buy private plans because we'd be wasting money subsidizing health insurance companies for the outrageous premiums that they charge; this isn't real reform in my opinion. I didn't want to bailout the banks and I definitely don't want to bailout the health insurance industry too.
I believe that health care reform must be paid for by progressive taxation. For example, I like the idea of financing it through a surcharge on the rich. I also like the ideas of limiting itemized deductions to 28% as well as making rich people pay Medicare tax on capital gains for capital gains. I don’t support taxing workers health benefits. I don’t support cutting anything from Medicare or Medicaid other than waste and bureaucratic red tape; no cuts that will affect the quality of services.
Last but not least, I believe that health insurance companies must be prohibited from denying insurance to people with pre-existing conditions.
Failing to reform health care will have disastrous effects as it could lead to 61 million uninsured by the year 2020. We must reform our health care system and we must do it right! I really want to get health care reformed ASAP, but I'm not going to support any bill that arrives on President Obama's desk.
Ideally what I'd like to have is a single-payer system because I believe it's the best kind of system. Once you take away the premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, the single-payer system is much more efficient and the people get a lot better health care for less money. We pay 17% of our GDP on health care and we have 47 million uninsured. Countries like Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Sweeden and the UK pay 10% or less of their GDP toward health care, have no one uninsured and all have a much better performing system according to the WHO. 31% of our health care costs go to administrative costs, overhead, and paperwork because of all the billing and huge profits that are inevitable in a privatized system. Canada has 1% overhead costs, which is why they can insure everyone for a lot less money. Medicare has 3 percent overhead costs while a typical insurance company has overhead costs over 15%. Health insurance companies in the United States can have overheads as high as 35%. Of the $2.4 trillion that we spend per year for health care in, $800 billion of this goes to the activities of the for-profit system. In other words, one of every three dollars that we spend on health care goes to corporate profits, stock options, executive salaries, advertising, marketing and the cost of paper work.
There is no excuse for one third of our health care dollars going toward things like administrative costs and lining executives pockets. I’m upset that single payer was excluded from the health care reform debate, but Dennis Kucinich has introduced an amendment to H.R. 3200 that would allow individual states to set up their own single-payer health care systems if they chose to do so. I support this amendment and I want it in the final health care reform bill.
Here's what I think the bare minimum should be, meaning that anything less deserves a “no” vote.
Any health care reform must include a strong public option. For example, we could expand Medicare so that anyone who opts for this plan may do so and offer that as the public plan that exists along side of private insurance. I don’t support any triggers or co-ops. I don't support just providing subsidies for people to buy private plans because we'd be wasting money subsidizing health insurance companies for the outrageous premiums that they charge; this isn't real reform in my opinion. I didn't want to bailout the banks and I definitely don't want to bailout the health insurance industry too.
I believe that health care reform must be paid for by progressive taxation. For example, I like the idea of financing it through a surcharge on the rich. I also like the ideas of limiting itemized deductions to 28% as well as making rich people pay Medicare tax on capital gains for capital gains. I don’t support taxing workers health benefits. I don’t support cutting anything from Medicare or Medicaid other than waste and bureaucratic red tape; no cuts that will affect the quality of services.
Last but not least, I believe that health insurance companies must be prohibited from denying insurance to people with pre-existing conditions.
Failing to reform health care will have disastrous effects as it could lead to 61 million uninsured by the year 2020. We must reform our health care system and we must do it right! I really want to get health care reformed ASAP, but I'm not going to support any bill that arrives on President Obama's desk.
And I'd like to be visted by Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny tonite
Seriously, your wish list is a little off from reality. THis plan can't be paid for by just taxing the rich and eliminating "only the waste" of Medicare and Medicaid.
Everyone will have to sacrafice if the plan is to actually decrease medical costs, and not just remain "budget neutral" as Obama has promised. IMO cuts in services will be needed as will a vast increase in taxation to the middle class either via taxed employer provided health insurance or via an increase in tax rates (note how Obama has changed his tune from not having middle class pay any tax increase to:
The one commitment that I've been clear about is I don't want that final one-third of the cost of health care to be completely shouldered on the backs of middle-class families who are already struggling in a difficult economy. And so if I see a proposal that is primarily funded through taxing middle-class families, I'm going to be opposed to that because I think there are better ideas to do it.
Looks like the middle class is going to pay after all.
And I'd like to be visted by Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny tonite
Seriously, your wish list is a little off from reality. THis plan can't be paid for by just taxing the rich and eliminating "only the waste" of Medicare and Medicaid.
Everyone will have to sacrafice if the plan is to actually decrease medical costs, and not just remain "budget neutral" as Obama has promised. IMO cuts in services will be needed as will a vast increase in taxation to the middle class either via taxed employer provided health insurance or via an increase in tax rates (note how Obama has changed his tune from not having middle class pay any tax increase to:
The one commitment that I've been clear about is I don't want that final one-third of the cost of health care to be completely shouldered on the backs of middle-class families who are already struggling in a difficult economy. And so if I see a proposal that is primarily funded through taxing middle-class families, I'm going to be opposed to that because I think there are better ideas to do it.
Looks like the middle class is going to pay after all.
It can be done. The total cost of the reform is estimated at around$1 trillion. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, the surcharge on the rich would raise $543 billion over 10 years, the limiting itemized deductions would raise $260 billion over 10 years and the medicare taxes on capital gains would raise $500 billion over 10 years. Just to be fair, the medicare tax would have to be scaled back in order for Obama to keep his campaign promise of no new taxes for people earning less than $200,000 or couples earning less than $250,000; but the majority of this $500 billion would come from people that knew Obama was going to raise their taxes. By combining these 3, Obama could pay for health care reform without touching Medicare or Medicaid. I think this is definitely realistic.
It can be done. The total cost of the reform is estimated at around$1 trillion. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, the surcharge on the rich would raise $543 billion over 10 years, the limiting itemized deductions would raise $260 billion over 10 years and the medicare taxes on capital gains would raise $500 billion over 10 years. Just to be fair, the medicare tax would have to be scaled back in order for Obama to keep his campaign promise of no new taxes for people earning less than $200,000 or couples earning less than $250,000; but the majority of this $500 billion would come from people that knew Obama was going to raise their taxes. By combining these 3, Obama could pay for health care reform without touching Medicare or Medicaid. I think this is definitely realistic.
Guess we know why they don't think union memebers should be taxed on their benefits
BTW the reform has been estimated at at least 1 trillion. Many economists are betting it will be closer to 2 trillion by the time the smoke clears.
Also Obama has already stated 2/3 rds of the down payment for his plan will be paid for by cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
IMO the CBO is a much better source for economic information on Obama's plan. Its non partisan and doesn't have an agenda.
Here is an article claiming 1.6 trillion dollar price tag:
"Senate aides said Baucus had been looking at options that could push the price past $1.6 trillion over 10 years, a figure that startled some Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, who met yesterday to discuss their options."
Guess we know why they don't think union memebers should be taxed on their benefits
BTW the reform has been estimated at at least 1 trillion. Many economists are betting it will be closer to 2 trillion by the time the smoke clears.
Also Obama has already stated 2/3 rds of the down payment for his plan will be paid for by cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
IMO the CBO is a much better source for economic information on Obama's plan. Its non partisan and doesn't have an agenda.
Here is an article claiming 1.6 trillion dollar price tag:
"Senate aides said Baucus had been looking at options that could push the price past $1.6 trillion over 10 years, a figure that startled some Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, who met yesterday to discuss their options."
Even if it is $1.6 trillion, if he goes through with all 3 of these tax increases and trims the fat from Medicare and Medicaid, there will be more than enough money.
Even if it is $1.6 trillion, if he goes through with all 3 of these tax increases and trims the fat from Medicare and Medicaid, there will be more than enough money.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Do you have a link to an independent group analyzing that particular plan to determine its ability to accomplish the goal?
Interesting now that Congress is thinking of changing the surcharge to only incomes of 1 million and more rather than 350K. That means less revenue for the plan so higher public plan premiums and taxes for the middle class.
OMG, the sky is falling!!! Heck, Chrysler just forced me to drive across town to get my Jeep worked on by closing dealerships! I have to go to another dealer to get the RV worked on. Dillards quit carrying my favorite brand of shoes, and now I have to go across the street to Macy's. Come to think of it, I have to drive all the way to Albuquerque for a decent mall. I asked for a Frosty at McDonalds and they told me I had to go to Wendy's! The nerve of these private businesses dictating what they sell and where!!!
These companies decided this all on their own - lets nationalize everything so a few pathetic, whiny liberals don't have to get off their lazy behinds for their free healtchare. Pathetic!!!
That is the goal being worked toward. Just look at all the government takeovers already accomplished.
In short, the Obama platform would mandate extremely full, expensive, and highly subsidized coverage -- including a lot of benefits people would never pay for with their own money -- but deliver it through a highly restrictive, HMO-style plan that will determine what care and tests you can and can't have. It's a revolution, all right, but in the wrong direction.
Let's explore the five freedoms that Americans would lose under Obamacare:
We're trying to get a new insurance plan right now and they are making my husband get a physical and he's worried that since he has high blood pressure he may be denied, as well as our daughter who has asthma. She will be denied coverage for like the first 6 months or something. I think that is ridiculous and it really does need to be changed. She's only been hospitalized once and it was during a time we were uninsured. She was there 3 days and it cost 15,000.
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