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Greatday
Clarify something.
You are arguing mightily about one issue....being fined if not carrying insurance.
You have stated that you do have a policy, that it provides extensive coverage and you consider it reasonable.
There is currently no such fine now so why are you insured ?
You know I am for reform, not a government plan but if it comes to pass I must agree that it's "everybody in the pool"
Since no program will ever satisfy everybody, the percentage of people that can and would prefer to self-insure is vastly smaller than the percentgage of people that would be helped.
And that small number is a group that would not be financially hurt if they are mandated to pay one way or the other.
No - I'm happy with a couple of things in the Dem plan:
Elimination of pre-existing conditions
Opening up the insurance pool
Some tort reform
And a few other things
I do oppose the "public option" and the fine if you don't have insurance.
As for the GOP plan - I gave you my opinion earlier.
We need health insurance reform - no question. But, we do not need to get to a government run / sponsored program -
AGain.. you fail to acknowledge why lifting pre-existing condition clauses and then NOT mandating coverage is a DANGEROUS game to play with insurance.. it's common sense right there as clear as the nose on your face.
Also.. NOT mandating and NOT collecting fines for following the mandate still leaves the problem of some remaining uninsured (because they DO exist) that in the end will end up costing more of us money.BTW.. not mandating but lifting pre-existing condition clauses will probably prompt people to FOREGO insurance unless and until it is needed.. which, as we all know doesn't make any kind of sense.
As far as me being on my high horse.. hardly. You're the one who talks about proving financial capability should you "elect" not to have insurance. Well the last time I looked there are a ton of illnesses that could befalll and individual.. most of which cost more money than the AVERAGE American has..hence the HIGH RATE of bankruptcy as a result of medical bills.
Let's look at the average cost of some things.. AVERAGE;;
Over the course of the study, the average cost for treating a lung cancer patient went up $7,139, to an average of $39,891. With prostate cancer, the average price tag for treatment went up $5,345, to an average of $41,134. The cost of treating breast cancer went up $4,189, to an average cost of $20,964.
If I had more time right now, I'd pull out more "averages". Most AVERAGE people couldn't afford any of this without losing EVERYTHING including their homes to treat.
And.. if they remain uninsured, then get cancer, then sign up for insurane and the insurance has to pay..well guess what.. the REST OF US.. will make up the short fall of the payout the insurance company is making vs. the premiums they NEVER collected because the person didnn't have insurance until they needed it!!!
Common sense.. At least the lawmakers realize the signifigance of removing pre-existing conditions and then not mandating coverage..and at the very least imposing fines for those that do not get coverage.
Greatday, Did I miss your post where you answered these question?
However my question is this; how did you reach your conclusions by which you based your recommendations on? Was it from the personal experience of the 100 people "from all walks of life" in this group? If so, how many of those 100 were without health insurance, how many had their insurance rescinded or claims denied, and how many were unemployed?
Did you do any polling or independent research of the general public? Who sponsored this committee? Who paid for the meeting places and the meals?
Also are the results and recommendation of the focus group published anywhere so the general public can view it?
I am very interested so I will thank you in advance for your answers!
THIS is the republican plan? No wonder they got destroyed in the last election.
This is nothing more than more of the same and where was the health plan when Bush was President? Didn't need it then ?
This is pathetic and probably short because they ran out of toilet paper to write it on.
The Democratic healh care plan costs money. The Republican plan costs lives. Take your choice.
VERO BEACH — The woman who is accused of stabbing a priest at Holy Cross Catholic Church now has a more earthly explanation for her actions.
Woman who stabbed Indian River priest says she couldn't afford her medication.
At the time of her arrest on April 26, Josephine Gatchell, 57, said the priest, the Rev. Michael Massaro, was the devil.
Now, after months in jail, she blamed her actions on having stopped buying medication because her house payments had gone up, forcing her into foreclosure, according to her hand-written letter in court files.
However my question is this; how did you reach your conclusions by which you based your recommendations on? Was it from the personal experience of the 100 people "from all walks of life" in this group? If so, how many of those 100 were without health insurance, how many had their insurance rescinded or claims denied, and how many were unemployed?
To be clear - there were more than a 100 in the group.
I do not know/remember the exact numbers but, there were members who had no insurance - for various reasons: a) they could not afford it b) their employer dropped providing insurance, c) they lost their job
We had several who were unemployed at the time -
Again - several who were very vocal about claims being denied - VERY vocal
Quote:
Originally Posted by jojajn
Did you do any polling or independent research of the general public? Who sponsored this committee? Who paid for the meeting places and the meals?
The group themselves did not do any polling.
The Sponsor? The United States Congress
The Meeting places were generally in Washington - at various government office buildings
The Meals - pizza and subs. I do not know who paid - maybe a specific member of Congress did -
Quote:
Originally Posted by jojajn
Also are the results and recommendation of the focus group published anywhere so the general public can view it?
Not that I am aware of.
Senator Backus did mention the group when he opened the hearings on healthcare reform though. I was there (as were other members) - it was nice to be recognized.
I am very interested so I will thank you in advance for your answers![/quote]
Can someone show me where people will be FORCED to go on the "government" plan?
I think people should have the option to choose from the public plan (if there will be one...) or from a private insurer.
Republicans love to talk about personality liberty and freedoms but yet they are taking the freedom to choose away from Americans by insisting they stay with private insurance companies. By wanting to take the public plan out of the health care reform/health insurance reform, you are taking away choice.
Quote:
4. Ensure that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not
government bureaucrats.
What about medical decisions being made by someone working for a private insurer?
A young woman was going to die without her health insurance company paying for a certain treatment and as she was explaining this to an insurance rep, the woman just replied, "Ok."
Maybe I missed the name of this bill while reading but can you tell me the name of it? H.R.????
Thank you for sharing what many of us have known all along. It's just sad because the common excuse among the liberals is the Republicals are being naysayers without offering their own plan.
Can someone show me where people will be FORCED to go on the "government" plan?
I think people should have the option to choose from the public plan (if there will be one...) or from a private insurer.
Sigh...With a Govt. sponsored program, they will dictate what procedures are reimbursed and how often they will be accepted. Private insurance will follow in suit just like they do with Medicare. Furthermore, as more people enroll in the cheaper Govt. option, the govt. option will have more leverage and can increasingly dictate policy. This will also cause many private insurers to go out of business thereby increasing the power of the Govt. option. It's essentially the roots that will lead to a single payer system.
Quote:
Republicans love to talk about personality liberty and freedoms but yet they are taking the freedom to choose away from Americans by insisting they stay with private insurance companies. By wanting to take the public plan out of the health care reform/health insurance reform, you are taking away choice.
No, the Republicans see the writing on the wall and understand these Private options can't compete when one of the competitors is the Federal Govt and has unlimited resources. It's not true competition like you think. It's not like choosing between U.S. Mail and FedEx. This is our healthcare we are talking about. It's not about paying a few more dollars for better quality shipping.
Quote:
What about medical decisions being made by someone working for a private insurer?
I'm a physician that works in both the private world (private practice) and the govt area (the VA). Although private insurance has it's share of problems, the are a godsen compared to the VA system. The VA is just a joke and offers some of the worst healthcare in the country. We have to alter the way we practice and the veterans who are there complain about the quality of care. There are so many veterans who pay for private insurance despite receiving free care from the govt because the VA standard of care is poor. I would say the majority of patients in the VA are poor patients who have no choice but to settle for the government treating them. It's pretty obvious to any physician who works in a VA system. People don't go to the VA by choice. I would love if some of the liberals could work in a VA hospital. Their opinion would be drastically changed.
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