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I am not sure where the information about government workers getting free health insurance came from, but after reading one false claim after another and even the President saying everyone should be entitled to the same health care as government workers get, I had to interject. I don't know what Congressional members receive for their health benefits, but government workers do not get free health insurance.
I worked as a federal employee for 9 years and my husband works for the city. Our health insurance is not free. In our city, employees can chose between 3 different options: Aetna , Kaiser and the Denver Health Medical Plan (the cheapest). The Denver Health plan costs a single person $27 every two weeks and $132 every two weeks for a family. That includes a $20 copay for every doctor's visit ($35 for a specialist), a $300 copay for each hospital visit and a $100 copay to go to the ER. And it's an HMO option so you must see a pre-approved doctor and get referrals for everything beyond regular checkups. Hardly free. If you want dental care, it will cost you $36 for your family every two weeks and it doesn't cover much more than exams and cleanings. You'll have to add another $20 every two weeks for vision benefits, and that also doesn't cover much beyond an annual exam.
I know that there are many people out there who are struggling under thousands of dollars per month for health benefits so it probably seems pretty cheap to cover your entire family for about $375. Perhaps those who can get insurance but chose not to can pay the same that a government employee pays. Health insurance should not be free and there are a lot of people who chose to roll the dice with their health in order to pay for other things. We as taxpayers should not be paying the bill for anyone other than those who truly cannot get health insurance because of a preexisting condition. As with everything else in this economy, you have to adjust your lifestyle to pay for the necessities. Health insurance is a necessity just like auto insurance and homeowner's insurance. Those chosing to "roll the dice" should not be subsidized by taxpayers. My family would love to have an extra $400 per month to spend on other things, but as responsible citizens, we adjust our lifestyle to pay for insurance.
I am not sure where the information about government workers getting free health insurance came from, but after reading one false claim after another and even the President saying everyone should be entitled to the same health care as government workers get, I had to interject. I don't know what Congressional members receive for their health benefits, but government workers do not get free health insurance.
I think when people say "government workers" in this case, they actually do mean people like the president and congress who do get their coverage for free. The point being that the people in Washington who are making decisions about Americans and their healthcare don't necessarily do a very good job of relating to people who do have to struggle to pay for healthcare because it doesn't currently matter to them personally.
I would agree with you, though, that even the federal government does not cover some of its employees that well. I am technically employed by the federal government as an Americorps, an my health coverage, while free because I make almost no money, is total crap.
If you really want inexpensive medial insurance, the area to work in is healthcare! When I used to work for hospitals I had fantastic coverage! The most I ever paid was $96/month for myself, and the best, most comprehensive coverage I ever had was actually free!
I think when people say "government workers" in this case, they actually do mean people like the president and congress who do get their coverage for free. The point being that the people in Washington who are making decisions about Americans and their healthcare don't necessarily do a very good job of relating to people who do have to struggle to pay for healthcare because it doesn't currently matter to them personally.
You may be right about the original intention being to speak of politicians, but I see (and read) people lumping all government employees together and making us all seem that we have jobs that cannot be terminated, have huge retirement plans and free health care. My only intention was to inform people that there is a big difference between Congress and your local DMV worker. Life isn't all that rosy in a government job. And if the trail of fired workers at my husband's place of employment is an indication, plenty of people in the government CAN and DO get terminated.
It is worth mention because many people DO think "government workers" means anyone from the President down to the file clerk in an office somewhere.
I don't know of very many people in any job who get FREE health insurance. The company I worked for used to offer one plan free to the employee only, but charged extra for spouse/family. That was 20 years ago and today even the employee has to pay something.
I can't even begin to know what kind of reform is best for us, but I know nothing is FREE. It's either paid by an employer or paid by the individual in the form of premiums or taxes. And whatever happens I would like to make sure that everyone who earns money is somehow financially invested in whatever insurance program they have.
I think when people say "government workers" in this case, they actually do mean people like the president and congress who do get their coverage for free.
Could you provide a link to a source that says this? Because as far as I know, members of Congress participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and pay to do so just as any other federal employee who chooses to participate in FEHBP.
Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation.
"I have great health insurance," said the president at a nationally televised press conference Wednesday. "So does every member of congress."
It's TRUE. For an average monthly premium of about $308, members of Congress get a pretty good bang for the buck.
Reality Check: Health Care For Members Of Congress - wcco.com (http://wcco.com/realitycheck/obama.health.care.2.1098739.html - broken link)
However, Congress does have a few health-related perks that the rest of the federal workforce does not have. From the link above:
Lawmakers get some perks beyond regular insurance coverage, too. For an annual fee of about $500, they are entitled to health services at a fully staffed clinic on-site at the Capitol and they can check in for medical care at military hospitals, too.
In addition, it should be noted that military retirees and their families do not get free health insurance either. There are many older retirees who are "grandfathered" in and receive free healthcare (though they served 20 years in the military, so it's not exactly given for "free"), but anyone who has retired in the last 10 years (and anyone in the future) will have to pay for their healthcare. It's not that expensive (about $500 per year for a family, but it can steadily increase to $1000 per year under the current law), but for the best care (including a supplement to Medicare when you reach retirement age), you will now have to pay for it.
"I have great health insurance," said the president at a nationally televised press conference Wednesday. "So does every member of congress."
It's TRUE. For an average monthly premium of about $308, members of Congress get a pretty good bang for the buck.
Reality Check: Health Care For Members Of Congress - wcco.com (http://wcco.com/realitycheck/obama.health.care.2.1098739.html - broken link)
However, Congress does have a few health-related perks that the rest of the federal workforce does not have. From the link above:
Lawmakers get some perks beyond regular insurance coverage, too. For an annual fee of about $500, they are entitled to health services at a fully staffed clinic on-site at the Capitol and they can check in for medical care at military hospitals, too.
Great! Then everyone who currently does not have health insurance should have to pay $308 per month and if they want better insurance, they can kick in the additional $500 a year. Since most of us pay substantially more than that for our healthcare, $308 seems pretty fair.
What I don't understand is how "everyone should get the same healthcare we have in Congress" gets translated into "it should be free and taxpayer subsidized." $308 is not free and would go along way for the supposed 50 million Americans who don't have insurance. Let me just get my calculator: 50 million people pay $308 each for healthcare. Actually, let's make that more realistic. Say there is only 25 million after you lump families together that would pay that premium. That would equal nearly $8 billion. Problem solved...healthcare is paid for.
Great! Then everyone who currently does not have health insurance should have to pay $308 per month and if they want better insurance, they can kick in the additional $500 a year. Since most of us pay substantially more than that for our healthcare, $308 seems pretty fair.
What I don't understand is how "everyone should get the same healthcare we have in Congress" gets translated into "it should be free and taxpayer subsidized." $308 is not free and would go along way for the supposed 50 million Americans who don't have insurance. Let me just get my calculator: 50 million people pay $308 each for healthcare. Actually, let's make that more realistic. Say there is only 25 million after you lump families together that would pay that premium. That would equal nearly $8 billion. Problem solved...healthcare is paid for.
I think all those peculiar beliefs come from raw facts being deliberately twisted and spun out to the sheepies who WANT to believe the worst, no matter how ridiculous.
$308? Sounding great. The House bill I think (maybe the CBO?) roughly calculated $5000/indiv, $10K/family -- even that would be fine seems to me.
I think all those peculiar beliefs come from raw facts being deliberately twisted and spun out to the sheepies who WANT to believe the worst, no matter how ridiculous.
$308? Sounding great. The House bill I think (maybe the CBO?) roughly calculated $5000/indiv, $10K/family -- even that would be fine seems to me.
I don't consider myself one of the "sheepies." I vote all over the place and am a registered Independent. I don't have a "dog in the fight" and can understand that there are people out there with preexisting medical conditions who would get health insurance if they could but are not able to.
I just think there needs to be a line drawn between fairness and handouts. It makes me sick when I hear people claim they are "barely scraping by" on $300,000 per year. There are a lot of people who just don't want to pay for health insurance. They chose to spend their money elsewhere and would be the first in line for a government handout. This does nothing but reward irresponsibility. Many of us with healthcare would be happy to have that money to spend on other things. Healthcare is expensive. So is homeowner's insurance and auto insurance. Homeowner's insurance is required if you have a mortgage. It's not a government run program...it's a mandatory part of buying a house with a mortgage. Millions of people have a mortgage and the government has only had to step in for about 5% who have been foreclosed on. No one is screaming about how unfair having to buy homeowner's insurance is when you want to live in a house. It's just the cost of doing business and rolled into your monthly payments.
I don't consider myself one of the "sheepies." I vote all over the place and am a registered Independent. I don't have a "dog in the fight" and can understand that there are people out there with preexisting medical conditions who would get health insurance if they could but are not able to.
I just think there needs to be a line drawn between fairness and handouts. It makes me sick when I hear people claim they are "barely scraping by" on $300,000 per year. There are a lot of people who just don't want to pay for health insurance. They chose to spend their money elsewhere and would be the first in line for a government handout. This does nothing but reward irresponsibility. Many of us with healthcare would be happy to have that money to spend on other things. Healthcare is expensive. So is homeowner's insurance and auto insurance. Homeowner's insurance is required if you have a mortgage. It's not a government run program...it's a mandatory part of buying a house with a mortgage. Millions of people have a mortgage and the government has only had to step in for about 5% who have been foreclosed on. No one is screaming about how unfair having to buy homeowner's insurance is when you want to live in a house. It's just the cost of doing business and rolled into your monthly payments.
Maybe we were talking about two different things. I meant to comment on how information is distorted to suit the purposes of the distorters. "'[E]veryone should get the same healthcare we have in Congress' gets translated into 'it should be free and taxpayer subsidized.'" "Voluntary counseling on end-of-life topics" becomes "they'll make my grandma tell them how she wants to die."
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