UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL 3200

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Permalink Reply by Mo on August 1, 2009 at 5:08pm

fox is not fair and balanced news unlike the rest. they have had many whistle blowers (reporters fired because they wouldnt lie like fox wanted them to) come forth and spill about fox and their lies.

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Permalink Reply by Lene on August 1, 2009 at 5:19pm

OH I'm sorry I forgot to tell you that the Bill is on thomas.com, and rogerhedgecock.com that is where I got the information.
The entire Bill is on those 2 sites for you to read. Actually if you read the bill closely you don't need the news to report anything do you..?

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Permalink Reply by Lene on August 1, 2009 at 5:22pm

OH I'm sorry I forgot to tell you that the Health Care Bill is on thomas.com, and rogerhedgecock.com that is where I got the information.
The entire Bill is on those 2 sites for you to read. Actually if you read the bill closely you don't need the news to report anything do you..?

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Permalink Reply by Karen on August 1, 2009 at 6:27pm

Hi Eileen,
I agree with everything you wrote re: the Healthcare reform bill. It is not a good bill. Congress hasn't even read it! This is nothing but socialized medicine. With this plan in action, who knows how long it will be before you see a doctor. Government messes up everything it puts its hands on. How cute that Congress will not have the same plan as the rest of us. Why is that? It's because it is inferior. Call them and let them know you don't approve of this reform and when it is time for their re-election, VOTE THEM OUT!!!! They along with President Obama are ruining this country. I believe in the Constitution, democracy, capitalism and less government.
Karen

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Permalink Reply by Joe on August 1, 2009 at 9:38pm

Hi Eileen,

I'm curious what are your sources for the following (if you could provide the page numbers where these assertions are spelled out clearly, that would be very helpful):

"Just some of the "buried" items of interest which may appear in the final bill: The 1)Government will advise the doctors on how much money they can make. How many doctors will pull the "plug" and do something else when they are told that?
2) Health care will definitely be rationed. Would you, in all honesty want that? Some people are saying this bill should be entitled, " Bye Bye Grandma".
3) Government mandates will be created for people on Medicare to "discuss" end of life choices for them and these mandates will be gone over every 5 years.
4) The government will become very active in your life – not you anymore."

The page numbered references in the bill that you supplied are obviously not the actual text, they are merely right-wing interpretations of the text. I don't mean to be confrontational, but I think it's important to hear both sides. I'm not conversant in the proposal, but when I hear the words "socialist" or "government controlled", well it sounds like a neocon smear campaign to me. Also, I thought we were beyond the ridiculous notion that Fox News was "fair and balanced." They are a decidedly biased toward the conservative point of view...as does MSNBC lean to the left. It's a bit disingenuous to call any of the cable news outlets "unbiased."

It's nothing personal, I'm going to do my homework...if I end up finding a well-planned and systematic plan for socializing health care in the US...well, I'll oppose that. From what I've heard in the "liberal" controlled media suggests no such subterfuge exists...but, of course, they're all just lackey's for the president...

All the best,
Joe

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Permalink Reply by Lene on August 2, 2009 at 2:43am

I am just reporting you must decide. I gave all the information I can for this time.

GOPUSA Eagle is where I got that particular information you outlined.....Patients First Advocacy was another. I can go on and on.... Lene

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Permalink Reply by Joe on August 2, 2009 at 9:37am

I'm sorry if I came off as harsh or sarcastic. I'm just so sick and tired of the partisan bickering going on in Washington. The democrats were more than happy to torpedo every initiative of George Bush's during his time in office, but I don't recall ever hearing viable alternatives to the president's proposals. The tables are now turned...and it's the same old song and dance from the right. George Bush claimed he would be a "uniter" and end the blatant partisanship. He failed. President Obama has said he was the man to accomplish the goal of uniting the parties towards a common goal...clearly, he is failing as well. I don't blame either man. The culture of Washington reflects the people. If our politicians are unwilling to work together for solutions, it's only because those who elected them are equally unwilling. We've allowed people on the political fringes (George Soros on the left or Rupert Murdock on the right) to hijack political discourse in this country and steer the debate to suit their particular agendas. If we want our politicians to conduct business within a framework of cooperation, we must begin to cooperate. We have to reject the hate mongers and professional provocateurs (Anne Coulter, Keith Olbermann, Sean Hannity, Al Sharpton) that fill our media with mindless jingoistic pablum and reduce the political zeitgeist to that of a WWE wrestling event (with sincere apologies to the wrestlers). It really is up to each individual to critically think and form their own opinions and not indiscriminately co-opt their ideas from Anne Coulter's latest screed or Keith Olbermann's "special comments." I forgot who said, "People get the government they deserve" (was it Voltaire?). If we want better government, we have to become "better" people...think instead of just reacting. Health care reform (and a host of a dozen other vitally important issues) are just too important to leave in the hands of the politicians.

All the best,
Joe

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Permalink Reply by luvslulu on August 2, 2009 at 2:46pm

KUDOS to you ,Joe! The neocons are taking this bill and destroying it to look so bad that it wont pass. Its all about the money..insurance companies...and big pharma. If any of you are that interested in learing more about what our country's state is in right now in regards to our UNINSURED, go watch this video on PBS. org. Bill Moyer is one of the most respected journalist on the planet.. surely NOT one of those many pundits that are out there..with most of them being on FOX (I mean..FAKE ) news. THe whole thing is a smear campaign,as you said, and is proobably the most disgusting form of propoganda I have ever heard.
Here is a link to watch the video of an interview just this past weekend with Bill and a past CEO Wendall Potter.. check it out..and watch it.. (copy and paste this link if you have to)
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/watch.html
One last thing. This "kill gramma" thing is nothing but TRASH! It meerly is about making out a living will which is something EVERYONE should do. No one is gonna kill anyone! How perpousterous can this get!!!!I'm gonna continue tihs on another post..

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Permalink Reply by luvslulu on August 2, 2009 at 2:55pm

In regards to " govt run insurance".
What do you think Medicare is?? Its “govt run healthcare”..

What do you think our military insurance is?? It’s “govt run healthcare”.

What do you think our Congressmen/Senators/govt workers have? Its “govt run healthcare”.

There is approx 40-50 million ppl in this country right now without any healthcare at all cuz they can not afford it,and they are not at an age to receive Medicare.. It is going to get a lot worse as long as the big insurance companies and the lobbyist have their way.It’s a totally broken down system. I am lucky..Iam over 63 and on Medicare due to my illness.
People in their 30’s or 40 or even 50’s who are not only without healthcare, but have no jobs to beat.You and I have good healthcare(although it could be better) and we don’t even have to pay for it.. or atleast pay a small premium for it. Do you really think it going to be better for our children and our children’s children when they get into the mainstream of making ends meet at the rate that this country is going in regards to healthcare costs? Chances are, they won’t have any at all if things keep skyrocketing at the rate they are going now. Only the rich will be able to have it.. and if anything scares me, that does.Middle America wont be able to afford it, and I’m talking about the working class.. not the retirees who have “govt run Medicare”or an option to get what we have right now,or they are rich enough not to have to think about it,and can afford private insurance.Yes..Iam one of the lucky ones..as I see it.. cuz I am locked into a system that works for US but not for way too many other who are slipping thru the cracks.

Obama wants healthcare for EVERYONE.. Is our Medicare considered “Socialized Medicine”??? Think about that.It seems to me that ppl confuse the two.

Anyway,I so weary with it all. All the “spin” and rhetoric is about to drive me nuts,and the more I hear it, the more confused I get.. but I want to see EVERYONE having some form of healthcare.. whether it be govt run healthcare or privatized, if they can afford it.YOU WILL HAVE AN OPTION!! NEVER FORGET THAT..AND NOTHING IN THIS BILL IS GOING TO RUIN YOU!!!

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Permalink Reply by luvslulu on August 2, 2009 at 3:14pm

futhermore.. Roger Hedgecock is a frequent guest on FOX news.. which tells me that he is definately far right.. which also tells me he is sooooo into the pockets of the greedy insurance companies and lobbiest, and the Thomas.com thing.. you must be referring to the one Norman Mattoon Thomas..a once Socialist Party candidate back in the 40's. What a bunch of HOGWASH!!!

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Permalink Reply by luvslulu on August 2, 2009 at 4:30pm

If any one chooses to read all 1,032 pages of this bill, please be my guest. Not many middle American ppl would understand half of it, but here is it in a nut shell.. and this is put out by the HOUSE COMMITTEES ON WAYS AND MEANS, ENERGY AND COMMERCE, AND EDUCATION AND LABOR JULY 14, 2009
(why jerk around about the networks and the TV personalities? Because they are the ones who are DISTORTING IT...and scaring the crap out of people. Insurance companies dont want to see reform.. it would FORCE THEM to be COMPETITIVE and, in turn, cost them MILLIONS. Why do you think they are putting millions upon millions of dollars into making this reform so bad for us?? THEY DONT WANT IT!!!

I. COVERAGE AND CHOICE The bill builds on what works in today’s health care system and fixes the parts that are broken. It protects current coverage – allowing individuals to keep the insurance they have if they like it – and preserves choice of doctors, hospitals, and health plans. It achieves these reforms through:
 A Health Insurance Exchange. The new Health Insurance Exchange creates a transparent and functional marketplace for individuals and small employers to comparison shop among private and public insurers. It works with state insurance departments to set and enforce insurance reforms and consumer protections, facilitates enrollment, and administers affordability credits to help low- and middle-income individuals and families purchase insurance. Over time, the Exchange will be opened to additional employers as another choice for covering their employees. States may opt to operate the Exchange in lieu of the national Exchange provided they follow the federal rules.
 A public health insurance option. One of the many choices of health insurance within the health insurance Exchange is a public health insurance option. It will be a new choice in many areas of our country dominated by just one or two private insurers today. The public option will operate on a level playing field. It will be subject to the same market reforms and consumer protections as other private plans in the Exchange and it will be self-sustaining – financed only by its premiums. Guaranteed coverage and insurance market reforms. Insurance companies will no longer be able to engage in discriminatory practices that enable them to refuse to sell or renew policies today due to an individual’s health status. In addition, they can no longer exclude coverage of treatments for pre-existing health conditions. The bill also protects consumers by prohibiting lifetime and annual limits on benefits. It also limits the ability of insurance companies to charge higher rates due to health status, gender, or other factors. Under the proposal, premiums can vary based only on age (no more than 2:1), geography and family size.
 Essential benefits. A new independent Advisory Committee with practicing providers and other health care experts, chaired by the Surgeon General, will recommend a benefit package based on standards set in the law. This new essential benefit package will serve as the basic benefit package for coverage in the Exchange and over time will become the minimum quality standard for
employer plans. The basic package will include preventive services with no cost-sharing, mental health services, oral health and vision for children, and caps the amount of money a person or family spends on covered services in a year.
II. AFFORDABILITY To ensure that all Americans have affordable health coverage the bill:
 Provides sliding scale affordability credits. The affordability credits will be available to low- and moderate- income individuals and families. The credits are most generous for those who are just above the proposed new Medicaid eligibility levels; the credits decline with income (and so premium and cost-sharing support is more limited as your income increases) and are completely phased out when income reaches 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($43,000 for an individual or $88,000 for a family of four). The affordability credits will not only make insurance premiums affordable, they will also reduce cost-sharing to levels that ensure access to care. The Exchange administers the affordability credits with other federal and state entities, such as local Social Security offices and state Medicaid agencies.
 Caps annual out-of-pocket spending. All new policies will cap annual out-of-pocket spending to prevent bankruptcies from medical expenses.
 Increased competition: The creation of the Health Insurance Exchange and the inclusion of a public health insurance option will make health insurance more affordable by opening many market areas in our country to new competition, spurring efficiency and transparency. Expands Medicaid. Individuals and families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for an expanded and improved Medicaid program. Recognizing the budget challenges in many states, this expansion will be fully federally financed. To improve provider participation in this vital safety net – particularly for low-income children, individuals with disabilities and people with mental illnesses – reimbursement rates for primary care services will be increased with new federal funding.
 Improves Medicare. Senior citizens and people with disabilities will benefit from provisions that fill the donut hole over time in the Part D drug program, eliminate cost-sharing for preventive services, improve the low-income subsidy programs in Medicare, fix physician payments, and make other program improvements. The bill will also address future fiscal challenges by improving payment accuracy, encouraging delivery system reforms and extending solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund.
III. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY The bill creates shared responsibility among individuals, employers and government to ensure that all Americans have affordable coverage of essential health benefits.
 Individual responsibility. Except in cases of hardship, once market reforms and affordability credits are in effect, individuals will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining health insurance coverage. Those who choose to not obtain coverage will pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of modified adjusted gross income above a specified level.
 Employer responsibility. The proposal builds on the employer-sponsored coverage that exists today. Employers will have the option of providing health insurance coverage for their workers or contributing funds on their behalf. Employers that choose to contribute will pay an amount based on eight percent of their payroll. Employers that choose to offer coverage must meet minimum benefit and contribution requirements specified in the proposal.
 Assistance for small employers. Recognizing the special needs of small businesses, the smallest businesses (payroll that does not exceed $250,000) are exempt from the employer responsibility
requirement. The payroll penalty would then phase in starting at 2% for firms with annual payrolls over $250,000 rising to the full 8 percent penalty for firms with annual payrolls above $400,000. In addition, a new small business tax credit will be available for those firms who want to provide health coverage to their workers. In addition to the targeted assistance, the Exchange and market reforms provide a long-sought opportunity for small businesses to benefit from a more organized, efficient marketplace in which to purchase coverage.
 Government responsibility. The government is responsible for ensuring that every American can afford quality health insurance, through the new affordability credits, insurance reforms, consumer protections, and improvements to Medicare and Medicaid.
IV. PREVENTION AND WELLNESS Prevention and wellness measures of the bill include:
 Expansion of Community Health Centers;
 Prohibition of cost-sharing for preventive services;
 Creation of community-based programs to deliver prevention and wellness services;
 A focus on community-based programs and new data collection efforts to better identify and address racial, ethnic, regional and other health disparities;
 Funds to strengthen state, local, tribal and territorial public health departments and programs.
V. WORKFORCE INVESTMENTS The bill expands the health care workforce through:
 Increased funding for the National Health Service Corp;
 More training of primary care doctors and an expansion of the pipeline of individuals going into health professions, including primary care, nursing and public health;
 Greater support for workforce diversity;
 Expansion of scholarships and loans for individuals in needed professions and shortage areas;
 Encouragement of training of primary care physicians by taking steps to increase physician training outside the hospital, where most primary care is delivered, and redistributes unfilled graduate medical education residency slots for purposes of training more primary care physicians. The proposal also improves accountability for graduate medical education funding to ensure that physicians are trained with the skills needed to practice health care in the 21st century.
VI. CONTROLLING COSTS The bill will reduce the growth in health care spending in a numerous ways. Investing in health care through stronger prevention and wellness measures, increasing access to primary care, health care delivery system reform, the Health Insurance Exchange and the public health insurance option, improvements in payment accuracy and reforms to Medicare and Medicaid will all help slow the growth of health care costs over time. These savings will accrue to families, employers, and taxpayers.
 Modernization and improvement of Medicare. The bill implements major delivery system reform in Medicare to reward efficient provision of health care, rolling out innovative concepts such as accountable care organizations, medical homes, and bundling of acute and post-acute provider payments. New payment incentives aim to decrease preventable hospital readmissions, expanding this policy over time to recognize that physicians and post-acute providers also play an important role in avoiding readmissions. The bill improves the Medicare Part D program by creating new consumer protections for Medicare Advantage Plans, eliminating the “donut hole” and improving
low-income subsidy programs, so that Medicare is affordable for all seniors and other eligible individuals. A centerpiece of the proposal is a complete reform of the flawed physician payment mechanism in Medicare (the so-called sustainable growth rate or “SGR” formula), with an update that wipes away accumulated deficits, provides for a fresh start, and rewards primary care services, care coordination and efficiency.
 Innovation and delivery reform through the public health insurance option. The public health insurance option will be empowered to implement innovative delivery reform initiatives so that it is a nimble purchaser of health care and gets more value for each health care dollar. It will expand upon the experiments put forth in Medicare and be provided the flexibility to implement value-based purchasing, accountable care organizations, medical homes, and bundled payments. These features will ensure the public option is a leader in efficient delivery of quality care, spurring competition with private plans.
 Improving payment accuracy and eliminating overpayments. The bill eliminates overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans and improves payment accuracy for numerous other providers, following recommendations by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the President. These steps will extend Medicare Trust Fund solvency, and put Medicare on stronger financial footing for the future.
 Preventing waste, fraud and abuse. New tools will be provided to combat waste, fraud and abuse within the entire health care system. Within Medicare, new authorities allow for pre-enrollment screening of providers and suppliers, permit designation of certain areas as being at elevated risk of fraud to implement enhanced oversight, and require compliance programs of providers and suppliers. The new public health insurance option and Health Insurance Exchange will build upon the safeguards and best practices gleaned from experience in other areas.
 Administrative simplification. The bill will simplify the paperwork burden that adds tremendous costs and hassles for patients, providers, and businesses today.

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Permalink Reply by luvslulu on August 2, 2009 at 9:43pm

Sleep tight. I will too. One thing.. you are probably right. This bill will not get passed. So we will stick with the status quo.. and forget the 40-50 million UNINSURED Americans who will have to figure out how to live out their lives. No job.. no insurance.. soo sad. Ohh.. did I copy and paste that? Of course I did. I have DYSTONIA. I can barely sit at the computer let along type that all out. (Duhh). I admire the ppl who can. I find nothing wrong with finding it on the interent from an govt agency. It sure beats the opinion of the Rush Limbaugh's.. the Glen Beck's.. the Bill O'Reilly's.... the greedy insurance companies who don't give a squat about you nor about me..but only care about their bottom line and profits to their CEO's. Yup..stick to the status quo.. The insurance companies will love you TO DEATH..
MY conscience is clear. My compassions lie with the ppl who are alot less fortunate than Iam.
Amen to this.

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