What The HealthCare Bill Really Says

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

Too important to hide in Gen. Chat.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...055918380.html

[ErinP]

I haven't read the whole thing yet, just had to comment on the first thing that caught my eye:

An individual earning $44,000 before taxes who purchases his own insurance will have to pay a $5,300 premium and an estimated $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, for a total of $7,300 a year, which is 17% of his pre-tax income.

Wow. That's just terrible. 17%
(Where's the "blatant sarcasm" smiley??)

We already pay that much for a premium and have WAY more than a mere $2grand in out of pocket expenses beyond that.
I wish we made the $44,000 to go along with it, btw.

[HermitJohn]

• Sec. 59b (pp. 297-299) says that when you file your taxes, you must include proof that you are in a qualified plan. If not, you will be fined thousands of dollars. Illegal immigrants are exempt from this requirement.

I am guessing "If not, you will be fined thousands of dollars. Illegal immigrants are exempt from this requirement." isnt a direct quote from the bill. So makes me wonder how much of the rest of the article is accurate? Sorry, its just yet another partisan 'opinion' piece intended to inflame and frighten.

Last I heard the penalty is going to be like $800 for an individual. For many it basically becomes a tax on being unable to afford private insurance even if not the "thousands of dollars" alluded to in the linked essay.

Do I support the bill, nope, think its bloated and stupid. If we as a country want universal health care then go single payer and raise income taxes directly to pay for it. Put doctors on a salary, eliminate the insurance companies altogether and cut out all the middleman burocracies. Overlapping burocracies, adding yet more burocracy to decide who to penalize and who to subsidize in the forced purchase of a service from private corporations and keeping FOR-PROFIT anything in the mix makes no sense if you are trying to control costs.

The current system left alone however will collapse from greed on all sides as premiums continue to rise at exponential rate and wages stagnate and ever more people are forced to part time work only. The system would have to charge those at the top end hundreds of thousands of dollars a year cause nobody making under$100k would begin to be able to consider buying it. And as fewer people have insurance, the volume of customers going to health care professionals would fall and they would close down as their infrastructure and its related costs is based on a projected amount of customer flow paying their premium prices. Modern health care cant exist with only the very wealthy for customers.

[Ken Scharabok]

Last I saw the estimated annual cost to the taxpayer would be about $900B, with a substantial chunk of that a transfer from Medicare/Medicade. However, from past experience just consider that to be a 'buy-in'. Once implemented the actual cost will likely be three times that.

Senator Coker (R-TN) said during a local townhall meeting he expected a bill to pass in the House. However, getting it through the Senate was another matter. Its an additional layer of checks and balances.

And there appears to be a Constitutional question about whether or not the federal government can force everyone to participate, so likely there will be court challenges.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

If one looks at Social Security, Medicare, Fannie and Freddie, and the Federal Budget in general, who would believe that the Feds can administer this program in a way that doesn't either go bankrupt or cost many times the "ESTIMATED COSTS". Please people get real and open your eyes.

[CherieOH]

I don't understand much of it, just enough to be scared.

[DAVID In Wisconsin]

Not to worry. CherieOH, the folks voting on this bill don't understand much of it either. And I am scared.

[7thswan]

Basically it says the Constitution is not going to be used anymore and the Government is going to force us to Buy a product under the threat of fines or imprisonment. Except illegals; the Gov. can't force them to do anything- they have Rights.

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

"Except illegals; the Gov. can't force them to do anything- they have Rights."

Go figure!!!!

[Terri]

Assume, for a monent, that 25% of the population does not have insurance because they cannot afford it.

So, the Government hits them with a big bill. They promptly decide to vote against their politician. If they are not already registered they GET registered.

The bill gets repealed ASAP.

[deb]

I would consider the source before getting too riled up. Betsy McCaughey has a doctorate in history from Columbia University.