Ten Immediate Benefits of the Health Care Reform Bill

1. 84

   kerrygposted 15 years ago

   I'm not going to lie - I have some pretty serious issues with the health care reform bill that just passed, not the least being that it is not NEARLY socialist enough for my tastes. (I support Medicare for All, at least as an option.)
   
   However, these are ten changes that last night's bill makes to the US health care system within the next 6 months, and frankly, I could not be happier about most of these:
   
   1. Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents' policy until their 27th birthday
   
   2. Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
   
   3. No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
   
   4. Free preventative care for all
   
   5. Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they're still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.
   
   6. Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees' health insurance.
   
   7. The "donut hole" closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.
   
   8. Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
   
   9. Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders' amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.
   
   10. AND no more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can't lose your insurance because you get sick.
   
   Source
   
   #10 is especially important to me, since my aunt was a victim of rescission when she was diagnosed with leukemia back in the early 90's. She would be dead today if she and her husband hadn't been rich enough to afford her treatment out-of-pocket, and she's been fighting hard for almost 20 years now to make sure that never happens to anyone again. It's a good day for her today.

   replyreport
   1. 59

      Doug Hughesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I think almost anyone who has studied the issues of Health Care Reform will have SOME issues with  SOME provisions. It is, after all the  result of negotiation and compromise. I wanted to see a strong public option as a choice that would comptei n price and quality with the private insurance companies. Abortion is a medical procesure and an individual choice- but there's no payment for elective abortion. I don't favor subsidies for illegal aliens, but it would not have bothered me if they could purchase insurance through the exchange. Aside from the humanitarian aspect, it makes fiscal sense - if they are excluded from health care, they won't show   up at the ER until an illmess or disease is far progressed, shich will cost MORE money to taxpauers/policyholders.
      
      It's radical in that it got passed - in every social feature, compared with what liberals wanted, it's a moderate piece of legislation. Not surprising since we have a moderate president with extrordinary leadership skills.
      
      Now that the baby is born, we have to protect it. Like Social Security and Medicare, conservatives will try to kill it off before it becomes an established feature, like those 2 most popular federal programs. The way we protect the baby is with the truth - the conservatives told a relentless string of lies in the US House yesterday - from now until Novemeber those lies will be repeated and I will push back with the truth.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         kerrygposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, have you seen this editorial yet?
         
         http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo
         
         Lots of good points in there, but one of several that I think Republicans should take most to heart is that scrapping the whole thing is NOT going to happen. Nor should it.
         
         "No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the "doughnut hole" and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents' insurance coverage?"

         replyreport
2. 0

   Will Apseposted 15 years ago

   I'm glad that a lot of people got something out of all that mess.
   
   A National Health System would have saved the US a huge amount of money as well as improving the lives of millions but there you are. Politics is the art of the possible.

   replyreport
   1. 56

      Sab Ohposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      "A National Health System would have saved the US a huge amount of money as well as improving the lives of millions"
      
      
      You don't seem very familiar with our government.

      replyreport
3. 68

   MikeNVposted 15 years ago

   Nothing is free.
   Nothing in the bill will contain costs.
   
   What's next on the Obama Agenda...
   
   RFID tracking followed by "chipping"... using Immigration Reform as the guise.
   
   Cap and Tax - Giving the Government the power to enter your home at any time to make inspections for which they will charge you.  Mandating whatever kind of repairs to your home they put into law.  You pay or you lose your home.
   
   Finance Reform which gives complete and Total control of Business to the Federal Reserve which is not even a Government Agency.
   
   This "Health Care Reform" is nothing more than the start of the Domino Effect toward Socialism that will completely destroy the constitution and remove your remaining Freedoms and Rights.
   
   The Government is working towards electronic currency where they will have the ability to - with a flip of an electronic switch - completely take everything you have for any reason they come up with.
   
   Are people so Naive as to think that Mandating Payment for Insurance is "Free"?
   
   Taxes are going to rise enormously to cover the cost of this Socialist Program which has not been funded.
   
   When has a Government projected Budget ever been close?
   
   How do you reduce deficits with increased spending?  You don't.  And there is not enough economic activity in the country to pay for the existing debt.  So taxing citizens to pay for mandated social programs is not possible.  The country is bankrupt.

   replyreport
   1. 58

      logic,commonsenseposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Mike, don't you know it is Obama's money not yours?  It is the government that mystically comes up with cash.  It can't be the hardworking taxpayers that have to bust their ass and make sacrifices just to make ends meet in order for the government to rob them!  No the government comes up with 'free money', out of thin air.
      Don't kid yourself, there are millions who do not have a clue and do not want to, as long as they get their share of the government handout.

      replyreport
4. 62

   lender3212000posted 15 years ago

   I agree with Mike, there is nothing that is free and the costs will end up going somewhere. The most likely destination will be towards increased premium costs. Even if we force an already financially strapped middle class to carry health insurance (some would argue that it is unconstitutional to force someone to make a purchase), that doesn't mean they suddenly have good health care. If they can't afford the co-pays and out of pocket expenses associated with that coverage, the only thing we really did was hide the problem by making the official statistics look better. Sounds a lot like what they do with the unemployment figures to me....

   replyreport