surprising poll on health care law

1. 92

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   I just read this article and looked at this poll on CBS - not exactly a right-wing organization. I was actually a little surprised that the number of people opposed to the new law has increased instead of decreased. I kinda thought things had quieted down some, but then again, I haven't watched much TV news in the last couple of days.
   
   http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162- … ontentBody

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2. 55

   Sab Ohposted 14 years ago

   The important poll takes place in Nov. Let's hope everyone remembers.

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   1. 71

      rhamsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best.
      Will Rogers
      
      This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.
      Will Rogers
      
      There is little evidence to support your enthusiasm with a GOP takeover of the Congress.

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      1. 58

         flread45posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         The best way is to vote all incumbants out and start fresh,with younger people who are more relevent to todays times.

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3. 92

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   Like the Alamo??

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   1. 55

      Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Startin' to feel like it

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4. 92

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   Our local police station just built a facility that looks like the Alamo! lol

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5. 70

   Ralph Deedsposted 14 years ago

   We Call That Double-Dipping  NY Times editorial
   Published: April 5, 2010
   Republican critics are continuing to pummel health care reform. Their newest charge is that the elimination of one generous tax deduction for retiree benefits would take such a bite out of corporate profits that companies may have to cut back on hiring, drop that retiree benefit, and shift added costs onto the taxpayer.
   
   What is really going on? It is true that, starting in 2013, the new law eliminates a corporate tax advantage on retiree drug benefits that amounts to double-dipping.
   
   It is also true that accounting rules require that the present value of the entire additional tax that companies will have to pay over the next several decades be put on the books now. That led AT&T to declare a charge of about $1 billion in the first quarter of 2010 and Verizon to declare $970 million.
   
   Those look like staggering amounts until one understands that they don’t require any immediate cash payments and that the added taxes will be paid out slowly — over perhaps 30, 40 or more years, depending on a company’s retiree plan.
   
   Wall Street certainly gave a collective yawn. Stock prices for the companies that made announcements barely budged (some went up), and analysts urged investors not to overreact because the accounting change would have a negligible impact on these companies’ valuation, or market capitalization.
   
   The affected companies have already profited from an inequitable provision in the 2003 Medicare prescription drug law. At the time, many employers were already providing drug coverage for their retirees. And to keep them from dropping that coverage, the new law provided doubly sweet subsidies to corporations.
   
   For every $100 the company spends on retiree drug benefits, Medicare sends it a subsidy payment of $28. On top of that, the companies got a rare double tax break. The $28 subsidy is tax-free, and the company was allowed to deduct the entire $100 as a business expense.
   
   The new health care reform law has left the 28 percent subsidy intact and continued to exempt it from taxation. But companies will no longer be allowed to deduct the subsidy as if it were an expenditure of their own.
   
   That seems a reasonable way to generate a bit more revenue to pay for covering the uninsured. It also treats all employers equally instead of favoring profit-making firms with a special deduction that is of no value to nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, or firms that lose money.
   
   The unanswered question is whether — as the critics charge — the change will push a lot of employers into dropping their retiree drug plans. The remaining tax subsidy is substantial and many companies and their workers value the retiree drug benefit, so defections may be small. If some retirees do lose their company drug benefits, they can buy government-subsidized coverage in Medicare that may be just or almost as good and will be getting better as health care reform progresses. Willing employers could also help subsidize their retirees’ drug coverage in Medicare.
   
   That’s the least they should do in return for the generous tax benefits they have been receiving.

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   1. 61

      Doug Hughesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Can you say 'Corporate Welfare State'?

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6. 61

   Doug Hughesposted 14 years ago

   The poll is interesting and distressing.
   
   It would be interesting to do a poll where 3 questions about what was IN the bill was asked before the poll starts - and the answers of people with a basic understanding of what is in the law be separated from those whose answers display a complete vacuume of facts.
   
   It's always been my position that after millions of dollars were spent by the insurance industry and the GOP spreading fear and lies the poll results don't give a good picture. The legislators (and this is funny) ignored the polls and acted like they were in the mythical Constitutional Republic that wingnuts are in love with. They voted for what they know was IN the bill - rather than what the voters were afraid might be in the bill.
   
   People will get used to HCR as they got used to Medicare and Social Security. In the end, it will be poupar and eventually, the RIGHT to health care may be affirmed by the Supreme Court. It will just take time.

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