Health Care Reform Bill Passes - Now What?
by BizzyBee 118 Replies latest jw friends
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SixofNine
I am starting to wonder exactly who does like this?
Well, Obama got about a 7 pt bump over the past 3 days, before it had even passed; so I'd say a lot of people like it.
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watson
Materialistic empire builders will have to get out of their scrubs, back into their $2,000 suits and ties, and find another way to sell stuff.
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Yizuman
I don't think this bill is gonna take effect anytime soon. Both sides still has alot of fight left. Republications could file a lawsuit within the US Supreme Court with a claim that this bill is unconstitutional.
But, I do have a question though, even if bill do take effect, where is the money gonna come from to fund all this while our US Economy is flat broke?
One other question, Will the health insurance program be mandatory and required for all to get in the same way as it is mandatory to get auto insurance in order to drive? If so, how much are we talking about? Per week? Per month?
Yiz
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leavingwt
Starting in 2013, flexible spending accounts, which allow users to escape taxes on many medical expenses now, will be limited. There will be a $2,500 maximum on accounts that typically carry $4,000 or $5,000 limits now, and you will no longer be able to use the accounts for over-the-counter medicines.
Yikes. I use my Flex card to purchase lots of over-the-counter stuff.
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recovering
As a healthcare provider I agree healthcare needed to be reformed. However this bill is not the solution it fails the American people in many ways.
1 as the bill was passed it did not include the Dr fix promised. What was this fix? The rates Medicaid and Medicare pays for many treatments are far below the cost of providing these treatments. There was a doc fix originally included in the bill to remedy the situation. Sadly it was not included in the final bill. The result of this is there will continue to be a shortage of Dr’s willing to accept these types of insurance. (Remember the bill greatly expands the Medicaid program) This is already an issue confronting Americans who use these programs.
Here is a quote from the Washington post that demonstrates what happens when you increase the number of people covered by insurance but do not increase the number of providers willing to accept the insurance. Examine what happened in the state of Massachusetts (which already mandates everyone be covered by health insurance.
“Washington has also been training a microscope on the groundbreaking effort in Massachusetts to provide everyone in the state with health insurance: Adding 340,000 people to the rolls of the insured there since 2006 has underscored a shortage of doctors. It takes 63 days on average to get an appointment with a family doctor in Boston, more than twice the wait in Washington, and seven times as long as in Philadelphia and Atlanta, according to a Merritt Hawkins survey.
"If Massachusetts is any guide, with increased access you'd see pent-up demand for health care, and you'd see a lot of frustration with the waiting time to access health care," Phillips said. "It'll swamp the emergency rooms, and those people will be seeking health care in the most expensive settings."
2 The bill does nothing to address tort reform. The cost of malpractice insurance in the US is outrageous and greatly increases the cost of providing healthcare. Not only are malpractice premiums outrageous $ 50,000 -150, 000 per year. That amounts to a contribution of $ 500 - 1,500 per year by each of his patients towards the malpractice insurance. Make plaintiffs and their attorneys who bring unmerited malpractice claims responsible for the cost of defending these frivolous suits. Also put a cap on the percentage that lawyers can charge clients for representing them in malpractice suits. (currently they charge up to 33% of the award plus expenses
3 Streamlining of the paper work jungle that health care providers must navigate in order to get paid was also not addressed in this bill. The paperwork involved to protect against legal liability as well as obtaining payment costs of 25% - 30% of overhead.
4 Really rein in the insurance companies who have been fleecing the American people for far too long. There Ceo’s are making obscene profits while the insurance company’s deny coverage to the most needy of Americans, the sick and dying.
Look at the money these guys are making
Ron Williams - Aetna
Total Compensation: $24,300,112 for 2008
H. Edward Hanway - CIGNA
Total Compensation: $12,236,740 for 2008
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JWoods
Like Pelosi said - "we just have to PASS this bill so that everybody can FIND OUT WHAT IS IN IT"
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recovering
The question of constintionality is a mute point. We are already required to buy auto insurance.
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JWoods
The question of constintionality is a mute point. We are already required to buy auto insurance.
But you are not required to own a car or even have a driver's license. You can put up an insurance bond in some states. This is different in that sense.