Obama to Endorse Public Plan in Speech

[question everything]

Source: WSJ

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama, in a high-stakes speech Wednesday to Congress and the nation, will press for a government-run insurance option in a proposed overhaul of the U.S. health-care system that has divided lawmakers and voters for months. White House officials say the president will detail what he wants in the health-care overhaul, as well as say he is open to better ideas on a government plan if lawmakers have them. Democratic plans call for requiring most Americans to carry health insurance. Failure to comply could cost families as much as $3,800 a year, according to a new Senate proposal. The president is likely to say that a government-run insurance plan, known as the "public option," will not provide a level of subsidies that give it an unfair advantage over private insurers, according to aides familiar with the speech preparations.

(snip)

Under the plan, people who earn between 100% and 300% of the poverty level (or between about $22,000 a year and $66,000 a year for a family of four) would face fees ranging from $750 to $1,500 a year. For taxpayers with incomes above 300% of poverty, the penalty starts at $950 a year and reaches as high as $3,800 for families. Nearly 12 million people fit in this category, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management. The idea behind the penalty is that those who can afford insurance but don't buy it are imposing costs on the entire health system. Under the proposal, nearly 12 million people who currently have no insurance could be subject to such fines, according to figures compiled by the National Institute for Health Care Management. Starting next year, the plan also calls for annual fees of $6 billion on health-insurance providers, $4 billion for medical-device makers, $2.3 billion on drug makers and $750 million on clinical laboratories. The fees would be levied on individual companies based on market share. Insurers also face an excise tax of 35% for any health plan worth more than $8,000 a year for individuals and $21,000 a year for families.

(snip)

Congressional leaders, meanwhile, breathed new life into a proposal for a legislative mechanism to trigger a public plan if private insurers fail to reduce health-care inflation or cover the uninsured. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D., S.C.) said the idea -- suggested by moderate Republican Sen. Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and embraced by moderate Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska -- could save the public option from its opponents.

(snip)

Instead of a public option, the Senate Finance Committee proposal authorizes federal funds to create nonprofit insurance cooperatives. The government would provide loans to help start the cooperatives and grants to make sure they met state solvency requirements. People who earn up to 300% of the poverty level would be eligible for tax credits to help them buy insurance, and some would also be eligible for certain cost-sharing assistance. Families of four earning between about $66,000 and $88,000 would be eligible for credits that go toward their premiums and caps so the cost of their coverage doesn't exceed 13% of their income.





Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125240777810092069.html

[msongs]

1. penalties n punishment are always a good selling point lol. we shall see nt

[NYC_SKP]

9. The penalties are described in the Baucus fucked up proposal, not Obama's words.

You should know better than to trust an article for details like that.

the Baucus plan is available for view, that's where that came from.

[marlakay]

2. this seems insane to me

health costs are so expensive and forcing people to pay by penalty seems cruel as if what we have now isn't cruel enough.

the families i know that don't have it, don't have it because they live pay check to pay check and can't afford a penny more. they are the working poor, but not poor enough to get help. there are a lot in this category.

[sharesunited]

3. So much mishigas. Drop the age of Medicare eligibility to zero.

Subsidize premiums for the poor, sure. Are Medicare premiums subsidized for indigent seniors?

[bkkyosemite]

4. They can shove that trigger where the sun doesn't shine....

[bkkyosemite]

5. I just emailed President Obama and said:

PRESIDENT OBAMA THE LEGISLATORS CAN SHOVE THAT PUBLIC OPTION TRIGGER WHERE THE SUN DOES NOT SHINE...MEDICARE FOR ALL..STRONG PUBLIC OPTION...DO NOT GO BACK ON YOUR PROMISE TO US...I WORKED VERY HARD FOR YOU AND SO DID MILLIONS OF OTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT CAVE AND TO HELL WITH MAX BAUCUS AND HIS INDUSTRY CRONIES...

[t0dd]

6. good.

this is an outrage, and people need to get mad about it. I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!

[sharesunited]

8. Perfectly stated. I want to embroider that onto a sampler and mail it to him.

[bkkyosemite]

11. Wow I want one please! :-).......If anyone is inclined please email the President

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

[Divine Discontent]

14. and then PULL!

seriously, the problem is that the companies have got their expectations to shareholders so high that they have to remain the scum of the Earth insurance hogs they've been for decades, or the investments aren't worth the paper they're printed on - screwing the insured over while giving the profit to the investors is what they're all about - and why the system needs an overhaul to protect our nation's vitality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

screw the profits when it comes to health!

[strategery blunder]

7. So how the fuck does someone at 101% poverty level afford protection $?

Without subsidies?

The president is likely to say that a government-run insurance plan, known as the "public option," will not provide a level of subsidies that give it an unfair advantage over private insurers, according to aides familiar with the speech preparations.

(snip)

Under the plan, people who earn between 100% and 300% of the poverty level (or between about $22,000 a year and $66,000 a year for a family of four) would face fees ranging from $750 to $1,500 a year.

Let's face it, that's what insurance will become...a protection racket. Buy our crappy, defective product or we'll sic the IRS on you.

So a 50 year old in poverty will be coerced into spending HALF of the income on this protection racket?

GAWD, I hate politicians. :grr:

[aesco77]

12. sigh

I'm going to say this as kindly as possible
i might have misunderstood or are you suggesting you would
rather have Medicare/Medical
which is bad enough right now
trying to cover this guy when he develops heart disease or
whatever from being two old as opposed to having health care
that will at least provide a minimal level or cost reduction?
the people this is going to help is either
a) those who the government would end up covering if they got
sick anyways
or
b) those who merely need a basic health care plan while they
work on saving enough money, getting a promotion, whatever it
may be so they can get a better plan 
unless you want more money to medicare (which isn't going to
help because allot of these people don't have jobs)the only
way to have them providing for what they receive is to have
them pay a required amount. Lets face it I'm not the biggest
fan of socialism but unless someone can come up with a viable
alternative its all we've got.

[strategery blunder]

13. Yeah it went whoosh over your head.

Claims denial rates by leading California insurers, first six months of 2009:

• PacifiCare -- 39.6 percent
• Cigna -- 32.7 percent
• HealthNet -- 30 percent
• Kaiser Permanente -- 28.3 percent
• Blue Cross -- 27.9 percent
• Aetna -- 6.4 percent

http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2009/september/california-s-real-death-panels-insurers-deny-21-of-claims.html">Source

So now I ask you this: Why should the government force anyone to purchase a defective private product that is known to fail at its intended purpose up to 39% of the time?

There's actually another word for government compelling purchase private products to enrich corporations: fascism.

Medicare might have its problems, mostly having to do with the fact that only the elderly, the most high-risk demographic, are eligible, so younger, healthier people cannot buy in to even out its per-capita claims. I will sure as hell take government health care over rolling the dice with my health care even WITH private insurance any day.

Edit because I pulled the wrong stat--I accidentally posted denial for initial underwriting when I meant to post denial of claims.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

16. So paying 1/20th of your income for health care is unaffordable? n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. That would depend on the person's income level, wouldn't it?

If you live paycheck to paycheck with no money leftover after the bills are paid and essentials are purchased, then yes, it is unaffordable.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

18. I was using the figures cited in the previous post.

What, in your opinion, is an acceptable percentage of income? 1/30th? 1/50th?

[strategery blunder]

20. You were? Really?

Because I figured health insurance costing $1000/month, for a 50 year old suddenly mandated to buy crap coverage with 39% claims denial rate (Thanks PacificCare!). For someone at 101% of poverty, $1000 month comes out somewhere around 1/2 income, not 1/20th.

You weren't using the same figures I was using... :shrug:

[marshall]

10. It's time to go balls out

I'm glad he is going to be candid, simple, and go for it all.

[PSPS]

15. "will not provide a level of subsidies that give it an unfair advantage over private insurers"

The president is likely to say that a government-run insurance plan, known as the "public option," will not provide a level of subsidies that give it an unfair advantage over private insurers, according to aides familiar with the speech preparations.

What is this? Price supports for the private health insurance racket? The whole idea of using tax rebates/credits simply to launder taxpayer money into the offshore accounts of private insurance company CEO's is, um, outrageous.

[emulatorloo]

19. People, it is the Friggin' WALL STREET JOURNAL, owned by Rupert Murdoch of FOX NEWS fame

So of course the spin is going to be totally distorted and negative.