VIDEO: President Obama signs tweaked health care bill into law

[BirminghamExaminer]

http://www.examiner.com/x-5890-Obama-Administration-Examiner~y2010m3d30-President-Obama-signs-tweaked-health-care-bill-into-law">Before signing the tweaked health care bill, President Obama spoke before a group of northern Virginia community college students. He explained that the health care reform bill would close the doughnut hole that prevents many senior citizens from buying the medicines they need.
[br />President Obama explained then talked about the education bill that was signed into law last week. Essentially, the bill will cut out the middle-men (big banks) from providing student loans for college tuition, saving billions of dollars. Click here to see video and read rest of article.]

[Donnachaidh]

1. uh - did he say WHEN that donut hole will be closed?

The bill says 2020.

So they have another decade of profits for big Pharma.

[BirminghamExaminer]

2. they will get a $250 rebate this year

Provide a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who reach the Part D coverage gap in 2010 and gradually eliminate the Medicare Part D coverage gap by 2020.

[NJmaverick]

3. lol! damn those pesky facts!

:evilgrin:

[SkyDaddy7]

4. I am on Medicare/Medicare Part D...

Due to a spinal cord injury and my meds cost me about $500 a month once I hit the donut hole in May-June. It is a real pain but overall Part D saves me about $1700-2000 year vs having no coverage at all.


I will say this...One of my most expensive meds is made by Pfizer. Well, before President Obama started this Health Care debate Pfizer had this BULLSHIT plan that was suppose to help people like me get their meds straight from them at a discount or even for free. However, when you read the fine print I doubt hardly anyone would qualify...It was just smoke & mirrors so that they can advertise that they care but we all know they don't! I applied twice, once on my own & another time through the spinal rehab hospital I go to (Shepherd Center in Atlanta...WONDERFUL PLACE!) I was denied both times.

Anyway, not long after the debate started last year Pfizer changed their qualifications and I was accepted into their program! They actually send me my meds in the mail for free! So, I credit President Obama with saving my house because otherwise I would have lost it by now. This has allowed me to be able to put some money back for the day that they kick me out of the program which I bet will be soon, who knows?

...I know a lot of folks around here hate Obama for making the deal with big pharma but I can testify it did help a lot of people in my position.

[BirminghamExaminer]

5. Wow, glad to hear you are getting your medicines

I think a lot of people around here are frustrated with the health care bill because it doesn't have a public option in it. But at this point, I'm happy they got any bill passed at all considering the obstructionism going on with the GOP.

I, too, will benefit from the bill but not until 2014. I own my own small business (my husband and I) and so must pay for my own insurance. My insurance bill is $567 per month for me alone. I also have a deductible and the coverage gets worse every year. BCBS of AL calls itself a "non-profit" but that is just on paper. There was an article in Newsweek in the 80s that explained how BCBS was rich beyong "your wildest dreams" even though it calls itself non-profit. In Georgia and Alabama, BCBS gets such huge tax cuts and as long as they give the profits to their CEOs, they can call themselves non-profit. But I got off my subject here.

When the exchange comes into effect in 2014, I will be paying a lot less for my insurance. Hopefully I can hold out that long. As long as we don't need to replace a car, a hot water heater, etc.

I think we should be happy that any health care reform got passed at this point. It can be improved now and in the years to come whereas if Democrats had voted against it because it didn't go far enough, we would have nothing to work from.

[BirminghamExaminer]

6. After sort of defending Obama I get breaking news that he has opened

up offshore drilling for oil:

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wed, March 31, 2010 -- 12:01 AM ET
-----

Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses
of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of
Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas
drilling for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

The proposal -- a compromise that will please oil companies
and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of
affected states and many environmental organizations -- would
end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the
East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central
coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html?emc=na

I knew he was a moderate when I voted for him but sheesh.