[mandated] Health Care Industry in Talks to Shape Policy

[biopowertoday]

my preference is for single payer. Period.

but seems it will not be that way at all.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/politics/20health.html?_r=1&ref=health&pagewanted=print


February 20, 2009
Health Care Industry in Talks to Shape Policy
By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON — Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation’s long-running health care debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, with the blessing of the Senate’s leading proponent of universal health insurance, Edward M. Kennedy, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate.

Many of the parties, from big insurance companies to lobbyists for consumers, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, are embracing the idea that comprehensive health care legislation should include a requirement that every American carry insurance.

.........
The talks, which are taking place behind closed doors, are unusual. Lobbyists for a wide range of interest groups — some of which were involved in defeating national health legislation in 1993-4 — are meeting with the staff of Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, in a search for common ground.

.................

While President Obama is not directly represented in the talks, the White House has been kept informed and is encouraging the Senate effort as a way to get the ball rolling on health legislation.

...............

“While there was some diversity of views,” it said, “the sense of the room is that an individual obligation to purchase insurance should be part of reform if that obligation is coupled with effective mechanisms to make coverage meaningful and affordable.”

The ideas discussed include a proposal to penalize people who fail to comply with the “individual obligation” to have insurance.

......................................

The 20 people who regularly attend the meetings on Capitol Hill include lobbyists for AARP, Aetna, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Business Roundtable, Easter Seals, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. It will be a rip off if all they do is mandate that people carry health insurance

and do nothing to regulate the industry practices of denying claims over trivial matters, making people literally wait for hours to find answers only to get a runaround, and who practice medicine by telling doctors what they can and cannot do for their patients.

[JeffR]

2. Rip off is too mild a description, Ayesha.

It'll be a stinking, dishonest con-job and example #4012 of the United States being so far out of step with the rest of the industrialized world that it would be funny if it weren't so damn tragic.

[demodonkey]

3. If they don't do single-payer, it won't do the job!

Call your congressperson and senators NOW & demand single-payer!

Single payer healthcare for ALL. We can't afford NOT to do this.

[AllentownJake]

4. The entire Health Insurance and Big Pharma is about to coming crashing down too

They rely heavily on group employee health benefits plans for profits. They've been gouging American companies and their employees ever since defeating Healthcare in the 90s. COBRA is so expensive that most unemployed workers would rather take their chances and use their savings to keep their house rather than pay the healthcare cost. Private plans sold to small business owners are also not being sold because small businesses are failing all accross the country. Everytime you see a layoff or a business fail that is bad news for the Health Insurance comapanies.

Hospitals and Doctors are having their Medicaid rates cut or frozen due to the State's budget crisis. More and more kids are being put on the CHIP program and more and more people are qualifing for Medicaid. With their cost rising due to the medicaid cuts the hospitals and doctors are increasing the rates they charge private insurance companies.

Big Pharma makes its money off of US citizens. All other industrialized nations of the world do not allow them to gouge their citizens the way we are gouged into paying for prescription drugs. Less people with insurance means more people buying generics or no drugs at all.

Like the banks, their greed is causing the system to soon coming crashing down.

[avaistheone1]

5. It is so damn frustrating that Obama and his team just don't get it.

People are losing their health care left and right as all these jobs have fallen off the chopping block. I have a friend who works for Kaiser who says that enrollments are down 25%. People are going without insurance who would normally carry it. This is a real crisis in our country and the Obama administration shows no signs that they get it all.

The stimulus' effort to give recently unemployed approximately 50% of their COBRA payment isn't enough. Besides I resent my tax dollars going to the health insurance industry who pay their CEOs multi-million dollar salaries and more - while at the same time they charge consumers ridiculous premiums and other fees as deny service to policy holders.

The time for single-payer universal coverage is now. If the Obama people had been smarter instead of giving GM their initial bailout dollars, the GM workers would have been better off if our government had rolled out universal single payer coverage for them. The GM workers would have had their health care needs met, and the tax payers would have seen their tax dollars used for something useful - rather than those tax dollars going down the GM rathole. BTW GM is knocking on Congress' door for another bailout.

[Kalyke]

11. GM knows this and actually supports it...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/business/06auto.html

A G.M. spokeswoman, Michelle Bunker, said the company had not specifically called for a single-payer health care plan, in which a government program would be created to offer health care benefits.

But she said G.M. “believes that all Americans should have access to insurance, and we are working with key players to make sure that everyone has high-quality care at low cost.”

Although G.M. is making the initial investment, Ford Motor and Chrysler also would make proportional contributions, if they agree to similar terms in their new contracts with the U.A.W., according to the contract language.

The Big Three were all over this in 2007 - but no one followed suit.

[Bread and Circus]

6. This is an instance where it will be worse if they try and fail...

mandated health insurance will fail.

And then, after the Dems have shot their wad on this ill faited adventure the Repubs will swoop in with the "see gov't can't get it right" and we will be another 40 years from sustainable universal health care.

This is a time, Obama has to weigh all the options and then go with what is proven to work in other countries.

A half measure won't work.

[avaistheone1]

7. Single-payer universal coverage will benefit the economy too.

It will create well over 2.5 million new health care jobs. These are jobs that will not go away like jobs related to building stimulus funded bridges and roads.

[tsuki]

8. Secret meetings with Big Insurance & Big Pharma. Shades of

Cheney.

[Vinca]

9. The problem with these people and their policies . . .

beyond the obvious . . . is that most of them are wealthy and cannot appreciate the plight of average Americans. They're apt to cook up an "affordable" plan at $10,000 a year. Chump change to most of them, but still keeping healthcare out of the reach of most of us who need it. I don't see why a national, single-payer healthcare plan funded by a tax on something is such a damn stretch.

[harun]

10. Translation = were screwed. H.R. 676 or die trying.

[biopowertoday]

12. I had posted the National call in day that and except for1 poster, it SANK

[TheBigotBasher]

14. I posted several weeks back that now is the best opportunity for true healthcare.

The voters who gave the Democratic Party the House, the Senate and the Presidency want real solutions. They do no want to be made criminals because they could not afford the insurance that month. Very few voters would have read the fine print of any Candidates health care plans. They just knew that for the last 10 years at least the Democratic Party wanted single payer, universal health care.

The infrastructure is already there to implement it. The voters want it and your treatment at a hospital should always be determined on the basis of medical need not some insurance clause determining the maximum level of coverage provided.

[biopowertoday]

15. You are right and I am glad yo posted

it. but seems many are ready to settle for less --including whoever from the Senate is in these secret meetings.

damm!

[TheBigotBasher]

16. I was actually pretty shocked at the negativity towards the idea.

I thought I had entered the Freepers. It is indicative of the battle ahead that so many Democratic supporters are convinced universal health care is a bad thing or too hard to fight for.

The Primaries were a long time ago and none of the Presidential could have expected the strong mandate of change that the voters delivered. The two lead candidates promised health care that was deliverable given the circumstances of Congress at the time. Those circumstances have changed. The voters want real solutions for real problems and one of those is true health care. Not to be mandated to pay a bill that they can not afford.

[Raineyb]

13. Madating people to buy health care from these rapacious insurance companies

will only serve to further impoverish the American people.

Considering how piss poor these companies are, I wouldn't want to be forced to buy into any of them. For all that you'll pay they certainly don't cover all your needs.

Here's what happened to me today.

When I got laid off I applied to go back to college. After several setbacks concerning transcripts and having difficulty getting them in I've finally gotten to the point where I can register for classes. Or so I think. I arrived to find that half of the faxed records had disappeared. But based on what they did have they said that my MMR vaccination is inadequate. If I want to be further screwed as far as registering for classes I am free to go to the vaccination clinic they will be having tomorrow at 2. (After registration for the day is done) so I would have to wait until Wednesday to register. I thought I was being proactive by deciding to go to my doctor to get it done. The copay is $20 I thought 20 bucks while not insignificant given my unemployed status is a small price to pay to expedite matters. Boy was I wrong.

My doctor didn't have the MMR vaccine. I'm not surprised it's not often an adult asks for it (and frankly I don't think I need the damn thing I've already had it twice when once was sufficient to get into school but I digress.) I couldn't get to the one of 3 clinics in all of NYC that the board of health could point me to. The Board of Health guy said I might be better off finding a pediatrician to do it.

I must have called every bloody pediatrician on the United Healthcare website. No one would give me the shot without charging me out of pocket despite the fact that 1. They are in network doctors and 2. I had specifically called United Healthcare to ask if this would be a problem in the first place.

I had one doctor slam the phone down on me after I objected to a $200 office visit charge after snapping at me "I have to get paid too." I wasn't asking for a handout, I was asking to get the shot that is covered by my insurance. I had no beef with paying the co-pay. I did however have beef with paying out of pocket for something that is covered by my insurance. So for all the calls I made I will just have to wait 2 more days to get cleared to register for classes. Frustrating yes but thankfully not life threatening.

So this is just a small slice of the bullshit that one puts up with in our current system. Forcing people to buy into it isn't going to change this.

If anyone is truly interested in changing health care for the better it ought to be 1. Single payer and 2. not for profit. Your health should never, ever depend on whether or not you can pay because not for nothing but the last thing anyone ever wants to hear is how you can't get some medical procedure because "I've got to get paid too!"

BTW, I did make damn sure I filed a complaint against the rude son of a bitch the second he hung up on me.

Regards