If you still cannot purchase mandated insurance, you can get a waiver!

[slipslidingaway]

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1913410-1,00.html

http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/07/30/president-obamas-hardship-waivers/


"...Karen Tumulty: What about — you mentioned that subsidies have to be there. What’s — you’re hearing now — 300% . Is that enough? Is that really —

President Obama: Until I actually see the numbers, I don’t want to give a definitive answer on that. I do think that if we can figure out what is a fair, appropriate percentage of your income that you’re paying on health care, and peg it — peg subsidies so that it’s meeting that test, potentially with some regional variation then we’ll get it right. And I think that the committees are working on that. That’s the kind of detail that we had anticipated working through in conference. If it turns out that Congress just can’t get there and that’s the holdup, then we’ll give a very definitive idea of where we need to go on it."


This entry is from Dr. McCanne's Quote of the Day, a daily health policy update on the single-payer health care reform movement. The QotD is archived on PNHP's website...

"Detail? Figuring out how to make insurance affordable if it is to protect families from the financial burden of the $16,771 already being spent on average for health care? 300 percent of poverty? 400 percent of poverty?

Play with the numbers all you want. Using the model of reform selected by the President and Congress automatically limits the total subsidies to an amount that will not increase the deficit in the federal budget. Even if the majority of employers continue to displace wage or salary increases in exchange for health benefits, the number of hardship waivers issued will have to be much larger than most are projecting. If employers finally bail out, the majority of us would require hardship waivers.

You don’t believe me? Do the numbers, starting with the amount of money they propose to spend on subsidies."

[Hello_Kitty]

1. So the subsidies can't increase the deficit?

We are fucked. This is corporate welfare.

[slipslidingaway]

2. Obama has said this plan would be "deficit neutral" ...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Obama+%2B+deficit+neutral+%2B+health+plan&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

[Oregone]

3. Is war spending deficit neutral?

Do we secure an oil contract each time a drone takes out a wedding party?

[slipslidingaway]

4. For some things we need cash, others we'll put on the credit card...

:(

[blue_onyx]

5. Obama was against a mandate during the campaign

and I'll be angry if he changes his position.

[slipslidingaway]

6. "The individual mandate is probably the one area where I basically changed my mind."

page 4 of the Time interview...

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1913410-4,00.html

"...But some things have changed. I mean, for instance you were very much against an individual mandate. Could you describe how your thinking has evolved on this issue as you've sort of gotten — and also at the time you defined success as universal coverage by the end of your first term.

I feel pretty good that I've been pretty consistent on this. The individual mandate is probably the one area where I basically changed my mind. The more deeply I got into the issue, the more I felt that the dangers of adverse selection justified us creating a system that shares responsibility, as long as we were actually making health insurance affordable and there was a hardship waiver for those who, even with generous subsidies, couldn't afford it. And that remains my position."

[blue_onyx]

8. Disappointing

:-(

[slipslidingaway]

9. Well I've been disappointed since single-payer advocates were

excluded.

:(

[slipslidingaway]

7. 2009 Milliman Medical Index ... in case people are wondering about the $16,771

http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/05/21/2009-milliman-medical-index/

16 page pdf
http://www.milliman.com/expertise/healthcare/products-tools/mmi/pdfs/milliman-medical-index-2009.pdf

2009 Milliman Medical Index
Milliman, Inc.
May 2009

"The fifth annual Milliman Medical Index (MMI) measures average annual medical spending for a typical American family of four covered by an employer-sponsored preferred provider organization (PPO) program.

The total 2009 medical cost for a typical American family of four is $16,771..."

[slipslidingaway]

10. kick nt