Some facts about the Senate Healthcare bill

[JamesA1102]

Even without a public option or expansion of Medicare it will:

1. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE - Reduces the donut hole by $500 and institutes a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, effective January 1. 2010.

2. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH-RISK POLL) - Creates a temporary insurance program until the Exchange is available for individuals who have been uninsured for several months or have been denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions.

3. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE - Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage.

4. ENDS RESCISSIONS - Prohibits insurers from nullifying or rescinding a patient's policy when they file a claim for benefits, except in the case of fraud.

5. EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 27TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENT'S INSURANCE - Requires health plans to allow young people through age 26 to remain n their parents' insurance policy, at the parents' choice.

6. ELIMINATES COST-SHARING FOR PREVENTATIVE SERVICES IN MEDICARE - Eliminates co-payments for preventative services and exempts preventative services from deductibles from the Medicare program.

7. IMPROVES HELP FOR LOW-INCOME MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES - Improves the low-income protection programs in Medicare to assure more individuals are able to access this vital help.

8. PROVIDES NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE - Prohibits Medicare Advantage plans from charging enrollees higher cost-sharing for services in their private plan than what is charged in traditional Medicare.

9. IMMEDIATE SUNSHINE ON PRICE GOUGING - Discourages excessive price increases by insurance companies through review and disclosure of insurance rate increases.

10. CONTINUITY FOR DISPLACED WORKERS - Allows Americans to keep their COBRA coverage until the Exchange is in place and they can access affordable coverage.

11. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM - Creates a long-term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled.

12. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES - Creates a $10 billion fund to finance a temporary reinsurance program to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64.

13. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS - Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.

14. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS - Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao Tse

[Richardo]

1. Thank you

:patriot:

[nilram]

7. ditto, k&r

[Vincardog]

2. IS it still going to mandate that we buy overpriced under preforming private insurance or pay a fine...

[sojourner]

3. thank you...there is so much spinning hard to know what IS vs what ISN'T

[ramapo]

4. Sorry, but these gutless bastards have failed us

This single step has taken nearly a year. Your points 1-14 should have taken a week.

The most important aspects to me are your points 2-4, especially point 2 as my son has been denied coverage.

I am suspect as to how "wonderful" this "help" for the uninsured will turn out. Instead of putting the "high risk" individuals on an equal footing with everybody else, much as they are in a large group through the traditional employment benefit, they will be subject to additional premiums while still being denied choice of insurance.

I see little being done to limit the ability of insurance companies to gouge us.

I'm not even sure that these "improvements" will be better than what is now offered by mandate here in New Jersey. We might actually lose out here depending upon what takes precedence, the federal or state rules.

Basically this is a case of the lobbyists and moneyed interests making out like bandits while the politicians declare a big victory "for the people". In other words, we've been screwed.

[doc03]

6. With the recession and our dysfunctional system it's about

all we can expect. Try again after we get Lieberman out of office.

[DURHAM D]

5. Is #11 a private insurance plan? nt

[eridani]

8. All of this is bullshit in the face of mandatory private insurance.

This is a leftover Pelosi press release, and has nothing to do with the Senate bill anyway.

1. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE — Reduces the donut hole by $500 and institutes a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, effective January 1, 2010.

Throw the above on the burn pile and start over. This is an area where incrementalism is witless. Pass one piece of legislation abolishing the entire donut hole starting now. And negotiate bulk prices with pharmaceutical companies while you are at it.

2. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH-RISK POOL) — Creates a temporary insurance program until the Exchange is available for individuals who have been uninsured for several months or have been denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions.

Burn pile. A useless overpriced abortion, given that it would probably be like what high risk pools at the state level are now. Just let high risk people into Medicare early like we do with disabled people. Put the subsidy money into Medicare to take care of the extra expense.


9. IMMEDIATE SUNSHINE ON PRICE GOUGING—Discourages excessive price increases by insurance companies through review and disclosure of insurance rate increases.

Burn pile-- useless tripe, not unlike Conyers' sternly worded letters to Rove et al chastising them for refusing to answer subpoenas. If we have to work through private insurance, just cut the nonsense and regulate what they can charge and what they must cover like every other civilized country with privately insured universal care does.

12. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES—Creates a $10 billon fund to finance a temporary reinsurance program to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64.

Burn pile. Useless to retirees with no access to such benefits. Put the $10 billion into Medicare, and allow retirees in this age group to join, as Senator Rockefeller has already proposed. Direct benefits to retirees should trump benefits to employers.

Each of the following could be separate bills.

11. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM—Creates a long-term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled.

13. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS—Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.

14. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS — Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.

[Dr Fate]

9. Thanks for the point-by point- and info on the source of this-very informative.

n/t

[ThePhilosopher04]

10. I bet it won't do any of what you say...

Insurance companies will either blow right through the loop holes or the Republican congress that will sweep into power over the next couple of elections will make immediate changes before anything positive goes into effect...and the gutless bastards that are the Democrats will sit idly by and let it happen.

We have been sold down the river and we have no paddle.

[cali]

11. and loopholes abound

Furthermore, it cuts Medicare by a whopping 500 billion over 10 years. It forces people to pay an average of 27% of their incomes to private insurance companies. It provides no real teeth for policing Insurance companies.

It's a fucking disaster.

Kill the piece of shit.

[Dr Fate]

12. 27% of our incomes to private insurance companies? Jesus Christ.

At least the DNC and DCCC will have a good idea as to where my donations were moved to!