A big step on health care

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

The Senate passed its health-care bill by a vote of 60 to 39 Thursday. The measure still needs to be reconciled with the House version and then win final approval in both chambers. But comprehensive health-care reform is much closer to reality -- the largest expansion of health-care coverage since the passage of Medicare in 1965. For the many Americans with employer-provided coverage, the impact will be relatively minor in the near future. For others, the changes will be significant, though the bulk of the reforms don't hit until 2013 or 2014.

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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/12/24/GR2009122403255.html?hpid=topnews

[Oregone]

1. Slow the growth in health-care costs?

Shouldn't a focus be actually reducing them? I mean, how many times more in per capita costs does the US have to pay above other industrialized nations before it decides to trim a little fat?

Hey, even I know a quick way to save $400 billion each year, but I reckon you wouldn't want to hear about it.

[mzmolly]

2. I don't understand the desire to hide information by unreccing threads?

Even if we don't agree with the legislation, information is GOOD.

[dipsydoodle]

5. In what way does unreccing threads hide information ?

:shrug:

[mzmolly]

8. Because it takes the info off the greatest page and all we're left with is mass

pissing and moaning. We need more balance on this issue.

[FarLeftFist]

3. The penalty is only 2% of income by 2016?

That is pretty low. Alot of people will probably qualify for hardship exemptions, and those of you whose employer's don't provide coverage now will get coverage. If you were to get laid off you would qualify for a hardship exemption and still receive coverage, possibly even qualifying for medicaid. Also I believe you can stay under your parents insurance until 27.

[regnaD kciN]

4. That's right...

And the Senate bill gives an automatic exemption to anyone for whom the out-of-pocket (i.e. after subsidies, if any) cost of health-insurance premiums exceeds 8% of income.

The answer to your second question would seem to be that, if you get laid-off, you would have no income, so you'd be below the poverty line and would qualify for Medicaid (actually, anyone up to 133% of the poverty line -- working or not -- qualifies for Medicaid, and that might possibly get raised in conference to 150%).

And you're close on children of covered parents -- they can keep coverage until 26.

[gleeindc]

6. And for the newspaper of record, a different take

Many Will Not Feel Effect of Health Care Changes : http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/health/policy/25employer.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes

[Edweird]

7. "Insurers will face tougher competition". From who, exactly? They will have a monopoly

granted to them, and enforced by, the government. In what world does "You HAVE to buy my (crappy) product OR ELSE" translate into any kind of incentive to treat people right or keep rates low? As publicly held corporations they are REQUIRED to do what is best for their shareholders. What's best for their shareholders is what's worst for you. Insurances companies created CREATED this mess. They made our heathcare system a disaster. And now they get rewarded with a captive mandated consumer base. This is WRONG WRONG WRONG!