What will happen if health care legislation is defeated?

[cali]

Realistically, what would you like to see happen? I'm not talking about the political repercussions, but about the condition of health care in this country.

I believe there's a strong chance that this legislation will be defeated? Realistically, if that happens I don't think that anything at all gets through in this Congress. I'd like to see strong regulation of insurance companies passed with a repeal of McCarren and the 10 billion for CHCs enacted, but I don't think that will happen. It's an election year; if health care legislation goes down, the dems won't touch it again or touch anything related to it.

What will insurance companies do? I think that's pretty clear: Steep price hikes and cuts in benefits will be their immediate response.

I'm not arguing for or against the legislation here, just looking at what the aftermath of a no vote will be.

[tkmorris]

1. What would I like to happen? Irrelevant, because it won't

What WILL happen is Democrats will take an unholy beating come election time. Pass the legislation as it exists now (Senate version) and we'll hold our own. Pass it with a public option and we will do a bit better, better still if it's the Medicare buy-in as proposed by Mr. Grayson.

Like it or not the Dems have invested their future in getting this done. If they don't they appear ineffectual. About 50% of the American public doesn't have a specific ideology either way, they just want to see those in power DO something. Fail, and you suffer the consequences.

[cali]

2. I agree with you about the politicl ramifications. No doubt you're correct

but what about the results beyond that? And yes, I reluctantly support the passage of the legislation, though I suspect it won't pass.

[eridani]

6. It is passing the legislation that will guarantee us a beating, if

--it has excise taxes and no public option.

[sendero]

10. I disagree..

... I believe the "personal mandate" will be immensely unpopular and that if this bill is passed without a strong PO the Dems will be SLAUGHTERED in Nov.

We'll just have to wait and see.

As for the insurance cos they are going to do what they like whether this bill passes or not.

[maryf]

3. Private health insurance must go...Public health care for all!

and if we can go back to Obama's words (paraphrased) "if we were to start from scratch, single payer..." well, wouldn't this be from scratch??? HR 676 between 15 and 29 pages depending on your format...makes sense: Everybody In, Nobody out Improved Medicare for all! no copays, no deductibles, full dental and vision included!! And the greedy insurance companies go bye-bye (anyone here not like that part?? they have a provision to retrain and pay the insurance workers for 2 full years!!) We only have a small raise in our medicare tax that we already have!!! And the implementation is easy as its already in place! just expand it for everyone! And if you think "medicare is in trouble" this is the solution! Medicare covers the elderly and sick, include the healthy and young and its coffers will overflow!

Hey Cali, I'm reccing this as its a good conversation to start...

[cali]

12. thanks for the rec. much as I'd like to see public healthcare for all

no in gov't is going to start from scratch if this legislation gets deleted. It's just not gonna happen in this not-the-best-of-all-possible-worlds.

[ThomWV]

4. Return to steady-state normal, which means steady price increases and increased segregation of users

The prices would continue to ramp up but not quite as fast as we're seeing now, but fast. Also, there would be a much higher emphasis on getting remaining customer into smaller and more specialized risk pools with even more people dumped from roles. Oh, and as prices go up employers contributions will either remain steady or decrease, thus shifting more of the cost to workers - who's wages will remain flat or may in fact deflate.

In short its a receipt for disaster, just disaster a few days later than the track we are on right now.

Added on Edit: And you can expect to see that "Blood Bath" in the next election everyone predicts.

[2Design]

5. prices will double and anyone ill will be dropped - only

government employees will have health care and we will be paying a lot more in taxes to insure they have retirement and benefits

[havocmom]

17. From the Beck/FOX newsletter?

[2Design]

18. no from insurance companies and hospitals and big parm playbook n/t

[havocmom]

21. playbook or paybook?

I am a touch dyslexic and always get those three confused ;)

[eridani]

7. What happens is that we have the same shitty situation either way

The Dems ought to just pass the parts about Medicare, Medicaid and public clinics.

[Vinca]

8. It's obvious what will happen. More people will lose coverage and more will die.

Maybe in another 5 years when 3/4 of the population can't afford medical care, something will happen. I'm completely disgusted with this corporate-run country.

Edited to add: The bill is lousy, many will be left on the side of the road anyway, but some will actually get care. Since it's the only thing on the horizon, I guess it's better to pass it than not, but the whole exercise has turned into a waste of time IMHO. A month should have been devoted to this and the bill should have been "Medicare For All."

[hobbit709]

9. Same thing that happens now

The poor will die.
The middle class will go bankrupt and die.
The rich will laugh all the way to the bank.

[sendero]

11. Which is exactly..

... the same thing that will happen if THIS BILL without a strong Public Option is passed.

[3324SS]

13. It needs to be defeated

as it stands now!

the bill as it is now is nothing but a giveaway to the insurance companies.

The Dems will have earned the beating that they will get in November.

Will I vote for the Pub, nope, but if the Dem voted for the current HC Bill I won't vote for them either.

[rucky]

15. and then what?

[cali]

16. um, you didn't address the topic.

[rucky]

14. What I would like to see happen is not realistic.

I'm afraid.

[NC_Nurse]

19. We'll wait another 10 years for a new attempt. More people will be uninsured

and premiums will continue to skyrocket. This bill is a start, but not a complete solution. I wonder if we'll get ANY solutions
to the huge problems facing our country with all the big corporations controlling everything the govt does.

Climate change
Communications regulation
Financial regulation
Immigration
Healthcare
and on and on...

I can't imagine anything truly beneficial for the American people coming out of negotiations on these issues from this bought and paid for Congress.

It's fucking pathetic. Big companies are ruining our future. Instead of innovating and enhancing the lives of the people, they fight for the status quo and their chokehold
on the public. We have no choices anymore that aren't controlled by big telecom, big oil, big coal, big banks and the fucking Chamber of Conmen. I am sick of it all.

[Unvanguard]

20. The status quo continues for at least another decade, probably.

More uninsured and underinsured, more bankruptcies, more deaths. The Democrats will be terrified of trying again, and won't have the political resources to do so in any case; any Republican attempt at health care reform will make things worse in the unlikely event that it even happens. Nothing good will come of killing this bill. Prospects for improvement later are much higher with it than without it, its present quality aside, simply because the mandate provision means that cost worries will by necessity be on the national agenda.

[SOS]

22. Business as usual until the collapse

Overcharging, underinsurance, denial of treatment, thousands dead, millions locked out of the system, profiteering and $50 million CEOs.
Until it completely collapses, like Wall Street in 2008.

http://thedemocraticdaily.com/2008/10/11/will-health-care-be-the-next-banking-collapse/