What changes to the bill would you like to see in conference?

[SpartanDem]

The public option and medicare buy in are dead and the excise is tax likely to stay in some form or another. But that doesn't mean there aren't other important changes to push for, personally I'd like to see a national exchanges. an 85% MLR across the board(small group and individual MLR is set at 80%) and higher minimum actuarial values.

[Cleita]

1. We can't get rid of the insurers right now, so squeezing their

profits could be a beginning.

[FreakinDJ]

2. Kill the Bill

If you can't take out the excise tax on middle class aAmerican Families

If you can't allow a generous Medicare Buy In

If you can't include a Strong Public Option

THEN YOU NEED TO SEE THIS BILL FOR WHAT IT IS

A POISON PILL

[IndianaGreen]

3. I want to see the House vote down the bill that comes out of conference

because it lacks public option, else the Democrats will rightfully be blamed for the largest middle class tax increase in decades.

[xchrom]

4. At this point make the Medicaid more expansive. Nt

[rwheeler31]

5. We have to get something we can build on.

States will experiment. Thanks Bernie

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. to expand VA to include the poor (those familes earning under $300,000 per annum)

the VA is a fine body to expand.

[karynnj]

10. $299,999 is poor? Who knew?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

20. sure!

[karynnj]

29. Really? Poor?

I seriously hope that you are kidding. You could live very very comfortably in any city in the US on $299,999 - even NYC.

[quakerboy]

7. Re importation

At this point, I say kill the mandate. Without the mandate, this bill is a starting place. With it, it is a recipe for disaster.

With that said, a few key things that would be important to me:

Drug re importation.
Universal coverage for children.
something to control the cost side of things(ie, regulating the costs so that I do not end up paying more with insurance than I do without, and that my insurance does not get to pay less while I have to pay more privately to make up for it)

[HughMoran]

22. Re-importation is going to be taken up later

It will be a good issue to exploit the Republicans on and they feel they don't need to fight this battle in the healthcare bill which is focused more on getting people coverage etc.

[quakerboy]

23. I will believe it when I see it.

I took as much on faith as I felt I could. And I feel betrayed, as not a single one of the things I cared about has seen what I would consider significant action. I do not trust any of our politicians to do anything until it is done, and has been in action for enough time to show results.

In summary, don't tell me, show me. They voted it down now, and I havn't seen any reason why it would be different 6 months from now. And a year from now, I feel certain we will have less, not more, senators, which makes it even less likely.

[HughMoran]

24. I don't care about your feelings

The Obama administration/Congress said it was pulled from the bill so it could be addressed later. If it doesn't happen later - that's the time to complain. He's already done more in one year than any President in my lifetime.

[quakerboy]

28. Great

So we have established that you and I have no basis for communication because you care not one whit for anything I might bring to the table. One might wonder why you would bother to respond to me at all. Other than purely to taunt me with your lack of care and drive a wedge further into the divide in our party.

[Laelth]

8. Put back the Kucinich Amendment.

Honestly, I don't think this is possible since neither the House bill nor the Senate bill contains a provision allowing states to adopt single-payer systems if they want them.

After all, the purposes of the bill are to bail out the insurance industry and to prevent any state from enacting a single-payer system.

But that's about the only change that could cause me to support this legislation.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Oregone]

9. Its painful and brutal death

[jenmito]

11. Sarah Palin?

[IndianaGreen]

12. Your health stocks will skyrockets, while union workers' paychecks will shrink

Thank you for the biggest middle class tax increase in decades.

[jenmito]

13. I don't have health stocks. But I have the sense to know that passing a bill will

do much more for us than NOT passing it.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Your beloved bill will tax the health benefits of union workers

and they will punish those responsible at the polls.

[jenmito]

18. "SEIU, AFL-CIO signal they won't stand in way of moving Senate healthcare bill"

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/72807-seiu-backs-passing-senate-bill-despite-complaints :shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

19. CWA Presents 18 Studies Outlining Negative Effects of Excise Tax

CWA Presents 18 Studies Outlining Negative Effects of Excise Tax

December 22, 2009

New compendium of government & private sector reports proves excise tax on health plans does not bend the cost curve, impacts the middle class, and will reduce benefits

Communications Workers of America (CWA) supports methods for funding reform included in House bill, including modest surtax on wealthiest Americans

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) today presented a compendium of eighteen reports from both government and private sector organizations that debunk key arguments made by proponents of the tax. The reports show that the Senate tax on health care plans will affect more than just "Cadillac" plans, result in substantial benefit cuts and increased cost sharing to the middle class, and not bend the health care cost curve.

"These numerous reports make clear that a tax on health care plans is the opposite of reform – it will hit middle-class families and working Americans hard," said Larry Cohen, President of the Communications Workers of America. "The health plan excise tax will not let families keep the good health plans they have now."

The compendium was released as the Senate nears passage of its version of the health care bill, which contains the so-called "Cadillac tax" as a mechanism for funding reform. The House bill contains alternative methods for paying for reform including taxing the wealthiest Americans. The differences in the two bills will need to be reconciled.

http://www.cwa-union.org/news/cwa-presents-18-studies-outlining-negative-effects-of-excise-tax.html

[TheKentuckian]

15. National exchanges, tax the wealthy not workers, remove the anti-trust exemption

all three at minimum or 2/3 + remove the mandates or kill it.

[Ken Burch]

16. Restoration of the right of the feds to negotiate with Big Pharma over drug prices

FULL subsidy for anyone who can't afford the insurance.

Upward premium limits for those made to buy the coverage(and, as long as the mandate is in place, NO deductible-there is no such thing as a "frivolous doctor visit").

That's a start.

[muntrv]

17. Remove requirement to have insurance.

[HughMoran]

21. pre-existing removed before 2014 for adults, don't tax union plans, expand community health centers

make it easier for public plans to be part of the exchange. That's all I can think off the top of my head.

[levander]

27. They're doing something for pre-existings before 2014...

It's not letting them in on regular health insurance, yet. But, the bill is supposed to have increased funding for state high risk pools, which would make it easier for those folks to get insurance. I heard something about that anyway.

[Ken Burch]

25. Removal of the antitrust exemption

Given that Big Forma won on everything else, this isn't too much to ask.

[levander]

26. Fully fund the medicaid expansion

I'm no economist, but I've played around a little with the number. It really don't look to me like funding the Medicaid expansion would cost that much more. And, the states clearly can't afford funding it themselves. It's an unfunded mandate. It shouldn't be there.

And, assuming it doesn't cost so much, I bet they will do that. A lot of the back-room dirty deals were Senators getting Medicaid funding for their states. Just give it to all the states. That eliminates about half of the back-room dirty deals we know about.

But really, I want this bill killed. Almost 60% of the nation is against it. It deeply saddens me to think Congress would do something that so much of the nation is against.