I have seen all the negativity from some people on here regarding

[akbacchus_BC]

the health care reform! Any DUers on here who can tell me if this Bill will help Americans? If you are against HCR, I have seen it all but please free to comment.

I really want to hear from DUers who feel that this Bill is better than nothing!

Thanks and best regards
akbacchus

[Skittles]

1. and please, use the word "access" and not "coverage"

[akbacchus_BC]

2. I didn't use either of those two words, LOL. However, Kudos to President

Obama, Nancy Pelosi and their team to get this bill pass, it is a start. Bet you saw how the rethugs were against it, yet they enjoy good medical but do not want the citizens of America to have access to what they have!

[vaberella]

28. That should tip you off on how this person reads texts.

They read what they want and if it's not there they insert it. I personally think the bill does some major good. There are somethings people see as loopholes, but overall it's a win because Obama has installed a major new entity to enforce the rules and regs on the health care industry.

[akbacchus_BC]

43. I so agree with you Vab. Now Obama has to fix everything! I say,

President Obama, we the people are with you and we do not expect you to change 8 years of Bush in one year! The people who support you, have your back. You are doing great! And take a vacation!

[SwampG8r]

3. only slightly better than nothing

the mandate is wrong and must go
the fed does not have the "right" to order the purchase of a product

[akbacchus_BC]

5. You know, President Obama wants you all to have health care! Why

he is being blamed for shit that never passed, at least he is trying. I would a love single payer if that could have passed. Anything is better than nothing and then we work from here to make it better. What other solution you have?

[SwampG8r]

13. how about some tort reform

and make insurance available across state lines
you asked the question in your OP
was it just to get people to argue with?
and why didnt any of this pass?its because it wasnt proposed
the dodge of the GOP blocking it is exposed now as bullshit
they didnt have the votes to block a damn thing
when you have the ball and there is no defense on the field would you run halfway to the endzone or all the way?
this is downing the ball on our own 35 yard line

[unapatriciated]

30. Tort reform won't really affect the price of Insurance Premiums

This article is a good read and yes it was written by a lawyer.
http://www.oneillaw.com/tr/index.html
Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of medicine. The truth is that if all so called frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits were eliminated, it would not change the cost of medicine at all. This is because total malpractice premiums make up a very small percentage of the cost of medicine, and frivolous malpractice lawsuits make up a very small percentage of malpractice lawsuits.

Before You make Insurance available across state lines you need strong federal regulations in place that have a proven track record.
If you don't the major companies will set up shop in the states that have laws that benefit the company with little or no protection for the insured.

[dionysus]

32. tort reform won't bring down costs.

[SwampG8r]

38. it would sure have brought down the costs in my wifes practice

[mstinamotorcity]

34. Every time I hear about Tort Reform

It really gets me kinda of mad.I know malpractice insurance is high. They say that ob/gyn pay the most.But when you start thinking of some of the things that happen in medical situations that end in personal injury,just how much is a body part worth to you.There have been cases where they have removed the wrong breast,the wrong limb,disfigurement,medical supplies left in patients during surgery,even a man who had his penis mistakenly amputated.I mean what? See it is easy to talk about tort reform but an informed person knows that it barely makes up one percent of the medical cost ratio.We want fair and decent insurance rates for our doctors and medical professionals,but we also want the right when we suffer damages to have the right to seek fair compensation.And yes there are some cases when mediation is a fair process.:hi: :hi: :hi:

[SwampG8r]

37. and i will admit i have a bad taste from

a year a go when my wife,a nurse-midwife, was drawn into a suit by a patient of another practice who she had neither seen nor treated but because of her business relationship as the relief/emergency call
relief as in hey i have been on for 36 hours can you cover me so i can grab a couple hours sleep?
and emergency as in please come to jackson memorial and help us after the hurricanes

nothing at all medically was ever done bymy wife for or to this woman who it turned out had someone elses green card she was never positively identified yet she managed to bend every one of the insurers over for 20k each
now when you search my wifes record she comes up as having been sued and settling
sweet deal huh?
the plaintiff still not positively known by the way and her lawyer admitted that my wife was not a party in any way but refused to release her from the suit
yes damn right tort reform
my wifes insurance rates went up 30% as the results of that and she buys her own
no one kicks in to help pay for that insurance for her
so goddamn right tort reform
until the lawyers stop being a bunch of greedy fucks we NEED tort reform to protect us
until they have had you in their slimy shitpicking talons you cant know what its like

[mstinamotorcity]

39. No, you are right

I don't know what it is like to be on that end of the lawsuit or any other. But I do know what it is like when someone you love goes in for a hernia repair on a hernia the size of a nickel and end up with their bowels cut and distended in knots after the repair,which ended up with a return trip to the emergency room of the same hospital where the patient was sent home and conditions worsened and patient was taken to another hospital where an emergency surgery was done to correct the problem caused by another surgical team which led to a two week stay in the hospital and six different doctors including an infectious blood physician. Then having no recourse because the patient didn't die.I guess we all have our pain.:hi:

[SwampG8r]

48. forgive my venting please

i promise im not a TOTAL jerk but that subject presses my spleen
i know from both sides just like you
i worked with a fine man a retired jamacian military man who decided to become an american
he went to the hospital with chest pains and was offered an enema
he went the next day and was offered a scrip for some stomach drug
he went the next day dead from a massive coronary
here is the kicker
he WORKED at that hospital!

i do understand there is a real need for the ability to sue inept jackasses
but until we tie the results of the lawsuits with the ability to gain a license to practice its all just an insurance money pit

[mstinamotorcity]

49. I realize medicine is based

on science and theory. And I want willing doctors and nurses to have the ability to practice medicine.I want them to have affordable insurance.We need these professionals in order to have a healthy America. But when a mistake is made no matter how little then there needs to be a form of restitution that is acceptable to all parties concerned. Because a small medical mistake could cost a family thousands of dollars in lost wages,recovery time,and medical costs.This shit just ain't funny.People are catching it with medical issues on both sides. And ranting is good. But so is dialog. Thats what makes a democracy great. When opposing points of view come to common ground that there is a problem. You know whats next.A solution. Won't be long now!!!!Well I can dream :think: :think: :think: :hi:

[Oregone]

17. Then he should have pursued legislation that guaranteed it

And the same level of care for people too, rich or poor.


But instead the brought an old rejected Republican idea into law.

[gateley]

15. When is the mandate supposed to go into effect, do you know? Thanks.

[bigwillq]

18. 2014 (nt)

[gateley]

20. I really think by then we'll have Grayson's or Weiner's plan or a combo of the two

in place, and if so, that would totally negate the need for a mandate.

Problem-o solved! :hi:

[bigwillq]

21. I hope so.

I am not a fan of the mandate. :hi:

[gateley]

33. I don't think anybody is a fan of the mandate so I'm happy to hear it isn't

slated 'til 2014 -- gives us time. And maybe I'm being too idealistic, but I think a plan like Grayson's would negate most of the aspects of this bill that we don't like.

[saltpoint]

4. I like our neighbors south and I like our neighbors north, akbacchus_BC.

So I say howdy and happy springtime.

Also I say the U.S. should be more willing to learn from other nations' health care systems. Your country, for example. France. And so on.

Other places do it better than we've ever done and we ought to be more willing to listen.

[akbacchus_BC]

6. I know sweetie, love to meet up with you. We all wish the most powerful

country on earth can get with the effing flow. Medicare for all!

Glad to see you online!

[saltpoint]

7. Good to see you also, friend from the north.

Please don't judge the rest of us U.S. Americans by George Bush's example!

A lot of us never liked him one iota, I swear!

[akbacchus_BC]

8. oh, my friend, I would never judge you, never. Just wanna tell you all

how much I love you and want the best for you all in health care. This was a remarkable achievement and you all gotta fight for a better system. Remember, President Obama inherited a boat load of shit and he is trying and he needs all of you to help him. Am so proud of him, like you would not know. Best frigging President in history who is trying his darnest!

[saltpoint]

9. I'm a fan of the man myself.

Thanks for the kind words and the big gesture and for being such a class act.

[akbacchus_BC]

10. Aw, ya know I liked you from day one and lots of others on here. This is

history with this President and am so proud to be a friend of yours and I gotta say, DU is the best refuge ever for democrats!

Best wishes to you my friend and keep up the good work.

[saltpoint]

11. Same back to you, and a very early springtime with a torrent of

daffodils and good music and blue skies.

:hug: :yourock:

[akbacchus_BC]

12. Aw, that is so wonderful, thank you. The cherry tries are blooming.

Off topic, I miss the crowds during the Olympics, been out and about and I had withdrawal symptoms, LOL, but took so very good photos of the flames. Vancouver and Canada did good, am a proud Canadian/West Indian. I cannot find any good music these days, got a ride home with daughters and the rap music is not my forte.

[saltpoint]

14. I hear you on the Olympics. Canada looked VERY sharp in that world

coverage.

People were paying attention, akbacchus, and they liked what they saw.

Y'all are doin' it right up there!

Carry on!

[akbacchus_BC]

22. You know, I was not on board for the Olympics, the Campbell govt only polled

people in Vancouver for it, but due to less snow all of us in BC will be paying for the shortfall, We are very unhappy but Canadians will go along with the deficit and as usual, we will bite our tongues and I hope Gordon Campell gets drunk and drive again in Hawaii. He is like george bush you know!

[sandnsea]

16. This year...

From Nancy Ann DeParle

•This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
•This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
•This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.
•This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
•In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.
•This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs. Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
•This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.
•This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.
•This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
•This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the 'donut hole.'

[Ozymanithrax]

19. To begin with, they can not use a pre-existing condition to remove children from health care...

Also, children can stay on their parents health care until 26. (We parents worry about our children.)

If those were the only two things, they are real progress and that makes this a progressive bill that improves the lives of Americans.

[truedelphi]

23. Here is some interesting monetary figures to convey why

Some of us get so upset
These figures show that we spend FAR MORE than is spent PER CAPITA in this country, yet we receive the worst care. Even though in many cases even those of us who are middle incomed are spending more than much wealthier people in other nations, we don't get good care.
As Avedon Carol pointed out back in December

"In 2007, public expenditure (i.e., tax money) on health care per person, was around $3,300. That's before you paid your "insurer", before you paid your doctor, before you paid for any form of treatment, you paid $3,300 whether you needed it or not. (As an American, you also had the privilege of paying even more than that for commercial costs, bringing your total to an average of $7290.) In that same year in England, the total expenditure of taxation and private expenditure was$2,992 per person. *

Let me put that another way:

US paid by your taxes: $3,300 (or thereabouts)

UK taxes plus private: $2,992

And the kicker is, even relatively low-income minorities in the UK get better health care than the well-off in America."

http://sideshow.me.uk/sdec09.htm#12231553

Stats on current spending regarding health care

[old mark]

24. The reason the health insurance regulation act was so important

was that it is the FIRST time the insurance business has been regulated at all - it is THE foot in the door re: national healthcare, without which nothing could be done in the future to actually create a single payer or PO type plan. even republican presidents wishing to do something about health insurance over the last decades - back to Nixon - could not get anything done. This certainly has a long way to go, but it is THE first step ans as such is a genuine accomplishment.

I am sorry everyone did not get their wish for overnight change to a single payer plan, but until the right magically becomes enlightened or all drops dead, we would not have had any chance of succeding with a more progressive plan.


mark

[unapatriciated]

29. It may be the first time for federal regulations but

California has been trying to regulate them since the early 90's. You can't deny coverage for pre-existing after a 90 day waiting period and the 'Fair Claims Practice Act' tried to address constant denial and reviews (the In.s Co. used this piece legislation to their advantage).
Hopefully they will look at the problems that Californian Insureds have experienced even with tough regulations. We need stiff penalties for companies who ignore federal regulations, not a fine that they pay because it is cheaper than providing coverage.

I'm not wishing for anything overnight just that they listen and learn from what I and many Californians have gone through (even with strong regulations) at the hands of the Insurance Companies. It shouldn't matter if "the right magically becomes enlightened" to pass the fixes this bill needs, since we didn't need them to pass this bill (not one Repub Y vote)

[old mark]

31. Various states already have or are close to universal health care - this

is the first FEDERAL law directly controling it, and as such is historic - people have been proposing such laws since 1880's, but the money was always louder than the people's needs.

mark

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

25. Read the Bill....(nt)

[RBInMaine]

26. There are MANY benefits and POSITIVES. They have bee listed time and again.

MANY ins. reforms like stopping pre-existing conditions, etc., the health exchanges, wellness incentives, young people can stay on parental policies longer, and now college loan improvements too.
There are MANY good things. This is far from perfect, but it is a decent START.

[elocs]

27. You honestly mean to say that you have not read anything in the past weeks

by DUers who feel this bill is better than nothing? Really? :shrug:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

35. It is better than nothing because...

Since the *political* necessity is so great it would be better than nothing even if it was slightly worse than nothing. And it doesn't seem disastrous in and of itself.

(It may be disastrous to not do single-payer this minute, but that disaster would not be prevented by not passing this bill.)

And it will help some people somewhere in the foreseeable future... maybe not me, but somebody.

And it establishes this stuff as the province of the government, a necessary step.

I could crack on the particulars of the bill all day long but I am glad it passed.

[dkf]

36. This bill is being sold as something it's not.

It reforms only the most eggregious practices and has miniscule cost controls expecting insurance companies to moderate costs when they have shown minimal ability to do so.

When I hear Steny Hoyer say no one will have to file bankruptcy over medical costs I don't see the difference between this deception and what banks did with mortgages or what health insurers did with recission.

All those players are not being truthful.

[Bluenorthwest]

40. It continues and expands discrimination against GLBT families

Why are you for discrimination? How does that aspect of the 'reform' help anyone? Guess it pleases the anti equality Tea Bag/ Tim Kaine crowd. But does pleasing them really help anyone?

[akbacchus_BC]

41. I understand where you are coming from. You should see the documentary

about Americans coming to Canada, Our laws have changed a lot. We are very conservative and Coulter is allowed to come here, not when Trudeau was in power but Harper, a piece of shit!

Any of you Americans looking for a way out, I'd marry you! I am single!

[akbacchus_BC]

42. Blue, the current administration is not against you! The Economy was the first

to fix and am pretty sure DADT will be repealed. The admin cannot fix everything, but am with you!

What you want the President to do?

[jillan]

44. Before you can walk, you have to take that first step.

I'm sorry that you don't get that.

They couldn't get a PO, they barely got this bill passed. You know damn well that Grayson, Weiner, Kucinich, Sanders - and more - will not stop fighting for a PO.

I am thrilled because my 20 year old has problems with her thyroid. In 2 years she would've been kicked off our insurance & would've had to find insurance on her own. Now she won't be. Thank you President Obama!

[akbacchus_BC]

45. Jillan am very sorry for you but am not to blame for the PO to be

passed in the US, I want you all to have our health care system but bashing me is not gonna help. Call your Senators, they are covered.

[jillan]

47. My Senators? You mean McCain and Kyl - I wish I had a Senator I could call that

gave a shit.

I wasn't bashing you, I'm sorry you felt that way. I look at this bill as the first step, and maybe I'm crazy, but I believe there are enough people in Congress that will continue to fight for true reform.

[vaberella]

46. I figured you could read it for yourself or information summarizing it.

We did. Further more it shocks me that you've seen all the negativity---yet have managed to skip past the positive?! There are plenty of threads on this board dedicated to the advantages---so I don't see what's so difficult you had to create a thread unless you wanted to start some sort of trouble.

[secondwind]

50. IT'S A START, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIX "NOTHING", SO WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO AMEND AND

IMPROVE UPON! I'm happy as can be, I hear they are considering a public option amendment this summer!

[akbacchus_BC]

51. That was a really nice response, thank you. The US has to start

somewhere regarding medicare for all, single option would have been great but not even Dems were for the PO. I am sure that improvements will occur to this bill which is historic, in my opinion. I just want you all in the US to have what we have in Canada. Be assured, if Premier Campbell could have his way, we will be in the same boat as you all. We gotta fight for what we are entitled to, as we pay taxes.

Peace and love to all of you.