Healthcare reform

[southsider2k5]

My father was in Nam and exposed to agent orange, so let's say I have a unique perspective on this.

 

Do you know what he'd have to go through to collect on that? His friends did...and it's so red-tape filled that by the time you start collecting you're probably dead or dying...that's how awesomely efficient the VA is.

 

I do as well. Its hard to collect for something the government refused to admit actually happened. The federal government has a long history of these actions, such as denying Roswell even existed so that they didn't have to pay out benefits to people who were exposed to god knows what sort of poisons.

[EvilMonkey]

In no way am I saying ignore the insurance companies, as there ARE things that can be done, however...they are NOT the primary target. If you want lower insurance rates, tell the f***ing hospitals to stop sending insane bills for insane procedures that shouldn't cost what they do to the insurance companies.

Yeah, I recall the bill when my son had surgery on his shoulder. A doc would come in and chat for 5 minutes, tops, and we got billed $500 for a 'consult'. Pain reliever (Tylenol!) was $10 a pill. They charged $42 for a 'shaving kit' to shave the hair off his shoulder area before surgery. The kit consisted of a tiny can of Edge Gel, a Bic disposable razor and an alcohol pad.

[mr_genius]

In no way am I saying ignore the insurance companies, as there ARE things that can be done, however...they are NOT the primary target. If you want lower insurance rates, tell the f***ing hospitals to stop sending insane bills for insane procedures that shouldn't cost what they do to the insurance companies.

 

+ 100

[Balta1701]

Who is this woman and what did she do with Dianne Feinstein?

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) became the 11th Senator to sign on to a new effort by Democrats to press Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to pass a public option for insurance coverage using reconciliation, her office confirmed to the Huffington Post on Wednesday.

Is she facing a primary challenge I don't know about? That's bizarre for her.

[Cknolls]

INDIANAPOLIS – Health insurer WellPoint blames the Great Recession and rising medical costs for its planned 39 percent rate increase for some California customers. To President Barack Obama, however, it's Exhibit A in his campaign to revive the health care overhaul.

 

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who received the company's explanation in a letter Thursday, said "it remains difficult to understand" how premium increases of that size by can be justified when WellPoint Inc. reported a $2.7 billion profit in the last quarter of 2009.

 

 

 

But failed to mention 2.2 billion of that profit came from the one time sale of a subsidiary. But who needs details.

[Cknolls]

INDIANAPOLIS – Health insurer WellPoint blames the Great Recession and rising medical costs for its planned 39 percent rate increase for some California customers. To President Barack Obama, however, it's Exhibit A in his campaign to revive the health care overhaul.

 

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who received the company's explanation in a letter Thursday, said "it remains difficult to understand" how premium increases of that size by can be justified when WellPoint Inc. reported a $2.7 billion profit in the last quarter of 2009.

 

 

I believe they would blame the State of California for the increase. Anthem Blue Cross, the Wellpoint subsidiary that is raising the rates on 700,000 of its customers says it is due to state regulations. Even after their customers' COBRA benefits are exhausted, the State bars Anthem from dropping them. And they cap what Anthem can charge these people. That's fair. Who is left to subsidize these people but currently employed customers. Sebelius and Messiah also do not mention Wellpoint lost $58 million on these post COBRA people. But then again they do not care as long as they can paint an insurer as a greedy institution.

[KipWellsFan]

Who is this woman and what did she do with Dianne Feinstein?

Is she facing a primary challenge I don't know about? That's bizarre for her.

 

Soooo... ummmm..... 40 or so Senators to go?

[southsider2k5]

I believe they would blame the State of California for the increase. Anthem Blue Cross, the Wellpoint subsidiary that is raising the rates on 700,000 of its customers says it is due to state regulations. Even after their customers' COBRA benefits are exhausted, the State bars Anthem from dropping them. And they cap what Anthem can charge these people. That's fair. Who is left to subsidize these people but currently employed customers. Sebelius and Messiah also do not mention Wellpoint lost $58 million on these post COBRA people. But then again they do not care as long as they can paint an insurer as a greedy institution.

 

And Obama gets to get up in front of America and paint the story exactly like that, even if it isn't really true.

[Texsox]

I believe they would blame the State of California for the increase. Anthem Blue Cross, the Wellpoint subsidiary that is raising the rates on 700,000 of its customers says it is due to state regulations. Even after their customers' COBRA benefits are exhausted, the State bars Anthem from dropping them. And they cap what Anthem can charge these people. That's fair. Who is left to subsidize these people but currently employed customers. Sebelius and Messiah also do not mention Wellpoint lost $58 million on these post COBRA people. But then again they do not care as long as they can paint an insurer as a greedy institution.

 

When I was on COBRA I paid 100% of the premium plus a service fee. What is being subsidized here?

 

Wait, they made only $500,000,000 even after they paid out the $58,000,000?

Edited February 18, 2010 by Tex

[Balta1701]

If they aren't at least considering trying to bring this up for a reconciliation vote, I don't know what the Hell they're doing. The base is already exhausted with hearing about a public option and then having it snatched away, if they're bringing this up again only to kick their base back down one more time, they're out of their minds.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Obama to Offer Health Bill to Ease Impasse as Bipartisan Meeting Approaches

President Obama will put forward comprehensive health care legislation intended to bridge differences between Senate and House Democrats ahead of a summit meeting with Republicans next week, senior administration officials and Congressional aides said Thursday.

 

Democratic officials said the president’s proposal was being written so that it could be attached to a budget bill as a way of averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The procedure, known as budget reconciliation, would let Democrats advance the bill with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote supermajority.

 

Congressional Democrats, however, have not yet seen the proposal or signed on.

 

The House and the Senate each adopted a version of sweeping health care legislation late last year. But efforts to combine the measures stalled after a Republican, Scott Brown, won a special Senate election in Massachusetts on Jan. 19, effectively stripping the Democrats of the 60th vote they needed to overcome Republican filibusters.

 

“It will be a reconciliation bill,” one Democratic aide said. “If Republicans don’t come with any substantial offers, this is what we would do.”

 

Officials said that the White House would post the president’s plan on the Internet by Monday morning. But even as Mr. Obama tries to unite his party behind a single plan, it is unclear that Democrats can muster the needed votes in the House and the Senate given the tense political climate of a midterm election year.

......

The president’s plan would require most Americans to obtain health insurance or face financial penalties; it would bar insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions, and it would give tax subsidies to help moderate-income people buy private insurance.

 

Officials said the president’s bill was expected to include a version of the Senate’s proposed tax on high-cost, employer-sponsored insurance policies. It would reflect a deal reached with labor union leaders to limit the impact of the tax on workers.

 

More recently, some labor officials have expressed dissatisfaction with that deal, and many House Democrats remain opposed to the excise tax.

 

Democrats said it was still unclear how the president would deal with other disagreements, including the issue of insurance coverage for abortions.

[Balta1701]

I wonder a number of things. Will it be a fully fleshed-out, we could pass this tomorrow type bill, or will it be a general outline of one again? How long will it be?

[HuskyCaucasian]

Reid Will Push For Public Option Through Reconciliation

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Friday afternoon that he would work with other Democrats and the White House to pass a public option through reconciliation if that's the legislative path the party chooses.

[Balta1701]

The impression I'm getting from Press reports this morning is that this is the big new thing in the Obama compromise reform package proposal coming out today.

President Obama will propose on Monday giving the federal government new power to block excessive rate increases by health insurance companies, as he rolls out comprehensive legislation to revamp the nation’s health care system, White House officials said Sunday.

 

The president’s legislation aims to bridge differences between the bills adopted by the House and Senate late last year, and to frame his debate with Republicans over health policy at a televised meeting on Thursday.

 

By focusing on the effort to tighten regulation of insurance costs, a new element not included in either the House or Senate bills, Mr. Obama is seizing on outrage over recent premium increases of up to 39 percent announced by Anthem Blue Cross of California and moving to portray the Democrats’ health overhaul as a way to protect Americans from profiteering insurers.

 

Congressional Republicans have long denounced the Democrats’ legislation as a “government takeover” of health care. And while they are likely to resist any expansion of federal authority over existing state regulators, they will face a tough balancing act at the meeting with the president to avoid appearing as if they are willing to allow steep premium increases like those by Anthem.

Without knowing all the details, my first instinct is that this may be great politics and not the best policy.

[Rex Kickass]

The impression I'm getting from Press reports this morning is that this is the big new thing in the Obama compromise reform package proposal coming out today.

Without knowing all the details, my first instinct is that this may be great politics and not the best policy.

 

I don't know. We regulate utilities' rate increases. It may not be a horrible idea, but it is something I wish could be done on a state by state level.

[Balta1701]

I don't know. We regulate utilities' rate increases. It may not be a horrible idea, but it is something I wish could be done on a state by state level.

In a number of cases, it is already done on a state by state level, I believe. This would just create an additional regulator at the national level, if I understand things.

 

And FWIW, citing anything in this country involving utility companies as a model for how things ought to be done is going to make me start finding rocks to throw at you, because they're one of the few worse industries than Health Care.

[Texsox]

I'd rather the market dictated the rates, but that doesn't seem to be working.

[kapkomet]

I'd rather the market dictated the rates, but that doesn't seem to be working.

 

 

Why?

 

/grabs some popcorn.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Obama urges repeal of insurers antitrust exemption

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama urged Congress on Tuesday to strip health insurers of their decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws — hardening his stand against the industry as he tries to revive his stalled health care overhaul.

 

The White House announced Obama's support for a House bill that would repeal the industry's antitrust exemption, saying that would foster a more competitive marketplace that benefits consumers. The announcement follows Obama's call for new federal rate-setting powers that would give the Health and Human Services department the power to deny excessive increases in health insurance premiums.

 

"Removing this exemption will allow appropriate enforcement and examination of potential policies that might prove uncompetitve, or might stifle competition," spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

 

Obama has scheduled a health care summit with congressional leaders of both parties for Thursday, in a bid to rescue Democratic health care plans passed by both chambers that stalled after Democrats lost their 60-seat majority in the Senate. On Monday, he unveiled a proposal that sought to bridge the differences between the House and Senate bills.

 

Health insurance premiums have been climbing even as general inflation remains low. A spate of double-digit increases for people who buy their own policies has infuriated consumers, and the president is trying to tap the outrage to build support for his comprehensive remake.

 

The House could vote later this week on the measure, which has strong Democratic support. However, prospects in the Senate are unclear. Industry analysts say losing the exemption would not have a major effect on the way health insurance companies do business these days.

[Cknolls]

Sen. Kent Conrad (D., N.D.) a crucial Democratic vote in the Senate should reconciliation be pursued, said bluntly that the House must pass the Senate bill as-is before the Senate will take up a "sidecar" of compromises on the legislation.

 

"I don't know of any way, I don't know of any way where you can have a reconciliation bill pass before the bill that it is meant to reconcile passes," said Conrad, who would be a central figure on the Senate floor if Democrats embark on the complicated process. "I don't know how you would deal with the scoring. I don't know how I could look you in the eye and say this package reduces the deficit. It's kind of got the cart before the horse."

 

When reminded that House Democrats don't want to do health care in that order, Conrad said bluntly: "Fine, then it's dead."

 

 

[bmags]

reconciliation = 50. that's all.

[jasonxctf]

I'd rather the market dictated the rates, but that doesn't seem to be working.

 

lack of competition plus i suspect a backroom cartel to a certain extent. (think airlines back in the 70's)

[Rex Kickass]

Not usually one to talk about Sarah Palin very often. But I thought this was interesting. She gave a speech in Calgary recently, and she admitted that her family would border hop into Canada to take advantage of their health care system.

 

The vocal opponent of health care reform in the U.S. steered largely clear of the topic except to reveal a tidbit about her life growing up not far from Whitehorse.

 

"We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada," she said. "And I think now, isn't that ironic."

 

http://www.medicinehatnews.com/node/186723

[Texsox]

Not usually one to talk about Sarah Palin very often. But I thought this was interesting. She gave a speech in Calgary recently, and she admitted that her family would border hop into Canada to take advantage of their health care system.

 

 

 

http://www.medicinehatnews.com/node/186723

 

 

Down here it is crossing to Mexico for treatments that are not available here or cheaper drugs.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Not usually one to talk about Sarah Palin very often. But I thought this was interesting. She gave a speech in Calgary recently, and she admitted that her family would border hop into Canada to take advantage of their health care system.

 

 

 

http://www.medicinehatnews.com/node/186723

Say good-bye to 2012 Mrs. Palin.

 

Edit: now to be fair, it would seem she was talking about when she was a child... so she didnt have much control over the matter.

Edited March 8, 2010 by Athomeboy_2000