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President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 23, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Health care -- one year later ... A nation still divided … and confused … Who’s left in Congress who voted for and against it … Where it stands in the courts … What’s ACTUALLY in effect … What will be and when … Bet you didn’t know … By the numbers
From NBC's Chuck Todd, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg, Carrie Dann, and Kevin Hurd
*** Health care -- one year later: Today marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the health-care overhaul into law. That debate, the town halls, the process, and the late-night votes consumed every bit of the political oxygen for a year and were the subject of heated political rhetoric and spin (see: “Death panels,” pulling the plug on grandma, “government takeover,” socialism, and the public option). But look at what’s happened since (in order): the BP oil spill, the Greece riots, Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, floods in Pakistan, Democrats’ “shellacking” in the midterms, Republicans take control of the House, Rahm Emanuel becomes Chicago mayor, Bill Daley replaces him at the White House, a new press secretary, no more Michael Steele, Tucson, Tunisia, Egypt, Japan, and Libya.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
*** A nation still divided…: Back to the health-care anniversary … the needle hasn’t moved all that much on the health-care bill’s popularity. In the most recent monthly tracking poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 42% of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of the bill compared to 46% who saw it unfavorably. In April 2010, just after the bill was signed, the numbers were a similar -- but more favorable -- 46%-40%. In November 2010, when the midterm elections put the politics of health care front and center, those numbers were 42%-40%. The 2010 exit polls, which reflected an electorate that voted to sweep Democrats out of power in the House, showed an equally split country -- with 47% saying it should either be expanded or left as is and 48% saying it should be repealed. Kaiser’s numbers are similar to the ones shown by our NBC/WSJ poll. In March 2010, right before the legislation passed, 46% said they supported passage, 45% opposed. That’s exactly the same breakdown as NBC/WSJ found 10 months later in January 2011 on a DIFFERENT question -- on whether they supported or opposed its repeal.
*** …And still equally confused: Polling indicates Americans continue to be confused about how the bill will impact them, what’s actually in it, what’s been implemented, and whether it’s been repealed. Kaiser shows that, as of March, 53% say they are “confused” about their feelings on the law. In April 2010, 55% said they were confused. That dipped to 42% by June, but then spiked back up to 53% by September, dipped again to 43% by December and ticked back up at the beginning of this year; 52% say that they don’t know enough about the legislation to understand how it will affect their lives. That’s about the same as April 2010, when 56% said so. Incredibly, almost half in February of this year said INCORRECTLY either the bill had been repealed (22%) or weren’t sure (26%).
*** Congress -- who’s left: Of the 219 House Democrats who voted for the health care bill, 171 remain. The four House Democrats who voted for the health-care bill and ran for Senate all lost. Of the 34 House Democrats who voted no, 14 remain. One, Charlie Melancon (LA-3) ran for the Senate and lost. Of the 56 Senate Democrats who voted for it, 46 remain, 11 of whom won re-election in 2010. Of the three Senate Democrats who voted against it, two remain. Only one -- Blanche Lincoln (AR) -- was up for re-election last year. And she lost. (Republicans point out that NO Senate Democrats voted against the bill the first time around on the Christmas Eve vote.) *** UPDATE *** Republicans also point out that "six of the last eight Senate Dems to decide whether to support the health care bill will either not run for reelection or have been beaten. The seventh will be in a dogfight this year and the eighth will likely be reelected barring something dramatic in Vermont: Lincoln – lost; Ben Nelson – will likely lose; Lieberman – retire; Bayh – retire; Webb – retire; Conrad – retire; Feingold (because it wasn’t liberal enough) – lost; Brown (D - OH) (because it wasn’t liberal enough) – ??; Sanders (because it wasn’t liberal enough) – ??"
*** Where it stands in the courts: Nearly two dozen legal challenges have been filed in federal court over the law, NBC’s Pete Williams reports. And while most have been dismissed on technical grounds, five resulted in decisions on the central issue -- whether the law’s requirement that nearly all Americans buy health insurance is unconstitutional. The five cases are pending before federal appeals courts, and one may reach the U.S. Supreme court during its next term. In three of those cases, filed in Virginia, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., judges said the law is constitutional. In the other two, brought by the states of Virginia and Florida, judges said Congress exceeded its powers in passing the law. The lawsuit filed by Florida was backed by 25 other states. Adding Virginia, that brings to 27 the number of states challenging the law’s constitutionality. Six more cases are pending in the lower courts.
*** How is the law affecting you RIGHT NOW? There were cries of, “Have you read the bill?” and “What’s in the bill?” which led to a lot of the confusion. Well, here’s some of what’s ACTUALLY in the bill that’s taken effect already or will this year, per NBC’s Betsy Cline and others:
- Children allowed to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until their 26th birthday.
- A 10% tax on indoor tanning services. (Sorry, Snooki.)
- Seniors receive a $250 rebate to help cover the so-called “donut hole” in Medicare drug coverage
- Free preventative care covered by Medicare and private plans. (So, when your company says, “Good news, you now get free health-care screenings, child well visits, physicals and other preventative care,” that comes from the health-care bill.)
- Nursing mothers to be allowed lactation breaks
- Insurance companies no longer allowed to discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions
- Government-run insurance plan set up for adults with preexisting conditions who are denied coverage
- Government-run long-term care program set up. For those who participate, people pay premiums for five years and then will receive benefits if they need them -- “whether they are 20-somethings in snowboard accidents or 80-somethings with Parkinson’s disease,” the New York Times wrote.
- Insurance companies barred from placing lifetime caps on benefits
- Insurance companies barred from dropping patients’ coverage when they get sick
- Insurance companies must prove they spend 80% to 85% of premium revenue on medical services.
- Insurance companies required to disclose rate increases (and the reason) of 10% or more
- Small businesses (with fewer than 50 employees) begin receiving tax credits covering 35% of premiums to help them buy coverage. (This credit jumps to 50% in 2014.)
- States receive billions in funding for community health centers
- Drug companies face $2.5 billion in fees (rises in later years)
- Creation of a government research institute created to examine the effectiveness of medical treatments
- Establishment of a Medicare Independent Advisory Board, which will be tasked with trying to keep Medicare spending down and submitting legislative proposals to do so. It will first submit recommendations in 2016.
*** How will it affect you IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS? If most of that sounds good (that is, unless you’re Snooki), Republicans will rightly argue the law was front-loaded with many of the positive parts. In 2013, new taxes and fees go into effect for individuals making more than $200,000 a year (and families making more than $250,000 a year), on dividends and interest, and on sales of medical devices. By 2014, the individual mandate goes into effect -- if you don’t have insurance, you have to buy it or face a fee. By 2016, that fee will be 2.5% of your income or $695 a year, whichever is more. (Kaiser has a helpful interactive timeline here.)
*** Bet you didn’t know…: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office yesterday passed around a quote from Starbucks’ CEO, who said, “I think as the bill is currently written and if it was going to land in 2014 under the current guidelines, the pressure on small businesses, because of the mandate, is too great.” It’s true that by 2014, businesses with more than 100 employees will have to contribute to buying health insurance for their employees or face hefty fines (if at least one of their employees qualifies for tax credits, but not Medicaid). But, we bet you didn’t know that businesses with fewer than 50 employees NEVER have to buy health insurance for their employees, per the White House.
*** By the numbers: For all your quick facts needs, here’s a health care, by numbers (gathered from published reports, the Kaiser Family Foundation, government health-care Web sites, the Department of Health and Human Services, and White House “fact sheets”):
- $2.8 billion: Dollars distributed so far to states to implement the law.
- $241 million: Dollars given so far to six states and a “coalition of states” in “Early Innovator” grants
- $50 million: Dollars to go out this year for five-year medical malpractice grants to go out this year to states to “develop, implement, and evaluate alternatives to current tort litigations”
- $50 million: Dollars in grants sent to states to establish exchanges
- $46 million: Dollars in grants so far to states to address insurance rate increases
- 4 million: People received $250 because they hit the Medicare “donut hole” since the law passed
- 12,000: People who were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions since the law was passed and were added to the government-run Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan
- 1,040: Waivers granted that allow companies to cap annual payouts at lower levels than the original law orders
- 219: House Democrats voted for the health-care bill
- 171: House Democrats remain in Congress
- 63: House seats Democrats lost in the 2010 midterms
- 56: Senate Democrats voted for the bill
- 53: Percent who say they’re still confused by the law
- 48: Percent who say they think the law has either been repealed (22%) or aren’t sure (26%)
- 46: Democrats who voted for the bill remain in the Senate
- 38: States whose legislatures have proposed measures opposing elements of health reform
- 27: States have challenged the constitutionality of the law
- 26: Percent who say they’re not sure if the health-care law has been repealed
- 22: Percent who say incorrectly that the health-care law has been repealed
- 6: States -- Nevada, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, and Iowa -- all have applied for waivers and are being reviewed
- 6: Cases pending in lower courts challenging the health-care law
- 5: Health-care lawsuits taken up by the courts out of the dozens of cases that were filed -- most centered on the individual mandate, which requires all Americans to buy health insurance
- 3: Steps the Small Business Administration created for small businesses to apply for or see if they qualify for government subsidies. The SBA claims, “Four million of the nation’s six million small businesses that employ workers could be eligible for these credits.”
- 3: Court decisions in court in favor of the administration
- 2: Court decisions against the administration.
- 1: State -- Maine has undergone the full process to get approval for a waiver on the 80%-85% provision of the health-care law. It got the provision adjusted to 65% through 2012. The reason for approval, per HHS: “The main insurance company that provides coverage for about” one-third of the 37,000 people on the individual market “said they may leave the market if they are required to meet the higher standard.”
- 1: Other state -- New Hampshire -- is farthest along in its waiver process and has a hearing set for Thursday.
Leave a Comment:
We need to end all socialized medicine now..its not fair that 180 million are singled out for guvment largess and the rest of us can go eat cake and pay our own bills...end medicare, tricare and medicaid now and get those socialists off the dole.
Lets start with the red states, they have been living on the dole long enough.
the mentality in the white house can best be understood by this piece of news. March 10 Cleveland Texas headline. Eleven year old female was raped in an abandoned trailer by 18 black males. Some of them filmed it on their cell phones and all 18 blacks were arrested. The new black panthers is investigating claiming racism because no whites were arrested. Those that are crying racism and bigotry on this site are doing so from the comfort of their security, and ignorance of the real world. The eleven year old hispanic child does not have security. The issue of racism, was is and always be the behavior demonstrated in this article.
I am confused by your statement that the "mentality in the white house....." I think that anyone who rapes be they black, white, yellow, red should be castrated and their manhoods dried and chained around their necks. Where are these "new black panthers" you speak of. Surely you not referring to those 2 clowns in front of the polling place in Chicago? Chris, you rant and rave about racisim and bigotry but for the life of me I don't see how this article ties in with your post. I think you should take a closer look in a mirror and if you are truly honest with yourself, you won't like what you see.
The new black panthers are complaining about racism in this rape situation. That is sad, they are not concerned about the crime, just how it makes them look as blacks. That is what all who support Obama claim about his critics, even Obama blames criticism on racism. The New Black Panthers are a political group renamed and a large black organization "fighting racism". Google them for yourself. Get informed on what is really happening out their. As for looking in the mirror, well a similar situation happend to my friend, except the four blacks when they were done shot her in the head and threw her body in an vacant lot filled. She was only 25, and a nice white young lady. They are animals
There was a black man who was tied to a car and dragged miles and miles in Texas. His skin was peeled from his body and left a trail along that road. He was a nice black man and he's dead. There was a nice young black boy and I mean boy that walked up to a police man in NY. It was on a Thanksgiving Day. The boy asked the cop what he was doing and that bastard shot the kid in the face and he died. That cop was put of desk duty!!!!!! There are atrocities happening every flipping day in this country to blacks and whites. I know where you're coming from and so does everybody else reading your posts. It's not just black people who do horrible, ugly things to other human beings (believe it or not). As I said before, look in the mirror!
fix it or get rid of it, yes my health care went up and not by a little. we teach our children when you make a mistake just say you did and learn from it. guess you can't teach the brain dead.
frank. I bet if you check you will find your costs have not risen any more then they have in years past.
My health care premiums went up yearly for 15 years and many years before that, long before HCR was passed; it is illogical to say that President Obama's HCR had anything to do with those increased costs.
I got a letter from Humana last Oct. saying that they will no longer offer my Medicare Advantage Health Insurance.
"do to the costs associated with the Affordable Care Act,Humana will no loner be offering The Humana Advantage Gold Policy."
I thought I could 'keep my Insurance Policy if I liked it'.
Thanks Obama and Democrats. I am now a registered Independent. Was a registered Democrat for 45 years.
slodon,
I got a letter from my Health Care provider telling me that there wouldn't be a life-time limit and if I had a child on my policy that was under 26, they'd still be covered. If I were you, I'd look at another company for coverage. Some people are blaming this administration for the shameful greed of these companies. You're not living, breathing people to them, you are a number. It's all about numbers to them, they don't give a flying fart about you and your health. If you pay and never get sick, they keep you. If you start costing them one flipping dime, they drop you. You could have kept your Insurance policy if you liked it, but the fact is "they didn't like you"!
Oldlady,
You think it will be any different with the government?? Come on, it will be much worse. We will still have to deal with the insurance company & have to pay out the rear to cover everyone's insurance pre-existing conditions. I am all for the government covering the real poor & those that can not get insurance for medical reasons. But it is a socialist program that wants everyone to have to pay for it. People are struggling to pay bills now. If they are force to have insurance that they can not afford or pay a fine for not having insurance, they will loose everything and then become poor also.
In a perfect world it would be nice to cover everyone, but it is not realistic. The cost is insurmountable. Look at what it is doing to other countries in Europe. Greece in particular. They going under, due that the free health care & guaranteed worker pensions were Unsustainable. This is the road we are on if this goes on. We have to make hard choices to get our country back to where it needs to be. That means stop voting party lines & vote for what is right. It is going to take a lot of painful cuts & sacrifice to make that happen. Neither the Dems or Repubs want to do that. They just want to pass the buck to the next generations to handle.
Go to Youtube and look up the 60 minutes interview with Ron Paul. The ask your self why it never aired? Ask your self why the independent party is never in the big debates? Neither party is working for us anymore & have not for a very long time. It is time that we make a stand to get this country back to where it needs to be. But it has to be done to save this country.
We pay for people with pre-existing conditions now, because they are not covered. The money is just moved around.
There appears to be some "confusion" in Washington as well. Seems like it's going to cost more than anticipated- even though it hasn't really started yet.
The polls show we are at worst we are devided on the Presidents health care bill. So why do the pundits act and report as if a majority are opposed?
Patrick, I was watching CNN this morning and there poll indicated that support for HCR had declined from last year by 2 points. When it was passed last year it had 39% support this year support is at 37%
You were watching CNN, now that's not a biased news source is it? You look at another source and you'll get totally different percentages...another source, even more.
The governors are crunching the numbers and the states will be footing the total bill starting in 2014. Obama made sure of this by pushing down the road till after 2012. States are predicting increases in cost, going from 20% of budget to as high as 46% of the state budgets due to the increased numbers that go on medicaid, over 16 million . This indirectly impacts on what you are paying for healthcare while at the same time blaming state governments for higher taxes and less services elsewhere. That is why so many states are sueing.
And that's why we should have a single payer option. You want to keep your insurance company, fine. Just let me have choices. If I don't want my premiums going the the CEO's and used for real health care, let me have that choice. And I'm not blaming state governments for higher taxes. I am, however, blaming the Federal Government for not allowing Bush's Tax Breaks to expire as they were suppose to BY LAW! It boggles the mind that that money could be used to help millions, but instead line the pockets of a couple of hundred. But's that's a whole 'nother other.
What if the media had done a better job shutting down the untruths told about health care during the debate and final passage? What if politicians on the right had not made up death panels, government take over, and touted the daily socialism tirade? What if the media had spent less time covering Tea Party rallies and more time telling viewers and listeners what was actually in the bill? What if people had turned off the TV talking heads and made up their own mind by actually reading the proposed legislation and it's various amended stages--it was on line? One thought that I have had consistently is this: if republicans had passed this same legislation (which Romney did in Massachusetts) and President Bush had signed it, we would not be discussing whether or not people like it. Afterall, it was President Bush who signed the Medicare Rx program--was that a government takeover of seniors' prescription medication or good policy designed to help people (even though flawed)?
The problem for republican legislators is that from the moment President Obama was elected, their goal was to deny and defeat anything he proposed. That included health care reform which many republican legislators were on previous record of supporting an overhaul to the existing system, that is until a democrat became CIC. How sad that the benefits contained within the legislation that actually help Americans, that work us toward wellness care rather than sick care would be used as a political wedge to promote the defeat of what was actually good for Americans in the name of ideology. Republican legislators know that much of HCR was good and necessary and will, in the long term, reduce costs but they cannot allow a victory for this President even if what HCR did was good for the country.
let's discuss the Death Panels for a second: Donald Berwick, head of Medicare/Medicaid; Huge proponent of Rationed Care (go read his writings when he was involved with the UK Nationalized Health Care); elderly medical procedure....won't receive it. What else do you call it other than a Death Panel of Bureaucrats making that decision???
We're not talking about the UK, we're talking about the USA. Do you mean the insurance company bureaucrats? Those are the people making the decisions as to what patients can and cannot have; they are the ones who decide which procedures are OK and who will or won't get them. No one was "pulling the plug on Grandma" despite that often used phrase. Death panels bureaucrats are politicians like Governor Jan Brewer, a republican, who decided organ transplants will not be funded; two people have died already because of Ms Brewer's death panel. She could find funds for sports stadiums in AZ but not fund life-saving procedures.
Well said, Judy, from Iowa. I am in Arizona and have followed Jan Brewer's denial of organ transplant funding. Money is found for other favorite Republican issues but not for organ transplants. And Yes, That is a death panel.
Just why are so many people afraid of this new Health Care Law? Certainly our health care system needed reform and no, we have not had the best health care in the world as some seem to think.
Jody, Iowa
Never truer words have been spoken. If you want Dealth Panels look no further than Jan Brewer. That witch refused money from the government because her state would have had to pony up some funds from her states's budget. And you not talking about turning down $10 you're talking about millions of dollars to help with her states poor. One man already had a donor and was suppose to have a liver transplant the very next morning. They told him to forget it...there was no money in the budget/fund to cover it. He is only one on many being denied a chance to live because of some f---- money. What person here thinks that a stadium is more important than a human life? And there are other governors following her lead.
Jody you have quite obviously not read the health care bill.
You all do understand that Obama is counting on the Unions, illegals and the underclass poor to re-elect him.....and oh, the leftie libs? I wonder why that is?
annrich. Because they know Obama is better then any of the republicans who will use the ill informed and the racist to further the goals of their rich patrons.
Considering there are a lot more middle class and poor people than there are wealthy fat cats, considering that the GOPTP has over-reached in pursecuting the middle class taxpayers, union and nonunion, I'd say the odds are in President Obama's favor and it doesn't matter who casts the votes, it's the outcome that matters. As for illegals, they can't vote and conservatives cannot provide any criminal prosecution to prove otherwise--saying it does not make it true. It's comments like annirich that prove which party is "elitist"--nothing like a little disrespect for those who are considered by conservatives as, you know, less valued.
annirich or is it rich anni, you forgot socialist, marxist, blacks, muslims, communists, mexicans. they're all "underclass" right? i think you need to go back to the tea bag school of brain washing. your slacking.
Jody
Yep Illegals can't vote. But one ,it appears, did vote. I wonder how many more voted and didn't get caught.
Here you go.
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - An illegal alien from the Philippines was arrested Thursday morning on a felony complaint charging her with 17 counts related to voter fraud in Lake County. The state charges resulted from a joint investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Lake County State's Attorneys Office. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also provided assistance.
Go to:
www.ice.gov/news/releases/1103/110317lakecounty.htm
To read the rest of the article.
annirich
Did you give any thought to what you posted...the "under-classed poor" Forget it, no use wasting breath. Karma is a bitch, Annirich!
Annirich, He is also counting on the premise that he liberated Libya and will pose as the Liberator of Libya to fool the electorate.
Say Dems what happened to Hatecare?
Juven. Better question. Why have the republicans not repealed it as promised?
They tried. But the PARTY of NO! Said NO WAY. The Senate Democrats voted NO.
Slodon. So saying no does work? And since that is what republicans have been saying for two years, it is no wonder the country has not done as well as it could have.
We will take the Senate in 2012. Healthcare will be repealed.
Patrick
Just having fun with the Liberals own words.
Chris. After the debacle of this congress? Not only will you not gain the Senate, you will lose the house. Count on it.
slodon As I am with conservatives
I ask, Republicans, where are the JOBS! Not that I expected anything from them. Let's see what happens in the next year to two. I hope some of those republicans don't buy too many printed letter heads.
Every single year for the past 10 years, my health premium has increased. No matter the year, it went up. So HCR had no effect on increases.
BS; you can't throw that many new people into a system and NOT have premiums go up substantially. Their Nationalized Health Care broke the UK and they have the beginnings of privatizing again. And you people, you Obama-ites, think this is a good thing. Of course the UNIONS and Obama buddies already have waivers. Why is that?
Mine have gone up for the past 15 years, Frank--it's just one of those pesky facts that interfere with the conservative talking point they've been fed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As for "that many new people into a system", well so far the only new ones are children because the program is phased in over several years. That said, this year, health insurance providers must cover annual physicals at no cost to patients, no co-pays--it's called moving toward prevention and wellness care rather than sick care which will over the long term save money. As for unions, without those private sector unions--no employee would have health insurance--unions set the gold standard for benefits, union workers traded larger pay increases for better benefits.
My premiums increased 300% in the seven years prior to the health care bill, On the other hand we have congressional republicans swooning over the cost of a stamp, which has increased by 33% in eleven years. I will trade anytime.
The President and his administration need a marketing firm or campaign. He's very poor getting his programs understood. VERY poor. Just like candidates go on "listening" tours before they campaign, this white house needs to go on an "information" tour once the bill is passed. Get the word out.
there is absolutely NOTHING that this man says that I care to hear. His tongue is so oiled it drips.
For some reason, I believe you've felt this way since the day he was elected, no? Wonder why? Never mind, I don't wonder why and my guess would be that very few others do either. Maybe the country could use some of that oil dripping from his tongue come to think of it. Better than subsidizing BIG OIL.
The neanderthals are definitely united on this one. I don't think they can fathom why other industrialized nations have national health care and are happy with it. Most of the neanderthals have never been anywhere and if they did venture out of the U.S. they lack the ability to see beyond the end of their nose. Sad, guess we will continue to be a Prozac nation.
You will notice that the UK is looking into PRIVATIZING their National Health Service. This program has been going on since 1949! And after 62 years of trying to fix it they are giving up and looking to privatize.
Hmmm.
And we are starting A Noational Health Care System?
Whats wrong with this picture?
They are only looking to privatize the hospitals. They are NOT looking to privatize national insurance. Free national health care will still be provided. Get your information correct (I know it's hard when all you have is Faux News) before you spout false information.
As an employee with no dependents, my monthly premium went from $0 in 2010 to $118 in 2011 and deductible went from $2500 to $3500 and maximum out of pocket went from $5000 to $6000 over the same period. All of this due to Obamacare. I really don't care what other people say, the cost of my insurance went up and that is all that matters. If I don't even go to the doctor one time during the year, my medical cost goes from $0 to just over $1400 for the year. Just to reach my deductible will cost me $2400 more in 2011 than in 2010. My total out of pocket increased from 2010 to 2011 is $3500, that is roughly $300 per month. Thanks for the cut in pay. I guess that new car will have to wait until this joke gets repelled.
and it's going to get worse but of course the disaster will really hit in 2014. The Progressive/Communist Democrats don't want anything out there until after election. Of course the FL court representing 26 states ruled unconstitutional and Obama has already passed out his waivers to all the Unions and his other buddies. Hey that's what you could do. Call Obama and ask for a waiver. And I also want people to understand that Obama is NOT looking out for the Middle Class. He is adding more entitlements to the low income class on the backs of the middle class and he enjoys every minute of it. As I said, Obama has always hated America and still does. And the Dems follow for the "sake of the Party'. How pathetic.
If it is repealed, which it will not be, count on it that your insurance premium rates will continue to rise just as they have the past 20 years. Why is it conservatives believe that health insurance companies have their best interests at heart? They trade our health on the stock market, they are a "for profit" Wall Street commodity.
Where did my comment say I was a conservative? No where. I am simply commenting on the fact that my insurance went up as a result of Obamacare. In the annual enrollment documents sent out by my company, the reason for the increaee was 100% due to Obamacare (so they said).
Leave it to the liberals to make political affiliation out of every thing.
LIE. Prove it.
 test
most americans don't know whats in the bill, mostly what they've heard is the lies the puppets have been spewing for the last two years. the poll numbers reflect that.
I don't care what is in the bill, I care what is in my bank account. And thanks to this bill, I have less money. Funny, BILL is the correct word for this.
Flat-out lie. Prove it.
The Health care law pushes 16 million more on medicaid. The gov. will pick up the tab for the 1st 3 years then it funding transfers to the states. All states are already allocating budgets for medicaid at 20 %. For many states the health care law will cause allocations for medicaid budgets to exceed 40%. and as high as 46%. This means cuts in other spending and increases in real estate, and other state and local taxes quite obviously as high as 20 to 40% increases. Obama was clever, he made sure the cost impacts did not hit till after the 2012 election. What is unforeseen by the administration is the health care law will also provide a magnet drawing illegals from all over the world to the U.S. Unlike other nations our immigration system is built to fail those who live and pay taxes in the United States. We must all band together and impeach Obama now before he spends us broke and gives away our country through welfare and foreign wars.
5i
Well, then, why not ask Republicans in Congress to stop "dithering" and fix the immigration laws. Conservatives rant against illegals as part of their bi-yearly campaign because they must demonize someone and blame those "others" for our woes yet none of the republican legislators ever proposes a solution besides building a bigger fence.
Solution to illegal immigrants - 115 grains of lead travelling at 1500 ft/sec. Problem solved.
That sounds like a solution for ignorance too, those grains of lead traveling ft/sec going up your behind and the point of entry blowing out your flipping brains.
Fine the businesses that use illegal labor EXTREMELY HEAVILY. If they are going to have to pay a $500,000 fine per illegal I'll bet they won't have any employed very long!
I have posted this information many times, here we go again. It comes from the National Geographic Magazine. They're big on global warming so I wouldn't call it a Tea Party mouthpiece.
In the January 2010 issue there is data on health care costs around the world. The information provided is; Average annual health care cost, average number of annual visits to a doctor, and life expectancy. Thirty countries are recorded.
We find the United States at the very top of the annual cost, coming in at $7,290. Just for reference the number two spot is held by Switzerland at $4417. Mexico is at the very bottom of the annual cost at $823. About 11% of what we pay here in the US. It is noted by Nat. Geo that the United States and Mexico are "Nation without universal health care". The annual visits to a doctor, shown as a chart, are very similar. Sorry, they don't use an actual number so I cannot report one.
Now the good part. Life expectancy in the United States is 78 years, 1 month. Life expectancy in Mexico is 75 years, 2 months.
So how do they do it? Live nearly as long at 11% of the cost? Both countries have large and diverse populations. It's not a data anomaly. This information was, of course, available to our government. Did they dispatch people to study Mexico and bring back the secret? Nope. They created a 2700 page 'health care' bill based on all their faulty notions. I doubt one bit of it reflects what is obviously working for Mexico. What we have does not work and will continue to not work. There is some enticing information available, but we will continue to deliberately ignore it.
The data here are taken directly from the National Geographic Magazine January 2010 issue. I have not altered, modified, or interpreted anything. If you have issue with the numbers you may want to contact them.
How does Mexico do it? Easy, they come across the border and get health care for free from our tax dollars.
The Mexico secret is this: they have a PUBLIC OPTION.
So this bull about "they didn't try what works in mexico" is a lie. They did. It got NOed buy the NOP and their Dogs in Blue Clothing. But thanks for playing.
Please tell us about the 'public option' in Mexico. Make it easy on yourself, just give us the big chunks. A few sentences will do.
Anytime you have the US Government run any type of entitlement program, over the long haul, it turns into an eonomic nightmare. Politicians have a tendency to start taking money out of the taxes appropriated for that entitlement and distributing them to another government entitlement programs. Then Congress has to go to another country and borrow money to stay afloat. I don't see how the economics required to establish and run the new healthcare program can be any different than the economics of running the current Medicare and Medicaid programs which are breaking the US because of inefficient management by our former and current polititcians. When and where does the inefficiency management of our government stop?
who wants to go back to lifetime limits and insurance companies being able to drop/exclude someone if they get sick? anyone? there are some very good things in this law.
who wants to be FORCED to BUY anything simply because they are born?
No one's forced. You can always move to a country that doesn't have a mandate. Like Columbia, Peru, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Mexico, nearly all of Africa...
Yeah Pres Obama...... 15% increase in costs. WHERE IS MY 15% Raise to pay for it???
Ask the republicans who support business tax cuts--maybe they can convince those businesses to share.
Business is leaving the country because other nations do not require them to support the deadbeats.
Sorry, the Republicans gave your raise to your CEO when he laid you off!
Sorry, wrong. Businesses in this country are losing because companies in other nations don't need to provide group medical insurance to their employees. In those countries the companies don't have to offer medical benefits to attract employees -- because they ALREADY have it!
"We've been struggling for years with health-care costs. We've turned over every rock possible to look for savings. We've got competitors in other countries who don't have to worry about health care costs." - Karen Forte, Boeing spokeswoman.
That's it straight from a "horse's mouth"!
Incredible, everyone missed. What company gives out 15% raises??? None. Unless they are making tons of money.
Not in todays world thanks to over taxing companies.
Admirable thought but wishful thinking.
All planned out. In early 1980’s both political parties endorsed and released “Workforce 2000” plans starting with the Fortune 500 companies. Workforce 2000 and NAFTA is Americas contribution to the new global economy. Jack Welch, then CEO of GE designed the model and the rest of the big leaguers followed in his foot steps. I remember it well working for a large aerospace company in So. Cal.
We attended a four hour presentation on how America was going to change. We were to become a service oriented country. How labor intensive work was going to be out sourced. How Chinas average pay scale was a whopping .35 cents per day. The man hours it took us to build one large airplane would be an equivalent cost to the most expensive BMW motorcar. Were all our stock holder excited. The Demographics of America were also explained. Guess what? The Hispanic communities was going to be the major population in the LA basin area. That’s right. See where we are today. All part of the plan and don’t forget, all endorsed by both political parties. Then the whipshooding began. Jack Welch implemented a theme called, “Keeping the Ideas Coming”. Ref. March Fortune 500 article. With the threat, or inevitable loss of our jobs, he started a manipulation cooptation strategy to pick the employees brains and make them think they could compete and save their jobs/asses. The CEO’s, corporate leaders and politicians are raking in all the benefits.
In 1992 United Auto Workers union, (UAW) predicted that only 4% of the American workers will be represented by a union. Police, fire services and a few more government jobs will be represented to show the world America is still labor friendly.
As Americans Change so to speak and our earning power diminishes Americans will eventually take what they can get. Just like other third world counties did. Its Americas turn to become the stepchild.
And now Obama is bringing in Jeffrey Immelt CEO from GE. Immelt cut his teeth under Jack Welch and Harry Stonesypher. GE was the model corporation which has led to American’s loosing their jobs. Amazing how everything predicted is coming to pass.
Wal-Mart has become the new commissary to America.
So when I hear and read about this new economy BS, remember our government has it all under control. The part I have trouble with is if people are not working and or making half of what they use to make, income tax revenue will drop as well. How dose a tax system expect to sustain and pay for basic services, afford a healthcare program and frequent handouts to the world in trouble?
Interesting; thanks for the input.
Good post, lots of information and likely many never read or heard about this--they just knew their jobs were gone. I do think, despite Jeffrey Immelt, that President Obama does want to rebuild America's manufacturing but it is difficult to do when so many fight against it, when are current tax system rewards outsourcing, when so many fight against government investment in new technology. I would not be surprised, however, to learn that the President is "mining" information from Immelt just as Welch mined the workers. There is a lot wrong with the mindset many have been sold, we cannot continue to be a strong country with a huge economy if we are not willing, as taxpayers, to invest in the country as we did in the past. Neither party has all the answers but the political divide makes it impossible to solve our problems and grow.
dear feisty..
Who gives a rats backside what the CEOs make and how is that important. If you analyze the data it amounts to their beiing paid about $1 per insured..whoopee do. They also oversee and manage to keep people gainfully employed.
Are prices too high..yep but the answer does not lie with government. Government has no incentive to be efficient nor are they ever accountable.
You wanna control this mess .. open it up and have each person who gets health care taxed on those benefits. Competition would rule the day once people had to track actual costs.
Well, duh--you should care because your premiums pay those CEO's salaries and the stockholder dividends.
$1 per insured of 10-20 million? I'll take it!
I wonder how much healthcare can be had with the cost of all them cruise missiles fired at Libya? Hey libs, how you like your Nobel Peace Prize winner now?
Yeah, we should have totally gone with the GOP solution--oh wait, they didn't have one nor did they come up with one when they had control of the Congress AND the White House?
So what does that say about the GOP? Obviously they didn't think it was a problem, and why should they, they have excellent healthcare.
It's as simple as this:
I'm not paying these SLAVERY fees! I was not put on this earth and neither was anyone else to keep the insurance companies in business. I didn't go to work for 30 years to make and save money for the scumbag politicians to come in and tell me what to spend it on! This country needs a new generation of Politicians who understand that it is NOT up to them to spend the populations money for them! That understands that their job is to protect this country, and to budget the tax income they receive properly WITHOUT going over that budget!
call your friendly Obama. The premiums are up because of Obamacare. You can't throw all these new people into a system and cover EVERYONE without the raise in costs to ALL of us. It's called SOCIALISM. The Middle Class take care of the poor class.
what was the cause of insurance premiums rising prior to this law?
The premiums are up because of Obamacare.
Riiight...so they weren't going up BEFORE Obamacare.
I do believe that it is part of the government job . . . to spend part of the populations money . . . for them. If you don't believe that, stay of the highway.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the governmnet from wasting the labors of it's people on the pretense of taking care of them."
I predict future happiness for Americans when they learn to think critically and remove corporate personhood.
Obamacare is a joke. Employee costs in terms of co-pays and deductibles have skyrocketed. This, so typical Obamavoters will vote for this clown act in 2012 while the rest of us pay the freight.