Does anyone know....

1. If the current legislation addresses the 43% of uninsured that are NOT citizens of the US ?

2. In countries where there are versions of national health care, does it cover those who are NOT citizens of their country ?

Originally Posted by Avista

Yes, I am for the proposed health care plan. I am a retired RN and have seen too many people who had no or very limited coverage.

I am a breast cancer surviver. Mine was caught extremely early, and I received great care, but know of others who were not screened and treated on time do to cost and many lost their lives.

My grandson was born in France (Father working there, and family living there). He was extremely sick when he was born. It was touch and go. He received wonderful care, recovered and is now doing fantastic. French doctors were top rate.

Cousin in the UK had quadtriple bypass surgery. Great doctors, great recovery.

I believe health care is a right. We lost our health insurance before we were on Medicare. Bought an expensive private policy, but it excluded anything that had to do with cancer. Once on Medicare I was once again covered.

JUst seems like there should be a better way. Also, I don't think a profit should be made from health care.

I agree with you 100%...........anyone who has great coverage, congratulations, however, if you get sick and for some reason lose your coverage, you have what is now known as a pre-existing condition and can go up the creek for the next five years. I AM FOR THE PROPOSED HEALTHCARE PLAN!!!!

Originally Posted by Shirleevee

I agree with you 100%...........anyone who has great coverage, congratulations, however, if you get sick and for some reason lose your coverage, you have what is now known as a pre-existing condition and can go up the creek for the next five years. I AM FOR THE PROPOSED HEALTHCARE PLAN!!!!

Well, I cannot say I am for the proposal as you....while I favor healthcare reform, under the proposal that you support, those you mention that may have great coverage through an employer will probably lose it, as employers will probably drop it in favor of the cheaper US Government plan that will be offered which I assume will be some sort of BIG Medicaid program. While that is happening I would assume that the government will then be bailing out insurance companies because the private versions will be dropping by the wayside.

It will also TAX and penalize any company with over 25 employees for not offering insurance putting a ton of small business's in a situation that will require to decide whether to continue or not and if they do, they will pass this additional cost on to you !

I also object, IF IN FACT this bill does, to insuring NON citizens to the same extent as citizens.

I also have concerns about what happens to my Medicaire program as I understand the President wants to save by cutting cost there.

All in all, I am without a doubt a supporter of health care reform, and I also realize that no bill will satisfy everyone, but this rush is scary. This congress is not a body I trust in any way shape or form.

Glad you found your bill to support...I am still looking !

I am confused by the entire thing frankly, and was hoping for a nice public debate or even a debate in what we call our legislative bodies but I suppose that is not going to happen.

Big NO on the health care plan. Who's going to pay for it? I can't afford any more costs or higher taxes, can you?

Ok, make the rich and the employers pay for it. You think unemployment is high now? LOL just wait and see what happens...

to retain the same coverage!!
When the re-distribution is taken into account, what ever will be the new standard offering will be less than you have today. There will of course be all kinds of supplements available.

On another note, I am sure there are not many small business owners here in TV. The new reform will require the owners to insure all who they employ that do not have insurance and the owner will be paying 72% of the cost. How many small businesses will be able to afford such an increase in operating expense.

Obama has the rush on so as to not allow too much information to be digested to create a negative back lash. In addition, he wants it to go as quickly as possible before his popularity ratings tank any further.

Other than the generalities, have you seen or understand any of the details? Of course not. Even the Dems in Congress are nervous about the lack of information and how it will work. And none of us including Congress has ANY idea of the cost and it's impacts.

It is one thing to say reform is needed. It is quite another to ASSUME what is being ram rodded is going to fix ANYTHING!!!

It will end up costing more....there is no way for it not too.

btk

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

...

If you are referring to the need for healthcare reform as insanity, I disagree. For the same reasons I noted in an earlier response in this thread, I support such reform and the costs that accrue to it. What is necessary is a long hard look at the other stuff that our government spends money on. A long hard look at expenditures that should be eliminated in order to afford things that are truly important to our society.

There's no sense confusing this thread with another recitation of spending reductions that are possible. But I might start with stopping wars that we can't afford, military expenditures that we don't need, and a deep across-the-board cut in government spending on everything else. Those would be "way of life changing" cost reductions. We'll either do it ourselves or those that until now have loaned us money will do it for us.

Depends what we call "health care reform."

I don't agree with the establishment of a "Health Czar," coupled with a White House Office of Health Reform, positioned to become a new Department of Health (or equivalent) with a cast of thousands (mainly contractors at $XXBillion to run this monster for years), and a host of political appointees to boot. That's a lot of government tail wagging a very small public dog. That's a lot of "buck" for a barely audible "bang."

I'm not for having US taxpayers picking up the health care tab for illegal aliens. That will just encourage more border jumpers, and we have too many here now.

I'm for providing health care assistance to people in need, but the need has to be real, and not just because they optioned to spend their money on other things not considered necessities of life. Don't take taxes from someone on the edge to pay the bills for another who squanders.

I'm not for promising free or subsidized health care coverage to any population segment in exchange for votes.

So, Reform, Yes! Political stupidity and greed, No!

response I have seen to date:

"Reform, Yes! Political stupidity and greed, No!"



btk

Question....If 9 out of 10 are getting health care..why do we need reform? For the 10%.....I say we just tweak it a little.

PS. I am part of the 10% and don't want reform on my account.

Under Obama care you are required to get insurance. If you don't, you pay a penalty to the government in the form of a tax.

When I was 18, 19, 20 and struggling to get by I didn't have any health coverage. In my mind I didn't need it. I was young, healthy and never went to the doctor. Later as I got better jobs I eventually was covered under an employers plan.

So under Obama care I would have been forced into buying something I couldn't afford or pay a penalty tax I couldn't afford.

That is so wrong on so many levels I can't even express it and it makes me absolutely furious just thinking about it.

Originally Posted by SteveZ

...I'm not for having US taxpayers picking up the health care tab for illegal aliens. That will just encourage more border jumpers, and we have too many here now...

I agree with you, Steve. But the number of illegal aliens already here and flooding over our borders every day--all of whom will get free healthcare if and when the need it--highlights another problem with our government...and with the U.S. residents who elect them, particularly small business owners.

I'm convinced that a major reason why our borders remain as porous as a sponge is because business owners and the members of Congress they support want it that way. If we seriously wanted our borders to be secure, it could happen pretty quickly and easily. But the special interests who benefit from the cheap but illegal labor have the Congress in their pockets on the issue. The cheap although illegal labor that business wants creates the Catch 22 problem that the public has to foot the bill for the healthcare for the illegals they hire.

There's a considerable amount of logic that seems to support the idea in one of the current versions of the healthcare reform bill that small business owners either provide insurance to their workers or pay a fee or surcharge. In that business owners are the ones benefitting from the illegal laborers, it seems right to me that they pick up the tab for their health insurance--not the general public as a whole.

Originally Posted by Shirleevee

Here is MY example increasing health care cost
My Health care costs: One person, monthly

Jan-April 2007..............monthly $573.88
May-Aug " .................." 663.23
Sept-Mar 2007-2009..................887.27
Apr increased to 1,110.00

Although I do not have anything more than experience for proof to rebut your example, I do not believe them. It does not make sense at all.

Please define what you mean by health care cost.

Yoda

Originally Posted by billethkid

...I am sure there are not many small business owners here in TV. The new reform will require the owners to insure all who they employ that do not have insurance and the owner will be paying 72% of the cost. How many small businesses will be able to afford such an increase in operating expense.

With all due respect, have you ever tried to talk to any of the workers who clear the land, pour the concrete, build the houses, install the landscaping and irrigation systems or maintain any of The Villages-owned property? My experience has been that you would have a tough time finding even one such worker who spoke any English at all. I had my driveway resurfaced with pavers a few months ago. The job was done by five Brazilians who bent over to install the pavers and never straightened up until the job was done. I never saw five guys work as hard. Not a single one of them spoke even a single word of English.

Does anyone think that all of these people have green cards, or better yet U.S. citizenship? Get real. There are many small business men in The Villages who employ illegals. All of us who live here benefit and willingly enjoy the fruits of their labor.

But should I be expected to also pay for their health insurance, albeit indirectly? I think not. The proposed bill that places at least some responsibility on small business owners to insure these types of workers is OK with me.

Originally Posted by Shirleevee

Here is MY example increasing healthcare cost
My Healthcare costs: One person, monthly

Jan-April 2007..............monthly $573.88
May-Aug " .................." 663.23
Sept-Mar 2007-2009..................887.27
Apr increased to 1,110.00

And this is under the system of private insurance that we have now. Not a single dollar of the almost doubling of Shirlevee's health insurance premiums can be blamed on the Democrats or the Obama administration. I'm not suggesting that the blame lies with the previous administration either. What I am saying is that the system of for profit private insurance companies that we have now is becoming unaffordable for many Americans. Healthcare costs are out of control and something needs to be done about reigning them in. At the same time, we need to provide some form of healthcare coverage for millions who don't have it, trying to place the cost of such additional coverage in the appropriate place.

I don't know whether I will agree with all of the details of the healthcare reform bill that is wending its way thru the House and Senate. But I know one thing--it would have to be pretty awful to be worse than what we have now.

One thing is almost for sure. If health insurance premiums double every two years as they have for Shirlevee, there will be a whole lot more people that will line up at the doors of emergency rooms for "free" insurance in the future than there are now. And we all know who pays for the "free" insurance in this free-market system we have, don't we?

C'mon folks, can anyone seriously posit that MAJOR changes aren't necessary in our healthcare system? I don't know whether it's a "government option", "single payer", "medical co-op" or what, but I know that almost anything would have a more affordable result than what we have now.

Originally Posted by billethkid

response I have seen to date:

"Reform, Yes! Political stupidity and greed, No!"



btk

BTK I MUST AGREE What they are proposing now I am 100% against.
Let them put their heads together and work on something more realistic. I presently have fantastic health care but mt company has their hands deep in my pockets. I don't want to see a cut in MEDICARE and more coverage in MEDICAID as in present proposal.

The proposed bill that places at least some responsibility on small business owners to insure these types of workers is OK with me.

Except the vast majority of small business don't employ illegals. So your OK with penalizing them all or anyone else that doesn't buy into the system?

Don't forget, there are still some of us out here that need jobs...