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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Summary Of Today's Health Care Bill

Here is the summary of today's health care bill presented by Congress. Find it here as well -
Increasing choice and competition. The bill will protect and improve consumers’ choices.

* If people like their current plans, they will be able to keep them.
* For individuals who aren’t currently covered by their employer, and some small businesses, the proposal will establish a new Health Insurance Exchange where consumers can comparison shop from a menu of affordable, quality health care options that will include private plans, health co-ops, and a new public health insurance option. The public health insurance option will play on a level playing field with private insurers, spurring additional competition.
* This Exchange will create competition based on quality and price that leads to better coverage and care. Patients and doctors will have control over decisions about their health care, instead of insurance companies.

Giving Americans peace of mind. The legislation will ensure that Americans have portable, secure health care coverage – so that they won’t lose care if their employer drops their plan or they lose their job.

* Every American who receives coverage through the Exchange will have a plan that includes standardized, comprehensive and quality health care benefits.
* It will end increases in premiums or denials of care based on pre-existing conditions, race, or gender, and strictly limit age rating.
* The proposal will also eliminate co-pays for preventive care, and cap out-of-pocket expensesto protects every American from bankruptcy.

Improving quality of care for every American. The legislation will ensure that Americans of all ages, from young children to retirees have access to greater quality of care by focusing on prevention, wellness, and strengthening programs that work.

* Guarantees that every child in America will have health care coverage that includes dental, hearing and vision benefits.
* Provides better preventive and wellness care. Every health care plan offered through the exchange and by employers after a grace period will cover preventive care at no cost to the patient.
* Increases the health care workforce to ensure that more doctors and nurses are available to provide quality care as more Americans get coverage.
* Strengthens Medicare and Medicaid and closes the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole’ so that seniors and low-income Americans receive better quality of care and see lower prescription drug costs and out-of-pocket expenses.

Ensuring shared responsibility. The bill will ensure that individuals, employers, and the federal government share responsibility for a quality and affordable health care system.

* Employers can continue offering coverage to workers, and those who choose not offer coverage contribute a fee of eight percent of payroll.
* All individuals will generally be required to get coverage, either through their employer or the exchange, or pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of income, subject to a hardship exemption.
* The federal government will provide affordability credits, available on a sliding scale for low- and middle-income individuals and families to make premiums affordable and reduce cost-sharing.

Protecting consumers and reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. The legislation will put the interests of consumers first, protect them from problems in getting and keeping health care coverage, and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.

* Provides transparency in plans in the Health Exchange so that consumers have the clear, complete information, in plain English, needed to select the plan that best meets their needs.
* Establishes consumer advocacy offices as part of the Exchange in order to protect consumers, answer questions, and assist with any problems related to their plans.
* Simplifies paperwork and other administrative burdens. Patients, doctors, nurses, insurance companies, providers, and employers will all encounter a streamlined, less confusing, more consumer friendly system.
* Increases funding of efforts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse; creates enhanced oversight of Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Reducing the deficit and ensuring the solvency of Medicare and Medicaid. The legislation will be entirely paid for – it will not add a dime to the deficit. It will also put Medicare and Medicaid on the path to a more fiscally sound future, so seniors and low-income Americans can continue to receive the quality health care benefits for years to come.

* Pays for the entire cost of the legislation though a combination of savings achieved by making Medicare and Medicaid more efficient – without cutting seniors’ benefits in any way – and revenue generated from placing a surcharge the top 0.3 percent of all households in the U.S.(married couples with adjusted gross income of over $1,000,000) and other tax measures.
* The Congressional Budget estimates the bill will reduce the deficit by at least $100 billion over ten years.
* Estimates also show the bill will slow the rate of growth of the Medicare program from 6.6 percent annually to 5.3 percent annually.

3 comments:

Glynn Kalara said...

I really hate to say this but after 9 mos. of laboring ( or at least appearing to be laboring) mightily the House has laid a egg with this bill. Not only is it present us with essentially a hollow PO but most of the other provisions are riddled with loopholes you can drive a truck through. A good example is the provision supposedly banning recissions ( dropping people after they get sick) the BIG hole here is except for FRAUD. That's exactly how the Ins. companies now drop people. They will as an example drop a person for not reporting some sickness or condition that was 20 yrs. old or some other minor reporting flaw. Plus the Ins. companies DO NOT in this bill have to prove it to be fraud in a court. They can just claim it and your toast. These kinds of it looks good but it's not what you think elements in this bill are both annoying and downright deceptive. Ironicallythe Dems. are using the same kinds of lawyerially loopholes that Ins. companies use all the time that nobody but them understands are usally buried in the 1000 page contract. The so called Public Option in this bill is also essentially so weak as to be laughable. It only appklies by design to maybe 5% of the uninsured and is not open to everyone or does it use Medicare rates as a base for pricing. Instead it will have to negoiate with every service provoder just like any other Ins. company ( the so called Schumer level playing field). I bet the Ins. executives are high fiving today each other. It's all over folks the DINOCRATS have essentially rolled over almost totally on this issue. After the Seante's even weaker versions of the SHIT TACO of a so called reform are wwedded to this weak thing it will end up being almost a total capitulation to the health mafia.
In short if this is REFORM we have serious problems.

Jim Sande said...

Its like Detroit recognizing that we need a "new" car that gets better mileage and such. Then they unveil a car that get less miles per gallon or that in two years will burn more oil and pollute even more. Remember the Vega.

The reality here is that the Democrats, who present the only possible chance for change, have this short period where they are in power. They will not hold their power, the country will eventually swing to the right or rather further right. So this literally represents the best shot at any reform probably for another, what, 10 years, 20 years.

Glynn Kalara said...

I agree, but sometimes you can make it even worse and this shitty attempt will do just that. With nothing in this turkey to control costs and much of the best part kicking in in 2013 this could end up being a disaster. As long as significant parts of Congress are beholden to the health mafia any attempt at REAL reform will end up like this mess.