It fits in with all the other political scare tactics of late which in the end always wind up saying the health care bill is Communistic.

dont pay their taxes, do they get fined??? I have looked into that.

but i still dont agree with the whole thing and its my right to feel that way. government takeover. canadians have been all over the news coming to the US because it takes forever to get treated for life threatening issues. JMO if the democrats felt so strongly about the whole thing they wouldnt have had to have backroom deals to get their votes.

"Home of the Free Land of the Brave"...not the USSA

just because they work for the government doesn't mean they are excluded from being a taxpayer. They are paying the same as anyone else. So what if they are running the bill, look at what happens now with insurance companies running unchecked. The greedy bastards have dug this hole for themselves. People just got tired of healthcare being a priveledge instead of a right. There are many who still believe that it should be a priveledge, and if you can't pay for it it sucks to be you. They don't seem to be the majority anymore though.

Cathy
when she first came home

before i moved to the US i could not have imagined to ever live without health insurance.....! - i immigrated from germany -

ive seen my grandfather beeing "confined" to a home for "old and sick people" in canada because that was the only place that would take care of him.... -he used to live in florida and in canada depending on the season- he would have loved to stay in his home in the warm florida weather.

my stepson just barely got insurance (after 2 years) because he has severe dairy and egg allergies as well as asthma -like me .

i think having insurance for everyone is what will bring this country into the next century ...im proud to live here -otherwise i wouldnt have spend all the time ,money and effort to get here -


my husband and i had insurance for a 2 month and payed almost $500 -then i got a severe throat infection and a toothache ...for both doc visits i had to pay almost the whole amount myself.... even though i had insurance...so we canceled it because it would be cheaper to just pay everything out of our own pocket instead of that + the insurance fee every month.

we are both selfemployed and really want insurance.... now im excited about geting back on a plan and not just going for acute treatment but also for preventive care and "well-check ups"


way to go obama ! he accomplished what all the "great men" beforw him where not able to ..or didnt want to since they clearly profited from the insane costs of health insurance.

huggs and sloppy kisses

jenny and bruce

nm

agree with ya!

to have to pay all of them. anyone who has had to deal with the IRS im sure wont think this is cool. They are going to be running the health care bill finances, checking on businesses every month. Not fun people to deal with.

So I am voting them ALL out in November. Or as many as I can. Hey group, even a lot of my side needs to get out and go be something else besides a politician, I am not only saying that about Dems.

Amy and Sophia

how can anyone trust the government to run anything??? I dont care if its R or D.We are going to get taxed for the next 4 years, that they can borrow the money from to get this going. I like the part about the children and letting kids stay on till 26 or 27. as far as the rest i didnt like all the payoffs in the backrooms to get votes.

it's scarier for me that so many people in this country are unemployed right now.

Cathy
when she first came home

what happens when all these people go to drs and there aren't enough docs to go around? It's already an 8 month wait for an endo appt in Phoenix.

Kathy, Ollie and Chester

NM

this new overhaul, to me thats a bit scary.

BUT....You know the government administers Medicare, a system that encompasses the health care of a vast majority of older Americans including myself & my husband. Our older friends all sign up for it asap & from my own experience Medicare works well.

The government also administers the Veterans Administration. Around here the best run nursing home care is provided by the VA for our American Vets at no cost to them or at a fraction of the cost of a conventional nursing home & vets receive prescriptions at no cost. My Dad as a veteran of WW2 benefited from that.

Our Representatives & Senators also have a government run health program for Federal Employees.

So why is a government run program not a good thing for millions of Americans not insured at all or those insured but not seniors, veterans or government employees & elected officials?

I was interested to read the comments of our Canadian friends here. Many Americans travel to Canada or Mexico for their prescriptions.

In my line of work (I work for a OTC Home Health Care Distributor), I have received (for example) a heating pad back from a customer with a receipt showing what Medicare billed the insurance for it. We sell it for lets say $15.00. Medicare will bill the insurance $100 for a freakin heating pad. Lets see, that's a 700% markup. Nothing wrong with that, right? LOL



Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius
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I guess I'm no longer free to get sick and die because my insurance company thinks I'm too much of a profit drain. Government health insurance was suggested from Teddy Roosevelt to Richard Nixon.

In the 1950s, the government was going to give free polio shots to every kin in the USA, for the national public health and it got stopped as 'socialist.' (It wasn't.)

I was hoping for single payer, but I'm happy with this.

We're both self-employed and our high deductable insurance is costing 20 of our income. Now, I'll now be able to afford an eye exam and maybe a check up. This is a great day for the middle class.

To keep this bulldog related;
With the insurance savings, we'll be able to buy more toys and treats, thus helping the bulldog side of the economy.

Woof!

congrats, I am glad you got what you wanted/needed!

There are an increasing number of private health clinics here in Canada too, where people can pay to get more immediate (better???) service. Fine. It's true that for many "non emergency" procedures, people can wait months or over a year to get what they need done. I've paid for some things myself and I think that's perfectly OK, if you can afford it.

But EVERYONE here is treated equally - that's what great about it. If you want to lay out extra cash, by all means, go ahead! The opportunities are there. Private clinics in the US are not going to shut their doors all of a sudden because there is universal health care.

Newsflash, the REAL cost of a broken leg is not $16,000. Really folks, it isn't.

all children will have medical insurance. In the long run money will be saved as people will be able seek care care before a condition or illness exacerbates. Treatment will be more preventative than emergent. We will have much better system where people will have access to care. All have this right. Health care should not be a privledge!

the price the hospitals/doctors get from the insurance company is WAY less than what someone with no insurance has to pay. We looked into it when looking for a Dr for my daughter's baby, which will be uninsured. The Dr we go to has been our Dr for almost 11 years, and she told us she'd be willing to care for the baby at the same rate as what the insurance company would have to pay.

Cathy
when she first came home

They were downtown and had a lot of spanish-speaking patients come in with orders for an xray, MRI, etc. from their dr. or a clinic but had no insurance. I was given a price booklet that had two columns for pricing- One column was what we charged uninsured patients for each service (and payment was due immediately) and the other column was what we charged if they were insured, to be filed by our ins. dept.

The price for a simple wrist xray was $30 if they didnt have insurance and were paying out of pocket. If that person had insurance, we billed $280 for it. I asked them if that was "legal" to charge a jacked up rate to te insurance company and was told not to ask questions. The prices were negotiated between our company and the insurance companies- to stay out of it.

One woman had a 9 yr old son that needed a brain scan immediately. It was a Friday morning and we had not yet been able to get the pre-approval from her ins. company. We were still waiting on it, and she wanted to not file it on her insurance but go ahead and pay for it out of pocket if it meant getting it done before the weekend. She was frantic and her son needed it asap... but we had to tell her she couldnt do that because people will use that as a means of getting the cheaper price. She had to wait. I was later told that the out of pocket price was cheaper than most peoples deductibles so they would try and "cheat" the system, and we wouldnt make as much money from them as we would from the insurance company.

That is what is wrong with this country and with our healthcare. Insurance costs the average person a FORTUNE because the ins. companies have to pay jacked up prices for services. Healthcare providers demand you have insurance because they get paid more from ins. companies than they do from individuals.

as an uninsured Canadian. One emergency room visit alone will be WAY more than the $650 fine for someone who refuses to buy insurance. We ALL have to buy car insurance to cover the losses of a car accident, why should people be able to take the risk of a serious illness or injury that will have to be covered by taxpayer $$? Would it be OK to refuse to treat those that refuse to have insurance? My daughter's ambulance ride to the hospital that is less than 5 miles from my house was $685!
I am just glad that SOMETHING is being done for people who have a pre-exisrting condition, or for sick people who are about to be cut off because they are no longer profitbale to insure.

Cathy
when she first came home

I got just what I voted for. Maybe we should dye everyone who votes finger purple like in Iraq, then we could see if folks are part of the problem, or part of the solution. [As in if they vote or not, and have a right therefore to complain.]

do NOT like the idea that they will be on the same level as the "have nots" when it comes to deciding who gets what treatments. They like their money to be able to buy them priority over someone who can't pay. Plus it is all about the money to the big insurance companies, and drug companies, and they will forever be stirring up the pot and trying to scare the heck out of people to keep things just the way they are. Unfortunately, too many people belive their BS and turn a blind eye when their friends and neighbors are denied healthcare beacuse they just can't afford it. As long as it doesn't happen to them they are perfectly fine with it happening to someone else.

Cathy
when she first came home

That is how it should have been done.

"I don't understand why there isnt just a government health plan that is paid for in income tax alone, with suplimental insurance available to those that want to pay."

But (from what I understand) from now on, someone that does not have insurance in America or chooses not to pay for it will be charged serious fines. Is that how it works in Canada too?

Some of what is in the bill I wholeheartedly agree with (pre-existing conditions) but some other things not so much. It's a mixed bag for me.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius
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I have long since believed that the people have no say........so I guess November won't make one ounce of difference!

People voted...People spoke...Any questions?

I don't understand why there isnt just a government health plan that is paid for in income tax alone, with suplimental insurance available to those that want to pay.

my guess is that american hospitals do not like the thought of Mr. Obama telling them what they can charge for something.

average cost of a broken leg in michigan is $16000, and a 4 hour hospital visit is $2000.. just rediculous.

oddly.. prior to today.. the USA spends almost double per person on healthcare.. but we live longer, and have a much lower infant mortality rate.

bulldogs ehh!

Universal health care is one of the best things about our country. It is a marvellous thing to walk into any healthcare facility and be treated, no matter what. The idea of having to depend on health insurance for my wellfare is about the scariest thing I can imagine.

I, by no means, know the details of the US plan. But healthcare for everyone sounds like a huge step in the right direction to me...

it is pathetic........sickening and is going to bring about some nasty, ugly behavior soon.

I am planning on voicing my opinion in November.

I bet it will be a mess to start, but at least it is a start.

of course, I live in Canada.. so I am already spoiled with healthcare..

I can not believe that people in your country are ok with billions being made off of the sick, or people having to sell their house to pay for cancer treatment, or going bankrupt because of an injury.

the United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation in the world that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage.. I find that asinine. I am glad to see a bit of progress for the humanity of americas people.

With any luck corporate brainwashing will stop, people will think for themselves.. and eventually think of their neighbours.

bulldogs ehh!

It's soo sad. What's become of our country? How did we come to live under a tyrannical government? What happened to "for the people and by the people?