Does anyone know whats going on with the universal health care bill?

[redhen]

I dont want any fighting, please. I dont keep up on news and such..

so.. I'd really like to know whats going on with it...
Where's it at now? Was it ever voted on? Was it kicked out?

Is it getting voted on soon? Thanks!

 

[SarahFair]

Call me dumb or just living under a rock but.....

What is this universal health care bill gonna do?

 

[AHappychick]

it is just sitting, did not get passed the financial review committee or whatever. The Dem cant get it together and the rep are fighting at all costs to kill it. The insurance companies lobbyist are pulling to kill the deal and they practically own many of the politicians being their largest contributers, so that it is going no where fast.
Besides it has been so watered down by now its not gonna be the health care plan it should be....

For the life of me I can not figure out what all the fuss is. I don't understand how we can say there will be "death panels" and all that garbage.

I pay a huge amount of money a month for Oxford insurance. I also need a back operation but they wont pay for it because it is cheaper for me to be on pain killers, never mind that I don't want to be on them

everyday people face huge medical bills for treatments (such as experimental cancer treatments) that were not covered by their insurance. Every day faceless people in the insurance companies make cost efficient decisions as to the health care we will receive.

The same people who were quoted only a year ago (Glenn Beck) as saying our health care was the worst in the country, are now saying its the best. They are determined to be on the opposite side of whatever this Pres wants even if it means contradicting everything they once said.

There will always be people deciding what is cost efficient in the medical world if they are expected to foot the bill (i.e. the way insurance companies are run now.) so to have another choice and to bring in another healthcare that would help lower costs would be great.

They talk about how there will be longer lines, what no one understands is that its not like we have to use it, its only an additional choice, besides I just made an appointment with my ds pulmonologist and it is for Nov 10th so I wait now for appointments and I have one of the better insurance plans.

The whole situation is very sad really when I watch them on C-span I can not even believe I am listening to educated people as their comments and reasons are so far off base and so illogical.

I doubt much will ever get passed and if it is it will be so watered down it wont be very good.

We haven't even set the regulations yet for the banks and wall street and as of right now they can still get away with the crap that caused much of the mess we are in.

People are way to busy making stupid pictures with watermelons on the white house lawn or coming up with a snappy joke about our "black" pres that we are not focusing on the good that could be done if we were to change some things that are clearly broken in our country.

Please understand Obama was not my first choice but he can do a lot of good if we would just let him, but it looks like we will just be spinning our wheels for these next 4 years.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
Well the current administration claims that it will give affordable healthcare to everybody by the govt insuring them. The problem is the high costs associated with health care have nothing to do with insurance. There are many factors involved. Such education, malpractice insurance, costs of real-estate, and medical equipment which is not cheap. Our current high tech health care has driven up costs considerable. Medical offices are much more highly equipped than what they used to be. Also the current health of individuals is lower than what it used to be even though we live longer.

Affordable health insurance to all cannot be accomplished by govt insurance, there will be delays, and refusals like never seen before, no matter what they promise. Many established doctors will pack toys and stop playing if forced to work for less than what they deserve. Many hospitals will shut down, all this creating a shortage. New high tech advancement will stop for most people except the very powerful.

What really needs to happen is a tier approach where each problem is handled individually, and this cannot be done in a flash.

1 There does need to be a program that improves the quality of nutrition and preventive care for our children. This will reap untold benifits down the road.

2 There needs to be nationwide competition between health insurance companies by removing the regulations that stop selling across state lines.

3 Most important there needs to be a total stop to frivolous law suits and caps to the remaining litigation.

4 Deregulation is a lot of the answer to make BASIC health care affordable and stop the wasteful expenditure on ER band-aid health-care. Many routing procedures should and could be handled by med-techs who do not need the expensive equipment or the life saving training and technology.

There are many other options that could make a real difference but our politicians are not interested, because it would not increase the size of government and voter dependence. We are on a fast track to govt domination of every aspect of our lives and this should warrant very much concern.

From what I understand that with the Govt plan a person will still need to purchase gap private insurance ON TOP of the public insurance to get the health-care they are used to now. That does not sound right to me, but this is the way it is in Canada, as a Canadian pointed out to me they still have private insurance but it is expensive.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
3 Most important there needs to be a total stop to frivolous law suits and caps to the remaining litigation.

.

actually those caps are in place. I am fighting a malpractice case now and there is a set amount of money that is paid out to a child for loosing a father etc. all these huge money wins are always cut down to what the consider a "reasonable amount" by the Appeals court, you just never hear about it. For instance I could be awarded 30,000,000 in my case when I finish trial, but the hospital has 2 appeals they can do and during that the 30 million would be reduced to 5 million.

ctully what we need is public disclosure to see who the good doctors and hospitals are similar to the disclosure laws in place for the airline industry.

We need a data base on how many deaths, how many lawsuits and such any hospital or doctor has so that we may make informed decision as to who we would like to use. As of now there is no way of knowing as it is all kept hidden.

This type of legislative was passed for the airlines in the 50's so that we could make informed decisions on who to fly with and choose based on their past history. That is why when a plane goes down it is all over the news and we watch ia TV the search for the black box and then get the full review as to why it went down. There is full public;ic disclosure and this forced the airlines to bring their standards up so that we would all want to use them and feel safe.

Well we loose 300 people a day due to malpractice county wide, that is a plane full of people a day yet we here nothing about it.

Even If I had tried to see how many lawsuits the doctor who killed my husband had against him I could not since there is no place to look, but I have since found out that he had 6 over his head when he killed my DH a fact if I had known would have kept me from ever letting him be in the same room with my hubby much less be his dr.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
Some states have caps and even with the reduced amount fighting these cases are very expensive attorneys make astronomical amounts of money and they are the ones getting rich. Take John Edwards who is estimated to be worth $53 million just from suing doctors in NC.

And really how can any amount of money bring a person back, how is punishing the rest of the country justify a $30 million settlement. On the public plan there still will be malpractice, and the govt can't be sued. My doctor a very fine heart surgeon pays $300,000 a year in malpractice insurance thanks to Mr. Edwards, who do the people think pays this insurance?

 

[AHappychick]

I am not looking to hurt everyone, that is not why I am going after them for so much. But keep in mind my DH was 30 and making $280,000 a year and his pay was only gonna go higher. I would take him back and be poor my whole life it I could. I am going after these doctors in particular, once I win I will be going after their licenses and will try to keep them from ever working on another patient again. I also have started a foundation to change the laws and help create a better level 1 trauma center in my area in my DH name. it is called AJ's way and here is the link. http://ajsway.org/
it should be fully up and running in the next few weeks.

Please understand my case is not the norm, they did a surgery on him with out my permission (I actually told them not to do it) and killed him in the process, the hospital then destroyed more than half of the medical records to hide the fact. The dr was fired and went on the run it took 2 PI's to find him just to serve him. The whole time my dh was in the hospital I was trying to get him better care but circumstances prevented me from doing so and then it was too late. He had a broken leg.

All these frivolous cases would end if their was full public disclosure as many of the dr's are repeat offenders, a few bad apples that ruin it for all the good ones.

Unfortunately the only thing that gets anyone's attention these days is money I tied to have a criminal charge filled against them for negligent homicide but cant prove it without the medical records they destroyed. Had I been able to go that rout I would not have sued for any money as I would rather them be in jail.

But this is a tangent and not important to the OP and her original post, sorry about that.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I am just curious, who approved the surgery?

Actually it is on topic, as $30 million dollar lawsuits are part of the problem, a big part of it. No offense and you have my condolences on your loss, but again $30 million, that is punishing everybody not the people just the people involved. And if you don't win or maybe if you do win you may just be punishing yourself by living in the grief. You do realize that these things will be much more common on a public option. These examples are rampant in countries that have socialized medicine.

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

Bad topic for a chicken forum. This type of subject is doomed to cause discontent.

If you want to know, use the search engine on your computer and look it up.

 

[luvarabhorses]

How brave of you to bring this up.

My Mom has advanced breast cancer and has to come up with $2000 every three weeks for Xeloda. This despite having Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Medicaire. She has worked hard her whole life, is still working and this illness has bankrupted her.

From what I understand, the government option is off the table. Here is some information about it:

8 FACTS AND 8 MYTHS ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM -- Thu Aug-13-09 03:25 PM

David Axelrod sent out this information today.

--------------------

8 WAYS HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM PROVIDES SECURITY AND STABILITY TO ALL AMERICANS

1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.

2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular ch eckups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.

4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.

5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.

6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.

7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.

8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Learn more and get details:
http://tinyurl.com/nbn5fg


8 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM

1. It's a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.

2. It's a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within exist ing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.

3. It's a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.

4. It's a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.

5. It's a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.

6. It's myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.

7. It's myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.

8. It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you - and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.

Learn more and get details:
http://tinyurl.com/lyxel4