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

[KDbeads]

I am glad this is a civil discussion, I find it very refreshing to know that all side can communicate without leading to bashing. Thank you.

Now something I don't think I've read so far:
I lost my job a year ago, our income dropped by HALF and the insurance left with my job. Sure I had 'cobra' for 6 months (employer wasn't big enough to quality for the 18 month thing). Cost me the same as when I worked there since we had to pay in full. Once the continuance was through I had to find my own. According to this state hubby is uninsurable through regular insurance because he is on 5 medications and has a disorder that is an automatic disqualifier. He has to go through the risk pool. I tried for 3 months to get private insurance for myself but have been informed that having CONTROLLED high blood pressure and a thyroid disorder also controlled, disqualifies me as well even though my total medical bill for almost any given year including medications only cost $500. I'm now in the risk pool as well. I had a rep for one of the insurance companies tell me that my doc was a total idiot because she hadn't put me on cholesterol meds for a total cholesterol of 199, with an HDL of 89!!! My doc was furious, she and I decide on my care, not an underwriter for an insurance company.
Let me tell you about the cost of this risk pool. We recently bought our house and our mortgage payment is CHEAPER than our insurance. This insurance has a $5000 deductible for EACH of us and the RX coverage has a $200 deductible for EACH of us. I have been turned down for 2 procedures my doc says I need because the risk pool says they'd rather pay meds or treat the aftermath rather than preventive care. They would rather pay for a hip replacement than orthopedic shoes. They would rather pay for a major surgery on my shoulder plus how ever many visits to a specialist, instead of having my tendons tightened and ending the problem. They would rather pay for hormones that increase my BP than approve an implant, or an IUD as my doc insists I need. I'm having to save up for one or the other.
2/3 of our income is taken by our house, insurance and copays. After all is said and paid at the end of the month we only have $150 for groceries, animal feed, clothing, emergencies.

It would literally be cheaper to live without insurance but we are too afraid to take that chance knowing that one simple accident could cost us our home and everything we've worked so hard to achieve.
There needs to be reform to stop insurance companies from doing this to people. Period.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I would just like to point out that several very nice countries already have a universal health care program, such as Canada and the UK.

Works so well people have to purchase private insurance, bribe, and come to the US to finally get treatment. And the horror stories much more alarming than even our own problems with the VA.

There are two common reasons why people oppose the UHC. The first is greed, these are the folks who work for the insurance companies and are spending loads of money on propaganda to convince people UHC is socialist and communist.

Again the tactic of trying to demonize anybody that speaks out and have their opinion heard. This is a shameful propaganda tactic. I and others on here do not work for the insurance company and it is not right to make these accusations.

The second is a lot of people suffer from 'can't happen to me syndrome'. These are the people who are apparently convinced they will never be in a situation where they lose a job and the accompanying insurance and are suddenly left with large medical bills and a pre-existing condition for themselves or their beloved family members. They've never been jerked around by an insurance company that was prepared to let them suffer/die rather than spend a few extra bucks up front and solve the problem. They've never had to pawn possessions to get a second opinion from a doctor because they knew the one that the insurance was allowing them to see was wrong and that wrongness would lead to suffering/death.

The statistics prove that most people are happy with their coverage and are not getting jerked around by the evil insurance companies.
It happened to me. It happens to many others every year. Medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. Children are suffering because their parents can't afford to get them basic health care and thus have to use the ER for illnesses that would have been easily dealt with had they been able to see a doctor when the trouble first started. But now, it's too late, all the ER can do is try to make them comfortable.

Could someone explain where this magical money is coming from to create this grand utopia that Obama and Congress do not want to be a part of. Stuff happens sorry even if this bill is passed stuff will continue to happen. There is no Camelot.

Syphilis is a disease that if caught when the first symptoms show, can be cured by a $5 shot of antibiotics. Left to where the symptoms reach emergency basis, and it is a horrible way to die.

People are dying of easily treatable diseases. People are being forced to go to the ER and causing people to die in waiting rooms because they can't afford to see a regular doctor.

All county and municipal and state health depts do and will test and treat for syphilis. More propaganda and BS.

I see people claiming they would die if they waited on the VA. I know people who use the VA, they get far better medical care than I ever have through an insurance company, and they get jerked around far less. But hey, like hospitals and doctors, I'm sure the quality of VA offices varies from place to place.

Well it is clear you never have used the VA, do you remember the news reports on this from a few years back that the left tried to blame it on GWB. NOW the left is saying the VA is fine.

We really need to understand that propaganda exists on both sides and every aspect of our lives. You either shut yourself in or educate on propaganda, what is real and what is not, and who has a agenda.

Why should the government control anybody salary or pay, unless it is a communist government. All business has a right to a profit, even if it seems excessive it is their right. Competition controls this but the government has competition blocked and Obama will not even discuss this. UHC is not about health care, non of the bill actually addresses health care it addresses access and who pays for it. That makes no sense at all. The bills claim to offer health care but only attempt to put Washington in control of peoples lives. People should remember history so it is not repeated, this is not the first time people were registered and tracked under the ruse of health care.​

 

[GrayDragon]

Quote:
I'm in a similar boat, I literally start bleeding to death on BC pills and can't get an IUD. Good luck getting anything else for me though, guess I just have to take my chances. My last insurance company wouldn't pay for anything else, and when I had the money for the permanent solution I couldn't find a doctor willing to do it because I'm not 35 or the parent of two kids already, and thus poor little female me can't possibly know her own mind and will of COURSE want more children.

No matter that the first one nearly killed me or anything like that....

 

[Wynette]

Folks - this is a good discussion - thanks for keeping it civil. Please continue to do so. Just a reminder.

 

[KDbeads]

Quote:
I'm in a similar boat, I literally start bleeding to death on BC pills and can't get an IUD. Good luck getting anything else for me though, guess I just have to take my chances. My last insurance company wouldn't pay for anything else, and when I had the money for the permanent solution I couldn't find a doctor willing to do it because I'm not 35 or the parent of two kids already, and thus poor little female me can't possibly know her own mind and will of COURSE want more children.

No matter that the first one nearly killed me or anything like that....

Oh I know, it's ridiculous. I don't want kids. Watched my mother nearly die with my siblings. The BP alone puts me into a high risk category just like her but I'm not allowed to tell the insurance company what I want for my care. Doc is not happy with them either. I had to pay out of pocket to get the tests to prove I had a not so common thyroid problem. I've shown one heck of an improvement on the meds yet because I did this without insurance company's permission/consent, they refuse to pay for the meds.

When you have to go around the insurance company to get yourself taken care of, something is seriously wrong.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Nothing in any of these bills relates to particular problems or give guarantees of treatment. VA rations care by severity of disorders and accessibility to outside insurance. There will be some sort of rationing with UHC there just is not money for everybody.

Again I have nothing against UHC, I have a problem with it being mandatory and I have a problem with the mandatory registration of population containing sensitive data about our citizens. Not that it will be misused just that it can be misused.

Any program should be tested on those who wish to impose it on the rest of us. I do not understand if it is so wonderful why this is a problem. I also have a problem with being called greedy and being accused of working for the insurance companies, both untrue. I am an American citizen who loves freedom and wants to keep that freedom. UHC should be a choice otherwise we are not free anymore.

 

[ducks4you]

You can believe David Axelrod, if you wish if that "brings you comfort." I live in Illinois and I am familiar with him, and I do not believe that he has our best interests at heart.

HERE is the bill that is going to be voted on TOMORROW:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG 2009/100209_Americas_Healthy_Future_Act_AMENDED.pdf

Read it yourself. OUR biggest beef (at my house) is about pre-existing conditions. Here's a quote regarding this:
“…Currently covered individuals must be uninsured for six months before gaining access to the high-risk pool. …” page 2
IS that so that they can "die and decrease the surplus population" while they are uninisured?

The 3 biggest beefs with current insurance are:
1) lack of competition--due to government regulations by states and federal
2) no coverage for pre-existing conditions UNLESS you're a member of a BIG group plan
3) no coverage for the unemployed

IF this is such a big crisis W H Y will this not be implemented until July of 2013? think about THAT--I believe that that single factor tells you how political this is

 

[GrayDragon]

Quote:
Works so well people have to purchase private insurance, bribe, and come to the US to finally get treatment. And the horror stories much more alarming than even our own problems with the VA.

I'm sorry, but I know a lot of people who live in Canada and in the UK and they are horrified by our health care system. You should try talking to them instead of just listening to what people are claiming about them.

Again the tactic of trying to demonize anybody that speaks out and have their opinion heard. This is a shameful propaganda tactic. I and others on here do not work for the insurance company and it is not right to make these accusations.

I did not say you did now, did I? I said it's a common reason. In fact, if you go just below where I made the comment about the people who work for the insurance company, I offered an entire other scenario for opposing UHC, one that I believe is far more applicable.

The statistics prove that most people are happy with their coverage and are not getting jerked around by the evil insurance companies.

Depends entirely on which poll you read and who is presenting the numbers.

Could someone explain where this magical money is coming from to create this grand utopia that Obama and Congress do not want to be a part of. Stuff happens sorry even if this bill is passed stuff will continue to happen. There is no Camelot.

Cut out the military increases Bush wanted for his war and you've got it pretty much paid for. As an example, a single missile can cost $1,400,000. Let's see, someone with a preexisting condition stated that her health care costs about $500 a year. Let's go ahead and multiply that by 5, cause face it, emergencies happen. So $2,500 a year. That's about what a lot of us pay for insurance anyway, right?

Halting production on a single missile would thus cover health care for 1400000/2500 = 560. Wow. One less missile would cover health care for 560 people. Isn't that a better use of money anyway, especially considering we have enough missiles already stockpiled to destroy the world a couple dozen times over?

Add in what we already 'eat' in costs from people using the ER when a visit to a regular doctor for preventative care would be 10% of the cost. Cut a bit more pork, like oh, faith based initiatives, use the otherwise wasted money in the stimulus package, and hey, we've got it all paid for without even raising taxes.

All county and municipal and state health depts do and will test and treat for syphilis. More propaganda and BS.

Please stop with the cursing, it doesn't help your argument.

Well it is clear you never have used the VA, do you remember the news reports on this from a few years back that the left tried to blame it on GWB. NOW the left is saying the VA is fine.

Do not accuse me of lying, it doesn't help your argument and it is not appreciated. Please try to discuss this topic without getting nasty.​

 

[GrayDragon]

Quote:
More likely, it will be just like in Canada and the UK. Bit longer wait time for less urgent needs, and you are good to go.

I also have a problem with being called greedy and being accused of working for the insurance companies, both untrue.

You weren't called or accused of either. Please do not claim you were.​

 

[WalkingWolf]

Somebody is trying to argue to make their point, it is not nice. I tried to respond to individual points in a post. Some of those remarks could be considered trolling. Please keep this civil, my intent was not to be uncivil.

I do not and never did work for any insurance company and do not think being called greedy was appropriate. I used no curse words only a abbreviation that accurately described making false accusations that most everybody knows the public record on the treatment and reporting of syphilis.

Let us agree to disagree and leave it at that. You can make your opinion without calling names or innuendo. And others have a right to theirs even if it is counter to mine or yours.