New Health Care Bill

mediajunkie650 · Jan 1, 2012

About Those 47 Percent Who Pay "No Taxes" | Tax Policy Center - 4/15/10

About half of taxpayers paid no federal income tax last year. It does not mean they paid no tax at all. Many shelled out Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes. In fact, only 14 percent of Americans didn't pay either income or payroll taxes. Some paid property taxes and, it is fair to say, just about all of them paid sales taxes of one kind or another. So to say they pay no taxes is flat wrong.
So who are these folks who pay no federal income taxes? Mostly, they are people who don't make very much money. Many are elderly: Think a widow living only on Social Security benefits. Others are parents earning less than $20,000. Only about 5 percent are non-elderly households making more than $20,000.
There is, however, another reason why some people don't pay. For decades, both Democratic and Republican governments have made conscious policy decisions to remove low-income working families from the income tax rolls.
Let's take one of the biggest drivers: the Earned Income Tax Credit. Based on an idea (the negative income tax) originated by conservative icon Milton Friedman, the EITC is refundable, so that people who work for low wages can not only wipe out their income tax liability, they can even get a cash payment from the government. The EITC was enacted in 1975 under President Ford, greatly expanded in 1986 under President Reagan, and expanded again under presidents Clinton and Bush (both of them). It's been the very model of bipartisan tax policy.
Both the EITC and the child care credit are explicitly designed to encourage people to work--a goal most of us (including Friedman and Ronald Reagan) thought was a very good thing.

cpl_dvldog · Jan 1, 2012

Having FICA and Medicare withheld from a paycheck is not the same as paying Federal Income tax. Those taxes are paid regardless how much someone makes. You do not get those monies returned to you when you file your Federal taxes. Same with sales tax. Technically everyone that works or shops pays some taxes. The issue is percentage of pay that goes to the Federal Gov't just for the privledge of working legally.

The people I hear complain the most about the rich not being taxed enough are those that pay no Federal Income Tax. Those that paid in $2500, then when they file their taxes the get a $4000 refund because they are married, have kids, a home mortgage, etc. Regardless how much you make you should still pay into the Federal Tax system. They use the interstates, Pell Grants, post office, enjoy the safety the military provides, etc as much as everyone else does.

I fail to understand why many people think they are entitled to so much with little to no effort on their part. I learned in Civics class we are guaranteed Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Not a house, medical insurance, a free college education, a new Smart phone every 6 months, or an upper level management job straight out of college.

kcmylorn · Jan 1, 2012

What Is 'Socialized Medicine'?: A Taxonomy of Health Care Systems - NYTimes.com

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Socialized medicine and universal health insurance plan/ affordable care act are 2 different things.

Socialized medicine is the delivery of health care."Socialized medicine refers to health system in which the government owns and operates both the financing of health care and its delivery".

The Universal healthcare insurance Plan- Affortable Care Act is the 'financing' of health insurance not the delivery of health care to individuals. The Universal Healthcare Insurance Plan is based on ones ability to pay for your health insurance. If you, by virtue of your income, can afford to pay 100% of your healthcare premium, you will. If you can not afford to pay any more than $50.00/month for health insurance, you will only pay $50/mo. If you are unemployed and cannot afford to pay anything- then you will pay nothing- just like Medicaid is now. The Universal Healthcare Insurance Plan is not so frightening or job jepordizing to nursing or doctors- as it may even improve the opportunitiies for nurses and doctors as one of the OP have pointed out. With 30 million uninsured people being able to afford some kind of healthcare, they might just start to seek it, and may stop clogging up our ED's with colds, flu and sniffles. They may actually go to a Primary Care Provider- which can be a MD,DO, PA or NP. And stop driving up the cost of health care by frequenting the expensive ED's. The job focus will not be on hospital positions but out in the community- doctor's offices, clinics, Home Health, Public Health.

The cost of our current health care model is skyrocking costs and unaffordable. It is this element that has lead to the 30+million uninsured in this country. This has only fattened the wallets of our Insurance company execs and the CEO's of our hospitals forcing our hospitals to close their doors and lay off nursing and doctors adding to the unemployment rates.

The payer system we have now, our private insurance companies, is far more frightening and dangerous than the Universal Healthcare Plan. The private insurance companies have what is called "actuaries" who do what is called "Medical Underwriting" which it is their job description to deny a consumer( the person who is paying for the health care premium)- health insurance if they feel according to the Health Insurance company's( BCBS, AETNA,CIGNA, etc) guidelines You are to high a risk and therefore too expensive to insure or they are going to charge you out your whazoo for a premium.This is what the employers in this country are up in arms about, cost wise, and why they are not hiring or executing the exclusive selective hiring process they are which is why the unemployment rate is so high. Remember- employesr do not want to hire obese, smokers, diabetics, HTN etc. They only want the physically perfect. It's that "medically underwriting" which is very subjective and up to the insurance company's interpretation. Does anyone remember how these insurance companies were dropping women for having breast cancer aka pre existing conditions???until the Dept of Human Services/Kathleen Seblius stepped in and put a stop to it.

The DHS/Kathleen Seblius is trying to change the American healthcare culture or the focus of American Healthcare from an Acute model- "Go Right To The Hospital and get Admitted" to a Primary Care/preventitive care model- prevent castrosphy before it happens. We americans, have a sniffle and want to be admitted to the ICU. It doesn't even cross our minds to try OTC remedies or home remedies first. America has become a very spoiled aka "I am entitled" culture. They want to take up a provider limited precious time and get a "pill" to make it magically disappear. "the McDonald's drive thru Healthcare" window. These patients don't even give the meds they doget 24 hrs and want to come back because they are not "cured" I don't know if it's stupidity or the entiltlement. Which has lead to at least 2 other problems- a critical shortage of provider access and the over use of antibiotics so they now counldn't kill an infection if they wanted to, hense MRSA, VRE and MDRO strains of TB and HIV. I see this in my job- My patient population want to immediately come in for an appointment or go to "Specialist" This crap started back in the 1950's, 1960's when doctors stopped making house calls and every one that went to medical school wanted to be a "specialist" for the big bucks and ego trip.

BCBS and United Healthcare have jumped on the bandwagon and began to offer low cost health plans in 2011. They are managed care forms of insurance. Not "I want to go to only this doctor and only to this hospital" that's a pricer kind of insurance. The patient goes to a provider who accepts aka "in network" the insurance plan and if the condition requires a specialist(meaning if it is out of the providers primary practice scope of practice) then they get a referral. If the patient goes trotting off to the specialist first 'because they think they can' without seeing their PCM first, then- surprise- it's out of their own pocket!!

Then we have the whole other big part of the mix with medicare/CMS cutting reimbursements for prolonged stays and re admissions. Maybe these CEO's should employ a few more RN's to do less patient:nurse ratios and more dhischarge teaching to insure the hospital doesn't start eating the cost of these stays and re admits. These hospitals can hand out all the patient satisfaction surveys they want, but if the CMS sees trends in hospital readmissions- Oh well, Mr CEO- what do you think the problem is" Nurses Not smiling enough!!

kcmylorn · Jan 1, 2012

I believe the right to earn a living comes under the 'Pursuit of Happiness', I also think 'right to life' would also mean healthcare.

cpl_dvldog · Jan 1, 2012

I believe the right to earn a living comes under the 'Pursuit of Happiness', I also think 'right to life' would also mean healthcare.

Everyone has a right to earn a living. All they have to do is don't get involved with drugs when they are young, Don't post condemning stuff about themselves on Facebook, and learn the skills needed for the career they want. Be it through training or education. Helath care is already provided to those that cannot work it is Medicaid and Medicare. I eat relatively healthy, run 5 mornings a week, don't smoke, and get a yearly physical, so why should I be expected to provide insurance for the 300lb woman I see scarfing down the burgers and fries at the mall, or the guy that is buying his cigarettes by the carton, or the many burn patients in my unit that are there because the meth lab blew up? I am not kidding. People already take little responsibility for themselves and the more free stuff they get the more they want. Have you ever driven past gov't housing and said, "That looks like a nice place to live." When you get something someone else is paying for it is not appreciated nor cared for.

kcmylorn · Jan 2, 2012

Perhaps you are proposing a elitist society, discriminating against that woman sitting eating a burgers- which are cheap food with no nurtirional value, or the person buying cigarettes, and the person with the meth lab resorting to that behavior because it's a way to earn money/ make a living in a time when the unemployment rate is high? Just like the soldier/airman/seaman who 'volunteers' for another deployment 6 months after they return from one because - inaddition to their base pay, they get hazard pay( a percentage of their base pay); on top of that, if married get a separation from spouse pay and bank their entire pay/compensation because there is no malls or "eat out" or chinese "take out" joints in Afghanistan or Iraq, so therefore no place to spend it. Free base housing- no mortgage, but if that service member decides to live "off base" will get a housing allowance- lets say $2,000/mo and rents a place for $1,000 that $1,000 profit. Health care, including prescriptions which also includes tylenol, motrin and all other OTC meds, is paid for( part of the military budget in this country that congress has knock down drag out fights over- if they only knew- the unecessary spending of tax payers money that even the command officers don't agree with) includes health care for dependents. Service member who has 4-5 children and in the process of adopting another 1 month before SM is deployed. What is that about tax deductions for children and child care credit? Then there's the GI Bill for tuition. I guess it depends on which side of the fence one sits

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Jan 2, 2012

Most of the people I have met that are in favor of it 1) Have no clue what it actually says. 2) Are all for something they think they will get for free. 3) Do not have the ambition to do what it takes to get a job that offers insurance.

I live 45 minutes from the Canadian border, and 2 hours from Montreal. Lots of Montrealers shop in my area, and use the airport. The Canadian health care syetm has its problems, especiallly ion Quebec, but most Canadians I've encountered don't want to adopt an American-style health care system.

A few years ago, the Prime Minister of Newfoundland and Labrador caused a lot of controversy when decided to have heart surgery in Miami. He's independently wealthy, owns a condo in Miami, and paid for the operation out of pocket. Newfoundland is a poor province; if Joe or Jane Newfoundlander had needed the same operation, the government would've sent them to Montreal or Toronto for it. In the US, Joe or Jane Average would've had to either convince their insurer to pay for it, raise the money themselves, or go without.

kcmylorn · Jan 2, 2012

Not a Hat- I totally agree. If the Canadian PM of Newfoundland could not afford to payout of pocket to have his surgery in Miami - he would not have, unless there was no one in Canada could perform the surgery needed. Which is highly doubtful. Minimially invasive valvular surgery is pretty common. My guess is he wanted 'operation and a sunny vacation'. I hope he found out just how short staffed our american hospitals are- but I doubt it. The letters V.I.P was probably all over his chart and chest tubes, along with "self pay" and the entourage of butt kissing administration members giggling and slobbering like fools."Oh, Yes, MR Prime Minister"

cpl_dvldog · Jan 2, 2012

Perhaps you are proposing a elitist society, discriminating against that woman sitting eating a burgers- which are cheap food with no nurtirional value, or the person buying cigarettes, and the person with the meth lab resorting to that behavior because it's a way to earn money/ make a living in a time when the unemployment rate is high? Just like the soldier/airman/seaman who 'volunteers' for another deployment 6 months after they return from one because - inaddition to their base pay, they get hazard pay( a percentage of their base pay); on top of that, if married get a separation from spouse pay and bank their entire pay/compensation because there is no malls or "eat out" or chinese "take out" joints in Afghanistan or Iraq, so therefore no place to spend it. Free base housing- no mortgage, but if that service member decides to live "off base" will get a housing allowance- lets say $2,000/mo and rents a place for $1,000 that $1,000 profit. Health care, including prescriptions which also includes tylenol, motrin and all other OTC meds, is paid for( part of the military budget in this country that congress has knock down drag out fights over- if they only knew- the unecessary spending of tax payers money that even the command officers don't agree with) includes health care for dependents. Service member who has 4-5 children and in the process of adopting another 1 month before SM is deployed. What is that about tax deductions for children and child care credit? Then there's the GI Bill for tuition. I guess it depends on which side of the fence one sits

Let me see if I understand you. It is ok to manufacture and sell meth if you are unemployed? Holy cow!! First of all if you are manufacturing, selling, or using meth the odds are pretty darn good you are unemployed.

There is nothing about the military and serving time in Iraq that you can tell me. I did it. The extra hazard pay you get for being in a combat zone is $150 a month. You also get Seperation pay which is about $250 a month in 2005. The biggest increase in pay comes from your pay being tax-free. There is no place to spend money in Iraq/Afghanistan? Wrong. There are PX's and Hadji shops. While in the rear there is fast food like Burger King, Pizza Hut etc. In the military you don't get extra pay for each child. You get paid as Single or w/dependants. That is spouse, a child, 2 children, or a dozen kids, it is the same pay.

I am not an elitist, I am a realist. People must start taking responsibility for their choices in life. It does not matter what percentage the rich are taxed at it will never be enough and eventually the money will run out. Too many people are perfectly satisfied with living off the work of others.

kcmylorn · Jan 2, 2012

Why don't you just take care of your patients and stop judging them

cpl_dvldog · Jan 2, 2012

I do take care of my patients thank you. Even when I know what stupid thing some of them did to become a patient in my unit. Just because someone is injured does not mean I suddenly feel the need to adopt them and provide for their every need.

DarkBluePhoenix · Jan 2, 2012

Ok people let's not get rude. Honestly, how big is that healthcare bill? What 2000+ pages of different people putting in what they want. And yet no one knows what to do with it. And guess what guys, the idiots that came up with it WILL NEVER USE IT. What the Hell do they care when by have the perfect healthcare benefits?And again, who do you think is going to pay for it? I believe we will, as taxpayers of course! I don't want my taxes increased! Do you? I think not. I know healthcare is expensive and sucks at times with or without insurance but something got to be done, but this bill, IS NOT IT!Plus, its the government, you give an inch and they will take a mile. I don't want to be controlled...do you?