Obamacare Survives, Supreme Court Rescues 'Big Health'

[herring_RN]

[color=#365f91]obamacare survives, supreme court rescues 'big health'

[color=#333333]just a quick comment on the supreme court's decision to uphold the constitutionality of the obama healthcare legislation, i.e. that the single mandate stands.

i recently watched a fascinating video of a talk given by dr oliver fein, a member of the physicians for a national health program, that is doctors in favor of socialised medicine or as it is called in the us, 'single payer', analysing the obama health reform. his view on the supreme court decision was that the judges, and in particular chief justice john roberts, would rule in it favour for fear of what come if they didn't. in other words striking down obamacare would put single payer or other radical reform back on the table. well, roberts deserted his conservative colleagues and voted for obama's law. so dr fein may well be right. ...

[color=#333333]... [color=#333333]this statement just in from one of america's largest nursing unions:

[color=#333333]nurses: 'court ruling does not end healthcare crisis or the need to continue the campaign for reform'

[color=#333333]the supreme court decision should not be seen as the end of the efforts by health care activists for a permanent fix of our broken healthcare system, said the nation's largest union and professional association of registered nurses today.

[color=#333333]to achieve that end, the 175,000-member national nurses united pledged to step up a campaign for a reform that is not based on extending the grip of a failed private insurance system, but "on a universal program based on patient need, not on profits or ability to pay. that's medicare for all," said nnu co-president jean ross, rn. "it is not time to stop, but a reminder to begin that effort anew."

[color=#333333]"nurses experience the crisis our patients continue to endure every day. that's the reason we will continue to work for reform that is universal, that doesn't bankrupt families or leave patients in the often cruel hands of merciless insurance companies," said nnu co-president karen higgins, rn.

[color=#333333]stepping up the fight for medicare for all is even more critical in the midst of the still persistent economic crisis," added nnu co-president deborah burger, rn, noting that nurses have seen broad declines in health status among patients related to loss of jobs, homes, and health coverage. ...

[color=#333333]http://thebrokenelbow.com/2012/06/28/obamacare-survives-supreme-court-rescues-big-health/

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

i'll await to make my comment in the near future

[babyNP., APRN]

I was ecstatic when I found out. My husband was disgruntled, however, only because we don't have single-payer health care like he does in the UK. I told him, baby steps, my dear.

I'm just getting my UK nursing license now and spent quite a bit of time learning about their nationalized health care. It was quite fascinating. They even have a bill of rights document that specifically states that the care given to patients is not affected by their ability to pay. I nearly cried when I read that. Such a beautiful statement. They have their problems, of course, but it is still much better than our system.

One of my best friends from high school had various health issues and talked to me about some serious GI symptoms she was experiencing on top of her asthma. I told her to go to the ER. "babyRN, I can't! I only need one more month before my insurance will kick in without pre-existing conditions. If I go now, I'll have to start all over again and I can't afford my insurance rates going up." Luckily, she's fine. But that is one of the most horrid things I've ever heard of and honestly, the Europeans have a right to look their noses down at us and ask Americans like me while taking my nursing course over there whether people really die in America because of lack of health care and aren't we ashamed of ourselves?

Yep. Pretty ashamed. Until now...

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I'm cautious .....there is a middle class struggling. Unemployed and underemployed losing their homes beating the pavement trying to stay in their homes. Struggling to make it day to day, they can't put gas in their tanks and food on the table. For the first time in history there are more poor in the suburbs.......40 % of middle class americans struggle to keep a roof over their heads and can't afford to pay another bill. THey have too much money for medicaid but not enough to get by.....making them pay any additional money will plunge them into darkness. I will benefit because they now can't throw me away or deny me because I am ill........but I remain concerned. I see insurance co getting more money in their pockets and the hospital getting more payments. I see the struggling having to pay more taxes drown under the weight of it all. What is the government going to do with all the penalties/tax they collect for those who don't have insurance? Bail out more banks? I remain skeptical, time will tell.

[Tragically Hip]

"making them pay any additional money will plunge them into darkness"

Having a member of their family fall ill if they have no insurance will plunge them into bankruptcy, and possibly, true poverty. It will be a lot more efficient for everyone if they don't have to go to an emergency room and rack up a $1500 bill for routine care. For the needy, there will be subsidies.

This is not abstract theory. Massachusetts has had an almost identical system in place since the early 00's. RomneyCare almost equals ObamaCare.

"What is the government going to do with all the penalties/tax they collect for those who don't have insurance?"

The reality is that it's not going to be much money (the penalties are not high), and they're not going to have an easy time collecting said penalties. Once again, look toward the prototype in Massachusetts, where it's not much of an issue -- the vast majority of state residents are insured.

[Tragically Hip]

The more I read, the idea is premiums would go down because of the quantity of new policies would balance out the reduced premiums.

That's what happened to my insurance when RomneyCare kicked in in Massachusetts. Of course, my insurance company didn't bother telling me that they didn't phase out the old plans, but introduced a slew of new plans under the new system. I switched to a plan that was virtually identical to the one I had. The old plan was due for a yearly increase, and its premiums were roughly double those of the new plan.

That's right. My premiums were virtually halved. There were other factors in play in the Massachusetts switchover versus the ACA, but it's telling.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Ha. Cant wait to see this blow up in our faces. I dont see how this will help the issue at all.

And I think that the quotes should go around 'rescue'

[java12]

My husband is an orthopaedic surgeon. He has seen many patients from Canada. Such patients have chosen to leave their country and have surgery here because they have been on a waiting list for two years or more, to have a hip or knee replacement.

The patients are in pain and cannot ambulate freely or live an active life. Unfortunately surgery is not available to them because their age or particular diagnosis is not a priority.

Many of these patients are in their 40's and told they will simply have to wait. Unable to contend with their condition, they come to the states and pay out of pocket.

[boomertx]

My husband is an orthopaedic surgeon. He has seen many patients from Canada. Such patients have chosen to leave their country and have surgery here because they have been on a waiting list for two years or more, to have a hip or knee replacement.

The patients are in pain and cannot ambulate freely or live an active life. Unfortunately surgery is not available to them because their age or particular diagnosis is not a priority.

Many of these patients are in their 40's and told they will simply have to wait. Unable to contend with their condition, they come to the states and pay out of pocket.

I believe there will be more expensive plans you can choose if you wish more coverage than what Obamacare reguires in a basic plan. There is nothing in Obamacare that limits your choice of choosing a "premium" plan and it does not prevent you from seeking treatment outside the U.S. on your own dime. Kind of a high class problem in my view.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Supreme Court decision:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-393c3a2.pdf

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

democracy now! special: supreme court upholds healthcare overhaul, individual mandate

... amygoodman: karen higgins is standing outside the supreme court right now. she's a nurse and co-president of national nurses united. overall, it looks like the supreme court, with the support of chief justice roberts, has decided to uphold the patient protection and affordable care act, president obama's law. your response, karen higgins?

karenhiggins: well, i think that--what i think this hopefully does is open the debate once again about, clearly, where are we going with healthcare. this bill is not healthcare. this bill is basically health insurance. it does not cover everybody in this country. there are millions of people that still do not have health insurance. it isn't, to us, going to make a difference. some people, you can mandate them to be insured, but if they can't afford it, if the discussion is, if i need to feed my children and put a roof over my head, you know what? i'm not going to have insurance, if those are going to be my priorities in an economy right now that is just devastating.

so, what we hope is that this will open the door for us to really talk about, as we--you know, a true medicare-for-all system. we do this for our elderly. we take care of them when they're over 65. we've had this program for over 40 years. it's very cost-containing. it actually runs well. we think this needs to be expanded out for everyone in this country.

the only ones that are making out, unfortunately, on this bill are insurance companies and drug companies. we still are going to see more and more people that i see coming into the ers, that end up in icus, where i work, because why? they couldn't afford medications. they couldn't go to a doctor, because they couldn't afford it. and these are people that have healthcare. you know, when you look at it with--between co-pays, deductibles, these are a large chunk of change to some people who are struggling every day to make ends meet. so, an opt of not going to a doctor because you can't afford those costs, you end up in an icu. this is not acceptable in this country.

so, you know what? this happened, but what we really hope will come out of this is that we will now truthfully have a very strong debate on what is really healthcare in this country and what is health insurance, and what is the best thing for people in this country. and that would be true healthcare. ...

watch democracy now! special: supreme court upholds healthcare overhaul, individual mandate

[FORTHELOVEOF!!!!]

I am completely politically ignorant, I know how this will effect me personally but will someone tell me how it will effect nurses?

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

Supreme Court decision:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-393c3a2.pdf

I

don't have a password for that link.

Try this site:

Supreme Court health care decision (full text) - The Washington Post