Top 10 Reasons Why I Love ObamaCare

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tntrn, ASN, RN

1,340 Posts

Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

tntrn, ASN, RN

1,340 Posts

Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

The above link talks about new taxes on those of us who make less than $250K....you know, the ones who were promised not a dime more.

Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

A lot of the restaurants in my area already have the calorie counts, some of the movie theaters too. Unfortunately there's not a lot of time between "Can I take your order?" and making a decision to read the food choices, prices, options and calorie count and sometimes it's not clear whether its the calorie count or the price. For the sit down its a lot easier of course. I was surprised that for me rather point out the glaringly calorically dense menu options that it pointed out the lower calorie options more easily. Either way it works though in a fast food setting it can be confusing.

KelRN215, BSN, RN

1 Article; 7,349 Posts

Specializes in Pedi.
It says that abstinence only education must be included, I don't think it means it is the only thing that can be taught.

Abstinence ONLY education means just that- those programs ONLY teach abstinence. Any comprehensive sex ed class includes information about abstinence.

Abstinence only education is full of misinformation, a large government study concluded that.

Fearless_leader

368 Posts

Love it great post.....

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Cant tell if trolling or serious?

Specializes in Emergency.
I say just double or triple the taxes on cigarettes. It will increase government revenue, and hopefully more people will quit.
The same idea will hopefully be adopted for such poisons like: mountain dew, fast food, energy drinks, white bread, processed cereals etc..etc.. the list of "food" that these companies are destroying peoples health with is endless. The revenue could be used to teach an understanding of prevention then we might actually have "health" care instead of "sick" care.

suanna

1,549 Posts

Specializes in Post Anesthesia.
I say just double or triple the taxes on cigarettes. It will increase government revenue, and hopefully more people will quit.

As one of those evil smokers that are ruining the world for all the perfect people, I'd like to add that I would be OK with a tax on tobacco products that is targeted to health related outcomes- we all benefit from my addiction, but I'm tired of every time someone wants to put some more $$$ into the governments' pockets It's the smokers, drinkers and obese that are picked to foot the bill-for a stadium-a new highway to nowhere-to pay for a junket to Hawaii for the state politicians to explore how else they can fund thier pet projects on the backs of a minority. At what point did the "majority" get to decide the people in the "minority" can pay MORE-MORE-MORE, just because they don't have enough of a voteing voice to stop them! How about a 50% payroll income tax on redheads- after all- they are more sensitive to sun related illnesses and only make up about 10% of the population- no one can stop us... Many lifestyle choices result in less that optimal health outcomes- just be careful what you wish for, or the next thing you know your income tax rate will be on a sliding scale based on your weight, cholesterol and HgB A1C.- Sorry for the rant, but you found where I keep my goat.

DoGoodThenGo

4,129 Posts

8. Free preventive care

There is no such thing as "free" when it comes to goods or services. Just as with supposedly "free" extras you get when making a purchase the cost is factored into the price. Trust me, you won't receive a bill for the aforementioned preventive but you'll be paying for it none the less.

2. More breastfeeding rooms and breaks

Something else for trial lawyers to love.

Everytime Congress provides for "reasonable" accommodation in a statue history has shown it takes years of litigation before that standard is determined, and even then it often varies by geographic area due to whatever federal court heard the case.

DoGoodThenGo

4,129 Posts

absolutely ridiculous! because my 2 children have chronic conditions, our co-pays and deductibles only cover so much. last year we spent over $7,000 in additional medical costs. now i can't have my flex dollars cover those?!

*****

also, the one major problem the op did not address is the fact that the new act requires hospitals to cut back a great deal more on spending. where do you think those cuts are going to come from?

[color=#333333]"for-profit hospital chains like hca are big enough to reduce costs and change their practices across the board to emphasize quality in ways smaller companies can't do. for nonprofit hospitals, health care reform looks to be a real challenge. although more patients with health insurance means fewer people receiving medical care without paying their bills, medicare payment cuts and pressure from private health insurance companies to keep rates down will squeeze their revenue."

according to moody's.

last night the ceo of new york city's public hospital system gave an interview which summed up the situation. his system has or will loss several billons in funding via reduced federal reimbursements. in response nychhc like many other hospital systems have been making cuts and more will come. the theory behind reduced payments from government programs is that as the formerly uninsured are provided coverage hospitals will see the lost revenue replaced. that is what is hoped, no one knows if things will turn out that way.

SC_RNDude

533 Posts

1. how many goodies your doctors get

is your doctor prescribing you certain drugs because those are the best for your condition or because of a pharmaceutical company's influence? here's one way you can find out.

the physician payment sunshine act under health care reform requires drug, device or medical supply companies to report annually certain payments or things of value that they've given physicians and teaching hospitals. this could be speaking fees, consulting fees, meals and travel. so, you can find out which and how much companies pay doctors or health care workers. the companies are obligated to report annually about physician ownership and their financial investments.

all this would be available on a public website.

effective date: final rule is expected december 2014.

this is great for the 11 or 12 people who will bother to look up this info. however, guess who is going to pay for whoever is going to compile this information, and who is going to pay for the gov't to make sure the law is followed?

2. more breastfeeding rooms and breaks

many working mothers now get a more appropriate place for expressing breast milk than they had before. employers must provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk."

nursing mothers also can take "reasonable breaks" during the workday to express milk, as frequently as the mother needs. the exception is companies with fewer than 50 employees, which can claim it's an undue hardship.

effective date: march 23, 2010.

not a bad thing, but most employers already do this. why do we need to waste gov't resources to regulate it?

120314030213-menu-mcdonald-s-story-body.jpg

the law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items.

3. caloric reality at every major chain restaurants

under the law, you would walk into a place like mcdonald's and see calories listed under every menu item -- big mac (540 calories), mcnuggets (10 pieces- 470 calories) and medium fries (380 calories).

the law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items on menus and drive-through menus. other fun facts like fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and total protein would have to be made available in writing upon request.

so far, there is mixed evidence about whether calorie postings sway nutritional choices.

the rule also extends to vending machine operators who own or operate 20 or more vending machines. the fda issued a report in april 2011, and left out movie theaters among those establishments required to post calories. so, if implemented, you can tell how many calories your sandwich has at subway, but you won't be able to tell how many calories your buckets of popcorn have at the movie theater.

effective date: the fda has not yet issued a final rule, so there is no time line on its implementation.

an example of the gov't babysitting us. why can't we educate ourselves about what is good/bad for us? why do we need to depend on the gov't? again, i suppose the gov't is using resources to enforce this. couldn't we better use these resources on other things that would give us more bang for the buck, such as health education?

4. abstinence-only education

the health care legislation renews $50 million per year for five years for abstinence-only education. according to the department of health and human services, "programs that receive this funding must teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems." and they also have to teach that sex before marriage is "likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects." for every four federal dollars a state receives, it must match $3 (75% of the federal money, in other words).

i would rather that sex ed be taught at home, but i know not always possible. so, not a bad thing here.

5. flexible spending accounts stiffen

flexible spending accounts previously could be used to buy over-the-counter drugs and vitamins. as of 2011, the accounts became restricted to prescription drugs, although in some cases a doctor can "prescribe" over-the-counter medicines to make them count. health care related purchases that still qualify include condoms, contact lens solution, home diagnostic tests and bandages.

but note that in 2013, your contribution amount to these accounts will have an annual limit of $2,500; previously there was no limit.

effective date: january 1, 2011, for the medication provision; january 1, 2013, for the contribution limit.

unless you want to pay more in taxes, i don't see how this is a good thing. please explain. also, doctor's are going to be wasting a lot of their time seeing patients who want a script for a otc.

6. tanning will cost you

you've been paying a 10% tax every time you've visited the tanning booth, thanks to health care reform.

the uv-emitting tanning devices have been classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by the international agency for research on cancer, which is part of the world health organization. indoor tanning has also been banned for minors in california because of the potential for skin cancer.

effective date: july 1, 2010.

why a tax on this and not on hundreds of other things that aren't good for us?

7. support for wellness programs at work

face it, staying healthy in a stressful workplace with the tempting soda machine in the break room can be tough. but the health care reform law gives companies incentives to start wellness initiatives.

small business got incentives in 2011, when companies with fewer than 100 employees working at least 25 hours per week became eligible for wellness program grants. the law sets up a $200 million grant program from 2011 to 2015.

as of 2014, participants in wellness programs generally can get discounts or rewards from their employers of up to 30% of the cost of their health care premiums (currently, the maximum discount is 20%). that reward can go up to 50% if the secretaries of labor, health and human services and the treasury deem it appropriate.

effective date: january 1, 2011, for the small business and january 1, 2014, for the potential discount raise.

employers already have an incentives for wellness programs. happy and healthy employees who show up and are productive, and less $$$ on healthcare costs. again, our tax money would be better spent elsewhere.

8. free preventive care

mammograms, physical exams, colonoscopies, vaccinations -- these are among the preventive care services that will be fully covered by insurance companies.

this requirement kicked in for new health insurance plans that began on or after september 2010. examples of preventive care include screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, hiv and sexually transmitted diseases, which are covered without a co-pay.

for women, this would also cover genetic counseling for the brca gene for women at higher risk of breast cancer, mammograms every one or two years for women over age 40 and hpv dna testing every three years for women. for kids, the services include autism, vision, developmental and lead screenings. the complete list is available here.

effective date: all health insurance plans must comply by 2018.

as someone else mentioned, nothing is free.

9. home visits to expecting families

the law also includes funding support for early childhood home visitation for people expecting children and families who have young children. professionals come to the home to provide information and support. the aim is to reduce child abuse and neglect, promote the health of mothers and their children and prioritize high-risk populations. research supports such positive outcomes. the health care law provides $1.5 billion for related state-based initiatives over five years.

effective date: began in 2010 with $100 million for fiscal year.

not a terrible thing, but aren't their charities a local gov'ts who already do such a thing? when we are broke as a country, maybe this isn't necessary.

10. health plans you can read

have you ever been confused by the language in health insurance plans?

the health reform law requires health insurers and health plans to provide concise and understandable information about the plan and its benefits. according to the health and human services press release, "the new rules will also make it easier for people and employers to directly compare one plan to another."

patients have a right to two key documents to understand and compare their health insurance choices: a comprehensible summary of benefits (which is standardized similar to nutrition facts on packaged foods) and a glossary of terms of health insurance coverage.

effective date: september 23, 2012.

they already do this. seems pretty subjective anyway. they should start with a healthcare law that everyone can read and understand.

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