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If Congress were to take a vote on a health reform bill today, Democrats and Republicans would find a surprising level of agreement — so much so that the broad outlines of a consensus plan already are taking shape.
Sick or healthy, rich or poor, all Americans would be guaranteed access to health insurance.
In fact, they’d probably be required to purchase it — perhaps through mandates in the law that would include stiff tax penalties for anyone who tried to opt out.
Newly created insurance marketplaces would make finding a plan as easy as shopping for cheap airfare. People could keep their coverage, even if they switched jobs. And they might be able to choose between private insurers and a government-backed plan.
But here’s the catch — none of this would come free, with the wealthiest Americans likely to face higher taxes to help pay for coverage for all.
It’s hard to believe that only three months ago, health care advocates worried that President Barack Obama would drop the health reform issue from his first-year agenda. Now, with an August deadline to pass a bill, a compromise that once seemed unimaginable is considered quite possible, both sides say.
I still think single payer should be seriously discussed.
I agree completely, but that's obviously not going to happen -- I believe the best we're going to get is the "public option" model, and even that is not a done deal.
Looks like we will be getting that 25% VAT (value added tax) sooner than we thought. Every time a commodity moves it will be taxed. The problem is that Countries that have a VAT don't have the IRS. Also, they do not have 30% of their country with or close to Metabolic Syndrome aka Obese. We will be crushed by this. We are not the Skinny Swiss or the super healthy Japanese. We will need at least a 25% VAT just to touch this.
Nurses will also take an estimated 25% pay cut as well. (You do the math)
Here is an example of what universal health care would be like if it was the restaurant business.
This scenario sounds more like what we have already, with huge co pays, paperwork to get things approved. This a bunch of anti single payer baloney propaganda. JMHO and my NY $0.02.
Looks like we will be getting that 25% VAT (value added tax) sooner than we thought. Every time a commodity moves it will be taxed. The problem is that Countries that have a VAT don't have the IRS. Also, they do not have 30% of their country with or close to Metabolic Syndrome aka Obese. We will be crushed by this. We are not the Skinny Swiss or the super healthy Japanese. We will need at least a 25% VAT just to touch this.
Nurses will also take an estimated 25% pay cut as well. (You do the math)
Here is an example of what universal health care would be like if it was the restaurant business.
What’s ahead for the next 100 days? The pace of health reform and its attention in the media will increase…
June - July 2009: Legislation may be reported by various key committees of the House and Senate and will be finalized, as will the work of special task forces designated in the stimulus package:
Five major committees continue work toward reform bills: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Senate Finance, House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, and House Education and Labor.
20 member Health Information Technology Policy Committee under guidance of the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Director David Blumenthal and Special Assistant John Glaser makes recommendations about electronic health record (EHR) rollout—definition of meaningful use, incremental vs. aggressive rollout of program, Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) certification criteria and more.
15 member Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research led by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Director Carolyn Clancy makes recommendations about infrastructure and timing for the development of the national comparative effectiveness program.
Most likely after the August recess, differences between the House and Senate health reform bills will need to be resolved in a joint conference committee. The committees will likely address the issues presented by:
A New Public Plan
The development of a new public plan to insure 25-40 million uninsured and under-insured Americans, as well as employees whose companies elect to “pay” rather than play.
Individual Mandate Required levels of coverage (basic benefits) applicable to all Americans.
Comparative Effectiveness A public repository of information that Medicare and other public plans will follow to make coverage decisions about which interventions (drugs, diagnostic tests, surgical options) are appropriate based on side-by-side comparisons of efficacy, effectiveness and possibly cost differentials. A possible by-product of the effort will be the development of a national formulary upon which prescription drug coverage for Medicare is based.
Medicare Reforms Elimination of the “donut” hole in Part D coverage; use of means testing for traditional Medicare premiums paid by seniors based on their income; allowance for Medicare to contract directly with pharmaceutical companies; reduced premiums and increased compliance requirements for Medicare Advantage Plans; and others.
Expansion of Primary Care Mechanisms including expansion of the National Service Corps; expansion of “medical home” demonstration projects; increased funding for community health centers and other mechanisms to strengthen primary care. Likely funding cuts to acute and specialist provider payments will be recommended.
NOW is the time to write your Federal congresspersons to tell them YOUR concerns about which aspects to include in healthcare legislation.
Thousands plan to be in the streets all summer in support os a single payer system:
'Single-Payer' Supporters Challenge Democrats
When President Obama convened a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, N.M., last month, he wanted to talk about credit card reform. But many in the crowd had a different agenda.
"So many people go bankrupt using their credit cards to pay for health care," the first questioner said to applause. "Why have they taken single-payer off the plate?"
The "single-payer" activists had struck again. As Obama and congressional Democrats work to hammer out landmark health-care legislation, they face increasingly noisy protests from those on the left who complain that a national program like those in Europe has been excluded from the debate.
The White House and Democratic leaders have made clear there is no chance that Congress will adopt a single-payer approach -- named for the idea that a single government-backed insurance plan would pay for all Americans' medical costs -- because it is too radical a change. ...
Obama's health plan takes shape
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