Nurses General Nursing
Published Dec 9, 2006
h.r.6420 title: to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to impose an excise tax on certain medical care providers that fail to provide a minimum level of charity medical care, and for other purposes. sponsor: rep thomas, william m. [ca-22] (introduced 12/8/2006) cosponsors (none) latest major action: 12/8/2006 referred to house committee. status: referred to the house committee on ways and means.
title: to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to impose an excise tax on certain medical care providers that fail to provide a minimum level of charity medical care, and for other purposes.
sponsor: rep thomas, william m. [ca-22] (introduced 12/8/2006) cosponsors (none)
latest major action: 12/8/2006 referred to house committee. status: referred to the house committee on ways and means.
search results - thomas (library of congress)::
the text of the bill has not been published yet, but this looks like one more step towards universal health care. what do you think?
Fuzzy
370 Posts
I still wonder how many people would have medical coverage if their workplace didn't provide them with some kind of policy. I wonder what would happen if our congress people, president, teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and others had to get their insurance from private sources that isn't a perk of their employment, in another words no group plans. I wonder if we would have more people who could get medical care or less. I wonder if medical care would be more available and affordable to people if the government, the insurance companies, and the lawyers had absolutely no stake in medical care. I know I'm full of wonder.
zacarias, ASN, RN
1,338 Posts
I haven't read all the posts but to me it is simple:
Is it better to live in a country where you have the best specialists, technology, and care for some people and where millions of others go without?
Or is it better to live in a country where the world's best cardiac surgeon may not live or there may not be 64-slice CT scanners all over the place but EVERYONE is cared for. It may not be as fast as what many of us in the US are used to and often demand, but it is better IMO.
blueyesue
566 Posts
Put our government in charge of dealing with Iraq, and they're a failure.
Put our government in charge of the war on drugs, and they're a failure.
Put our government in charge of the war on poverty, and they're a failure.
Put our government in charge of helping hurricane victims, and they're a failure.
Put our government in charge of securing our borders, and they're a failure.
How is putting the government in charge of healthcare going to be any different?
GardenDove
962 Posts
Sorry, but our government is hardly a failure. We are a successful country with excellent infrastructure. We hand power over every 4 years peacefully, our senetors and representatives behave themselves more decoriously than Members of Parliment. We do many things right and I'm thankful to live in America.
Oh, please don't get me wrong. I to am grateful to be here. Our country is great. America's private enterprise, military, its citizens etc. are what makes it an amazing place to live.
That doesn't change the fact that the government is over bloated. If we trimmed it down it would be much more effective.
Do you disagree with those posted statements? If so, which ones, and how will their control of healthcare be different?
JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP
1 Article; 1,863 Posts
EJM, I think the common denominator of the scenarios you've mentioned is lack of clarity of vision. We're just not sure exactly what we want to do or how it should be done, so things keep getting mucked up... simply because there are no clearly defined goals. I think universal healthcare could wind up in a similar mess, which is why it won't work unless there's a huge consensus in this country about exactly what we want, and what we're willing to give up in order to get it. Naturally people who already have good coverage from work don't want to even think of giving up any of the conveniences that they have, whether that means slightly longer wait times etc. OTOH the people who are hardworking but uninsured simply can't catapult themselves out of the mess... What can they do? Work longer hours? Go back to school? What if they already have degrees but can't find work in their field, or if the only work they can get is contracting that offers no benefits? It really sucks to be one of the uninsured, and it doesn't take that much for you to end up one of them. When we all realize how little it would take for us to wind up in that boat it might be easier to build consensus for universal health coverage in this country.
S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN
562 Posts
ChayaN! Thankyou! You have managed to put into words the thoughts I could not gather. I agree with you 100%.
:yeahthat:
True, I know that I would have a different outlook on the whole thing if I could get insurance or affordable healthcare. I love my job but it's in an industry that doesn't make much money (veterinary medicine) although consumers seem to think so. I have pre-existing conditions so I cannot find an affordable policy. All I want is a no frills catatrophic policy so I can use a MSA. In fact, I have my own personal savings account but it would never pay if I was dx with cancer, had a heart attack, or have a severe accident. It does pay for doctors visits, prescriptions, and some testing. I have considered changing my career to nursing several times just to get some necessary health coverage. I would only have to take a few more classes to get considered for nursing school. I already have an aunt and several cousins who are already working in the field. However from talking to them and reading these boards and others---nursing (please take no offense to this statement) sounds like a snake pit profession where professional people are treated badly by their peers and their employers. When sick people are added to the mix than I can see alot of unneeded stress. Working with animals and their people are hard enough somedays and I have a wonderful peer support group at work. So I will continue to work uninsured in the veterinary profession and hope for the best.
YOu need to run for office, Chaya, well said!
I was uninsured for most of my life, even after becoming a nurse. I'll never forget, after my 2d husband died in 1997, I still had two teenagers home from my first marriage and two girls from 2d husband who were barely 3years old, and 16 months old. I had been working 2 days a week in a local nursing home and we had a restaurant. His Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia took an unexpected turn into a high grade aggressive Lymphoma and he died after a nightmarish month long hospitalization.
So, there I was with two babies, I had to quit my nursing home job as my husband was the babysitter, plus I had to suddenly deal with our restaurant, my baby was still nursing, I was up a creek without a paddle. I also had to deal with the enormous hospital bill from his illness.
When the baby was 3 I got a job in a hospital 2 days a week in order to get hospital experience. My main income was Social Security for myself and the girls, and there is no medical coverage for children or surviving spouses under that program.
At the time it was totally impossible to buy insurance in Washington State because the state had made a law making the pre-existing condition time period on health insurence to be 3 months, so every insurence company had pulled out of the state, except for group plans. So, there I was taking care of pts, many of them immigrants, and I had no health insurence because I didn't work enough hours to get it, and I was unable to buy it!
Our current system is totally absurd. When someone is uninsured it adds an incredible element of stress and worry to their hospitalization as well.
pickledpepperRN
4,491 Posts
Medicare seems to work pretty well.
I get my mail
I can dring the water here.
The fire department puts out fires and provides emergency medical services.
WE the people are the government. When people realize that to promote the general welfare WE will demand action.
I personally think Medicare for everyone with a single high standard of care is the way to go.
But the important thing now is to have the dialogue.
