Obama's health plan takes shape

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Barack Obama's health plan takes shape

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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.

Specializes in LTC.

Half-baked measures that appease the insurance companies would be a disaster for reform and a set back for future reform because conservatives would latch on to any failures as evidence that the "free market" is the only answer.

Yes, I fear that is correct. If there is a public option (and I certainly hope we atleast get that) you can rest assured every time it burps or farts the conservatives will scream bloody murder. I still remain hopeful however that the plan we see will put us on a reasonable path to single-payer, even though this plan seems to be just a mess, pure and simple.

It's interesting that Obama once advocated a single-payer system and actually explained how to accomplish it. He said the White House, and Congress would have to be controlled by dems.. , so much for that idea Mr. President.

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And that is relevant, how?

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Whooeeee, I didn't even know that nut job was still around...........thought he'd long since gone to that great political convention in the sky.

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
Here's some more "nutjobs" speaking about the "plan":

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/9/sen_bernie_sanders_and_nurses_union

Thank you.

Listen and/or read and make up your mind.

Here's some more "nutjobs" speaking about the "plan":

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/9/sen_bernie_sanders_and_nurses_union

If you have an opinion, have the balls to express it. Deliberately posting cryptic links, trying to trick people into going to web sites run by whackos who equate Obama with Hitler, is troll-like behavior.

Thanks for the link though - people can read and decide for themselves who the real nutjobs are.

Posting here as it is related:

Health Care Overhaul Opponents Use Selective Stats

Source: NPR

It's become one of the most commonly cited statistics by opponents of the health overhaul being put together by Democrats in Congress: Creating a new government-run public health insurance plan would result in 119 million people losing their private insurance.

Here was Senate Finance Committee ranking Republican Charles Grassley on MSNBC just Tuesday: "My objection to the public option is based upon the Lewin think tank ... study that says 119 million people will opt out of private health insurance."

"According to a recent study, a new public plan would cause almost 120 million Americans to lose their private coverage," echoed Sen. Orrin Hatch.

But is it really true? Yes and no.

"The number of 119 million is absolutely correct," says John Sheils, senior vice president of the Lewin Group, a number-crunching consulting group owned by Ingenix, which is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.

But that number hardly represents the entirety of the report Sheils and colleague Randy Haught put out in April. The point of the study was to show that the number of people who would eventually join a government-sponsored public insurance plan would vary-dramatically-depending on how that plan is designed.

If the public plan is open to everyone and pays health care providers rates similar to those paid by the government-run Medicare program, which are lower than most private insurers pay, "you'd have a lower premium level and thus [more] people go into it," says Sheils.

But if the public plan is limited to fewer people (perhaps only those in small businesses and individuals), or if the plan pays higher rates to doctors and hospitals, fewer people would join, both because fewer would be allowed and because the plan would be less financially attractive. According to the study, the number of people dropping private coverage could be as low as 10.4 million.

Wouldn't their time be better served getting a job instead of demanding handouts and freebies?

Thousands plan to be in the streets all summer in support os a single payer system:
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
Wouldn't their time be better served getting a job instead of demanding handouts and freebies?
Silly, people with jobs use the streets too.

Direct care RNs who have jobs plan to be in the streets on their vacation and days off.

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As we have been doing for years. Many nurses are social activists. Nurses lead the struggle for womens vote

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Looks like typical left wing union activity to me.

Silly, people with jobs use the streets too.

Direct care RNs who have jobs plan to be in the streets on their vacation and days off.

singlepayer.gif

As we have been doing for years. Many nurses are social activists. Nurses lead the struggle for womens vote

StRose_victory_0409.gif

lOhioabor_day_parade_cleveland_2008.gif

Maine_banner_balloons.gif

austin_rally_group_111406.gif

RNsatCapitolPicture1-1.jpgjune19_philidelphia_1.jpgcna_board_banner_061908.gif

Specializes in My son...for now..
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):down:

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You are wrong on your first point. Countries with a VAT do have something very similar to the IRS. And yes, we will have to pay for this somehow.

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