Kennedy Bill Would Make Employers Provide Health care

WASHINGTON — Employers would be required to offer health care to employees or pay a penalty, and all Americans would be guaranteed health insurance, under a draft bill being circulated Friday by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's health committee.

The bill would provide subsidies to help poor people afford care, and give patients the right to select any doctor they want.

Insurers would be required to provide a basic level of care and cover all comers, without turning people away because of pre-existing conditions or other reasons.

It's already been known that Kennedy's health committee was planning to pursue most of the concepts outlined in the draft of the bill, called the "American Health Choices Act." But it's the first actual bill language to circulate since Congress began working on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

"It's a draft of a draft. HELP democrats are still actively talking amongst themselves and their Republican colleagues," said Anthony Coley, spokeswoman for Kennedy's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Comments

[Samalabear]

We've got to make sure in pressing Obama in this push that mandates are out. We don't want a Massachusetts plan for anyone. We need to sever the ties of employment and health care. If we don't do this -- or if we put employer mandates in place -- we will hemorrhage more jobs and the back of small business -- and we can forget about start-ups.

[schatsie]

Don't worry about it, Walmart is in there lobbying right now along with the Weis, Gates and Bufffets to make sure there are plenty of loopholes.­...you don't really think the Oligarchs are going to give up any of THEIR HARDEARNED PROFITS for their employees do you?

What they are saying is "Let them EAT CAKE, they don't need any stinking healthcare­...." so much for Warren admitting that he pays less percentage wise in taxes than his secretary does..Why are we not talking about raising taxes on the 50% of the income that is not subject to Income Taxes and pluuueeese do not tell me that Trickle Down works or that they are creating jobs in the US, they are creating jobs offshore and bringing in Visas as fast as they can because it is cheaper than educating people in this country...­..

[blndgenie]

To Luvial and others who are misinformed: Emloyers do NOT HAVE ACCESS to employees health claim information. NOR do they have access to which employee incurred what total expense. The ONLY information the employer can LEGALLY GET is the TOTAL EXPENSES the plan incurred. Anything else is a VIOLATION OF PRIVACY and ILLEGAL.

[RTIII]

Having employers provide health-care (insurance) is a large part of what's wrong with our system today.

Continuing Employer-based health-care will not help put OUR businesses on the same financial footing as our competitors. Put another way, Employer-based health-care (insurance) is a drag on our industry that other industrialized nations do not impose upon their businesses.

DOWN with this plan.
.

[olmossy]

No! We need the same plan Canada has. Expanded Medicare.

We the People are paying for the Health Care. Our bosses don't need to pay. The insurance Compays don't need to pay.

All together we are like Wealthy People who can take care of their own bills. Why hand a dollar to an Ins Co. who keeps 30cents and hands 70 cents to the Doctor.

Any CHILD could see through this SCAM. The Ins. Co. takes the 30cents and gives a Congressman an nickle. The only ones Losing money are the People of the USA.

We just give the 70 cents to the doctor, and an extra 20 cents for the very poor. We pocket the nickle.

This ain't rocket science. This is common sense!

[olmossy]

Intended to say expanded Medicaide.

[schatsie]

I agree with you that we need the same plan that Canada has or France or any other developed country...­. we also need a real tax system to roll back the regressive features and restore the tax rates on the wealthy to what they were in the 50, 60 and 70s, that is over 50% for income over 1 millon...N­OW they are paying 17% and still whining about more tax cuts...the­y would not be happy if you ENSLAVED your first born to them, they will never be happy until we are all in shacks and starving..­..

[schatsie]

Well they have to compete for the dollars that are investing in Gas STOCKS where the profit margins are 20%, think about that every time you pay for gas, 20 cents on every dollar goes to the OLIGARCHS who are looking out for your best interests.­....NOT...­..

[Luvial]

When employers control our healthcare, we have no privacy of our medical information. Employers have access to all of our claim information because they pay our health insurance bills. Patient privacy is required for reform.

[hilary916]

Employers can control the amount of coverage you get and pay all or part of the premium. The insurance company pays the claims from the doctors. Unless the insurance company is telling your employer when you see the doctor or your doctor sends your employer the bill, I don't see how they would have access to your medical information. Plus, I'm pretty sure there are already laws against sharing patient information.

[olmossy]

No! I worked for a city, with Health Ins. administered by the city. If you sneezed or went to the Hospital, within a week Everyone in the City knew what kind of medication you were taking. Bad Deal.

[SarahSarah]

Terrible idea. There is no reason to shift a public problem and responsibility onto employers. That idea is what lead to this disaster in the first place.

[jmpurser]

Agreed! In order to get out of the hole we need to stop digging! Getting bigger shovels won't help!

[olmossy]

Maybe if we give Halliburton Ins Co a No Bid Contract they can dig a Real HOLe . Big enough for everyone to be in.

[americanfabius]

This is not a very good idea as it could be Judgement Day for every small business with small enough margins who are just getting by today. Health care is too expensive, and making people buy it so everyone has it won't solve anything.

[schatsie]

you know it will take care of the lobbiests and the current FREE MARKET SYSTEM of health crap insurance.­...(it really has nothing to do with healthcare­..)

[chevyval]

The Government should pay teachers and health care providers alot of money
and make both available to everyone. It shouldn't be up to employers.
Our common welfare should come first and that is Education and Health.
Then you are on your own.

[SeeJaneRunning]

In the hierarchy of needs, food & shelter rank higher. Heck, let's make "The Government" provide those, too.

[olmossy]

Jane , we're allready paying enought money for BOTH. We're just not getting them.

[schatsie]

whose hierarchy are you talking about,??? We spend more for health care per person in this country than food and shelter and transporta­tion,,,,It has been an incredible drain on our economy, a 5% of GDP profit surtax above and beyond the real cost of care.for the last 7 years....I­f we could sqweeze that out, we could give the rich another tax cut (sarcasm).­.

[hasheville]

Roseycheeks says "March on Washington June 25th" - does anyone have info about a mass demonstration? They need to see the people behind polls! I'm disappointed in Kennedy too. The majority of the 1.5 million bankrupcies are because of health care AND the majority of those are by people WITH insurance, who paid their premiums but were ignored by their insurance company when they needed coverage! The insuranced should also be behind single payer. We need to refuse to give taxpayers dollars to subsidize "the uninsured" which will just be a subsidy to insurance companies who have paid for the influence to kill single payer. This happened with medicare - tax dollars going to supplemental insurance coverage many medicare recipients need because insurance lobbyists have consistently weakened the coverage people get through medicare so they can profit off the "government" plan too. Politicians say we can't make a major change because of the system in place - just don't want to go against powerful lobbyists holding them hostage. If we don't get single payer its solely because our government is paid for by the powerful. Politicians say they must support the "free market" - my HEALTH is not marketable! And there is no "free" market for us consumers who are held hostage by insurers we are forced to pay. OUR money goes to banks that rip us off, to insurance companies that rip us off - the size of their profits is out of this world while they bankrupt our

[TheFriendlyAtheist]

Right on hasheville. With all due respect to Sen. Kennedy and President Obama both of their plans for health-care reform are BS. All they do is kick the can down the road a little farther. In another few years no small business in the country will be able to afford to offer health ins. to its' employees; premiums will rise an average of 30% just this year. How the hell can our corporations be expected to compete in a world economy with this kind of sword hanging over their head?

[thenorthshore]

none of the prince or princesses of dc has ever run a business nor
owned one.

small business margins are slim enough

thats ted and barry

small business will be driven down/out

[marinade]

Crazy. One of the biggest reasons for health care reform is to unburden the small and medium sized businesses from the cost of insurance. It's worse than taxes.

[jmpurser]

Agreed. Most of the "solutions" are all but guaranteed to make the problem worse. The ONLY tried and true solution to this mess is single payer health insurance run by the government and offering universal coverage. It works all over the world but WE don't do it!!!

Have you written your congressional delegation and your state's governor on the importance of this issue and speaking up for single payer? They need to hear from you NOW.

[Savanna]

Relax, this will never happen..Th­ere are going to be a lot of "ballons" floated in this battle. I believe that this bill of Kennedy's is one of those ballons to show everyone what we don't need.

[Disdain]

"Employers would be required to offer health care to employees or pay a penalty". Way to go Kennedy you could not find a better harebrained idea to put most small businesses out of business and send the rest to other countries.

[jmpurser]

Not only that but "offering" health insurance doesn't mean anyone can AFFORD health insurance. And we're already looking at a 9% "official rate" of unemployment and real rate that's approaching 20%. This does NOTHING for those people.

[Hamatreya]

-Sick and tired of the sell-out. I should have supported Ron Paul.

[raker]

If Ron Paul were in charge our average life span would be about 40. No health care, no social services, and lots and lots of guns.

[TheFriendlyAtheist]

Can't agree with you on Ron Paul; but do agree that we need a good third party in this country that actually cares about the people. Both the democrats and repubs are nothing but corporate whores.

[olmossy]

Was watching Bill Moyers, the folks were saying Republicans were traditionally supported by Big Business.
Democrats by Middle Class and unions. After the 70s Middle class and Unions are being destroyed by Republicans.
For Decocrats to compete they had to become more moderate to attract Big Businnes money. Thus
NO ONE REPRESENTS the Middle Class. We need a MAIN STREET party!!

[matt126]

For goodguysandbadguys, I will read the article. Thanks, finally an exchange of ideas without the talking points or spewing GOP insults at the poster.

[AnnfromCA]

Kill all small business is the Kennedy motto. *jeesh*