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

[hobgobbler]

This sounds like an incredibly bad idea. Businesses already can't afford to provide health care, and now they want to force them to anyway? As a business owner I want single-payer, or the closest thing to it.

[epiphany1234]

Senator Kennedy, you can't overhaul the health care system while preserving the old system.
That's basic and clear.

Don't sell out.

Single payer, universal, public, non-profit health care for every American man, woman and child now.

The people support you in this. What more do you need?

[matt126]

that is not correct. The people do not support this idea. You may support it but if it had enough support this would already be done. This is a bad idea. The government does not do anything better than the private sector and besides who is going to pay for this new entitlement? We don't have the money and this will not save us money. Why on earth would we create a new entitlement when the other entitlements that we already have are going bankrupt? The solution is to get everyone in the country back to work. I am a small business owner and provide all that work in my company with health insurance. Get America back to work.

[epiphany1234]

We the people will pay. We already pay, only our money is diverted toward programs and policies that do not nourish and support our needs.

I am very willing to pay taxes that will support my health and education. Good health and good education should be the "entitlement" of every American. Other countries manage to do it ...yes, at a cost....but what comes free in this world?

As a small business owner you obviously already are burdened by the health care costs of your employees....why in the world do you want to continue to shoulder this burden?

[LeftCoastLarry]

This notion that the government can't do anything better than the private sector is bogus. Whenever the private sector takes over those roles traditionally provided by the government, disaster is the result. The current state of our health care system is an example of a corporate run system that is broken.
Government would do a much better job of managing our health care and do it much more cheaply and efficiently.

[raker]

The People vote against their own interests every time. The People were made afraid by a steady drip of Harry and Louise when Hillary's plan was shot down. But when The People get sick, The People want hospitalization, and medical care, and rehab and prostheses and surgery and prescriptions, etc.

The obstacles to a sensible single-payer health plan lie with the Republican Party and the healthcare industrial complex. We need courageous politicians who will fight to do the right thing and not compromise away our access to health care.

[ladylove114]

Why am I not surprised at this? My employer is hanging on by a thread, keeping everyone working (we have all taken a pay cut) and if they were forced to do this, not only would I not have a job I would not have health insurance. This is the craziest idea I have heard in a while. I swear I don't for the life of me understand the blind love for Ted Kennedy. He does not have a clue how people like me AND YOU live.

[ChristianEcon.com]

Your employer is keeping everyone working? Sounds like your employer needs to fire everyone.

[matt126]

He or she will eventually have to if this economy does not get moving. Get the money out of the governments hands and that will happen faster. Where are all of the shovel ready projects that the stimulus was going to? Government does not do anything fast. We can all agree on that.

[matt126]

It will get worse if the Obama administration and congress listen to the drumbeat of get those corporations and rich folks! Microsoft already said they will move offshore and other companies will ship more jobs overseas. I know this will not be popular on this website, but we need to make this country favorable for business and some jobs will come back. We have got to get this country back to work. The majority of Americans want to work and very few are looking for handouts. A tax cut would be the ideal way to get this economy moving.

[VPN]

YOU keep pushing that same old GOP NONSENSE, that got us where we are today. The American people have soundly rejected for the last two election cycles the republicker economic disastrous policies that have plagued this country since the days of Ronnie Raygun. Republickers have NO credibility on economic policy, DEAL WITH IT.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"other companies will ship more jobs overseas" BECAUSE they CANNOT afford the CRIMINAL cost of "healthcare" INSURANCE companies!!!

[VivaZapata]

Saw a commercial (an insurance company front organization?) against the president's healthcare reform bill. It was pretty obvious and ineffective.

[epiphany1234]

Write, call, e-mail, snail-mail, phone, text, tweet, and carrier pidgeon a message to everybody who represents you in Congress and the White House that you want SINGLE PAYER, UNIVERSAL, PUBLIC, NON PROFIT, HEALTH CARE FOR EVERY AMERICAN MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD NOW.

Inform them that your vote will not be cast for anyone who opposes this achieveable goal which Washington is already working to defeat. And don't just threaten to defeat them, DO IT!

Health care must be SEPARATED from insurance companies and their profit goals.

Health care is a RIGHT, which Americans deserve and can afford to pay for with their tax dollars.

[anothervoice2]

Tell your Congressperson to support Sebelius (she backs a public health care option):
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124423082312389859.html

[PaxEterna]

Kennedy has been in the pocket of Big Pharma for decades.

This is a sham ...Obama et al didn't even allow single payer to be considered as an option. Why?

Because the insurance lobby sees it self as going out of business (that is losing big profits, executive compensation etc.) once the value proposition that you can get rich off of sick people is challenged.

This discussion without single payer being front and center is a disservice to the American people and a disgrace to our nation.

Why isn't Kennedy advocating for the people the same coverage he's enjoyed for decades courtesy of the American taxpayers? If the taxpayers can pay for those idiots in congress, who can't seem to solve a single problem with intelligence, wisdom, and compassion, then we should get rid of them.

Bundle up you medical bills and send them to Obama and Kennedy.

I hear they are printing money for banks and auto companies ...maybe it's the average citizen's turn.

[NeoLiberal]

If we think that millions of jobs will be lost because of this health care proposal, then we're still laboring under old assumptions and 20th century economics.

It is in an employer's best interests to have a healthy work force.

They're more productive, less worried financially, happier, more secure about their children, etc. etc.

Besides, this bill's language is still being developed and it will likely be merged with a couple of other proposals to allay these irrational concerns--like perhaps, business tax credits to incent employers.

Let's continue the debate, vigorously.

Otherwise, the 46 million Americans (a plurality of children...) will not be insured and WILL latch on to welfare programs for health care--then working people will have to pay for it. And that's definitely NOT good for the economy.

[anothervoice2]

Get real. This will not help bring down costs. The issue is that in addition to the millions uninsured now, there are many many more struggling under the weight of the paying health insurance. What he is proposing is the same as the MA reform bill. The premise was that by mandating everyone be covered under threat of legal penalty, it would reduce costs by reducing the number of uninsured (some of whom use the ER for basic care driving up costs). Yeah. Great success that has been in MA. The premiums are sky high. The online price comparison tool MA Connector is a price fixing scheme for HMOs. They are laughing all the way to the bank with this bill, they were given a handout, no questions asked or demand made of them to reduce costs to the consumer.
Kennedy should give up his taxpayer funded public health plan - and see what it is like out there shopping as an individual for insurance from a private HMO. See what they quote him with his age and cancer.
This bill is a betrayal - and will be his legacy. Hypocrite!

[ChristianEcon.com]

Exactly. A lot of people still operate under the old free-market propaganda paradigm. Business needs to modernize and become part of the solution.

[PerfectSense]

(Kennedy Bill Would Make Employers Provide Health care）

Yep, that will destroy few million jobs by either moving them offshore or by eliminating them entirely. Way to go Ted!

[raker]

When our jobs are moved to every corner of the world we can go on COBRA, so while we're unemployed we can pay $2,000 a month for a family health plan. No problem.

[ChristianEcon.com]

Those businesses needed to be weeded out anyway then. Supply and demand.

[sb250guy]

（Kennedy Bill Would Make Employers Provide Health care）

Sorry! I love Ted. I hope his health is improving. I am also from Massachusetts and I heartily thank him for his years of service speaking up for the voiceless.

However, I TOTALLY disagree with this. We need to separate health care from employment. We need single payer. It is good for business. It is good for people.

[jezzabella]

I agree with you. A small business with 6 or 7 employees could not possibly pick up the tab of $7k or $10k a month for health insurance. We need to get rid of health insurance and health insurance companies. Private business should not have the right to decide who gets healthcare and who doesn't. Healthcare controlled by private companies is un-American.
If I go to my doctor and pay cash - no insurance filed - the bill is $70. If I use my insurance the doctor bills the insurance company $340 for my office visit. The emergency room is the same way. They have a cash price and an insurance price. Our current system is just insane.

[LeftCoastLarry]

Health care reform with out single payer is not reform at all. It's capitulation to the insurance companies. I am very disappointed that Senator Kennedy, of all people, would abandon his principles and not pursue true reform.
After Big Pharma wrote and pushed through Medicare Part D, Kennedy capitulated and said "It's better than nothing and we can improve it later".
Later has come and nothing has been done to fix Medicare Part D. It is still a tool of the pharmaceutical companies to keep prices high and to milk the treasury.
If we don't get true reform that includes a single payer option now, we never will.

[Periwinkle]

This is exactly what we don't want. Half the problem is having health insurance tied to a job. I expected a whole lot more from Sen. Kennedy.

[jumperpin]

FORCING a middleman, an employer, into health care insurance/financing, can ONLY increase total costs. PERIOD.

[raker]

Employer-provided health care is a disaster. Health insurance is a disaster. Only a single-payer Medicare-like plan, without the copays and deductibles, is acceptable.

[breakfast]

It was a mistake from the get-go to tie health care insurance for Americans to employment at wealthy corporations. It would be a mistake to continue that tie-in and Kennedy should know this.

There are a number of effective health care plans used by other nations, none of which are tied in to employment. Any one of these could serve as a model for a health care system for Americans, if we could only get rid of the politicians who think their highest calling is to grovel at the feet of the mighty financial interests who buy their offices for them.

[raker]

Americans are supposed to get health care coverage through employers, but employers and their insurers gripe and moan and move heaven and earth to deny coverage whenever possible. NPR has gone so far as to insinuate that UAW health benefits are to blame for GM's bankruptcy. The system is ill-conceived and fairly corrupt, and the powers that be get away with blaming US for the mess.

Also, there isn't one thing called "health insurance." Some plans cover a lot, and some aren't worth a dime because they cover so little. Affordable health insurance is worthless if the plan has crappy benefits, deductibles, copays, lifetime benefit maximums, or extensive exclusions.

Comprehensive single-payer universal health care is the only answer.

[anothervoice2]

The bonus with the Kennedy proposal (which mirrors the MA reform bill) is that anyone deemed above the poverty line (I think it is something ridiculously low like 16K annually) will be forced to buy health insurance - or face $ penalties. It makes it a crime to not buy into one of these expensive pieces of paper (yes, some of them don't cover much at all). Kennedy's bill is a betrayal - and should be termed the "HMOs scam enhancement act"

[truthyguy]

Requiring employers to get health care insurance for employees is a big mistake. There are small employers who simply cannot afford the high cost of health insurance for their employees. What is more feasible is a requirement for employers to create a group so that rates with the insurance company would be lower than those if individual policies were issued, and then each employee pay all or a portion of the premium. Also, mandatory health care will lead to abuses by employers trying to get out from under the requirement. For example, an employer could make all employees independent contractors.

[frappe]

Exactly. The only 'real" solution is single payer. It's the only one that will work in the end.

[LeftCoastLarry]

I agree with most of what you say. Pushing the cost of medical care onto companies, large and small, is not the answer. It's bad for business. One of the biggest expenses of businesses now is the cost of health care to employees that foreign companies don't have. Single payer would remove that burden and make US companies more competitive. It would level the playing field, not completely, tariffs are another subject for another time, but it's a start.