Since Congress started debating health care reform last year, 884,000 families have been forced to file bankruptcy because of medical bills and over 44,000 people have died from lack of coverage all while medical costs continue to rise. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcies and foreclosures in this country and health care costs account for one-sixth of our nation's economy. We will never pull out of this recession or reduce the deficit without comprehensive health care reform. So, why are there continual delays?
Wall Street, big banks, insurance companies and special interests are running wild, while Coloradans continue to suffer. Insurance companies (including their pass-throughs using the Chamber of Commerce) have spent over $180 million to defeat health care reform and in the process tried to convince the American public reform will actually harm them. The current health care bills will reduce the deficit; will significantly reduce out of pocket costs for health care expenses; and will cover people previously denied health insurance coverage.
After months of wrangling, Congress cannot get cold feet. They have lost sight of the people this impacts and the detrimental effect rising health care costs have on our economy. Without reform, Americans' spending on health care will continue to skyrocket. Health care costs will eat up fully one-third of the average family's income by 2019, equivalent to a second rent or mortgage payment every month for many families, according to a recent report from the Center for American Progress.
The costs of choosing inaction are too great, but now the insurance industry is arguing we should slow down, start over, or implement incremental change. Both the House and the Senate have passed a bill and the time for dithering is over. We have worked on this legislation for a year. Thousands of hours of public hearings, debates, and careful consideration have gone into this process. It is time to get this to the President's desk for his signature.
Change That Works has traveled across Colorado talking to real Americans about health care. We continue to hear gut-wrenching stories daily about the insured and uninsured alike. Each of us must continue to fight to pass this legislation to save the lives of millions of Americans, reduce the deficit, and fix the economy. Insurance companies and other special interests are spending large amounts of money trying to scare voters about health care reform. It is time to rein in insurance companies with common sense rules and checks on the system.
Congress needs to act in the best interest of hard-working, struggling Americans. We have fought long and hard for health care reform and we cannot let the insurance industry stand in the way of progress and derail us.
Enough talking. Enough hand wringing. It is time to act.
Follow Kjersten Forseth on Twitter: www.twitter.com/COChangeThtWrks
www.whatstherealcost.org/45secondstoshare
Do we all want to be on medicare or a VA like system of wait and hope?
Alternative...= how about a catastrophic coverage plan for all from the Feds. You get a once a year check up and if a major problem such as cancer or transplants are necessary, you are covered by this "one payer" system.
This leaves the ability for people to purchase better coverage if desired.
GPM bentpolitics.com
Average Cost per Person by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Source : http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/18/ep.health.reform.basics/
United States........ $6,714
Canada.................. $3,678
France.................... $3,449
United Kingdom... $2,760
Using the Canadian model and applying their per capita cost to the US population, we could cover EVERYBODY and SAVE over $3,000 per person per year.
That's a $3,000 PER PERSON PER YEAR Economic Stimulus WITHOUT ANY NEW TAXES.
We can't afford to NOT do it.
Why does ANYONE have the right to deny me the choice I want? Why does ANYONE have the right to deny the Government to offer it's people a choice? Why are you AFRAID of a CHOICE?
Unemployed?........Single Payer is the answer.
Uninsured?........... Single Payer is the answer.
Unaffordable?........Single Payer is the answer.
Inaccesible?...........Single Payer is the answer.
Worry Free?............Single Payer is the answer.
No paperwork?......Single Payer is the answer.
No Middleman?.....Single Payer is the answer.
No profit motive?...Single Payer is the answer.
Whatever's the question - Single Payer is the answer - SIMPLICITY - That's the beauty of it.
No Fuss. No Bills. Everybody covered.
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Just to remind you of the savings again :
That's $3,000 (in todays US dollars).
That's $3,000 per PERSON (for every man, woman and child).
That's $3,000 per YEAR.
That's $3,000 per person per year - EVERY YEAR.
That's $3,000 per person per year - EVERY YEAR - FOREVER.
Delays are because Business and Government are in bed with each other and are trying to SQUEEZE the most out of the Middle Class to end it.
Either you give a monthly 'tribute' to a Private insurance company
or you give fines to the Government
or you go to jail.
all for being alive.
this 'bill' forces you to pay a private company a monthly fee
or pay the Government a fine
or go to jail
Pretty clear cut why no 'health reform'
it isn't 'reform' its financial slavery.
Unemployed people over fifty will never work again unless something is done to disentangle them from health insurance tied to jobs. They cost any employer too much. What a waste of experience and talent. The only way to get them working again is to put them on early medicare. Then they again become worth something to employers. I could make the same argument for almost the whole workforce.
Keep it simple. Make a little list to present to the people. Example:
1. Medicare for all.
Why can't the US Senate just drop the monstrosity that they currently have. Who needs 2000 pages of pork? They could just pass a 40 page companion bill to HR676 "Medicare for All" and take care of the medical expenditure cost escalation once and for all.
One thing is for sure, if the mandatory health insurance that they have in Massachusetts is not popular in Massachusetts. It is going to be an even bigger disaster nation wide.
1) The newly covered seems to oscillate between 16 and 36 M depending on whteher illegal immigrants are coverd. Does this factor into your calculations ? (Which don't appear anywhere?
20 FOr many docs, M-care is a near or net loss . Do you think people will lose money on almost all their patients on your proposal?
3) DO you actually think _and i'm interested in your answer- Cal's Houses would have passed this if they didn't think Arnold would veto this for the 3rd time.California is broke, and only kept afloat by selling their bonds. That would become impossible if expenses exceeded revenue by an even bigger margin. (It may become impossible by April anyway.
One of the all time sci fi great short stories was ,"The Cold Equations ". I suggest you read it and ponder the theme .In "alice" ,the Red Queen advised her to think of four impossible things every morning. You've evidently done that. May I suggest , "Reality, what a concept.'
The President must change his position; the wellbeing of consumers, employers, taxpayers, the federal government needs to come ahead of health industry profits.
The CBO and even health industry executives will reluctantly admit, if anyone will forcefuly ask, that nobody can collect the money to pay for health care as efficiently as the government can by using a national sales tax, as opposed to using any insurance systems, and nobody can deliver high quality health care as cost effectively as the VA.
All 300million people in the US could have totally free health care paid for with sales tax funding instead of insurance if all care were dispensed through government hospitals rather than private systems and it would cost $1trillion less than the $2.6 trillion spent last year which left millions of people without care.
The federal government’s entitlement disaster could be solved by honoring its promises in a humane and fiscally responsible way if it delivered all care and medications through government hospitals at a fraction of the costs being devoured by current systems.
Going back and forth between free public, and user purchased private care, would allow choices, ultimate freedom, and always free public care would be available.
If you don't suport this idea, then you are a Republican.
Would you consider doing a web search on the history of socialism?
Perhaps we should have focused on campaign finance reform before health care so our representatives would know which constituency to vote for.