House Narrowly Passes Historic Health Care Bill Options

[*Janette*]

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a massive overhaul of the American health care system Saturday night by a vote of 220 to 215. One Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, crossed the aisle, while 39 Democrats joined the Republicans in opposing the measure.

The $1.3 trillion-dollar bill would require individuals to buy health insurance, and would also require medium and large businesses to provide it to their employees. Consumers would be able to buy their insurance on an exchange, which would include a public insurance option for people who do not have access to insurance through their jobs. Low- and middle-income families would receive government subsidies to purchase insurance, which would be be paid for through tax increases on individuals making more than $500,000 per year, as well as fees on medical providers. Finally, the bill would prohibit insurance companies from dropping or denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions or cost of care.

story

discuss.

[Blyat]

Basically my parents career is screwed
and all of our young generations are f*cked because we'll be in debt (paying the national debt) until we are in are parents age

[mipadi]

Basically my parents career is screwed

Are your parents lobbyists against national health care?

[none345678]

Finally, the bill would prohibit insurance companies from dropping or denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions or cost of care.

I love it

[dosomethin888]

I would rather have had such a monumental thing as health care reform be put up to a vote by the people instead of being voted on by 1/3240837249832 of the population called Congress. But I guess, you know, aside from all the protesting, Congress really does know what is best for everyone else. That's a democracy, right there. Woo! Go America! I'm also glad that all of the people dying on the streets at this very moment can now go receive medical treatment for the first time in their lives. Geez, I'm so proud of our country right now. Oh wait, our country didn't do anything, the 500-something people in Congress did something.

The bill is 1,990 pages long. I bet it took them longer to write it then it did to pass it.

[mipadi]

I would rather have had such a monumental thing as health care reform be put up to a vote by the people instead of being voted on by 1/3240837249832 of the population called Congress. But I guess, you know, aside from all the protesting, Congress really does know what is best for everyone else. That's a democracy, right there. Woo! Go America! I'm also glad that all of the people dying on the streets at this very moment can now go receive medical treatment for the first time in their lives. Geez, I'm so proud of our country right now. Oh wait, our country didn't do anything, the 500-something people in Congress did something.

The bill is 1,990 pages long. I bet it took them longer to write it then it did to pass it.

So what makes health care reform so special that we should pass the law differently than we pass every other law in the US? Citizens don't vote directly on any bill. You're thinking of direct democracy, which has never been present in the US.

[dosomethin888]

Well, taking that so many people protested against it, and it is a heated topic, they should have put it up for a vote especially when it directly affects so many people and so many companies. Ya, maybe many of the bills are passed this way, but none of them get this much attention. I guarantee if they had put it up to a vote it would have got struck down. The same thing happened with gay marriage in 31 states when it was put up for a vote. I mean, they at least could have read the damn thing. And how can you say that health care reform is not special? Its huge. If the tables had been turned and it was a bill opposite of what you had wanted, say if McCain got in, and there was a Republican majority in the house and they passed it right under your nose, would you still think that it isn't that special?

[superstitious]

Basically my parents career is screwed
and all of our young generations are f*cked because we'll be in debt (paying the national debt) until we are in are parents age

Not sure what your parents do or why they're screwed, but even my generation has been screwed as far as social security and retirement go and I'm much, much older than you.

I haven't read everything involving the passed bill, but off the cuff, any standard that includes the banishment of pre-existing condition denials has at least one very strong and important positive aspect.

[Tomates]

My parents are doctors, this health care isnt as spectacular as what people think its really going to be. I think a lot of people think that they are going to have a easier time when it comes to certain health benefits. However my mom had a patient who was ecstatic about the bill being passed because she could finally get some new medicine. My mom had to break it to her that even if it passes the health care system wont "support" her for the medicine change because her insurance still wont cover it.

There's a ton of loopholes in the new health care. Patients are still going to get screwed over with stuff and our nation is going to land into a heavy debt. Not to mention all of us our going to have to pay even more for taxes.

[Blyat]

Are your parents lobbyists against national health care?

They are doctors so i'm pretty sure they are highly against it

[mipadi]

They are doctors so i'm pretty sure they are highly against it

Why?

[Tomates]

Why?

Why? Because it means a lot less money for them. We live in michigan, the economy sucks the most already. My parents office has lost about $3,000 already and with the new health bill they're going to lose about$6,000 more. I mean yeah they're doctors so money shouldn't come to an issue you think but losing that much in a already suffering economy is a lot.

[mipadi]

Why? Because it means a lot less money for them. We live in michigan, the economy sucks the most already. My parents office has lost about $3,000 already and with the new health bill they're going to lose about$6,000 more. I mean yeah they're doctors so money shouldn't come to an issue you think but losing that much in a already suffering economy is a lot.

How does health care reform result in them having less money?

Edit: The fact is, this health care "reform" is hardly reform at all, and it helps health insurance companies way, way more than patients because it requires patients to buy health insurance at the current rates. The only reason I can see doctors making less money is because more people will have (required and expensive) health insurance, and health insurance providers often pay much, much less than individual patients for health care costs -- but you that's thanks to our broken health care system that greatly favors health insurance companies, not the health care reform bills being considered.

This post has been edited by mipadi: Nov 8 2009, 07:22 PM

Reason for edit: Added clarification

[kryogenix]

I love it

You want health insurance prices to go up?

[Tomates]

How does health care reform result in them having less money?

Edit: The fact is, this health care "reform" is hardly reform at all, and it helps health insurance companies way, way more than patients because it requires patients to buy health insurance at the current rates. The only reason I can see doctors making less money is because more people will have (required and expensive) health insurance, and health insurance providers often pay much, much less than individual patients for health care costs -- but you that's thanks to our broken health care system that greatly favors health insurance companies, not the health care reform bills being considered.

Still, it takes a lot of moeny out of the health care systems. I.E doctors, physical therapists, ect. Its because its "benefiting" patients when in reality its going to end up causing more trouble. Also you want to pay a shitload more for taxes?
I mean overall it comes down to doctors getting payed less, less treatments, Longer wait for organs/transplants, reduced treatments, everyone gets treated even if they're illegal, and this is going to put a huge debt to out country.

http://www.angelfire.com/pa/sergeman/issue...socialized.html

we're towards the bottom-ish.

[dosomethin888]

Well, we will see if this bill gets passed in the Senate.. I highly doubt it.

[coconutter]

It's not like this thing is putting us in the hole indefinitely, we spend billions of dollars on other useless things. Also, it's impossible to get out debt in this country. Why not put it towards something that will help other people, maybe it will force better budgeting.

I'm pretty sure obama said that there won't be a huge tax increase during an address.

[dosomethin888]

It's not like this thing is putting us in the hole indefinitely, we spend billions of dollars on other useless things. Also, it's impossible to get out debt in this country. Why not put it towards something that will help other people, maybe it will force better budgeting.

I'm pretty sure obama said that there won't be a huge tax increase during an address.

I'm pretty sure Obama lies. And I'm pretty sure that its possible to get out of debt if we would put the right people into the White House. I'm pretty sure that if they would decrease taxes, it would stimulate the economy but Obama and Congress dont want to do that because that would mean less money flowing into the government(their pockets). Greedy bastards. Ya, I'm pretty sure about all of that.

[brooklyneast05]

I'm pretty sure Obama lies. And I'm pretty sure that its possible to get out of debt if we would put the right people into the White House. I'm pretty sure that if they would decrease taxes, it would stimulate the economy but Obama and Congress dont want to do that because that would mean less money flowing into the government(their pockets). Greedy bastards. Ya, I'm pretty sure about all of that.

what about bush's tax cuts? why didn't those send us into debt free economic bliss, or what's changed that will make it different now?

[dosomethin888]

Bush's tax cuts did stimulate the economy and create jobs but Obama needs to decrease taxes even more than he did. Nothing has changed, except that we are more in debt now of course. If he does a significant tax cut than it would have a significant effect on the economy. But I dont see how a health care bill, with increased taxes, is going to do anything but make the economy worse... it will put the govt. into bigger debt.

[synapse]

There are more provisions to the bill than what is being discussed here.... I completely agree with the Health Care Bill. There are a few things that are great about it, one being that it doesn't allow any type of discrimination towards pre-existing conditions, nor does it discriminate towards one's sexual orientation and gender identity. This bill would provide the much needed funding for comprehensive sexual education in school in order to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections or diseases and also to reduce the number of teen pregnancies in this county.

[dosomethin888]

Not that I support the bill, but I agree with sex education in school. As long as they notify every parent about what they will be teaching, I think it would be great to have sex-ed in schools. Kids need to know whats up so that we dont have children raising children. Ya, we need that now.