If the "positives" are going to be listed, so should the negatives.
This law does not "give away" health insurance. It mandates you BUY it,
that's right BUY it. You will pay for insurance or pay a tax to the
government for not getting it. Everyone who doesn't have insurance now
will have to pay one or the other. Nothing in it gives you fee
insurance or healthcare.
Also, the fine is much less then insurance will cost, which means many
who don't have insurance still won't buy it. That means the group most
in need of insurance still won't have it because they won't be able to
pay for it.
Most of those "positives" you listed could be made law WITHOUT most of
the other stuff in this law. For example, mandating insurance purchase,
creating giant government backed insurance cooperatives, or creating
another governmental bureaucratic nightmare.
Again, this law does not give anyone health insurance, it requires you
BUY it. Again, the things you listed, such as pre existing condition
laws, no co pay preventive care, and medicare changes, do not require
the rest of the law to put into place.
Also, the preexisting condition clause will become a nightmare. If you
are paying $400 a month for insurance, and you don't have to in order to
get covered later if you get sick, why would most people do it? Far too
many people will say "I'm healthy, young, and would rather pay to see
the dr. once or twice a year." Then, fit hey get really sick, they will
just sign up for insurance, and it will be paid for. Insurance isn't
something you get WHEN you need it, but before you need it. It is
designed to protect you when something does happen. It is no longer
insurance if you don't have to buy until you already need it.
The law is full of garbage with a few positives sprinkled in to make
people "feel good" about the law. It's still garbage no matter how it
smells.
Lastly, the single biggest reason health care costs int he country are
so high is because healthcare provider must over charge private
insurance companies for services to make up for the losses they suffer
by treating medicare patients. That's right, medicare pays such a low
amount to providers that they have to jack up what the "normal and
customary charges" would be to recoup that. The best way to decrease
costs would be if the government actually paid providers enough!
Kelly
>
>
> On Jun 29, 2012, at 2:04 PM, "Elizabeth Quinn" <equinn76@earthlink.net
> <mailto:equinn76%40earthlink.net>> wrote:
>
> > As someone who works in healthcare, and deals with Medicare/Medicaid
> daily, here is why everyone should be happy that healthcare reform was
> upheld:
> >
> > 1) People with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied
> coverage beginning 2014--children cannot be denied already
> >
> > 2) Seniors with Medicare Part D receive lower prescription costs
> when they go into the donut hole--it will be essentially closed in
> 2020 (yeah, that's far away)
> >
> > 3) More people joining the insurance pool lower costs for
> everyone--this will add healthy people to even the cost
> >
> > 4) the PCIP plan is already up and running
> >
> > 5) If your insurance company spends less than 80% on your
> healthcare, they owe you a rebate
> >
> > 6) Preventive services!! Have you gone to see your PCP in the last
> year for a check-up? It was free, right? Thanks healthcare reform. If
> you're not on Medicare yet, you may not know that they are receiving a
> lot of free preventive care now--colonoscopies, PCP visits,
> mammograms, etc...
> >
> > 7) If you're in a Medicare advantage plan, they lowered the
> percentage they can charge Medicare to operate--it used to be 14% on
> average, now it's down to 11%, which saves the consumer money in their
> premiums.
> >
> > 8) Expansion of Medicaid!! If States do not accept the expansion,
> they will lose a boatload of money.
> >
> > There are a lot of other things that will start in 2014-but the
> collection of money due to Medicare fraud has already begun. The law
> will keep Medicare solvent, not take away from it. There are a lot of
> other pieces to the law as well. If you want more information, the
> Kaiser Family Foundation is a wealth of knowledge: www.kff.org .
> >
> > Please don't jump to conclusions about the law! It will benefit
> everyone. For those of us with pre-existing conditions, it will
> definitely help us. If you use your local community health center,
> they are receiving more money due to the law.
>
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