How will the vote fall out on HCR this weekend?

[PrincessFiona]

Trying to post a poll but can't figure it out....

Will it be a yes or no vote on the Senate version?

My guess is yes..and I think privately it is my hope as well, though I'm not sure what the consequences will be....I feel like something has to change...I'm just not sure of the right way to do it...and of the consequences for doing nothing. This shoild be an interesting w/e!

Kris

[PrincessFiona]

ooooh. It worked!

[scrub-jay]

I think it will as well, as a party I suspect the Democrats will not want to lose face. We'll see how this weekend goes.

[Sheherezade]

I'm thinking yes, too. I agree completely that it's a case of "something has to be done but not sure if this is the right thing". I am happy to read about the elimination of pre-existing condition limitations for dependent children on family policies and about the inclusion of children up to age 26 on family policies. One is just weird cruelty and the second needs to happen because of our brave new world in which everyone goes to college and many also grad school before getting a job. The changes for small business are good as well.....but dang those new taxes and limitations may pinch a little. Like so many, I really do want my cake and want to eat it too. I'm just trying to accept the reality that we will have to give a bit as well as take (not med people or "rich people" , but US citizens in general). I think we've gotten used to doing things without paying for them. (Not just social programs either, but wars without rationing.)

[ladymoreta]

I also voted "Yes" that I think it will pass. I think they're afraid of losing too much ground if it doesn't. I agree with Angie that those are good changes that needed to happen. I've pretty much kept my head in the sand about this version of the bill, though, so I don't have anything intelligent to contribute. Just - I hope it ends up bringing people what they want without being too detrimental to doctors and hospitals. In that scenario, we all lose.

[PrincessFiona]

I agree with everything you said, Angie.....

[Rapunzel]

Unfortunately it probably will pass.
And, I very much resent that only some will be paying for the healthcare of everyone.
We are truly becoming a nanny state.

[HouseofWool]

And, I very much resent that only some will be paying for the healthcare of everyone.

Jenn - how is that different than what happens now? I pay my health insurance premiums. I also pay for medical assistance via taxes. Then to top it off, I pay higher rates at the doctor's office to help subsidize those who don't pay.

Like Laurie - I don't know enough about the current version to enter into an intelligent debate about it. I do feel that something has to change. If this version isn't perfect, then it will be modified over time to better suit the needs of our nation. I can't imagine that our lawmakers won't tinker with it once it is up and running.

[Deebs]

I'm not all that confident that it will pass, but I hope it will. I tend to be quite politically conservative, but from my perspective, if we don't do something, we are close to people literally dying in the streets. We are seeing here firsthand a huge problem in people that could always afford insurance, are now unemployed (our state is near the top for unemployment rates), and think that they can't access health care. Those who have been a part of the Medicaid system previously are more than happy to come into the Emergency Department for anything. It's those "newly broke" people who aren't coming until long after they should have been seen. I also already feel that we are paying for everyone else - why not just do it in a smarter fashion. Our taxes are paying for the already existing government options, and as someone who paid over $40,000 into health care through bills and insurance premiums last year (but only utilized about $30,000 - which has been my family's all-time high thus far) we're paying for those insured as well. I don't like the bill as it exists and think it panders way too much to special interests. Until we have a true reform in POLITICS, I think this may be the best we can do. I think I'm okay with that, for now.

[PrincessFiona]

I think premiums for insurance will need to be soread around and in that regard, I agree with Jenn/Rapunzel. When I lived and worked in Europe I was a blue collar worker and I paid money for my govt. health insurance from every check (as did my employer). This is money that wasn't returned to me because of my low salary, but I truly felt that I earned my health insurance. I think we can't expect our neighbors to pay for us...and that's where I get stuck on all of this.

[Sheherezade]

Today in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, they had many articles about the reform bill. In one, Metro Health (which handles the bulk of walk in ER visits) had done a study of the uninsured using ER, clinics or other for medical service in Cuyahoga County. There were 181, 000 addresses associated with this use. 181,000!!! That's a lot of visits to "eat" if you are a hospital. I can see how there would be a lot of cost shifting to make up for this entry in the loss column.

I think most of the revenue to pay for the services comes from an increase in Medicare witholding from 1.5% to 2.35% for people in the 200K plus tax bracket AND a tax on "cadillac" health care plans to the insurers offering them. I suppose that will raise the cost of purchasing these plans and discourage their use by employers... or they will just offer the benefit anyway and pay the extra that will now go to tax. I'm not happy to be the group that will pay a larger share of Medicare, but I'm more hot around the collar that that tax won't come out of the million dollar household budgets of those that make their income via stock options, etc. than I am about it not being paid by the poor. I hate it when financial guys can get around paying taxes because they structure their pay differently and the rest of us dumb "rich" schlubs pay the big bucks in the name of "taxing the rich". Hey? How about REALLY taxing the rich by hitting income not from WORK but through investment and capital gains as well?

*sigh*

[PrincessFiona]

Angie, I think the capital gains/investment stuff is on the books for this and is set to go into effect in 2013? Maybe it's 2018. I'll have to find that article.

[Sheherezade]

The article I read said it didn't make it in to the bill despite efforts from the Obama camp. Maybe I'm wrong (or they were wrong) though. It is a very complicated bill.

[PrincessFiona]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35947758...h-health_care/

Under the reconciliation bill, starting in 2013, people in those income brackets also would face a 3.8 percent tax on investment income, such as interest, capital gains and dividends.

Ahhh, so it is what is being pushed as a legislative fix...This article is a short, good read....The commymommy buried in me still hopes it passes...

[bokelley]

So DH was talking about the 21% Medicare cut. To be honest I knew they were going to cut it but 21%, holy crap!!! He said it is on hold, and they are trying to figure it out. Is this true? I sure hope so!