How will the vote fall out on HCR this weekend?

[Pollyanna]

The feds will borrow the money at 2%, the students will pay around 6%. That extra 4% will help fund healthcare. Another hidden tax people.

[scrub-jay]

The feds will borrow the money at 2%, the students will pay around 6%. That extra 4% will help fund healthcare. Another hidden tax people.

Side note: The 6% is for undergrad loans. Grad loans (Stafford) are fixed at 8.5% right now. But when I was an undergrad, the stafford's were all variable interest rate and I remember them spiking up. My small, private school allowed you to choose your lender, whereas DH (UC Berkeley) only allowed direct lending - not too big of a difference except my company that was administering my loans was bought out 2 times - and for a while it was tough to keep track of who I sent money into!! THAT was terrible for a new college grad...and I am very good (paranoid) with my credit/payments/etc, but I know people who got into trouble because they couldn't keep track of who to pay!

*end hijack*

The loans weren't interest free to begin with, and they were always federal. They're "saving" money by cutting out the middleman of having banks administer the loans and then pay fees to do it. Part of the "savings" will go towards offsetting healthcare, but I don't see how using money that was already being spent to pay for something else is a bad thing. Opponents keep asking "how will they pay for it all?" and when a change is made to help pay for PART of it, then they cry foul!

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the bill would cut the monthly payments on federally subsidized student loans from the current 15 percent of a person's monthly income to 10 percent.
Another aspect of the proposed changes: the bill allots $10 billion to be directly returned to the U.S. Treasury in an effort to reduce the American deficit and another $9 billion would go toward offsetting the bills attached health care reform.
The student loan bill, though raising some questions, has many appealing qualities.

http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.ph...ry&story=71259

All that aside, I wish the whole "amendment" thing weren't allowed. Both sides use it, sometimes for good, sometimes not -- but I find it to be an underhanded practice and I wish it weren't there.

As to the FB status stuff -- it's annoying. Especially when you know that MOST of the people posting it are just grabbing things either from hate-mail or propaganda mail and are merely regurgitating what they're told their stance should be by FOXNews or MSNBC.

[SuzySunshine]

Interestingly enough all of the fb comments, at least from my friends, stopped once several of my med wife friends and I had a conversation about how it was going to affect our husbands and their jobs...

[Sheherezade]

As we all know here, medicine is deeply misunderstood by the masses. Science, too. I don't get it. (I blame Hollywood - from Dr. Kildare to Grey's Anatomy and all the evil scientist villains along the way. )

[bokelley]

As we all know here, medicine is deeply misunderstood by the masses. Science, too. I don't get it. (I blame Hollywood - from Dr. Kildare to Grey's Anatomy and all the evil scientist villains along the way. )

Don't forget Dr 90210

[Sheherezade]

Is there an accurate representation out there??? I was always sympathetic to early ER. The residents were tired and stressed and usually doing medical work. Unfortunately, Dr. Green's wife was grumpy and neglected....but they made her out to by a real beyotch that just didn't understand his drive and compassion. *sigh* Of course, they divorced soon thereafter. Oh...and the attending seemed to always float in during a code in a tuxedo, throw off his overcoat, save the patient in about a minute and then dress down the residents for their stupidity. In other words, a rich - but extremely competent! - asshole. Love the stereotypes. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The ideal doctor in the minds of most Americans is confident, compassionate and absolutely devoted to medicine/patients above everything and everyone else. They don't care if he sleeps around (George Clooney), frames his best friend for murder and steals his wife (Alec Baldwin) or cheats on his wife with residents (McDreamy) or is a complete ass in every day life (Dr 90210)....they just care about his skills and his dedication. This stinks for the medical families out there because there is very little cultural kudos attached to being a "good family man" in the world of medicine - at least Hollywood medicine.

[SoonerTexan]

They don't care if he sleeps around (George Clooney), frames his best friend for murder and steals his wife (Alec Baldwin) or cheats on his wife with residents (McDreamy) or is a complete ass in every day life (Dr 90210)....they just care about his skills and his dedication. This stinks for the medical families out there because there is very little cultural kudos attached to being a "good family man" in the world of medicine - at least Hollywood medicine.

You forgot House! Now they don't even have to show any compassion for their patients, as long as they save their life! Oh, and drug addiction is perfectly acceptable as well

[Sheherezade]

Good pick up! (I was just watching House too. You'd think I would have added him to the list.)

[MarissaNicole]

Have you seen how people are threatening (or at least "wishing ill") upon some of the legislators?! It seems unreal, I guess this is the first big revolt/protest I've seen in my lifetime!

[scrub-jay]

Have you seen how people are threatening (or at least "wishing ill") upon some of the legislators?! It seems unreal, I guess this is the first big revolt/protest I've seen in my lifetime!

I know! This is very historical - I completely support the right to protest (I think of that as a basic freedom), but I am ashamed that some have resorted to violence and vandalism.

[Sheherezade]

I just hope it doesn't turn in to anything like the protests in the sixties and seventies against the Vietnam War and the draft. It makes me wonder if we aren't seeing the same type of anti-government revolt from the right this time instead of the "leftists". Do you think eventually we'll call an anti-government type a rightist? It's a tough world environment for a moderate.

[Meenah]

Angie, your post could have been from me!! (Except for the moderate part!)

[bokelley]

Dh says the congress could not come to some sort of compromise, and the Medicare cut of 21% will go into place on April 1st.

[Sheherezade]

The unemployment benefits bill (which previously had the Medicare extension attached by Spector) just got blocked by Coburn before the Spring Break recess. They will take up the issue when they return again. IF the Medicare thing is still coupled to the unemployment benefits, it should be easy to track because that always makes the news. Of course, there is no debate or discussion about the Medicare part....it is just along for the ride. The debate tends to be over the increase to the deficit by allowing more unemployment to be paid out each extension.

Rapunzel - They revoted on the "fixes" Thursday night. Passes 220-207 or something like that.