In 1974, Richard Nixon introduced a health care proposal that had many of the key elements of the Obama proposal — elements the public says they want.
To help pay for health reform, President Obama wants to raise the Medicare tax rate on wealthy Americans and tax their investment income as well as their wages.
“What would you do if your mother needed an expensive, painful operation that had only a one in a million chance of saving her?”
Reform would require young adults to purchase insurance. But many of these “young invincibles” don’t believe they need or would benefit from such plans.
The evolution of Blue Cross is a case study in the need for health care reform.
Reform will hold insurance companies accountable, protect consumers, and assure affordable quality care, the President says.
“It would put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors.”– Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL)
Ellen Warner and her husband Mark run a small online store and offer insurance to employees, but the cost is high and they fear a tax on high-cost plans could make it unaffordable.
“I don’t know how this plays politically, but I know it’s right. And so I ask Congress to finish its work, and I look forward to signing this reform into law.”
“Republican and Democratic approaches to health care have more in common than most people think . . . But there were also important areas of disagreement.”
Congress should pass health reform through reconciliation, Daschle says, “…once this legislation is passed and people can see what it could mean for them … it would be a net positive by November.”
There is strong support to ban rescission, the insurance company practice of canceling policies when people run up heavy bills
“We need to move past the bickering and the game-playing that holds us back and blocks progress for the American people.”
“By an overwhelming margin, the American people are telling us to scrap the current bills, which will lead to a government takeover of health care, and we should start over.”
The number of lobbyists working Congress on health reform more than doubled in 2009 from more than 1,400 in the first three months of the year to nearly 3,700 in the final quarter
Virtually all of health reform legislation passed over the past 30 years was passed through the reconciliation process.
Insurance mandate, subsidies and a standard benefits package were all in the 1993 GOP bill.
Plan includes insurance mandate and a promise to “end discrimination” from pre-existing conditions.
“What’s being tested here is not just our ability to solve this one problem, but our ability to solve any problem.”
“. . .right now, Democrats are continuing to work behind closed doors, putting the finishing touches on yet another massive health care bill Americans can’t afford and don’t want.”
The U.S. health technology can work miracles; but those miracles can come at a stiff price.
The choice is clear: either we move forward to enact the Senate bill with modifications or we quit
About 46 million Americans, about 15 percent of the population, do not have insurance, a number some believe is now larger because of the recession.
Fernando Arriola, a contractor in New Orleans, can’t get coverage so he’s now working to set up a clinic for the uninsured.
Proponents say repeal of the exemption would spur competition and bring down costs.
Nation’s health spending as a share of the economy jumped in 2009 by 1.1 points to 17.3 percent, largest leap yet.
A short primer on the issue.
Sherie Brace of Seattle will lose insurance this summer when Washington is set to end coverage for her and 65,000 other low-income residents.
One scenario: The House passes the Senate bill with a reconciliation package to change some provisions.
“I don’t know one Republican who does not want health care reform.”–Sen. Hatch
Some lawmakers want a scaled-back approach that targets the unpopular insurance industry.
But some balk at the price tag.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California says the votes simply aren’t there.
“Reconciliation” would allow the Senate to pass a health bill with a simple majority.
What choices did Democrats make that hurt the chances health reform will pass?
Push to overhaul the nation’s health care system has clears another hurdle.
The outcome of the fight will have big implications for consumers.
But Chamber still sees room to maneuver.
“Health care exchanges” create marketplaces where individuals and small businesses can shop for health insurance.
“The worst practices of the insurance industry will be banned forever.”
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Health News from the Seattle Times