Universal Health Care Question

[Bjazzman]

i don't want to get into a heated political discussion but just a quick question:

so since it looks like we're going to get universal health care, does that mean that my health insurance will go up while an uninsured co-worker will get to take advantage of getting free health care?

why pay for insurance at all if it's free? i don't understand why my insurance should go up if im getting paid about the same as my co-worker and he gets it for free

[FL Knifemaker]

Why would you and your co-worker not have the same plan??

Nothing is free.

[Kosko]

The bill is not a implementation of universal healthcare, at all.

Some of the things it does do:

Small businesses will be able to band together and collectively buy health insurance, in order to leverage better premiums.

A 300 dollar fine if you choose not to have insurance, barring exclusions of religious reasons, income, and something else I think.

Small businesses will receive significant tax cuts, this year, to help them afford health coverage for all their employees.

Seniors will receive a rebate to reduce drug costs not yet covered under Medicare.

Young people will be allowed coverage under their parents' plan until the age of 26.

Early retirees will receive help to reduce premium costs.

Children will be protected against discrimination on the basis of medical history.

Uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions can join a special high-risk pool to get the coverage they need, starting in just 90 days.

Insured Americans will be protected from seeing their insurance revoked when they get sick, or facing restrictive annual limits on the care they receive.

Investments to train primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals, and the creation of state-level consumer assistance programs to help all patients understand and defend our new rights.

If you make more than 250K a year, your taxes will go up about 2%.

[Bassguy61]

Knifemaker is right, nothing is free. I can't really express my feeling on the bill without fear of infraction, but I'll try to stay non-political... Not an expert but here's my understanding:

First, the bill doesn't set up universal or "free" health care such as England and Canada have (Although they'd quickly tell you it isn't really free... They pay for it in taxes I believe). What it DOES do is require people to purchase health insurance if they don't already have it. If they don't by some future datem that are subject to fine. How that all works, I'm no expert on.

As far as your rates going up, that is uncertain. My guess is yes. You could also get taxed more. If your benefit plan is over a certain value (not sure how that's determined), that value could be taxed (as income, I'm guessing).

That's just the little bit I've gathered from the new reports...

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

Why would you and your co-worker not have the same plan??

Nothing is free.

the way it works here is that your premiums on your plan will probably a lot lower........the taxes you pay will be higher.....now that the government is on the hook for health care,expect to see new taxes imposed on tobacco,alcohol,junk food,and pretty much everything else..........

it's not free,you just don't get to look at an itemized bill.....when winos treat emergency rooms like free clinics,there is a bill...it is estimated that here the same hundred or so winos rack up a million or so annually....every time they fall down they are entitled to free care.....oh did i say free.....well free for them,i guess

[FL Knifemaker]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

the way it works here is that your premiums on your plan will probably a lot lower........the taxes you pay will be higher.....now that the government is on the hook for health care,expect to see new taxes imposed on tobacco,alcohol,junk food,and pretty much everything else..........

it's not free,you just don't get to look at an itemized bill.....when winos treat emergency rooms like free clinics,there is a bill...it is estimated that here the same hundred or so winos rack up a million or so annually....every time they fall down they are entitled to free care.....oh did i say free.....well free for them,i guess

I agree on all points. The economists that I follow and trust expect a signifcant point of purchase or VAT coming very soon. There is NO WAY this plan will EVER work without one.

As much as I hate this bill, it's now in effect. I'm self employed and have diabetes so bring on the services

[Staccato]

Most everyone would have the option to be covered under a health care plan. Your co-worker could still opt out by choice, and not be covered by any plan.

Free? There's no such thing as a free lunch (or health care plan)!

[Kosko]

Actually this bill is really most concerned with high-risk people, self employed or small businesses, lower middle class and elderly.

It's NOT for the poor or super rich!

A persons taxes won't change unless they make over 250,000 dollars a year.

The bill is also estimated at costing 940 billion, and eliminating 1.3 trillion in debt.

[Kosko]

And honestly it bares repeating:

Small businesses will be able to band together and collectively buy health insurance, in order to leverage better premiums. This is huge. This will help stop the 30% increases in health insurance premiums that large corporations are able to hold off because of there buying pool.

[Schlyder]

I wonder how Congress, the President, and all their staff, managed to exempt themselves from all the new Healthcare regulations??
I hope you all enjoy paying for Healthcare for 3 - 4 years before you can even use the system.

[john turner]

yep. no politics in off topic. that's the rule.