Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Election is over
Thank heavens it is over. While I am not a fan of Obama, his opponent was worse. Obama's hands are still tied because of the make up of both congress and senate. So he will continue to not be able to move forward and we will stagnate as a nation. I just hope that in 4 years there will be 2 candidates who care more about the people than themselves.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Obamacare
Obamacare is not as bad as "the talking heads" would have you believe. The bills real name is Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Has anybody really sat and read the thing. I bet not. I have made attempts to read it but so much legal jargon gave me a headache.
Back in 1953 Harry Truman attempted to get universal health care for Americans. This was the period after WW2 and the our country had just ended the worst war ever and barely survived the great depression. United Kingdom enacted the NHS at about this time because they wanted to take care of it's citizens and give them basic health care. Truman's proposal sat in committee and lie dormant till 1965 when it was changed to read healthcare for all to over 65. In 1974 it was changed to included disabled. So once upon a time we could have had healthcare for all but it got shot down.
Keep in mind the NHS doesn't pay for everything. Elective surgeries are not done unless they are medically necessary.So unless that boob job, hip replacement, or tummy tuck is medically necessary you won't get it. However they do have private doctors and private insurance in the UK so if you got the bucks you can get your tucks, (Ha Ha sorry)
So PPACA or Obamacare (this is actually a derisive name) has several really good main points.
1) Guaranteed issue. Everybody pays the same premium regardless of geographic location, age, gender or preexisting condition. You might say really we have to do that. But yes we do. Some insurance companies keep statistics on places where people are more likely to get ill and they charge more. Women of childbearing age pay more because they might get pregnant.
2) Individual mandate. This requires that everybody acquires insurance.
3) Insurance exchanges. This is where individuals and groups can find and compare different insurance.
4)Subsidizes low income or poverty level persons so they can receive insurance
5) Expands Medicaid and simplifies chip.
6) Establish minimum standards and lifts lifetime caps.
7) Mandates the employers with more 50 employees must subsidize insurance
8) Eliminates some copayment and deductibles. Things considered preventive like birth control pills, vaccines. Yes there are insurances out there that won't pay for a vaccine.
9) Change medicare from a fee for service to bundled service
10) allows dependents to remain on parents insurance till 26. This is okay if the child offers to pay for it most won't.
Keep in mind this is just the tip of the iceberg. Seems to be not so bad a bill there are lot of other components that I have not touched on here.
So why do the Republicans, Congress and just everybody hate this bill and bad mouth it? Because January 1 2014 Congress will be required to obtain their insurance from the same sources as their constituents.
Back in 1953 Harry Truman attempted to get universal health care for Americans. This was the period after WW2 and the our country had just ended the worst war ever and barely survived the great depression. United Kingdom enacted the NHS at about this time because they wanted to take care of it's citizens and give them basic health care. Truman's proposal sat in committee and lie dormant till 1965 when it was changed to read healthcare for all to over 65. In 1974 it was changed to included disabled. So once upon a time we could have had healthcare for all but it got shot down.
Keep in mind the NHS doesn't pay for everything. Elective surgeries are not done unless they are medically necessary.So unless that boob job, hip replacement, or tummy tuck is medically necessary you won't get it. However they do have private doctors and private insurance in the UK so if you got the bucks you can get your tucks, (Ha Ha sorry)
So PPACA or Obamacare (this is actually a derisive name) has several really good main points.
1) Guaranteed issue. Everybody pays the same premium regardless of geographic location, age, gender or preexisting condition. You might say really we have to do that. But yes we do. Some insurance companies keep statistics on places where people are more likely to get ill and they charge more. Women of childbearing age pay more because they might get pregnant.
2) Individual mandate. This requires that everybody acquires insurance.
3) Insurance exchanges. This is where individuals and groups can find and compare different insurance.
4)Subsidizes low income or poverty level persons so they can receive insurance
5) Expands Medicaid and simplifies chip.
6) Establish minimum standards and lifts lifetime caps.
7) Mandates the employers with more 50 employees must subsidize insurance
8) Eliminates some copayment and deductibles. Things considered preventive like birth control pills, vaccines. Yes there are insurances out there that won't pay for a vaccine.
9) Change medicare from a fee for service to bundled service
10) allows dependents to remain on parents insurance till 26. This is okay if the child offers to pay for it most won't.
Keep in mind this is just the tip of the iceberg. Seems to be not so bad a bill there are lot of other components that I have not touched on here.
So why do the Republicans, Congress and just everybody hate this bill and bad mouth it? Because January 1 2014 Congress will be required to obtain their insurance from the same sources as their constituents.
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