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The Opt-out Option in Healthcare
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Is the public option back in because of the opt-out? Timothy Noah, senior writer at Slate.com, evaluates the politics and policy of the latest health care proposals.
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Who will make the opt-out decision for a State? If a State decides to opt-out of the public option, will that decision reflect the will of the voter of that State?
Certainly, Harry Reid deserves credit for recognizing the importance -- and the political benefits -- of including a public option in the healthcare bill.
But the public option with a state opt-out clause was not Reid's idea -- so it's a misnomer to call it "Harry Reid's public option."
"Chuck Schumer's public option" is a lot closer.
Hey I just moved to London from NYC and i can say that the problem with underground here is that many line close on the weekends for servicing, because they do not want to work over night, also no one here seems to know exactly how much a ride costs
Would the state-by-state public option plans be separate negotiating entities when dealing with providers and drug companies or could they negotiate nationally? If it's separate and state-by-state, would they have the clout to actually reduce prices?
If someone lives in a state that opted out, can they buy public insurance in another state?
WHAT A LIAR -- THERE IS A MAJORITY IN THE "POLLS" FOR "REFORM," BUT THERE IS NO MAJORITY ACROSS THE "POLLS" FOR A PUBLIC OPTION. A public option is merely an opening salvo in a multi-year plan to socialize medicine.
The fundamental question is that the current health care system serves 85% of the population - so way destroy it to help the 15% that need additional help? It's all about the Dems taking control of 1/6 of the economy.
Reid has restored the public opinion because he is trailing big-time in his re-election bid in Nevada. Reid, like Obama has alienated their own far left liberal base so he is now throwing them a bone.
Private health insurers will still have a very large market. Of those who had health insurance in 2007, the Census reported that 177,446,000 of them were employees who had employment-based health insurance.
The employees will not be allowed to opt out of employer based insurance until those premiums reach "unaffordability", 10-12% of income.
--------------
Many of the young adults will now actually be eligible to Medicaid as their incomes are less than 150% of Federal Poverty Level.
12,230,000 of people who don’t have health insurance are young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 who are in good to excellent health. 61% of these work full time, and half (6,115,000 young adults) have an income of $18,000 a year or less. At a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, a person earns $15,080 a year for a forty hour work week.
All this discussion about a nonprofit public plan not having enough money to cover the obligations it might eventually incur.... You mean, if everything private Americans and businesses pay toward private health insurance and Medicare went into the nonprofit program, there would not be enough money to insure everyone in the country?
If the public option will be too costly, as the Republicans complain, Republican congressmen and senators might help cut those costs by eliminating their own comprehensive health care program. Let them join the rest of us in the status quo situation they find so appealing. If the status quo is as good as they say, why don't they join us anyway? I'm sure the insurance companies would welcome them as new customers.
I know it was a devil's advocate argument, Brian, but there's no way we could end up with "300 million" people on a public option plan, because (and this is the thing nobody seems to want to mention), we already have millions of Americans on single-payer government plans. I don't know how many, but I imagine it's at least 100 million already, via Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, active military, civil employees...we have a gigantic single-payer system in this country already; one of the reasons private insurers are fighting so hard is that their piece of the pie is shrinking.
Why can't the current plan that govt employees are on, be extended instead of setting up an entire new system for the public option?
What are the provisions for prescription drug coverage in the public option plan? Someone very close to me has a chronic illness and requires a $1500 a month medication, (not available in generic). Getting this covered by insurance, including that available through work, is nearly impossible. So what of people who are eligible for work coverage but aren't getting the care/medicines they need?
Financial Bailouts: 7.76 TRILLION
Result: Millions in bonuses for every banker
Public Option: 1 TRILLION
Result: 10 Years of Health Care for Every American
FUNDED HOW? THERE IS NO MORE MONEY!
PAID FOR HOW? THERE ARE MODELS THAT SHOW THE COST WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE AN ADDITIONAL 15% TAX ON EVERY AMERICAN. LOWERING COSTS? WHAT A JOKE.
OBAMA IS PRINTING MONEY - NOW 120% OF LAST YEARS MONEY SUPPLY. THIS IS RUINOUS! AND THEY WANT TO DOUBLE AND TRIPLE THAT!
WHEN THE GOVERNMENT PRINTED 13% MORE MONEY IN THE 1970s, INTEREST RATES ON FEDERAL TREASURIES WENT TO 20+% TO SUCK THE MONEY BACK INTO THE FED.
WE MAY BE LOOKING AT WEINMAR GERMANY TYPE INFLATION FOR DECADES.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT RUINING THE AMERICAN ECONOMY!
THAT'S WHAT THESE GOOD MARXISTS AND MAOISTS IN OBAMA'S SHADOW "TSAR" GOV'T. HAVE BEEN HOPING AND PRAYING FOR. THEY ARE ENEMIES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
The BL audience is quite a bit smarter than average folks, but I’m still astounded how much misinformation and absolute fibs are focused at the general public. A Republican senator on Morning Edition stated with absolute certainty that the Canadian and British systems are failures. The right has always championed competition, which the public would provide, except where their interests are threatened. The proposed system, even with the weakened public option, would benefit everyone.
I'm the freelancer who called in earlier. My organization, the Editorial Freelancers Association, has been able to offer coverage in & around large population centers (& not all of those), but it's getting harder & harder to find coverage for members who live in less dense areas. So some of our members would benefit from having the public option (if their states don't opt out), & others might want to keep the plans they have now.
I don't really see why nobody has thought of this:
for those young invincibles, why make them pay a penalty? Just make them get hospital insurance. The kind that covers your emergency room, etc, if you get hit by a bus, or have a car accident. That's the very least a person should have.
That's what I have. I don't go to doctors, but I am human, and vulnerable to buses and accidents!
This administration is a disastrous failure judging it by their own standards, predictions and promises.
If the health care plan and the “cap and trade” energy plan are passed the disaster will turn into an apocalypse for this country.
Anyone who doesn't see this has their heads up their Obamass.
The mandate to buy, and the mandate to cover means that people can pay the not covered fine until they get sick and then they go to the health insurance company and buy when they get sick. This is so stupid. Medicare part E - E being for Everyone, I'm tire of being a second class citizen because I'm not 65!
Brian - speaking of health care, where are the vaccines???
The admin has hyped the swine flu "crisis" and now can't deliver the drugs it promised the nation to protect the people. Even a dolt can see that government needs to stay out of health care business.
It’s the ineptitude stupid!
PS - many more people will die because of this mistake then died because of local, state and federal errors in responding to Katrina; with one difference - Obama and the Dems had many months to prepare for this disaster - not the few days that FEMA had. Can you say, "heck of a job Barry!"
Whoa - #6 Calls'em As I Sees'em.
Not sure how you roll in VA.
But here in civilization writing in all CAPS makes you look like a fire and brimstone spouting retard.
[[11] Angela from Brooklyn
October 27, 2009 - 11:46AM
Why can't the current plan that govt employees are on, be extended instead of setting up an entire new system for the public option?]]
...i think that is the lack of choice that some people complain about. if you have a plan through work, you probably were able to choose between a more glided plan and a more stripped down HMO. the public option would have to be stripped down. i think that's what worries some people...the "gubmint" telling them what level of coverage they can have.
To # 17: IT is because young healthy people's low costs have to even out the high cost of older people so that insurance is not unaffordable. This is how all insurance programs work.
-- Bush liberated 54 million people and keep us safe for 7+ years after the murderous 9/11 attacks, what has this punk web reporter done? Absolutely nothing.
In an interview with women in Denmark when health care was the topic, people there couldn't understand why the USA doesn't care if it's people are healthy. They consider it to be CIVILIZED not SOCIALIZED to provide health care. Yes .... it was Oprah, but it's still true!
Report today states that Amtrak is loosing $32 per rider for each and every ride.
One can only imagine how bad the Gov’t would do with socialized medicine.
WNYC listeners don't understand that the Gov’t can't just print money to pay for things, without destroying the American economy.
KC
I found some information apropos of your post #10:
In 2007, 83,031,000 of the 255,143,000 people covered by health insurance, were covered by government health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, military health care) either administered directly by the government or through a government contract for administration with a private health insurance companies. That accounted for 32.5% of all people with health insurance.
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/macro/032008/health/h05_000.htm
Private insurance companies already have a presence in Medicaid Management: Amerigroup, Centene, Molina, Wellcare, United Healthcare, Wellpoint, Coventry, HealthNet, and Humana. “In mid-2006, these nine investor-owned, multi-state companies represented about one-quarter of all plans and about one- third of all beneficiaries in Medicaid managed care plans.”
“Understanding the influence of Publicly traded health care plans on Medicaid Manangement.” Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc., Hurley, McCue, Dyer, Bailit. 2006. page 1.
As for private insurance companies in Military Health Care: The Department of Defense awarded contracts for 2010: Aetna has the North region worth $16.7 billlion. United Health Group has the South region worth $21.8 billion.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/07/27/bisa072
this guy wasn't very good. in the future i think you should try to get the guy who writes this blog on to talk about health care developements. he has a better handle on it than anyone i've found. clear, concise, informative. i have no idea who it is, and i've never heard an interview with him, so maybe he's bad on air with lots of "um..."s like this guy is. but it'd be worth looking into, cause he's great!
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
calls em --
1. us govt. already pays more than 32 dollars for you to drive your suv and fly on a plane. normally 2 wrongs don't equal a right but with personal transport it actually can be considered a zero sum game, ie taking someone off a train puts them back on the road or on a plane.
2. we don't have to imagine how govt would do with what you're calling socialized medicine. do you like your medicare? gUEsS wHooo...
3. huh? what do you think cash IS, from god??
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