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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RetiredNow who wrote (16913)	4/15/2010 1:18:57 PM
From: RetiredNow	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

Anyone interested in reality and not propaganda can read through the Top 18 Immediate Effect of the Health Bill. Reading through it, I can see that it does a hell of a lot of good for Americans in the short and long term... Health Reform Bill Summary: The Top 18 Immediate Effects An End To Pre-Existing Conditions - Health Insurers cannot deny children health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. A ban on the discrimination in adults will take effect in 2014. Small Business Tax Credits - Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will get tax credits covering up to 50% of employee premiums. Seniors Get 'Donut Hole' Rebate - Seniors will get a rebate to fill the so-called "donut hole" in Medicare drug coverage, which severely limits prescription medication coverage expenditures over $2,700. As of next year, 50 percent of the donut hole will be filled. More Young Adults Covered On Parents' Plans - The cut-off age for young adults to continue to be covered by their parents' health insurance rises to the age 27. No Lifetime Caps - Lifetime caps on the amount of insurance an individual can have will be banned. Annual caps will be limited, and banned in 2014. Adults With Pre-Existing Conditions Covered - A temporary high-risk pool will be set up to cover adults with pre-existing conditions. Health care exchanges will eliminate the program in 2014. New Insurance Plans Must Include Preventative Care - New plans must cover checkups and other preventative care without co-pays. All plans will be affected by 2018 The End Of 'Recissions' - Insurance companies can no longer cut someone when he or she gets sick. Transparency In Insurance Companies - Insurers must now reveal how much money is spent on overhead. Customer Appeals Process - Any new plan must now implement an appeals process for coverage determinations and claims. Indoor Tanning Services Tax - This tax will impose a ten percent tax on indoor tanning services. This tax, which replaced the proposed tax on cosmetic surgery, would be effective for services on or after July 1, 2010. Enhanced Fraud Abuse Checks - New screening procedures will be implemented to help eliminate health insurance fraud and waste. Medicare Expansion To Rural Areas - Medicare payment protections will be extended to small rural hospitals and other health care facilities that have a small number of Medicare patients. Deductions For Blue Cross Blue Shield - Non-profit Blue Cross organizations will be required to maintain a medical loss ratio -- money spent on procedures over money incoming -- of 85 percent or higher to take advantage of IRS tax benefits. Nutrient Content Disclosure - Chain restaurants will be required to provide a "nutrient content disclosure statement" alongside their items. Expect to see calories listed both on in-store and drive-through menus of fast-food restaurants sometime soon. Better Coverage For Early Retirees - The bill establishes a temporary program for companies that provide early retiree health benefits for those ages 55-64 in order to help reduce the often-expensive cost of that coverage. Better Consumer Information On The Web - The Secretary of Health and Human Services will set up a new Web site to make it easy for Americans in any state to seek out affordable health insurance options The site will also include helpful information for small businesses. Encouraging Investment in New Therapies - A two-year temporary credit (up to a maximum of $1 billion) is in the bill to encourage investment in new therapies for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

To: RetiredNow who wrote (16913)	4/15/2010 4:50:46 PM
From: Eric	Respond to of 42652

Not only did Bush spend more in his 8 years, but Bush put the US on a trajectory of very high deficits. As I've posted here before, Bush is directly responsible for 2/3rds of the current deficits with his wars and tax cuts. Yup... we are the big chumps of the world. We gotta save the world.. Oops... we gotta save the world... South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Britain, Eastern Europe, Israel... the list goes on and on.. Yup.. we gotta save the world. (But where has the money come from since 1946?)

To: RetiredNow who wrote (16913)	4/15/2010 5:10:05 PM
From: Brumar89	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

And Obama is going to make tomorrows debt his own: americanthinker.com Federal DEBT held by the public, as percent of GDP: Average from 1960 through 2000: 36.2% In 2000 (after 6 years of a Republican-controlled Congress): 35.1% In 2007 (last budget passed by Republican-controlled Congress): 36.9% In 2008 (first budget passed by Democrat-controlled Congress): 40.8% In 2009 (first year of Obama's stimulus): 53.0% Projected for 2016, with Obama's proposals: 79.6% Projected for 2020, with Obama's proposals: 90% Budget Deficits from 2000 projected to 2019 3.bp.blogspot.com

To: RetiredNow who wrote (16913)	4/16/2010 3:47:31 PM
From: TimF	2 Recommendations Respond to of 42652

As I've posted here before, Bush is directly responsible for 2/3rds of the current deficits with his wars and tax cuts That chart shows false data. The tax cut is measured statically exaggerating its effect. The majority of the extra deficit is from extra spending. The wars are part of that, but they are a relatively small part of the extra spending. The biggest part is entitlement spending increases, and there has also been non-war/defense, non-entitlement increases.