How to Protect Yourself From Obamacare

[heironymouspasparagus]

Well, here is a little glimmer of hope amongst all the other stuff.  And this probably won't last.  Seems like at least 26 Republicans have some sanity going on - at least until the next vote on this topic.  Unwarranted Government Intrusion is at least getting a little tap of a slap on the face.  (And no, I don't expect it to stick.  This will be reinstated.)

UGI - hey!  A new TLA!  (Three Letter Acronym).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110209/ap_on_re_us/us_patriot_act

[guido911]

Don't sugar coat it Hatch, tell us what you really think:

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sen-orrin-hatch-obamacare-is-a-stupid-dumbass-program/

[guido911]

I saw this video today. Can someone help fill in the blanks for me. Namely, exactly what "double counting" is taking place as alleged by Shimkus and what it means from a fiscal point of view.

[Townsend]

Dems To GOP: Show Us Your Health Insurance

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/03/15/134569782/dems-to-gop-show-us-your-health-insurance?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

With Republicans on Capitol Hill still trying every legislative manuever they can think of to undo last year's health law, it was probably only a matter of time before Democrats tried a gambit of their own.

Now a House bill being pushed by Democrats would require Republicans to publicly state whether or not they are accepting taxpayer-subsidized health benefits under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.

They're entitled to such coverage as members of Congress, but Democrats say it's hypocritical for Republicans who are voting to take health coverage away from millions of Americans to accept coverage subsidized by those same people.

 
By pushing a repeal of the big federal health law so hard, Republicans have "made it clear that they were OK with millions of Americans going without health insurance or struggling to find affordable health care," said Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA). "What Republicans didn't make clear is that they, on the other hand, were OK with receiving government-subsidized health care benefits."

The bill doesn't actually require anyone to take or not take the benefits. It simply requires the decision to be made public. The bill has next to no chance of passing because Republicans control the House. But its mere introduction puts some heat on the GOP.

It's a further escalation of efforts that began in December, when Democrats pushed incoming GOP freshman who ran on a platform of repealing the health law not to accept their government health insurance.

"This resolution is really a no-brainer," said Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), the lead sponsor of the measure. His logic:

The taxpayers are our employers. They contribute to our health care coverage and they deserve to know which members are keeping taxpayer-subsidized health benefits for themselves and their families, while they vote at the same time to deny those very same benefits and rights to all American families.

According to The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, more than a dozen of the 87 House freshmen have declined to accept their federal health benefits. That bunch includes Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), an anesthesiologist who is technically on leave from his post at Johns Hopkins. Harris, in case you forgot, sparked the entire episode when he complained at an orientation session about how long it would take for federal health benefits to kick in.

Harris, it turns out, is keeping his family's health benefits from Hopkins.

This is probably another reason the Republicans want NPR to go away.

[guido911]

Well isn't this just fantastic news.

The doctor is not in.

The United States already faces a growing physician shortage. As our population ages, we require more and more intensive health care. At the same time, enrollment in medical schools has been essentially flat, meaning we are not producing new physicians at anywhere near the rate we need to. In fact, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges, we face a shortfall of more than 150,000 doctors over the next 15 years.

And it could get a whole lot worse.

The health reform bill signed into law last year is expected to significantly increase the number of Americans with health insurance or participating in the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, an aging population will increase participation in Medicare. This means a greater demand for physician services.

But at the same, the bill may drive physicians out of practice.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/doc_holiday_Nyb5JCHkWyejLq7dTjTs2J#ixzz1L8WwUAyK

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/doc_holiday_Nyb5JCHkWyejLq7dTjTs2J

[Teatownclown]

The physicians the plan drives out of practice probably deserve to be pruned from the system. They got away with God like income for too long. Ever since Docs got added to the yellow pages and big pharma got an annoyance license to advertise the system has gone unchecked allowing for capitalizing the system. Hoodwinked victims of the new healthcare provisions. And then there's the insurance industry...

Seems to be a big demand for those that are unhealthy to find care.

Quoting the Post? ....way to know your resources.

[guido911]

The physicians the plan drives out of practice probably deserve to be pruned from the system. They got away with God like income for too long. Ever since Docs got added to the yellow pages and big pharma got an annoyance license to advertise the system has gone unchecked allowing for capitalizing the system. Hoodwinked victims of the new healthcare provisions. And then there's the insurance industry...

Seems to be a big demand for those that are unhealthy to find care.

Quoting the Post? ....way to know your resources.

Oh that's right. Doctors only care about making money and all that nonsense about saving lives, relieving pain, and curing illness is just that. Nonsense. Tell you what, if you hold doctors in such contempt--don't use them. Problem solved.

And for my source, you care to contradict the author's position if you don't like it? And YOU incidentally are the last person popping off on source selection. After all, you posted that drivel about taxing mega-churches today.

http://www.politicususa.com/en/you-come-for-our-unions-we-come-for-your-corporate-mega-churches

"Politicususa--Real Liberal Politics ~~ No Corporate Money, No Masters"

That's a real objective source. You make it too easy sometimes aox.

[Teatownclown]

Oh that's right. Doctors only care about making money and all that nonsense about saving lives, relieving pain, and curing illness is just that. Nonsense. Tell you what, if you hold doctors in such contempt--don't use them. Problem solved.

And for my source, you care to contradict the author's position if you don't like it? And YOU incidentally are the last person popping off on source selection. After all, you posted that drivel about taxing mega-churches today.

http://www.politicususa.com/en/you-come-for-our-unions-we-come-for-your-corporate-mega-churches

"Politicususa--Real Liberal Politics ~~ No Corporate Money, No Masters"

That's a real objective source. You make it too easy sometimes aox.

NO! Those docs that prioritize money over their oath are the one's needing to be pruned out. Restrictions need to be reinstated. Single payer will remain the only solution in the long term. The insurance industry (death panels) needs to be for property, casualty, life, but not health.

[guido911]

NO! Those docs that prioritize money over their oath are the one's needing to be pruned out. Restrictions need to be reinstated. Single payer will remain the only solution in the long term. The insurance industry (death panels) needs to be for property, casualty, life, but not health.

Who are these docs you are referring to? Because the doctors I know don't behave that way. As for single payer, not going to happen but by all means keep wasting your breath on it.

[Teatownclown]

Yes it will....in Vermont and many other states. Not here in Kern Country.  

Stay away from doctors by staying healthy. they make lots of mistakes. despite what they think of themselves, they are just humans.

[Red Arrow]

If a business was told that in the future they would only be paid 50% of their customary and ordinary fees by insurance (private, medicare...), the first thing they would do is double their fees.  List price is instantly above the reach of ordinary folks.  Then the business is told they have to keep more records and file more paperwork. Another employee is now needed just to keep up with paperwork.   And so on.  I am not defending high medical costs but I understand where they come from.  We have all discussed unnecessary procedures to prevent lawsuit losses and so on.  Just having a single payer is not going to fix that.

[Hoss]

If a business was told that in the future they would only be paid 50% of their customary and ordinary fees by insurance (private, medicare...), the first thing they would do is double their fees.  List price is instantly above the reach of ordinary folks.  Then the business is told they have to keep more records and file more paperwork. Another employee is now needed just to keep up with paperwork.   And so on.  I am not defending high medical costs but I understand where they come from.  We have all discussed unnecessary procedures to prevent lawsuit losses and so on.  Just having a single payer is not going to fix that.

And guess why it's like that?  Because so many insurance companies do their paperwork differently.  My sister-in-law worked coding insurance for medical for several years.  She hated it.  I don't necessarily believe that single-payer is the way to go though.  What I would be for (and I've said this since before Obama was President and there was even talk of health care reform) is that there should be a single repository for insurance paperwork that physcians have to deal with.  It's not the paperwork, it's the diversity of the paperwork that makes the extra clerical workerS...not usually just one in a medium sized practice...necessary.  Standardize the paperwork for insurance and you solve half the problem.

[Red Arrow]

Standardize the paperwork for insurance and you solve half the problem.

Are you sitting? 

I agree with the principle.  I don't know that it's half but it's certainly significant.

[Conan71]

And guess why it's like that?  Because so many insurance companies do their paperwork differently.  My sister-in-law worked coding insurance for medical for several years.  She hated it.  I don't necessarily believe that single-payer is the way to go though.  What I would be for (and I've said this since before Obama was President and there was even talk of health care reform) is that there should be a single repository for insurance paperwork that physcians have to deal with.  It's not the paperwork, it's the diversity of the paperwork that makes the extra clerical workerS...not usually just one in a medium sized practice...necessary.  Standardize the paperwork for insurance and you solve half the problem.

One would think they would have created a standard a long time ago.  Nah, makes too much sense.

[Gaspar]

AARP has now been granted a program exemption to Obamacare.

LOL!  I seem to remember them lobbying hard for it.