Is This A Glimps Of Future Healthcare

[Chilled man]

So you mean similar to how others pay for those umemployment benefits you have (or had) been sponging for awhile.... while you have been making money under the table selling Volvo parts.

I paid into UP for over 10+ years damn striaght I should get some of my money back

And still sponging

/ been paying into is since the age of 15 so acutally 15years now along with that waste of space Social Security that I know I will never see

And more proof to show how easy it is to circumvent the whole thing ;)

[Smithwicks]

Not going to lie, for the past week or two i havent been able to keep track of whats being included/not being included in the Senate Health bill? It seems like bill has been ripped apart and taped back together too many times.

[Pops Racer]

Joe Lieberman putting up a stink. If I hadn't voted him in, Ned Lamont, the left wing millionaire would have rammed it down our throats. It will still pass and still suck, but at least it got beat on and won't be so damaging.

I may have saved the country with my vote. :ph34r:

[Smithwicks]

Well its looking like Obama just wants to get this bill passed just for the sake of being able to say down the road Healthcare Reform got passed, regardless of whether it does any good. Same probably goes for all the Senators that are supporting it.

[7 VII 7]

I still can't believe he got the Nobel Prize... what a joke. Hey I just pooped in the toilet and had a clean break!... can I get the NP now?

[brick-a-brac]

Joe Lieberman putting up a stink. If I hadn't voted him in, Ned Lamont, the left wing millionaire would have rammed it down our throats. It will still pass and still suck, but at least it got beat on and won't be so damaging.

I may have saved the country with my vote.

It's fortunate that Joe-mentum and all his Senate colleagues get a comprehensive health care package paid for by the American public, isn't it?

[Pops Racer]

Just like the teachers in the US. And midnight raises.

Nelson caved, paid off with pork, just like Landrieu from LA.

60 votes now. Here it comes, bend over and pull your cheeks apart. And hold onto your wallets.

[mrtl321]

http://www.youtube.c...player_embedded

[Pops Racer]

It's fortunate that Joe-mentum and all his Senate colleagues get a comprehensive health care package paid for by the American public, isn't it?

Why did you single out Joe? Oh your in CT right? He's no different than the rest, he just grew a spine the last 2 yrs. Check your own senator out. And your local teachers union benefit package.

Ned Lamont would been a real winner.

[merlin390]

America... born July 4th 1776 died Nov 4th 2008..... well yall it was a good run while it lasted..

[brick-a-brac]

Why did you single out Joe? Oh your in CT right? He's no different than the rest, he just grew a spine the last 2 yrs. Check your own senator out. And your local teachers union benefit package.

Ned Lamont would been a real winner.

No, I did not single out Joe-mentum because I'm from CT -- I'm from Mass, actually -- I singled him out because he enjoys a rather nice health plan subsidized by the American people:

<<Among the advantages: a choice of 10 healthcare plans that provide access to a national network of doctors, as well as several HMOs that serve each member's home state. By contrast, 85% of private companies offering health coverage provide their employees one type of plan -- take it or leave it.

Lawmakers also get special treatment at Washington's federal medical facilities and, for a few hundred dollars a month, access to their own pharmacy and doctors, nurses and medical technicians standing by in an office conveniently located between the House and Senate chambers.

In all, taxpayers spent about $15 billion last year to insure 8.5 million federal workers and their dependents, including postal service employees, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

Generous plans are available in private industry. But the federal coverage far surpasses that enjoyed by 70 million Americans who are underinsured and at financial risk in the event of a major health crisis -- not to mention the estimated 46 million who have no medical insurance.

"For the average worker, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan would probably look quite attractive," said Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union, a pinch-penny advocacy group.

Indeed, a question often surfaces: Why can't everyone enjoy the same benefits as members of Congress? The answer: The country probably couldn't afford it -- not without reforms to bring costs way, way down.

Given their choices, lawmakers can tailor coverage in a way most Americans cannot. If a child has asthma, for instance, a federal employee might opt for coverage that costs a little more but has a bigger doctor network and lower office-visit fees.

The plan most favored by federal workers is Blue Cross Blue Shield, which covers a family for about $1,030 a month. Taxpayers kick in $700, and employees pay the rest. Seeing a doctor costs $20. Generic prescriptions cost $10. Immunizations are free. There is no coverage limit.>>

So who gave me the -1 for my last comment?

[Pops Racer]

Not me, I'd own up to it. I won't give -1 for honest debate.

You have your own problems in Mass, Romney care = FAIL. Then we have something in common, Barnie and Chris. They combined to help deregulate banking/ mortgage finance enough so folks who had no business getting mortgages got mortgages.

25 million still uninsured by this plan. It's a shoe horn for single payer.

I wonder how many folks could have been covered by insurance, if DC had spent 12 trillion paying premiums inst4ead of paying off unions, govt workers, and each other.

My wife and I have a similar plan, soon to be taxed out of our price range.

It's not perfect, but we can afford it and get great care.

[brick-a-brac]

Not me, I'd own up to it. I won't give -1 for honest debate.

I figured you wouldn't do that, as this conversation has been pretty civil all along. That was the first rating of any kind I've had here since Chuck inaugurated this system after the site upgrade, so it was a little jarring.

The Mass plan is a failure for the reason I am not optimistic about the one that is heading for a vote tomorrow: it does absolutely NOTHING to contain costs. Health care and college tuition in this country constantly outstrip the pace of inflation by a wide margin and we sit back and take it. This keeps us in debt and complacent, and this is a problem.

A little background: from 1998 to 2000, I lived and worked in Portugal. This was before the introduction of the Euro, so this was under the old currency which traded quite low against the dollar. Portugal has a progressive income tax which can be punitive for high earners, but for most people, it is generally around 25%. Add to this a social security tax of 11% and you have 36% of your income going to the state.

What does not exist there, however, are people going into bankruptcy for health-related problems; you do not have a system by which people cannot get coverage because they have a "pre-existing condition"; you do not have elderly people having to choose between their meds and their meals, because the state subsidizes meds and controls pharmacies.

You can also go to the state universities for basically nothing, but that's a discussion for another day.

[L8 APEKS]

Enjoy.

[7 VII 7]

Ha, how are the quality of Drs?