What tactic was that ? "Voting"?

Tune into Jim Vicevich, he's on 1080 until noon. A couple points they just discussed,

Re: Pre-existing conditions- Pre-existing conditions will technically be covered, assuming they buy into the High Risk Pool (at least until 2014). If the medical expenses are higher than the income, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (who apparently is going to be very busy with passage of this bill) SHALL make adjustments to make up the deficit. How else do they do this without refusing applications? The government is just going to take the place of the insurance companies, except without the oversight. Medicare currently has a higher refusal rate per procedure than the insurance companies.

Re: Rationing: The Medicare Advisory Board (15 members appointed by the President) will be required to project Medicare expenses yearly. If the amount exceeds the projected amount per capita, the Secretary SHALL reduce those expenses unless Congress intervenes. They will not ration per se, but they can determine which medications will be approved for use or reduce Medicare payments to the doctors (who in many cases are already only getting reimbursed $0.60 per dollar of service rendered from Medicare).

We will be hearing from the other Jim (the economic consultant) at our June meeting in Seattle and again in Phoenix in October. It'll be interesting to see how things pan out over the coming months. Most of the hype from both sides should tone down by that point and we'll be able to see what the actual effects might be.

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

It's $50,000.

Why someone wants to assume the liability of cancer by paying $750 to get out of the healthcare system seems pretty stupid to me. I think that the sky is falling over at Husky's house.

Basicly, they are avoiding another full senate vote to prevent a filibuster by passing the senate version and putting the house changes in a seperate bill that the senate has promissed to pass. It will not make any sense for the republicans to block the changes after the bill is signed. Typical tactics for both sides.

I found a income of $88k for a family of 4 in this CNN piece, it's probably more complex than a single number:

http://m.cnn.com/primary/_oIpTla-iM6h8gotGj

I wouldn't opt out, but Bill Gates might decide to pay the $750 and cover his own medical bills.

no, just more socialized medicine, a chicken in every pot. everyone will
get the same medical care. emphasis on "same", everyone except members of the United States congress, that is.

BTW, have you taken a trip to the local library and checked out AM Best financials for the various health care insurers? they make Casino P&Ls look like small change.

all off the backs of Americans spending $700 - $1800 per month on a stack of paper known as a "health insurance policy". and now, they have the distinct advantage of FORCING people to purchase their product. no other
business or industry has the advantage of FORCING people to buy
a particular product or service.

one area of the country has lost thirty OB/GYNs as a result of high liability
insurance premiums. I spoke with the receptionist for the last remaining
women's clinic and she shared an interesting story. seemed the State
Legislature wanted to make a big deal out of health care and scheduled
a "state health care" day. the idea was for the congressmen to meet with
doctors to discuss the doctor's problems and concerns. the docs took
a day out of their busy schedules and car pooled to the state legislature.
anyone who has worked around a doctor's office knows how difficult it
is to cancel a day's worth of appointments.

once the docs arrived, instead of being allowed time to meet with their
congressional representatives, they were met by twenty year old congressional aides who took all of five minutes to listen to the doctors. sorry doc TIMES UP and I've got some work I have to do. complete disprespect for the doctor's time and disprespect for their issues,concerns, etc.

this is the typical mindset of these guys though. YOU are here to serve
US, get it?

From the breif news clips I saw yesterday, she actually looked closer to normal than usual.
Tom

I agree that tort reform should be addressed, still waiting for either party to take the lead.

So whats your suggestion? status quo?

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Thank God for the health care bill. I can now take up smoking secure in the knowledge that my ass will be covered if I start hacking up a lung...

get rid of the insurance companies altogether. simply pay a monthly
amount to the local hospital. the hospital agrees to treat you and
your family for anything and everything. if you travel, hospitals
in a foreign state agree to cover you and are reimbursed by the
local hospital group. CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN (health care gate keeper AKA insurance companies).

advantages: the local hospitals reduce administrative costs by
at least 90%. paperwork pushers add nothing of value.

disadvantages: the insurance boys will have to go out into this
mean old world and get a real job.

Your concept of the medical industry is dangerously oversimplified. Who do you think owns the hospitals? And, I guess in this picture then every person employed in a private practice will also have to "get a real job".

Personally I don't think this will be such a big deal in the long run, a lot of people will complain and then ultimately accept it (guess we don't have a choice anyways) and then 10 years from now it will be heralded as a great achievement.

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

So you think there is some sort of constitutional requirement that a filibuster take place? The GOP has used it on EVERY bill, EVERY nomination and EVERY piece of business before the Senate. The Democrats, by manauvering around it, has done what they are supposed to do in a Republic, got a job done that their voters wanted done. Good work. The filibustering GOP's solution to the election of Obama was to throw the country's government into chaos. It didn't work.

The same kind of shenigans were used in the Lewinsky scandal, where they used a ridiculous sex scandal to throw the country into chaos, it worked then, and the end results was the FBI spending all their resources on a pole smoke job while Bin Laden was loading the country up with terrorists to kill 3,000 of our people. The GOP has got to stop this insanity of throwing the US government into a tail spin like children having tantrums. Republicans: You lost the election. Get over it, and stop the game playing that is hurting this country, and work thru your elected representatives instead of using the implied terror of mobs and talk radio screamers.

We had to spend over a year on an issue that most people actually agree on, while the GOP unleashed mobs of crazed morons with tea bags fetooning their heads who ended their glorious appearance on the national stage by shouting racial slurs at black congressman while they paraded a sign of a "Black Sambo" President of The United States in a coffin around. When are they going to stop and actually partake in our democracy ? Violence from these people is coming next, as Beck and Hannity push the more psychotic among them to murder. That's going to work out great for them, I can't believe they are going to repeat Tim McVeigh all over again.

thanks for mentioning the docs in private practice. seems some of them have beat me to the punch on the membership club idea. I know of one
that enrolls people for $39.95/month which entitles the members to
a healthy discount for cash payments. his business is growing by leaps
and bounds. he figured out a way to bypass the insurance red tape
machine. fortunately, there are some creative thinkers who have
figured out how to simplify and stream line the system. something
the red tape paperwork driven government doesn't have the slightest clue how to do.