HCR Passes

[Alex]

Since the senate bill will now become law regardless of what happens with the reconciliation bill, is not each Republican vote against the reconciliation bill a vote in favor of the senate HCR bill?

In other words, insofar as the reconciliation bill eliminates the very kickbacks to individual states that the Republicans abhor, is not opposing the reconciliation bill a vote in favor of those programs?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Unless the presumption is that Obama won't sign the Senate version.

[Alex]

If he doesn't can the reconciliation bill even advance? I thought the parliamentarian ruled the existing bill could not be amended until the first had been signed into law.

And scaeagles, to address your question:

I do suppose, though, that I don't understand why opposition is blamed on conservative "fear mongering". Do the 50+ percent of the population that is opposed to this listen to this conservative "fear mongering"?

David Frum seems to place a fair bit of the blame at the feet of Republican fear mongering and he's hardly sympathetic to Obama.

[Jazzman]

I've been lobbying for this for months and spent a week in DC with other bleeding disorders advocates visiting congress and campaigning for these reforms, so today is honestly one of those days I'll always look back upon as life changing. I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of being an American tonight. Huzzah to those who voted in favor of fair, equitable care to all!



As to fear mongering, I have to say that it has been my experience throughout this fight that fear mongering has been the most effective tool of opponents. Every time I hear nonsense like "This will bankrupt the country" or "reform will kill our liberties" or "this bill will cause people to die" I myself have wanted to puke. 3590 does none of those things. Nor does it strip anyone's private insurance away, force companies into bankruptcy, put us all on Medicare, or any of the other Bullet Points of Fear that Beck and his ilk throw out every day. What it does do is;

Requires all insurance plans to cover maternity and child care up to age 21.

Prevents insurance companies from requiring co-payments for preventive care, including well baby and child care.

Establishes that the maximum annual deductible is $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family.

Establishes both an internal grievance process for when an insurance company denies a claim, as well as independent board outside the insurance company that someone can appeal to.

Establishes that all insurance plans must be written in "plain language," must contain details about the coverage, and must provide notice before changing a person's coverage.

Establishes whistleblower protections for health insurance company employees who report violations to the federal government.

Amends the Health Service Act to prevent rescission and guarantee that people may renew their health insurance, even if they become ill.

Eliminates yearly and annual caps, which frequently cause those suffering from chronic illnesses to lose their private insurance and resort to public programs, costing the system billions in the process.

Eliminates pre-existing clauses, thereby guaranteeing access to care for those in most need of it.


And many, many other things. So I ask, how are these things evil? How do these things limit or take away our freedom and destroy America? I cannot see how they do, and I thank God that enough of our Congressmembers had the courage and good sense to fight the good fight and establish these rights.

[wendybeth]

Jazzman, what a fabulous post. Finally, some reason and just plain humanity. Scaeagles, we have had great insurance for years- the best plans out there. We've seen our premiums go up, as well as our deductibles and co-pays. We've seen our doctor's offices cease accepting major plans because they won't pay on time, what's fair, or they've screwed too many patients. In short, we've seen insurance companies drive the entire medical industry to the brink. This year, for the first time ever, we were denied by our latest insurer -Blue Cross/Blue Sheild Anthem- speech therapy coverage. They state in their policy that it is covered in cases of rehabilitation, but they denied our coverage without explanation. (Our daughter lost her hearing at age 2 1/2, so it's not an issue of congenital loss, although I fail to see why that should matter). Now, we're stuck with thousands of dollars in medical bills, and I'm pissed off enough to take it to court. They've had too much power for far too long, and it's about bloody time we did something about it.

Scaeagles, even though you've been a very vocal opponent to this, I sincerely hope what happened to your family while growing up does not happen to you. All it takes is one serious illness or accident, and you could lose everything. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[flippyshark]

Visible mojo for the previous two posts - a breath of fresh air to hear from people for whom this means so much. That. and I love the kitten with the plunger.

[JWBear]

And remember... The Rebublican party didn't oppose this bill because of what is in it. They fought tooth and nail against it because the current strategy of the party is to try and stop Congress and the president from accomplishing anything, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

[wolfy999]

I'm still confused....I pay $1000 a month for health insurance for the three of us. How does this affect me? Will I save any money on my premiums, or am I just going to pay more in taxes to cover everyone else?

Other than Wolfette can now be covered up to age 26 and I can change insurance with pre-existing conditions. I don't see any big advantages for the average family.

[Betty]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I feel like puking.

(begin snarkyness - you've been warned)

Maybe you should see your doctor about that... because you have health insurance and wow, wouldn't it be great if we all could see a doctor when we were sick? Oh that's right, the thought makes you sick to your stomache.

(/snark)

[blueerica]

I, for one, am relieved that this passed.

But, since it's not my chronic condition, I'm not going to talk about it here. It's just nice to feel like there might be some back-up for us, after all.