Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What health reform will do for you -- and why.
August 4th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum
blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/08/04/what-health-reform-will-do-for-you-and-why/
The below is based on the House version of health care reform, HR 3200 - America's Affordable Health Choices Act, which is the strongest bill being discussed to date. In short, it will provide a guarantee of quality, affordable health care to everyone.
1. If you receive health insurance from your employer (or your spouse's or parent's employer):
The big things will not change - you will keep your current health insurance, keep your current doctor, and keep your current benefits. All the health reform plans being proposed allow people to keep their health insurance if they want to, and that means keeping their current benefits and choice of doctor. So if you get your coverage through work, or if your spouse or parent covers you on their health insurance through work, these big pieces will not change unless you want them to.
Your health insurance will get better and more stable. Health reform gives your employer a strong incentive to retain your health insurance or make it better. They will have to offer you at least standard, comprehensive package of benefits and your employer will not be able to continue shifting additional costs of insurance to you - they will have to pay at least about 70% of the cost of your coverage.
Your health insurance will get cheaper. As the public health insurance option forces insurance companies to compete, prices of private health insurance will fall. Your costs, even if you keep your current health insurance plan, will go down.
If you lose your job, you will always be able to get affordable insurance. If for any reason you lose your job and your employer based coverage, you will be eligible for affordable health insurance that meets your needs, as described below, with the government helping you pick up the tab until you get back to work, and expenses will be capped to make sure you can't go bankrupt due to medical costs. You will always have a guaranteed, affordable backup to rely on if you need it.
2. If you are employed but do not receive health care benefits from your employer:
Your employer will have to offer you good, affordable health insurance. Under the bill proposed by the House, employers will have to offer you health benefits. Those benefits need to meet a standard for coverage, so you can't be offered sub-par insurance that doesn't meet the needs of you and your family. And your employer will have to cover a large percentage of your health care costs (65% for families and 72% for individuals), ensuring insurance is affordable and your employer can't shift more costs to you. Small businesses are exempt from this regulation.
If you work for a small business that is exempt from regulations asking employers to provide health benefits you will always be able to get affordable insurance. You will be eligible for affordable health insurance that meets your needs, as described below.
3. If you buy health insurance on your own, or if you or your family are uninsured:
You will be able to find coverage. You will have access to a new health insurance "exchange," where both public and private health insurance will be offered. You will be able to compare these plans side-by-side and choose what's right for you and your family. None of these plans will be able to reject your application for pre-existing conditions or for your gender. You will have guaranteed access to health insurance.
You will be able to afford coverage. Any health insurance plan in the exchange will be subsidized if you qualify. Subsidies will be available up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or $88,000 per year for a family of four. These subsidies will ensure that you will only pay a certain percentage of your income in health care costs (that percentage varies depending on how much you make). Bottom line: Health insurance through the exchange will be affordable to you.
You will save money. Even if you do not qualify for subsidies or choose the public health insurance option, competition from the public health insurance option will force prices for insurance to fall across the board.
Your coverage will be good coverage, stable and secure. All plans in the exchange will have to conform to federal regulations, making sure that the plan you purchase covers things that you and your family need - things like preventative medicine, regular checkups, and prescription drugs. And, under health reform, your health insurance company will no longer be able to deny you coverage or care for pre-existing conditions. Your insurance company will no longer be able to drop your coverage if you become sick, or charge you more if you're a woman. There will be no more annual or lifetime caps on coverage, so you won't be stuck with tens of thousands in uncovered medical bills. And if you pay your premiums, your insurance company won't be able to reject a renewal of your insurance plan.
Your expenses will be capped. Deductibles, co-pays, premiums, and other expenses will be capped at a percentage of your income (between 1.5% and 11%, depending on how much you make), so you no longer face exorbitant health insurance costs.
4. If you are on Medicare or Medicaid:
Your health programs will not be touched. There will be no eligibility or benefit cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Health reform will be financed partly by finding savings in these programs. These savings will come from eliminating portions of Medicare and Medicaid that are no longer needed once we've passed health care reform for everyone. For example, right now, Medicaid pays hospitals a reimbursement for people who come to the hospital without health insurance, and thus stick that hospital with the bill. Under health reform, most people will have health insurance, making these reimbursements unnecessary.
The Medicare "Donut Hole" will be closed. The "donut hole" in Medicare's prescription drug program that leaves seniors with thousands of dollars in drug costs when their coverage runs out partway through the year will be gradually closed under health care reform.
5. Is this all paid for?
Yes. Health reform will be fully paid for, and will not increase the deficit. It will not increase your taxes, either. The House has proposed increasing taxes on those that make more than a quarter of a million dollars per year to pay for health reform. The middle class will not be affected.
—————————
There is a short answer to the question of what health reform will do for you: Better coverage, lower costs, and the security of knowing you're not at the mercy of private insurance anymore. This is what health care reform will do for you.
The cost of doing nothing - the conservative plan for health care - is staggering: The average family will pay $10,000 more in premiums by 2019 if nothing is done. We can not afford the conservative health care plan. We must reform health care now, for you and me and our families.
For a lot of you, this information is not news. However, you must know someone who needs to be educated. Copy and paste this post into an email and send it to someone who needs to know exactly how this bill works. Send around this link. Whatever you need to do, get that information out there. Fear can stop health care reform from happening, we need to fight back with the truth.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Obama Caucus of Ann Arbor is part of Organizing for America.
obama.caucus@gmail.com ObamaCaucus.blogspot.com
0 comments
blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/08/04/what-health-reform-will-do-for-you-and-why/
The below is based on the House version of health care reform, HR 3200 - America's Affordable Health Choices Act, which is the strongest bill being discussed to date. In short, it will provide a guarantee of quality, affordable health care to everyone.
1. If you receive health insurance from your employer (or your spouse's or parent's employer):
The big things will not change - you will keep your current health insurance, keep your current doctor, and keep your current benefits. All the health reform plans being proposed allow people to keep their health insurance if they want to, and that means keeping their current benefits and choice of doctor. So if you get your coverage through work, or if your spouse or parent covers you on their health insurance through work, these big pieces will not change unless you want them to.
Your health insurance will get better and more stable. Health reform gives your employer a strong incentive to retain your health insurance or make it better. They will have to offer you at least standard, comprehensive package of benefits and your employer will not be able to continue shifting additional costs of insurance to you - they will have to pay at least about 70% of the cost of your coverage.
Your health insurance will get cheaper. As the public health insurance option forces insurance companies to compete, prices of private health insurance will fall. Your costs, even if you keep your current health insurance plan, will go down.
If you lose your job, you will always be able to get affordable insurance. If for any reason you lose your job and your employer based coverage, you will be eligible for affordable health insurance that meets your needs, as described below, with the government helping you pick up the tab until you get back to work, and expenses will be capped to make sure you can't go bankrupt due to medical costs. You will always have a guaranteed, affordable backup to rely on if you need it.
2. If you are employed but do not receive health care benefits from your employer:
Your employer will have to offer you good, affordable health insurance. Under the bill proposed by the House, employers will have to offer you health benefits. Those benefits need to meet a standard for coverage, so you can't be offered sub-par insurance that doesn't meet the needs of you and your family. And your employer will have to cover a large percentage of your health care costs (65% for families and 72% for individuals), ensuring insurance is affordable and your employer can't shift more costs to you. Small businesses are exempt from this regulation.
If you work for a small business that is exempt from regulations asking employers to provide health benefits you will always be able to get affordable insurance. You will be eligible for affordable health insurance that meets your needs, as described below.
3. If you buy health insurance on your own, or if you or your family are uninsured:
You will be able to find coverage. You will have access to a new health insurance "exchange," where both public and private health insurance will be offered. You will be able to compare these plans side-by-side and choose what's right for you and your family. None of these plans will be able to reject your application for pre-existing conditions or for your gender. You will have guaranteed access to health insurance.
You will be able to afford coverage. Any health insurance plan in the exchange will be subsidized if you qualify. Subsidies will be available up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or $88,000 per year for a family of four. These subsidies will ensure that you will only pay a certain percentage of your income in health care costs (that percentage varies depending on how much you make). Bottom line: Health insurance through the exchange will be affordable to you.
You will save money. Even if you do not qualify for subsidies or choose the public health insurance option, competition from the public health insurance option will force prices for insurance to fall across the board.
Your coverage will be good coverage, stable and secure. All plans in the exchange will have to conform to federal regulations, making sure that the plan you purchase covers things that you and your family need - things like preventative medicine, regular checkups, and prescription drugs. And, under health reform, your health insurance company will no longer be able to deny you coverage or care for pre-existing conditions. Your insurance company will no longer be able to drop your coverage if you become sick, or charge you more if you're a woman. There will be no more annual or lifetime caps on coverage, so you won't be stuck with tens of thousands in uncovered medical bills. And if you pay your premiums, your insurance company won't be able to reject a renewal of your insurance plan.
Your expenses will be capped. Deductibles, co-pays, premiums, and other expenses will be capped at a percentage of your income (between 1.5% and 11%, depending on how much you make), so you no longer face exorbitant health insurance costs.
4. If you are on Medicare or Medicaid:
Your health programs will not be touched. There will be no eligibility or benefit cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Health reform will be financed partly by finding savings in these programs. These savings will come from eliminating portions of Medicare and Medicaid that are no longer needed once we've passed health care reform for everyone. For example, right now, Medicaid pays hospitals a reimbursement for people who come to the hospital without health insurance, and thus stick that hospital with the bill. Under health reform, most people will have health insurance, making these reimbursements unnecessary.
The Medicare "Donut Hole" will be closed. The "donut hole" in Medicare's prescription drug program that leaves seniors with thousands of dollars in drug costs when their coverage runs out partway through the year will be gradually closed under health care reform.
5. Is this all paid for?
Yes. Health reform will be fully paid for, and will not increase the deficit. It will not increase your taxes, either. The House has proposed increasing taxes on those that make more than a quarter of a million dollars per year to pay for health reform. The middle class will not be affected.
—————————
There is a short answer to the question of what health reform will do for you: Better coverage, lower costs, and the security of knowing you're not at the mercy of private insurance anymore. This is what health care reform will do for you.
The cost of doing nothing - the conservative plan for health care - is staggering: The average family will pay $10,000 more in premiums by 2019 if nothing is done. We can not afford the conservative health care plan. We must reform health care now, for you and me and our families.
For a lot of you, this information is not news. However, you must know someone who needs to be educated. Copy and paste this post into an email and send it to someone who needs to know exactly how this bill works. Send around this link. Whatever you need to do, get that information out there. Fear can stop health care reform from happening, we need to fight back with the truth.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Obama Caucus of Ann Arbor is part of Organizing for America.
obama.caucus@gmail.com ObamaCaucus.blogspot.com
Monday, July 20, 2009
Why Co-ops would hurt the Public Health Insurance Option.
A co-op for the public option?
Let's talk principles.
Posted on June 12th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Congress Watch
http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/06/12/a-co-op-for-the-public-option-lets-talk-principles/
We're going to see a lot of these kinds of "compromises" from now until we pass a health reform bill through Congress. First, we had the "trigger" proposal, designed to effectively kill a public health insurance option. Now, we have the "co-op" proposal.
It's not particularly useful to keep responding individually to these ideas - we'd be playing whack-a-mole for months. Instead, let's lay out some principles for a strong public health insurance option. If any proposal meets these principles, no matter what you call it, it is worthy of support.
1. National and available everywhere: A strong public health insurance option will be a national public health insurance program, available in all areas of the country. The insurance industry is made of of conglomerates that have national reach. In order to have the clout to compete with the insurance industry and keep them honest, the public health insurance option must be national as well.
2. Government appointed and accountable: The entire problem with private health insurance is that they aren't accountable to you or me. A public health insurance option must have a different incentive. A public health insurance option doesn't have to be a government entity necessarily, but its decision makers must be appointed by government and must be accountable to government.
3. Bargaining clout: The whole point of health reform is to lower health care costs. Clearly, the insurance industry has failed to lower costs when left to their own devices. As the President says, we need a strong public health insurance option to lower rates, change the incentives in our health care system, and keep the industry honest.
4. Ready on day one: The private health insurance industry has utterly failed to control health care costs or provide their customers the quality they've paid through the nose for. With one person going bankrupt every 30 seconds due to health care costs, we cannot afford to wait any longer for a real fix. We need the public health insurance option to start lowering prices now. That means no trigger.
Judging from the reports I've seen on Senator Conrad's proposal, a co-op as currently envisioned does not meet these principles. Here is why, in Senator Conrad's words:
And for those against a public option because they fear government control, the co-op structure has some appeal because its not government control. It's membership control, and membership ownership.
…
What you probably need is a national entity with state affiliates, and the further flexibility so those states can have regional pools. So in our part of the country, you might have North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming go together. Out east you might have Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire together. We're consulting with experts tomorrow about that.
As envisioned, the co-op proposal would create a bunch of member operated plans around the country, none of which would have the clout to compete with private insurance or really lower prices with providers and drug companies.
Also, another note of caution: A co-op is a legal structure. In a co-op, members of the co-op are legally liable for the co-op. That means that if a co-op was, say, sued for doing something wrong, its members might be liable for the legal bills and damages.
If Senator Conrad or anyone else in Congress can come up with a proposal that meets the above principles, we'd be happy to support it, whatever it's called. As the proposal stands now, Conrad's co-ops will not bring costs down, save our economy, or allow us to choose a viable public option if we don't want to be at the mercy of private insurance. These co-ops will not solve the health care crisis, and so we oppose them.
If you agree, you can go here: http://tools.advomatic.com/8/phip
to call your Senators and tell them why a co-op is not the change you voted for.
Let's talk principles.
Posted on June 12th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Congress Watch
http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/06/12/a-co-op-for-the-public-option-lets-talk-principles/
We're going to see a lot of these kinds of "compromises" from now until we pass a health reform bill through Congress. First, we had the "trigger" proposal, designed to effectively kill a public health insurance option. Now, we have the "co-op" proposal.
It's not particularly useful to keep responding individually to these ideas - we'd be playing whack-a-mole for months. Instead, let's lay out some principles for a strong public health insurance option. If any proposal meets these principles, no matter what you call it, it is worthy of support.
1. National and available everywhere: A strong public health insurance option will be a national public health insurance program, available in all areas of the country. The insurance industry is made of of conglomerates that have national reach. In order to have the clout to compete with the insurance industry and keep them honest, the public health insurance option must be national as well.
2. Government appointed and accountable: The entire problem with private health insurance is that they aren't accountable to you or me. A public health insurance option must have a different incentive. A public health insurance option doesn't have to be a government entity necessarily, but its decision makers must be appointed by government and must be accountable to government.
3. Bargaining clout: The whole point of health reform is to lower health care costs. Clearly, the insurance industry has failed to lower costs when left to their own devices. As the President says, we need a strong public health insurance option to lower rates, change the incentives in our health care system, and keep the industry honest.
4. Ready on day one: The private health insurance industry has utterly failed to control health care costs or provide their customers the quality they've paid through the nose for. With one person going bankrupt every 30 seconds due to health care costs, we cannot afford to wait any longer for a real fix. We need the public health insurance option to start lowering prices now. That means no trigger.
Judging from the reports I've seen on Senator Conrad's proposal, a co-op as currently envisioned does not meet these principles. Here is why, in Senator Conrad's words:
And for those against a public option because they fear government control, the co-op structure has some appeal because its not government control. It's membership control, and membership ownership.
…
What you probably need is a national entity with state affiliates, and the further flexibility so those states can have regional pools. So in our part of the country, you might have North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming go together. Out east you might have Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire together. We're consulting with experts tomorrow about that.
As envisioned, the co-op proposal would create a bunch of member operated plans around the country, none of which would have the clout to compete with private insurance or really lower prices with providers and drug companies.
Also, another note of caution: A co-op is a legal structure. In a co-op, members of the co-op are legally liable for the co-op. That means that if a co-op was, say, sued for doing something wrong, its members might be liable for the legal bills and damages.
If Senator Conrad or anyone else in Congress can come up with a proposal that meets the above principles, we'd be happy to support it, whatever it's called. As the proposal stands now, Conrad's co-ops will not bring costs down, save our economy, or allow us to choose a viable public option if we don't want to be at the mercy of private insurance. These co-ops will not solve the health care crisis, and so we oppose them.
If you agree, you can go here: http://tools.advomatic.com/8/phip
to call your Senators and tell them why a co-op is not the change you voted for.
Write a Quick Letter for the Public Option
Here's one easy way to write letters to Michigan's Senators Levin and Stabenow; use this sample letter as a starting point. Make a bigger impact by including your own personal health care story, and writing it by hand, on paper, with a pen! Help us write 100 letters to our Senators. Now is the time to be active and help pass effective health care reform, especially the Public Health Insurance Option. The Obama Caucus of Ann Arbor, obama.caucus@gmail.com
------------------------------------- Sample Letter --------------------------------------
Dear Senator:
In order to ensure affordable health care for all Americans, I ask you to support a strong
version of President Obama’s health care reform, one that:
Co-ops or triggers will only weaken the public health insurance option, and make it ineffective. I ask you to oppose them.
The strong reform of a public health care insurance option is important to me because
[share your personal health care story].
We cannot afford to delay any longer. America needs you to act now to fix our broken
health care system.
Sincerely,
[your signature]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michigan's Senators
The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
243 West Congress, Suite 550
Detroit, MI 48226
The Honorable Carl Levin
477 Michigan Ave, Suite 1860
Detroit, MI 48226
------------------------------------- Sample Letter --------------------------------------
Dear Senator:
In order to ensure affordable health care for all Americans, I ask you to support a strong
version of President Obama’s health care reform, one that:
- ensures that quality affordable health care is available to all Americans
- reduces costs – Rising health care costs are crushing budgets
- guarantees choice of doctors and plans, including a public health care insurance option
- is national and available everywhere
- has decision-makers who are government appointed and accountable
- has bargaining clout to lower rates
- is ready on day one
Co-ops or triggers will only weaken the public health insurance option, and make it ineffective. I ask you to oppose them.
The strong reform of a public health care insurance option is important to me because
[share your personal health care story].
We cannot afford to delay any longer. America needs you to act now to fix our broken
health care system.
Sincerely,
[your signature]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michigan's Senators
The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
243 West Congress, Suite 550
Detroit, MI 48226
The Honorable Carl Levin
477 Michigan Ave, Suite 1860
Detroit, MI 48226
Friday, April 10, 2009
Welcome! We are the Obama Caucus of Ann Arbor!
We are volunteers from the winning 2008 presidential campaign that elected Barack Obama and swept
We are now in Phase II when we help President Obama make the changes we all need so much. We decided we would work for the changes where we had the strongest interest, and those are health care, green energy and climate change, and the economy.
We are going door-to-door to build support for President Obama's public health insurance option. It's the part of health care reform that we cannot do without. It will give us the choice of a public insurance program like Medicare, that we can choose if we like it better than private insurance options. Since it will be cheaper, and more reliable, we're pretty sure we'll like it -- if it is strong and effective. We all need to work together to get this done.
Send an email to obamacaucus@gmail.com if you'd like to join in the canvass.
Our next meeting is Sunday 1 August from 2 to 4 PM at 321 Parklake Street in Ann Arbor. Anyone who supports our principles and wants to work for them is invited. See you there.
We are now in Phase II when we help President Obama make the changes we all need so much. We decided we would work for the changes where we had the strongest interest, and those are health care, green energy and climate change, and the economy.
We are going door-to-door to build support for President Obama's public health insurance option. It's the part of health care reform that we cannot do without. It will give us the choice of a public insurance program like Medicare, that we can choose if we like it better than private insurance options. Since it will be cheaper, and more reliable, we're pretty sure we'll like it -- if it is strong and effective. We all need to work together to get this done.
Send an email to obamacaucus@gmail.com if you'd like to join in the canvass.
Our next meeting is Sunday 1 August from 2 to 4 PM at 321 Parklake Street in Ann Arbor. Anyone who supports our principles and wants to work for them is invited. See you there.
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