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House Passes Massive Medical Insurance Bill, 219-212
The votes are in: yesterday evening, after a last-minute compromise over abortion payments, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill effecting major changes in American medical finance. From the BBC's coverage: "The president is expected to sign the House-passed Senate bill as early as Tuesday, after which it will be officially enacted into law. However, it will contain some very unpopular measures that Democratic senators have agreed to amend. The Senate will be able to make the required changes in a separate bill using a procedure known as reconciliation, which allows budget provisions to be approved with 51 votes - rather than the 60 needed to overcome blocking tactics." No Republican voted in favor of the bill; 34 Democrats voted against. As law, the system set forth would extend insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million Americans, impose new taxes on high-income earners as well as provide some tax breaks and subsidies for others, and considerably toughen the regulatory regime under which insurance companies operate. The anticipated insurance regime phases in (starting with children, and expanding to adults in 2014) a requirement that insurance providers accept those with preexisting conditions, and creates a system of fines, expected to be administered by the IRS, for those who fail or refuse to obtain health insurance.
This is going to be awesome fight.
Please remain calm, there is no reason to pani... wait, where are you all going?
This bill sells out the American people to some of the largest campaign contributors. The insurance companies, the AMA, and the pharmaceutical companies will reap hundreds of billions from their investment of tens of millions in bribes.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Now we will wait and see if the apocalypse that conservatives told us this would bring arrives. Reasonable people realized some time ago that this bill most likely won't change much of anything in their lives. If the Democratic Party had a publicity group that was worth a shit, they would take advantage of that when the midterm elections come in November (at which point this bill will be law for several months and have done pretty well nothing that the fearmongerers had told us).
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
56.5% is "most"? Since when is "most" just over half?
http://www.gallup.com/poll/121970/nearly-insured-government-coverage-2008.aspx
~AA
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do.
Medicare's hideously inefficient, for one.
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
Republicans are opposed because it's socialism. The same kind of socialism that drove the economies of North Korea and Soviet Russia into the ground.
This will not end well.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
I'm not sure how you equate slashdotters and intelligent people. I'm sure some slashdotters have brains, but they are few and far between.
You pay $6400/year for insurance? Damn, either you're getting ripped off, or you have some chronic condition.
Welcome to the civil world, America....
How much of your per capita income goes to defense? Humanitarian assistance to Africa, Haiti, etc.? Now aren't many of the EU economies on the verge of insolvency? Greece comes to mind, Spain is soon to follow. Now many medical breakthroughs has Belgium made in the last 50 years? Your economies have been subsidized by the US indirectly through NATO. Look around at all the Muslim immigrants, you need them desperately. To prop up your failing economies. Why? because all social programs require a continuously increasing population. Without more people paying then receiving, the whole pyramid scheme collapses. Maybe when Belgium gets to 300 million people you'll figure it out. And if your from Belgium what the hell business is it of yours if we have universal health care or a patriot act? Maybe the US should come tell you how to live and how to run your country? We already have the NATO HQ there, would you prefer we just annex you? That way you can pay taxes to us and actually have a valid reason to be in this discussion!
I believe that Hitler liked to bandy the phrase "intellectually dis-honest" against his critics.
Anyway, your politics aside, I didn't say that the poorest would get boned. They'll continue to freeload, as they have for the past 80 years. It's the Average Working Joe who's going to take in in the ass.
You do realize that insurers are going to offer individually tailored schemes that cost exactly the minimum threshold to force you to buy one, right? And that while they won't exclude pre-existing conditions, they'll exclude expensive ones, chronic and palliative care, and have such high co-pays that you'll end up paying as much as you would if you'd just paid yourself?
Think it through. 85% payouts - say, did you know that having an In House Medical Professional evaluate your claim can be billed a "health-care benefit"? - means that these Never Pay schemes will do exactly that: pay you back 85% of what you just paid in, for as long as you keep paying. You want to stop paying? Speak to the hospital's lawyers.
Understand this clearly: we're talking about new schemes that will be specifically tailored to prey on people turning up at the ER without insurance. Hey, Mr Smith, did you know that it's a legal requirement to buy health cover if you can afford it? Well, whatever you earn, our partners MediCrook Inc. have a policy tailored specifically to you. You don't want to take it? Well, since you could have bought insurance, but refused, you can either speak to our lawyers, or their salesmen. Your choice, Mr Smith.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
I live in a 3rd world country, and we have universal health care. It doesnt matter if you are poor and cant pay: if you have a heart attack, a ambulance will take you to the hospital, and you will have treatment. Well, you will not have 5 star treatment, with naked nurses and stuff, maybe you even have a room, but hey, this is a 3rd world country! They will ask you (or look in your wallet) if you have some private-insurance, and take you to a private hospital if you do. If all the public hospitals are full, the private ones WILL accept you, and the government will pay then later. Of course, it has some flaws. If you need som exam, u may wait for months (it depends on what state you are, some are better than others)... but if you have diseases like diabets, heart problems and stuff like that, you will have FREE medication, for the rest of your life.
>>Except for the 35-50 million who don't and can't get health insurance.
It's nice to see that people can still parrot talking points, even on Slashdot. That number, bandied about by winners like Pelosi, includes people that don't want health insurance. Our poor people are already covered, as are our elderly, and most working people get it through work. There IS a gap, but it's not as massive as airheads like our majority leaders say it is.
Actually this would be more accurate:
Democrats/Republicans: "We need health care reform."
Republicans: "I have some ideas."
Democrats: "Fuck you, sit down."
American People: "We have some questions."
Democrats: "Fuck you, sit down."
American People: "Now you lost Mass. (one of the most liberal voting state in the nation). So stop this non-sense."
Democrats: "Fuck you, sit down."
Republicans: "We need to start over, this bill is just a POS."
American People: "Yeah, start over and get this right."
Democrats: "Fuck you, sit down."
US Constitution: "I think you need more votes to pass a bill."
Democrats: "Fuck you, sit down."
American People: "Kill the bill, kill the bill, kill the bill."
Democrats: "Fuck you, sit down. Oh and by the way we won a great victory for the American people today..."
"In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash"
>>>I recently lived off of food stamps..... I was able to get some dental fillings done, get my eyes checked, not pay outrageous amounts
Yeah.
YOUR NEIGHBORS paid your bills. If you can think of a good reason why they should work their asses off to support your extravagant spending (when you could have easily paid out of your own pocket with cash), then you must be wiser than me because I can't think of one good reason.
It's akin to when the Serfs worked just to support a single master. It was wrong then, and it's just as wrong now. Your neighbors should be allowed to keep the product of their labor, without someone taking it away from them.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
What the hell is wrong with you retards that any criticism of the current boondoggle must mean we don't want to change anything? Are you just stupid, dishonest, or so close-minded you aren't paying attention?
NO INSURANCE COMPANY LEFT BEHIND ACT of 2010.
I like the provision for hiring additional revenue agents.
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
The United States of America as it was constituted in 1787, and as properly amended thereafter, will no longer exist once the Health Care Bill and its companion "fix-it" bill is signed into law. We now live under an Imperial Government, with an Imperial Retribution System (IRS) that will take whatever the Imperial Congress and Emperor Obama deem desirable. That's change I can revolt against!
Be More, Be Manly, The Manly Geek Ubergeek Extraordinaire Blogger: www.manlygeek.com/blog Podcaster: podcast.man
Hey, you fucking moron... You are not "the people". "The people" voted for Obama and his health care plan.
So shut the fuck up. I'm getting sick and tired of teabaggers and other right-wing fucktards going on about how they, as a minority, represent the majority.
Clever signature text goes here.