Slog
News & ArtsThursday, October 29, 2009
Health Start The Clock
Posted by Eli Sanders on Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 10:49 AM
The Democratic leadership wants the combined House health care bill, released earlier today by Nancy Pelosi, to be voted on before November 11.
This has been a long and eye-crossingly complicated debate. But if you've stopped paying attention, now might be a good time to tune back in. The finish line is (theoretically) in sight.
2
Is this accurate (via SF Chron):
But lost amid the ideological battle for or against a public option is a key overlooked fact: The vast majority of Americans would have no access to a public option even under its most expansive versions.
House and Senate bills limit the option to the smallest businesses and to individuals who cannot get insurance, or whose health care costs exceed 12.5 percent of their income. Even seven years into an overhaul, an estimated 90 percent of Americans, including nearly everyone who has employer-based coverage now, would be shut out of a public option.
Those currently in other government programs, such as Medicare and the Veterans Administration, also would be excluded.
The public option under all bills would be offered through insurance exchanges, a Web-based market for health plans. But most people who are unhappy with the insurance they have now would be locked out of these exchanges, leaving many Americans who are watching the debate in for a big surprise.
But lost amid the ideological battle for or against a public option is a key overlooked fact: The vast majority of Americans would have no access to a public option even under its most expansive versions.
House and Senate bills limit the option to the smallest businesses and to individuals who cannot get insurance, or whose health care costs exceed 12.5 percent of their income. Even seven years into an overhaul, an estimated 90 percent of Americans, including nearly everyone who has employer-based coverage now, would be shut out of a public option.
Those currently in other government programs, such as Medicare and the Veterans Administration, also would be excluded.
The public option under all bills would be offered through insurance exchanges, a Web-based market for health plans. But most people who are unhappy with the insurance they have now would be locked out of these exchanges, leaving many Americans who are watching the debate in for a big surprise.
3
@2 It's going to be a real problem for the success of the p.o. if not everyone has access to it. Only then could the insurance industry have any real competition, and without it, premiums might even go up. Perhaps this is the republicans' plan -- to demonstrate the inefficacy of the option. Please, please, please open it up to everyone.
4
Only if they enforce a No Bathroom Break and Nobody Leaves Until We're Done rule - and require all filibusters to be literal filibusters.
The old white guys of the GOP wouldn't last three days.
The old white guys of the GOP wouldn't last three days.
5
god you libs are clueless-
if po does pass you're going to cry when you see the restrictions (what? "I" don't get cheap guvmint healthcare?!?") and piss yourself when you see the bill.
you think obama's been a surprising disappointment?
prepare to be amazed...
if po does pass you're going to cry when you see the restrictions (what? "I" don't get cheap guvmint healthcare?!?") and piss yourself when you see the bill.
you think obama's been a surprising disappointment?
prepare to be amazed...
6
More important for many Americans is Jim McDermott's unemployment extension bill, proposed this summer and passed the House way back in September. Not any FUCKING mention about it here on Slog. It is still being held up by Republicans in the Senate who are trying to delay the bill as much as possible to make the state of the economy and Obama look as bad as possible and to attach a bunch of unrelated amendments to it such as cutting off funding for ACORN. Senator Kyl in Arizona was behind the last stall tactic saying he did not have time to read the bill, etc. etc. Then Tuesday they voted for "cloture" to force the issue to come to the floor and only 13 Republicans had the guts to actually vote no to cloture since most states have double-digit unemplyment and six applicants for every one job.
But now the issue STILL sits because Republicans are stalling it as much as possible, as 7000 people EVERY DAY exhaust their unemployment and Americans continue to blow their brains out because they are about to lose everything including their families.
But no, continue on about the Health Care vote in November and nothing about this issue. I sure hope they serve warm food in the hospital. Right now many Americans are just worrying about how they will eat.
But now the issue STILL sits because Republicans are stalling it as much as possible, as 7000 people EVERY DAY exhaust their unemployment and Americans continue to blow their brains out because they are about to lose everything including their families.
But no, continue on about the Health Care vote in November and nothing about this issue. I sure hope they serve warm food in the hospital. Right now many Americans are just worrying about how they will eat.
7
@6 - cause we're in Seattle - we don't have as high unemployment as you rubes in the sticks, cause we can always go back to school and be underemployed grad students.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (7) RSS