Health Care Bill or NOT?

Earl, I think much of what we have heard from the "right" is pure fear mongering.  All one need do is look around at other countries and how their health care programs work, to see, that we, supposedly the greatest nation on the planet, can do the same for our people, IF we really want to, and IF our elected officials stop listening to the health insurance industry!

Earl, I am with you as far as trying to understand all that is in this health care bill.  It is so massive, that I wonder how even the law makers have time to read it all, let alone understand it.  It is written in "legalese" so for common people, forget it!  We have to be trusting of someone out there to advise us on facts.  Unfortunately there are too many fear mongers that you have to tune out to get to the truth.  The government does have a website that explains things you may not understand.  They changed names a couple of times, so let me confirm what it is and get back to you on that.

As we progress over the next few weeks (months) more and more information will be made available about what is in the bill and how it impacts every day people.

I want to comment on health coverage for contracted laborers as well.  Later.

I don't know either, but I'm worried that they will pass something requiring everyone to get insurance, but without a public option, and that we will all be at the mercy of private insurance (God help us!).

Leslie, I have faith that in the end, the bill will be the best we can get for the time being.  This is not the end of health care reform in this country, only the beginning!

Earl,

Here is a government website that is a good start to helping sort things out.

http://www.healthreform.gov/

Yeow, if it isn't confusing enugh, Earl, after you go through all this "stuff", tell me what you think.

We need a universal health care plan, and us Yanks can bad mouth Europe, Canada, and whoever else has it, but if you really look into it, there are few complaints.  To be able to walk in and get health care when you need it is a wonderful thing.  The rest of this plan we caan work out and discuss.  I don't deny that I have concerns over some of the provisions as well.  But to reject it outright is wrong.  Let's fix it and make it work.  We all have to come together for that to happen.

Foremost in my mind, Georgia, whoever you are, help us here:  Earl contracts people to work for him.  WHO is going to pay for their health care under this plan, Earl, or the contractors?  Or the government (the tax payers).  I am serious, as I am not able to figure this out from all the detail out there.

Georgia has a balls on question, WHY HASN'T THE GOVERNMENT DONE ANYTHING ABOUT TORT REFORM?  I will tell you why, too many lawyer contributors to the Democratic Party candidates, that's why.  They are beholding.  This is the kind of crap that has to stop.  Likewise, we should no longer be beholding to the insurance industry or to drug companies.  Let's step forward to do something right for ALL Americans for a change.

Let's try to help out Earl and many other citizens who are just trying to make a living without the governement sucking every cent out of their pocket, but at the same time have an equal quality of life and access to affordable health care.

OBTW Georgia had a lot of legitimate points if you can get over some of the fear items.  Hope you can sort it all out.  It isn't easy.  One thing for certain, IF there is a government plan option available (we don't know yet), it is going to only cover a small percent of the population who isn't working or down on their luck.  This is NOT a government takeover of health care.

Please take the time to see what happened in Canada when all the fear tactics were used, and didn't come into being.  A man by the name of Terry is posting on TLIR.  Interesting stuff as to what happened there.  Here it from someone who lives there, don't depend on fear mongers here who don't have all the facts.

That is what this should be all about, coming up with the facts.  We need to hear BOTH sides.

 Obama's proposal is being mischaracterized as a Canadian-style plan by his opponents. In Canada and Britain, all citizens have health care coverage, provided by the government and paid for with taxes. 

You can check to see what is going on in England, but it is not even close to relevant to what is in the current U.S. Health Care Reform Plan.

It appears that the current plan says everyone must have insurance, and the "government option" is in there for to assist small businesess owners or for individuals like contractors who cannot afford regular corporate insurance.

I'm not sure what the right answer is but I do know that today's health system is broken. I didn't understand this while working for a large corporation but start a small business, and you get caught up in it right away. What I've learned running my handyman business:

• Everyone buying health insurance is already subsizing free health care for those without coverage, who show up at the emergency room. Their care costs more and it's worse, because the problems are much worse than if they went to the doctor when they initially got ill.
• Government is already entangled in healthcare and the games with workers comp insurance are crazy. I won my hearing for carpel tunnel but insurance company settled after employee was allowed to contest the finding. There was NO accident, doctors records showed symptoms of carpel tunnel for 3 years (he only worked for me for 6 months). This employee knows how to work the system, i.e. going back to school, and wanted paycheck to live off. Employers are caught in the middle as ownership of health problems gets tossed around.
• Contractors - why shouldn't they have health coverage like everyone else, and I don't mean by the wife getting a job with benefits which is how its' done today.
  

Maybe the new solution isn't right but I hope it's a step in the right direction.