Obama's promised health care overhaul delayed

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's push to revamp the costly and inefficient U.S. healthcare system was facing delay even before Tom Daschle, who was chosen to head the initiative, withdrew his nomination as health secretary.

With the administration and Congress preoccupied with righting the foundering economy, work on Obama's promise to make affordable care available for all Americans has been limited in Obama's first weeks in power.

Health care reform advocates are pushing for quick action and want Congress to act by the end of the year, well before lawmakers start political maneuvering for congressional elections next year.

But the Democratic-led Congress is taking longer than expected to approve Obama's economic stimulus plan, which has topped $900 billion in the Senate, and Obama has to cope with a budget deficit some estimate could top $1 trillion this year.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5135JJ20090204

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HOWARD DEAN....HOWARD DEAN....HOWARD DEAN!!!!!!

[blueclown]

1. Delayed till when?

This is one campaign promise that if Obama breaks, he will regret it. The left will revolt.

[Oregone]

5. For another 50 years probably.

Not that it was going to be Universal, like Truman's ancient plan, but it was probably more than the establishment was interested in.

[stillcool]

8. the left will revolt anyway...

what is the 'left' doing to help pass the stimulus package? You get out what you put in. Zero.

[Joanne98]

33. Till everybody dies!

[silverojo]

38. So will the swing voters - n/t

[SteelPenguin]

2. How Bout For now

They just pass a law requiring health care companies to offer the same plan/benefits/cost as the plans they offer the federal government.

if I wanted to get a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan individual coverage with a $3500 deductible it would cost me $600 a month and over $1200 for family coverage. Same company offers a $0 deudctible plan to non-postal federal employees for under $100 for an individual and just over $200 for family coverage.

Just pass a law saying that they have to admit any private citizen into the same plan that they offer federal employees. it's not the perfect solution, but it'd get alot more people coverage right away, and save many other people lots of money they could spend on other things in these trying times. No additional government needed, no taxes, nothing.

[Mudoria]

3. I could live with this if they would only do it.

[SteelPenguin]

13. It's not a perfect solution mind you

There are plenty of people in this country who can't even afford 200 a month for their family in addition to their current bills, and we'd have to find a way to help them eventually, but it would be a plan that would get more people help right now, particularly people in small businesses.

[pecwae]

4. If you know someone getting that fed plan

tell them to post how they got it. I've got fed BCBS single plan with $300 deductible and pay $154 per month for it. I didn't see any plan with a $0 deductible this year during open season. Postal workers have the cheapest rates.

[SteelPenguin]

12. They're listed here

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/search/plansearch.aspx

I think it differs state to state, and I listed non-postal worker prices because the postal prices are even lower, so I was trying to be fair. There are some national plans, and local plans depending on where you live. It's possible those aren't up to date prices, but I went by those.

[Cleita]

21. Federal employees are a more middle class and healthier demography than

the general population that is uninsured. You can be sure that the private for profit insurance companies are not going to want to cover the general population with the same plan. What will result is plans with higher deductibles and other trojan horses that won't interfere with their profitability and less coverage for everyone.

[SteelPenguin]

26. Yeah hence my idea

They don't offer the same stuff now. Force them under law to admit private citizens into those groups and give the EXACT same beneifts and costs as the federal plans with no exceptions. The reason those costs are lower are because it's a bigger group more spread out.

Ie the individual costs for a group of 5 from a small business plan are over 1200 a month per family, but for 5,000,000 the cost is quartered or more because the risk is more spread out.

The more people in the plan the lower the prices might even go.

And that's why you have multiple insurance companies. Forces them to compete. If one wants to raise their prices to keep their insane profits, let em. Most people will switch their insurnace to a more affordable one with better benefits. Competition against other insurance companies, and a 'group' of tens if not hundreds of millions will keep them more honest than they are today when they screw everyone they can.

[Cleita]

7. If you think our economy is broken now, this would be the last nail in

the coffin. More welfare queens on the way to raid the taxpayers treasury and that is the health insurance industry and big PhRMA. And the end result would still be those caught in the middle who still won't get health care and the insurance company bean counters telling the doctors what they will cover and what they won't. Please read up on how Massachusetts health care plan is working out, not so good from what I understand and it's costing the state more than they bargained for.

[stillcool]

10. I'm from Massachusetts...

and I don't know anything about how bad our health care plan is. I also see a doctor every 2 weeks, and usually hear gripes. I don't think our state government is any more fucked than those of any other state. That said, I wonder how these people surmise that 2 weeks into this administration, and the new Congress, they know how soon, or how long it will take for the legislation to reach the Congress.

[Cleita]

11. You should read up on it.

Here are some links:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june08/masshealth_04-28.html

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/21/state_health_plan_underfunded/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-29-massreform_N.htm

Also, the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation, were all in favor of it. It case you aren't familiar with those entities, they are the same ones who brought us the Iraq War. Good for business you see because you can raid all that money in the Treasury and shift it over to big corporations and windfall profits on Wall Street.

[stillcool]

14. Yeah...and so?

do you think the plan needs to be perfect in order for it to help people that need health care? The Governor is trying to find ways to alleviate the costs, not only of health care but of many government programs. Do you have a problem with our governor? Our state? What's it to you? I am well aware of who the CATO institute, and the Heritage Foundations are, but I think it's a little disingenuous on your part to link the two together. Maybe you should read up on health care in your own state.

[Cleita]

17. I guess you just don't get it.

An already failed model is not right for the country. But I'm happy that you have health care for the time being. Let's hope you don't get to where California is and the governor is having to issue IOUs because he can't pay the bills. This is the result of another corporate clean out of Treasury back in another Republican governor's tenure.

[stillcool]

20. An already failed model?

You think if it's not perfect it's "failed"? You don't like what we do here, that's fine. I am very grateful that my fellow citizens can get the health care they need.

[Cleita]

22. Well, no accounting for doing the same thing over and over again that is

proving not to work. Of course this plan was done in Europe in some countries and has been since abandoned for national health care in those countries.

[stillcool]

25. Over and over?

Wow. All or nothing..your way or no way..and you don't even live here. No wonder Prop 8 passed in your state.

[Cleita]

28. Thanks for the insult but I didn't vote for Proposition 8 and it's your

effing mega churches from out of state like the New Life Church that are growing like toxic mushrooms here that are behind it. Also back east conservative interests including from your state funded the recall of Grey Davis stuck us with Arnold, so don't go all innocent on me. They were after our electoral votes but they didn't get them.

[stillcool]

31. We have gay marriage..thanks!

and we don't blame people from other states for the way we vote.

[Cleita]

36. Don't worry proposition 8 will go the way of the dodo bird soon enough. n/t

[SteelPenguin]

15. Correct me if I'm wrong

Aren't the problems there with the money to subsidize the insurance of people who can't afford it? I know plenty of people in small business up in Massachusetts with insurance costs like mine. They're in small groups with the same problems, except now the state has to help do it.

Take it out of the hands of businesses and put it in the hands of people and let them decide whether they want to buy into their own plan, their companies plan, or the federal group plan and have them pay it. No money from the state, no money from the fed, no money from the business, and yet it'd be 6 times cheaper for me, and wouldn't cost the government a dime.

[Cleita]

19. Yes, but it's going to bust your state.

What if you didn't have to worry about getting your health care paid for? You could still see your same doctors, get tests when you need them and go to the hospital when you need to and as long as you need to. The only difference is that your insurer will be the federal government. If we had single payer, which is the only way to go that will work, trust me, you could have quality health care for everyone for half of what it costs to cover half the population by the privatized insurance industry and the 40% of Americans that are uninsured and more than that who are underinsured would be covered without additional cost.

[SteelPenguin]

23. I'm not talking about a perfect solution

I'm talking about one that won't cost the federal government a dime more than they already spend, and while won't get everyone healthcare, will get alot of people who can't afford it current better health care.

Also I'm not in Massachussetts, though I used to live there and know plenty of people whose costs are still outrageous.

My idea is very different than what they're doing up there at the moment, and to compare the two is disingenuous. How would forcing insurance companies to offer the same plans they offer to the federal goverment cost the government anything other than it currently does?

[Cleita]

27. The insurance companies are chomping at the bit to become the new

welfare queens. Keeping them in the equation will cost the government many more dimes if they aren't sent packing. There is still insurance that they can sell to cover the non-basics for rich people, like private nurses and private rooms in hospitals, cosmetic surgery, etc. Countries who have NHC just don't let the insurers cover any health care that the national health care plan covers. This insures quality health care for all. This keeps the system from becoming two tiered, one for the poor and one for the rich.

[SteelPenguin]

29. Fine lets do that next

I'm only saying that my plan could be put in place now with zero cost to the taxpayer and actually help people immediately. We can sell a better solution in a few months.

[Cleita]

30. I would hope you are right, but once you let the pigs at the trough, and

these are powerful pigs, it will be hard to get them away from it until the whole system collapses, like it has with Wall Street and the banks.

[WriteDown]

9. Wow...

SteelPenguin for Health Secretary.

[Cleita]

6. This is not a bad thing.

The direction this administration was heading in for health care reform was not the right one. Maybe a little time and study will change that.

[tonycinla]

32. Good

I like the way you think and analyze.There is no such thing as a "free" lunch.I have an uncomfortable feeling that Obama is going to accomplish very little ,because of the realities he is going to bump up against,and yet tout what he does to high heaven ,declare victory and go home.It is starting to look like a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.........

[Danieljay]

16. oh for effs sake, he's been in office for two effing weeks. n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

18. JUST STOP

The man has barely been in office for 2 weeks. It is only early February. They have all this spring and summer and fall to get some hearings going and get the healthcare issue taken care of.

In just 2 weeks, Obama has or will have signed congressional legislation including:

1.) Lily Ledbetter
2.) SCHIP
3.) DTV Delay

Not to mention the Executive Orders he's done....

Geez. Fricking idiotic M$M. :eyes:

[Cleita]

24. He's doing fine and honestly there are those of us who can see that

health care might be a problem for him because of how and whom he is being advised by and we don't want to see him make some big mistakes.

[The Hope Mobile]

34. Get Dean on it!!! He'll push it through. nt

[DaLittle Kitty]

35. Thank Gawd Daschle Is Gone But Now Where WillThey Find Another Schill For The Insurance and HMO...

Industry? Funny to listen to the propaganda on the radio this morning... Every name mentioned to replace Daschle was an Insurance Industry puppet. A woman Governor from the mid-west that was her state's former Insurance Commissioner... It's pathetic!

Give me back John Edwards for HHS! He was the only one w/ a TRUE PATH to SINGLE PAYER!

[Cleita]

37. Yeah, Edwards would be great, but I'm afraid there are enough

insurance company shills already on the short list, which is the reason I didn't mind Daschle that much. If it's not him it will be a Daschle clone.