Like to sec 2200 of the bill: Ensuring essential and affordable health care

[The Straight Story]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111FQACN1:e34774:

(Full text at above link)

SEC. 2200. ENSURING ESSENTIAL AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH BENEFITS COVERAGE FOR ALL AMERICANS.

`It is the purpose of this title to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable and essential health benefits coverage--

`(1) by requiring that all new health benefits plans offered to individuals and employees in the individual and small group markets be qualified health benefits plans that meet the insurance rating reforms and essential health benefits coverage requirements established under parts A and C;

`(2) by establishing State exchanges under part B that provide individuals and employees in the individual and small group markets greater access to qualified health benefits plans and to information concerning these health plans;

`(3) by making health benefits coverage more affordable by establishing premium credits and cost-sharing subsidies under part C for individuals enrolling in a health benefits plan through an exchange; and

`(4) by establishing the CO-OP program under part D to encourage the establishment of nonprofit health care cooperatives.

(how they plan on doing this is detailed at link)

[Political Heretic]

1. All of which is weak, having been altered by corporate lobbying, to be largely ineffective

This is the problem that we face with this bill. It appears to be a hollow shell at this point. It continues to have big headings like "AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL" but when you get right down to it, the provisions for accountability and enforcement are completely toothless.

Here's an example of how this works. Senators, the White House and people here will talk about subsidies for those who cannot afford health insurance. Sounds great right? Sounds like the government pays for health insurance for people who are too poor to afford it?

Wrong. First of all the subsidies have been lowered, the lowered again, then lowered again. Second, they now take the form of tax credits, the weakest kind of aid you can possibly give. That expects poor people to pay out of pocket for health care and then be reimbursed in the form of a tax credit later. That hardly helps.

That's one example of how the devil is in the details.

The same is true of these accountability measures. Establishing a "co-op" for competition between insurance companies doesn't really matter when national insurers are still allowed to compete in every market, and non-profit competitors are not required but merely "encouraged."

Other provisions make it so than national insurers could now avoid most state-specific regulations. As it stood last week, there's a ban on capping lifetime coverage but no ban on annual coverage caps - which is the one that really matters.

And measures to contain costs and health premiums are nearly non-existent. As it stands there is very little to stop insurance from getting its mandated buyer base and then continuing to escalate premiums through the roof.