SENATE HEALTHCARE BILL: A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

[Better Believe It]

SENATE HEALTHCARE BILL: A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
An analysis by the Labor Campaign for Single Payer
KCLabor.org
January 5, 2010

In a last minute flurry of pork barrel deals and capitulation to powerful corporate interests, the U. S. Senate finally passed its version of healthcare reform on December 24. The final bill was roundly condemned by nearly every labor organization in the country.

“The health care bill being considered by the U. S. Senate is inadequate and too tilted toward the insurance industry,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Karen Higgens, RN, Co-President of the 150,000 member National Nurses Union, concurred. “Sadly, we have ended up with legislation that fails to meet the test of true healthcare reform...further locking into place a system that entrenches the chokehold of the profit-making insurance giants on our health.”

The bill requires that all Americans under 65 with incomes greater than 133% of the federal poverty level must be covered by private insurance either through their employer or by purchasing it through a state-based purchasing pool. It provides graduated tax credits to offset some of the costs of purchasing private insurance for those with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level. It sets no effective cost controls or reasonable limits on co-pays and deductibles. A family of 4 earning $54,000 per year, for example, could spend up to $9,000 in a year on insurance and medical expenses.

Despite an elaborate and complex system of subsidies and mandates, the bill’s own sponsors concede that it will still leave 24 million people uninsured when it is fully effective in 2014. These numbers will surely increase as employers utilize the bill as an excuse to end their employer-provided insurance benefits and costs of coverage continue to increase at two to three times the rate of increase in working people’s incomes.

Please read the full analysis at:

http://www.kclabor.org/labor_campaign_for_singlepayer1.htm

[leftstreet]

1. But, but, we'll fix it later!

K&R

[David Zephyr]

2. K&R.

Thanks for the analysis and the helpful link, etter Believe It.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. It will be the last nail in America's coffin.

[rgbecker]

4. What, pray tell, is a family of 4 earning $54,000/yr paying now?

And what are they getting? Accepted with pre conditions? Retained even when losing job? Retained even when sick? Co pays limited?
Benefits capped? Level of Deductable?

This is the unions suddenly backing off because they have coverage and couldn't care less about those that don't. What, covering 30 million more people than the present status quo not enough, so lets stick with the GOP's plan.....If you get sick, die quickly.!