"Obama To Dems: Reform Will Kick In This Year. This Year. This Year."

[Clio the Leo]

Obama To Dems: Reform Will Kick In This Year. This Year. This Year.

One striking thing about the speech Obama just gave at the big health care rally in Pennsylvania is how many times he stressed that if reform passes, voters will begin enjoying the benefits this year.

Though he didn’t say it directly, it’s an obvious effort to put some spine in wavering Congressional Dems by urging them to understand that they’ll have something to run on this year if they vote for reform. Here’s the key part:

Within the first year of signing health care reform, thousands of uninsured Americans with preexisting conditions would suddenly be able to purchase health insurance for the very first time in their lives.

This year, insurance companies will be banned forever from denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions.

This year, they will be banned from dropping your coverage when they get sick. And they will no longer able to arbitrarily and massively hike your premiums. Those practices will end.

If this reform becomes law, all the new insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care to customers starting this year. Free checkups so we can catch preventable diseases.

Starting this year,B there will be no more lifetime restrictive annual limits on the amount of care you can receive from your insurance companies…

It would change fast: Insurance companies would finally be held accountable to the American people.

Obama’s message to Congressional Dems: If you vote for health reform, some of your own constituents will — this year — suddenly find themselves with insurance where they had none. Your own constituents will not be dropped arbitrarily from coverage, even if they get sick. Some of your own constituents will suddenly enjoy free preventive care they didn’t have before. And you will be able to take credit for it.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/obama-to-dems-reform-will-kick-in-this-year-this-year-this-year/

Now, if anyone STILL wants to complain about this bill DESPITE the changes listed above, that's certainly your prerogative.

[MidwestTransplant]

1. How about the fact that it doesn't seem to apply to adults with pre exisiting conditons until years

out.

[Better Today]

2. +1, and let's be honest who is more likely to have a pre-existing

condition, a child or an adult?

[HughMoran]

5. ...and you'll be much better off putting off reform for another decade

Hmmmm, seems like slightly flawed logic to me.

[MidwestTransplant]

6. The OP asked what's not to like.

[HughMoran]

8. Can't disagree that I want it now

Sucks that doing so creates an instant burden that has to be paid for. Removing the pre-existing condition clause it one of the biggest and most difficult to pay for parts of the bill.

[zipplewrath]

10. "It" is already put off

Real health CARE reform is now dead, regardless of how this bill goes, for the better part of a decade. From here on out, until the price gets out of reach for huge portions of the population, nothing of substance is going to get done. It'll just be more trimming around the edges. And if the GOP get any power, it will be trimming OFF the edges. About the only reason I see to support this bill is I suspect it will actually accelerate the down fall. People will be getting forced to buy insurance and getting pissed off about how much it costs. Ultimately all those pissed off folks will demand medicare for all or some equivalent. My only concern is that the GOP will be in charge then and we'll get their version.

[HughMoran]

12. Whatever

You've formed a post to match your opinion - I ignore such nonsense.

[zipplewrath]

15. Um, that's called "making an argument"

Of course I've "formed a post to match my opinion". That's called making an argument. I'm suppose to form a post to dispute my own opinion? I'm sorry you can't form one to support your opinion, but you might try forming one on some facts, instead of White House Talking Points.

[HughMoran]

17. You don't listen to any new input, you regurgitate the same old shit

I gave you an out and you took it, but that doesn't change the fact that you're incapable of accepting new inputs or seeing that this needs to be done NOW so that we can get rid of the pre-existing condition AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

[zipplewrath]

26. So everything else is "worth" the pre-existing?

You realize that there are loop holes out the wahzoo right? Really, if that's what it's all about, that could be passed alone, with out the mandatory crap.

[City Lights]

11. +1,000!

Why should anyone have to wait for this to kick in? x(

[zipplewrath]

3. The devil is in the details

And they will no longer able to arbitrarily and massively hike your premiums. Those practices will end.

No, this isn't true. He INTENDS to create federal commissions to review and challenge premium increases, but here is nothing in this that specifically empowers the federal government to limit rate hikes, only to review them.

If this reform becomes law, all the new insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care to customers starting this year. Free checkups so we can catch preventable diseases.

All NEW insurance plans. And find out what the definition of "preventative care" is, you might be surprised the lack of specificity within the bill on this subject.

[Donnachaidh]

4. there is also NOTHING in here to FORCE them to sell insurance to those previously coonsidered

UN-INSURABLE.

This POS is an abomination. It's a back door bail out for a vampiric business that IS the cancer in healthCARE in the US today.

[jefferson_dem]

7. So the Dems goal is to bail out corporate America...

...and the Reps want to look out for the little guy by hoping and praying they can this bill? :crazy:

[zipplewrath]

9. The GOP wants the campaign donations

The see this as a wedge issue that can fire up their base. Their opposition isn't based upon the substance of the bill.

[Beetwasher]

21. Umm, Yes, There Is, It Will Be Federal Law, And If They Violoate It They Can Be Prosecuted

By the DOJ.

That is how laws are enforced.

There is nothing FORCING you to not murder people except threat of prosecution for doing so.

[jaxx]

13. The spin put on this good news is astounding.

Why do people want nothing to be done? I just don't get it.

[dave29]

16. it's not spin, it's spam.

:)

[SPedigrees]

18. I'm beginning to think that all the Obama bashers on DU are repub trolls.

Used to think they were petulant spoiled children who called themselves progressives, but now I think republican teabagger plants is more like it.

Thank you to the OP for posting these immediate reform provisions. Let's hope they get this passed.

[tavalon]

28. If it is good news, great

but I'm done with the dog and pony show. I will take care of my patients to the best of my ability and hope for the best. Even though Obama appropriated the hope and change meme, I'm not leaving it with him because he clearly has no need for it. But things I am done with include any more jumping and clapping for the insurance giveaway. Aetna, Premera etc. can hire paid cheerleaders - they don't need me and I don't care to help them along.

[subterranean]

14. About dropping coverage when you get sick...

They are already banned from dropping your coverage because you get sick. Instead, they look for an error on your application or some detail in your medical history that you left out, whether you were aware of it or not. They call this "fraud" or "misrepresentation," and that is the reason they give for canceling your coverage. That's legal, and the current Senate bill contains a loophole that would explicitly allow them to continue that practice.

The part about banning denial of coverage to children with pre-existing conditions is good, though.

[Beetwasher]

19. The Reason They Get Away With This Because IT IS NOT ENFORCED PROPERLY

on a state level. Sates with GOOD enforcement do not see these practices as widespread as they are in states with bad enforcement.

There will now be an additional federal level of enforcement.

There is no "loophole". There is a provision that if you commit fraud that you can be dropped from your insurance. Will the insurance companies try to exploit this? Probably, but now they will have to deal with FEDERAL enforcement. If they do this systematically, they will be open to prosecution from the DOJ for violating FEDERAL LAW.

[wackywaggin]

20. Exactly Enforcement is needed!

Lack of enforcement for this and many other laws is a big part of government failure and mistrust. Enforce the current laws justly and equally for all is what the american people want.

Heretic Wack

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

24. Well said. Some laws are there - we need to enforce them.

Unfortunately, words on paper don't actually get anything done without CONVICTION and ACTION.

Poor congress... when your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[mdmc]

22. PREDICTION

I will be paying more for medical treatment at the end of this year then I currently do now.

[Inuca]

25. You may

but on an average, WE won't. Assuming that the bill passes, of course.

[mdmc]

27. perhaps less unpaid ER visits?

I don't get how giving for profit health insurance to people that are too poor to afford the co-pays will help to reduce medical expenses for the collective.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

23. There are some holes in those promises...

Starting this year, there will be no more lifetime restrictive annual limits on the amount of care you can receive from your insurance companies…

--> Note the key word there, "restrictive"... It doesn't say there will be no limits. it says no restrictive limits.
Who decides what is a lifetime restrictive annual limit?
(Personally, I think there should be some limits to keep insurance affordable, but no annual limits. Annual limits are stupid.)

--> And they will no longer able to arbitrarily and massively hike your premiums.
Note, the words "arbitrary" and "massively".
Can they raise raites massively if they have a valid reason - thus not "arbitrarily" (smoking, pre-existing condidition, etc...)?
Can they arbitrarily raise raites so long as the raises are not "massive"? Who decides what is an acceptable annual increase?

If these words you've written down are verbaitim, there is ALOT of wiggle room where people are still getting screwed.
About the only real change is the barring of insuance denial for pre-existing conditions and/pr dropping your coverage.
However to do this is typically very pricey. Will these pre-existing policies be atypically priced? It deos not address this.

Obama is an EXCELLENT linguist. Don't be tricked into hearing something he didn't say.

[Phx_Dem]

29. Not if Kucinich has anything to say about it. nt