Subscribe"Even Fox News said it was brilliant and uplifting."
never once mentioning the impact universal health care has on taxes
Medicine is a universal need and it must be universally provided; a society that can't see that isn't much of a society at all.
Now no matter what they tell you when I am gone, I ask you to remember the founding principle of this party, the principle I have fought for in Parliament and out of Parliament my entire life. It is very simple actually. It is the principle that we are all in this world together and the only test of our character that matters is how we look after the least fortunate among us. How we look after each other, not how we look after ourselves and that is all that really matters I think.
Will there or will there not be universal health care in the US within the next 10 years?
"More than 135,000 Massachusetts residents who were previously uninsured have gotten free or subsidized coverage under the state's landmark health insurance law. The initiative established Massachusetts as the first state to require every resident to have coverage. An estimated 250,000 to 350,000 people remain uninsured."
Mr Wyden’s bill is 166 pages against Hillary Clinton’s 1,364. Instead of trying to flatten the opposition as the Clintons did, Mr Wyden is courting Republicans. He recently got five of the most conservative men in the Senate to co-sign a letter to Mr Bush endorsing the principles of universal coverage and cost containment.cheers!
Under Mr Wyden’s plan, American employers would no longer provide health coverage, as they have since the second world war. Instead, they would convert the current cost of coverage into additional salary. Individuals would use this money to meet the requirement that they be insured. Buying coverage directly would encourage consumers to use healthcare more efficiently. Getting rid of the employer tax deduction, which costs $200bn a year, would free funds to cover those who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid but not wealthy enough to afford insurance. The Lewin Group, an independent consulting firm, recently estimated that Mr Wyden’s plan would reduce national spending on healthcare by $1,500bn over the next 10 years and save the government money through greater administrative efficiency and competition.
All employers will share the responsibility of financing health care with individuals and the government. During a two-year transition phase, employers who have been providing health insurance will “cash out” the value of that health insurance and provide that amount in wages to their employees. After the two years, all employers will make a shared responsibility payment, meaning they pay up to 25 percent of the average premium for essential care in the area. Employers will no longer have the burden of finding affordable health care for their employees.huh, he's also proposing a "simpler, flatter, fairer" tax reform plan btw -- check out the sample 1040 :P
Under The Healthy Americans Act individuals will choose from a variety of plans offered in their state providing coverage similar to what is currently available to Members of Congress. State-based Health Help Agencies (HHAs) will guide individuals through the enrollment process. HHAs will provide unbiased information about the state’s competing private health plans that will in turn empower individuals—rather than their employers—to choose the best private plans for them and their families. HHAs also will connect individuals and families with sliding scale premium reduction to ensure everyone can afford care. Most individuals and families will qualify for health care tax deductions.no, it prolly is not ideal -- it is not a NHS -- but i think if you're starting from where we are (unfortunately) it would take us in the right direction. so what i think it has going for it, namely, is its feasibility. it's practical.
Also under the Healthy Americans Act, subscribers will not be charged co-pays for preventive services or chronic disease management. Insurers will be able to offer discounts and other incentives based on participation in wellness programs such as nutrition counseling, tobacco cessation and exercise. Primary care physicians will be reimbursed for investing time in chronic disease management and prevention. And with Health Help Agencies publishing consumer-oriented information on every plan’s success in prevention and disease management, insurance companies will ultimately be competing to keep Americans healthy.
For those who already have existing health problems, occupation, gender, genetic information and age will no longer be allowed to impact your eligibility or the price you pay for insurance.
...the days of health-care incrementalism are over. Nor are these Democrats alone in embracing the once-toxic political cause of universal care: The best-known state models have been championed by Republican governors, including Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who is now running for president. This shift reflects rising and inflation-topping out-of-pocket costs for health care and insurance premiums, co-payments and deductibles.iow, corps are also (finally) being screwed over by the present health care system in the US, only they can afford lobbyists of their own :P wyden's plan is the middle ground as i see it -- and i commend him for exploring it -- like i'd rather have that in some form than continue on w/ the status quo...
Also, the number of uninsured has spiked to about 45 million, from 37 million when Mr. Clinton was president. Business leaders increasingly are seeking a government-imposed solution, saying employee health costs put them at a disadvantage with foreign competitors. Those forces, in turn, have combined to embolden politicians in both parties to once again propose universal health care that inevitably would mean a big role for government -- and possibly upend the powerful insurance, medical and pharmaceutical industries...
"About a dozen healthcare lobbyists answered filmmaker Michael Moore’s challenge and turned out for an advanced screening yesterday of his critical take on the American healthcare system.
Moore ran newspaper advertisements this week, including one that appeared in The Hill, listing the names of about 900 lobbyists registered for healthcare clients and invited anyone on the list to a free showing of his film, 'SiCKO.'
...Of the hundreds of invited lobbyists who declined to attend, Moore said, 'They’re probably busy doing what they do, which is make life miserable for the rest of us.'"
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posted by petsounds at 5:59 PM on June 17, 2007