Healthy Americans Act
May 2, 2008 by Tracee Sioux
Filed under Parenting
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, isn’t waiting for Election ‘08 to get the Healthy Americans Act passed.
* Every American will have it
* Comprehensive – comparable to Congress.
* Portable – take it when you leave your job.
* Non-discriminatory – ban on “pre-existing conditions” and everyone gets a fair price.
* Affordable – under $40,000 income? Pay less than now. Under $150,000 pay $1 a day more for guaranteed coverage.
The act, his site says also saves $1.48 trillion through wellness and prevention.
And he says he can make it reality in only one year.
Here’s the real cost:
Families between $40,000 and $50,000 would pay about $81/year more – about $7 a month. Families between $50,000 and $150,000 would average between $327 and $341 per year more – about $28 a month.
In return for this modest increase these families would have guaranteed coverage that they could never lose, not if they get sick, not if they lose their jobs, not for any reason.
We’d be crazy not to take that deal. Why wait for elections? I want to see Senator Wyden deliver on this right now. Read the details by clicking this link.
Universal healthcare is a key component of gender equity.
Email your own representatives by visiting Congress.org and entering your zip code.
Every time I’m stuck in moderation I feel like I’m in the corner..lol
I think that’s what this is Tarah. An Act that would allow you to take your money from your job and buy insurance from whoever you want.
Ashley you’re not in the corner. I’ve emailed support about turning off the moderation of comments. I’m sorry. I’m just waiting for them to contact me or fix it.
People can do that now. I mean take their money from the job and buy wherever they want..I guess one thing is the MANDATE word i dont like.
If they go mandating it and someone dosent have a good job, they will have insurance and no food. Insurance and no car.
Im sorry about the awaiting moderation thigng too. I know it can’t be fun for you either Tracee.
Seriously Tarah. Go try that.
Come back and tell us how it went for you.
I see what you’re saying Tracee – but who’s to say it will be any different? Yes, maybe they can’t refuse you – but I bet you they’ll still be able to jack up the price on you.
I’m not suggesting or pushing socialized medicine -I’m saying – bad change is not neccessarily better than no change at all..
Also, why couldn’t we simply have some fair business legislation passed that would pull in the reins on some of these unethical practices? Maybe I’m missing the point of the whole thing – but I expected to see at least some plans for reform w/in the insurance companies – not a forfeital of profit – but just some inforced rules for them at the very least..
I expect our government – our democratic candidates for goodness sakes, to say “Wait, hold on there Haus!” “You CAN’T take someone’s money every month for 20 years and then not pay for their first and only freaking life-saving surgery!” “Not in this country dude!” Is that too much to ask? Is that out of line?..Really?
Dang-it!!!!!!!!! Tracee – do you see what just happened!? Okay – I”m going to try out this patience thing..
You realize comments are flowing from the bottom up now right?
I still think it’s in order. Are your comments in order if you look at them from the bottom up?
I’m good..I’m good.
Ashley it’s a completely different law.
I can see why you’re hesitant.
But, I think a completely new law and new structure for how Insurance companies get paid and what they are required to pay for is a huge POSITIVE change not a just change for change’s sake.
I guess I’m unclear about where you think this bill gives insurance more power.
Yes, they have more customers numerically, but there’s a government enforced cap on what they can charge them and it has to be “affordable” – under the this Act. They won’t be allowed to pick and choose only the healthy customers. That’s a huge part of the Insurance fraud right now – of course you can be a bajillionare if you only insure healthy people. But, if you are required to insure the sick too – well, that’s a whole new ball game.
I think we will have a very different kind of power with insurance companies if we are all operating under the same umbrella. And that umbrella is being governed by the government then I think that does supply protection.
If what you’re asking for is punitive damages for what happened to your parents, well this bill won’t address that. But, I’m not sure any healthcare reform bill would. I guess they would have to sue.
This bill would only prevent future wrongs – not correct past ones. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.
“It seems SHADY to me and i do not trust them.
Right now with my insurance i can go to ANY hospital I want..ANY doctor..If I want an HMO plan I can pick that..(no way in HE^% though would I ever do that.)
They do not dictate to me who I go to. I go where I want.”
Tarah it sounds like you have a very good plan and also a rare one.
Can you understand how I would prefer to buy YOUR plan than the one I have where they pick my hospital for me?
Also, I assume this plan is tied to your job or your husband’s?
Surely you can see how you might change jobs one day and no be so lucky with your plan. We recently changed jobs and my dental plan went to hell, my copays doubled and my benefits reduced. I had my daughter for $10 on that great plan and it cost me about $2,000 for my son – different job = different plan.
This Act would let you take your fantastic plan that you currently have WITH you if you changed jobs, lost your job or started your own business. You won’t have to keep the job – you just keep that great insurance. As it stands you don’t get to do that.
Of course I don’t want damages paid for my parents – what I want is insurance companies to have to PAY FOR what they should be paying for.. and I believe our government CAN make them do that without having to offer them a plethora of new victims and more financial incentives from our tax money. And, do you really think any high level government official has a clue what is affordable for you? or me?
And by the way, blow off my parents’ situation if you want to – but they’re not some sad little isolated story..there are millions of Americans in the same boat out there who are “covered” but it doesn’t mean crap when they get sick. To the average person, there’s no difference in a $100,000 dollar hospital bill and a million dollar hospital bill.
I’m just saying that passing a law requiring us to have insurance ought to be #2 on the list right after
#1 Make Insurance Companies be Ethical
If this plan will have a “cap” and can’t over charge or be affordable or whatever, why cant they jus pass a law saying THAT now..you know..dr’s can only charge this or that or pass a law about the cap without the mandates and all that. Plus what a politician thinks is affordable and what the regular ol’ folks like myself thinks are affordable, I’d guess would be two completely different amounts.
Exactly Tarah.
I have another comment tied up. I guess the computer thinks I’m a potty-mouthed, scam-selling terrorist!
I know your parents are not an isolated incident. Nor am I blowing them off.
People who can’t get insurance are equally victims of the healthcare industry Ashley.
Are you actually saying there is benefit to NOT being insured? That makes no sense because you just said $100,000 is the same as a million.
The bill is “comprehensive.” I’m taking that to mean that medical care, like your parents needed, will be covered. And since we’ll be all in the same boat and the premiums will be going through the US Government, I consider that to be a measure of protection against what your parents went through.
Absolutely people who can’t get insured are just as much victims of their greed as those who can. The only way they’re better off is that they get to keep their $300+ premium every month..
But the simple fact that they can turn down a person for reasons beyond the person’s control is ridiculously easy to fix! PASS A LAW! Why is noone trying to pass a law!?
Anyway – I think you really know what I’m saying here Tracee. I’m saying I’m beyond skeptical that this Senator wants to start by making health ins. mandatory – giving the companies more money..THEN hoping that the insurance industry will play fair..hoping that they’ll decide the profit margin is just right and be honest suddenly.. I doubt it.
This IS the law, Ashley.
This is how the system works. This Senator has a law he thinks will work to solve the healthcare problems. He tries to get support from the people and both parties. He puts the law up before Congress. If it passes it passes. If it doesn’t it’s back to the drawing board and we go through this process again.
Mandatory solves a lot of problems. Maybe not ones you’re concerned about, but definitely ones Republicans are concerned about. He has to give them something to get their votes. Most of them would keep the system as is and say your parents are a rare exception and don’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things.
Hillary Clinton’s plan is also mandatory. It’s the only way you stop people from choosing not to buy insurance and letting the taxpayers carry their healthcare burden. Mitt Romney has everyone in his state insured for a reasonable cost.
Until this law, or another one passes, things stay exactly the same as they are right this very second.
Either way, the more support this plan gets – the better it is strategically for a healthcare reform plan. If this bill gets a ton of support – but doesn’t pass it still sends a solid message that The People are unwilling to live with the current situation.
So, yeah you can be a cynical as you like about this Senator and his bill, and with good reason.
But I have yet to see cynical foster change.
Tracee mentioned something about mandates solving problems, “definately the ones republicans are worried about.”
Well, I try to vote by issues ( and I do not know who I am voting for yet this election) but risking getting beat up here, (lol) I usually vote republican and I am against MANDATES!!
Try not to take labels like Republican and Democrat so personally Tarah. No one is defining what YOU believe.
Only that there ARE those who believe health insurance mandates are a reasonable solution to a real problem.
I’m a Democrat who believes mandates are a good idea, do I don’t fit the generalization either.
tracee..sorry..I came off wrong. I was hoping you could tell I d not take those labels personally beings I vote (or try to ) the issues..sorry!
no problem tarah.