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Stakes of health care debate are sky-high
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.
In determining the future of our health care system, Congress is engaged in one of the most important debates our nation has ever faced. Not only are costs out of control and rising rapidly, but treatment also is being denied at the whim of health insurance companies.
In congressional testimony, former nurse Robin Beaton told of being denied surgery for aggressive breast cancer the day before her scheduled operation because an earlier case of acne was deemed a “preexisting condition.” This isn’t an isolated case.
In 2007, according to the National Coalition of Health Care’s Web site, 62 percent of bankruptcies were linked to medical expenses and nearly 80 percent of those bankrupted had health insurance.
What is our own Sen. John Ensign’s contribution to this debate? As the Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday, Ensign wants to amend the Senate Finance Committee bill so that the word “tax” is substituted for the word “fee.”
When greatness is called for, Ensign offers “search and replace.” You’d think that after disgracing himself by confessing an affair with a friend’s wife and being named by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the most corrupt members of Congress, he would be eager to redeem himself.
Instead, he chooses pettiness. Perhaps Ensign should step aside for someone who takes the job of senator more seriously. Our state and our country deserve better.
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The big mistake in your comments is that there is a debate actually going on. Theres no debate - its the dems voting down every republican proposal whether it has some validity or not - thats not a debate, thats shoving it down the throat of Americans whether you like it or not. Not all of us are represented by a dem in congress and our voices are not being heard due to the ram it through mentality of the dems in control of both houses of congress. How about some heathly debates - like the pre-election debates between the canidates to present to the American people both sides of the issue. Just a thought so we can stop the fighting and maybe get a health proposal that will really work for all.
Ensign is a better and more intelligent senator than Whorehouse Harry Reid. Having an affair with an aide is not proper conduct but it has little to do with his performance as a senator. Harry Reid on the other hand has spent his whole career in politics engaged in corrupt real estate deals for his own personal gain. The last honest job Reid had was pumping gas in a station in Searchlight and now he is a multimillionaire. It would be very interesting to know the details of all the crooked deals Reid has been involved in. If the truth were known, it might put Harry behind bars for the rest of his life.
Bart said: Perhaps Ensign should step aside for someone who takes the job more seriously. Well Bart what other Republican did you have in mind.
The wailer writes: "What is our own Sen. John Ensign's contribution to this debate?"
How about thirty amendments not just one that you cared to mention.
Just another example of a political hatchet job....
"Not only are costs out of control and rising rapidly, but treatment also is being denied at the whim of government health insurance agencies."
Yes, I agree that government Medicare and Medicaid cost are spiraling out of control.
Currently, Medicare has a $70 trillion unfunded liability according to the Medicare Board of Trustees.
Both Medicare and Medicaid deny health coverage at the whim of bureaucrats.
Under the many of the bill(s) proposed, Medicaid cost will go up dramatically which will impact states budgets like Neavada which will require major tax increases.
Obama is hoping to cut-cut-cut Medicare and reduce benefits to the Seniors.
In congressional testimony, former nurse Robin Beaton told of being denied surgery for aggressive breast cancer the day before her scheduled operation because an earlier case of acne was deemed a "preexisting condition."
This is called "postclaims underwriting" and is a tactic that is used by private insurance companies to dump people from their health insurance AFTER the person has been approved for health insurance and has sought medical care/procedures that the insurance company deems too costly. The person not only loses their health insurance but is also held financially responsible for all medical bills that have been paid by their insurance company back to the date the plan was approved. Postclaim underwriting is not only cruel but financially devastating to most people. A few states have outlawed this practice; however, Nevada is NOT one of them.
Regardless of who wins the healthcare debate, this practice should be outlawed. Health insurance companies, minimally, should be required to underwrite PRIOR to granting a person health insurance. They do not do it upfront because it is costly. They just wait until a policy holder is using a lot of medical care and then underwrite (ie, review all previous medical care). Any excuse will be found to rescind the insurance policy at that point. Most people do not have the time, resources or health to defend themselves when this happens. Making insurance companies underwrite prior to insuring a person allows the companies to protect themselves from fraud and protects the consumer from the potentially devastating results of postclaim underwrting.
johnnie boy ensign is a fraud...
a total and complete fraud...
this little maggot was granted every single advantage in life...
rode mommy and daddy's coat tails all the way to the us senate...
but that wasn't enough for this snot nosed punk...
he had to have his best friend's wife too...
and when he got caught he fired both of them...
just ruined their lives...
then...
then this little maggot went running to mommy and daddy to fix his boo boo...
all while a member of "the family" cult...
and a "promise keeper" to boot...
what a sad clown ensign is...
and by the way...
where the hell is the ethics investigation!!!
Does the bird got a thing for clowns, maggots?
Neither party is seriously trying to serve the public good. The healthcare debate has degenerated into a political game where both sides seek primarily to expand their power through bumper sticker sloganeering, cheap poltical theatrics, and increasingly, outright subterfuge. Ensign is but a minor player in a charade being perpetuated by both parties. (The Frankenstien monstrosities of HR3200 & the Baucus bill, as well as proposed amendments, are all a terrible joke being played upon The People.)
Forget health insurance reform -- Medicare for all (includes dental & prescription drugs). With a $3600 individual deductible to encourage responsible use (none for minors), with free annual exams. Raise individual taxes accordingly (to include a national sales tax). Get businesses out of providing ANY medical insurance benefits, which will drastically lower their operating costs -- increasing international competitiveness and encouraging startups.
And lawsuit reform. Basically, if you sign up for Medicare, you agree not to sue for punitive damages in the event of malpractice. Compensatory yes (expenses & lost income), punitive no.
Require "Real ID" to enroll. Illegals will still be able to walk into an emergency room for treatment, but at least it will be much harder for them to enroll in Medicare.
Encourage better healthcare practices & business models, like the Cleveland Clinic, through tax incentives. Ensure Medicare reimbursement is reasonable, as the charges need to be.
Empower State Medical Boards to audit treatment & business practices. Require hospitals/practitioners to post standard costs on the internet so that consumers can comparison shop.
Enroll Congress, Government Civilians, and military dependents/retirees -- no exceptions, no special treatment. (Uniformed military retains separate medical support due to the nature of what it does and the types of injuries that may result. Don't expect Medicare in Kandahar.)
No funding for abortions.
No Government run "death panels". State Medical Boards responsible for publicizing "Suggested Best Practices" based on credible research published in reputable medical journals (as determined by the AMA) -- but care decisions are up to the patient in consultation with their provider.
Either that -- or start listening to Newt!
"Obama is hoping to cut-cut-cut Medicare and reduce benefits to the Seniors."
Fact check:
"The emerging Republican attack on health-care reform is that Democrats are going to cut your Medicare. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Democrats must be feeling pretty flattered right now."
"But is it true? Sort of. At issue are payments to the Medicare Advantage program. Medicare Advantage is a Medicare carve-out that allows private insurers to offer plans for seniors. The original vision for the program was simple enough: Private competition will drive costs down. The private market, as you may have heard, is more efficient and effective and adaptable. No reason seniors shouldn't benefit from that ingenuity. So Medicare would give private insurers the money it would spend on a beneficiary, and the private insurers could try to do a better job with it."
"Medicare Advantage, however, failed in its mission: prices shot up. Private insurers complained that they couldn't compete with Medicare for the same amount of money Medicare spends. So Republicans systematically increased reimbursement rates, and now Medicare has to pay the average private plan 114 percent what it would've spent to cover that beneficiary itself. That's helped the private plans provide better service (as you would expect), and now 23 percent of seniors are in an Advantage plan."
"Democrats don't want to eliminate the Medicare Advantage program. But they want it to live within the same budget that Medicare uses. Republicans argue that pulling back these payments will force some Medicare Advantage plans to trim their benefits. That may well be true. But it is an argument against ever eliminating government overpayments to any program. It is an argument, in other words, for waste and abuse."
"It is also an interesting moment of insight into the conservative philosophy on these matters. The problem with government programs, we're often told, is that they are expensive and wasteful, and the private market could do better. But faced with an instance where the government program proved relatively lean and efficient, and the private market expensive and wasteful, Republicans have mounted a ferocious defense of the market's right to continue burning through taxpayer dollars. "
See Seniors....even ksand99 is admiting that Obama wants to cut your Medicare benefits.
Oh... For the shame of it... Big Brother said he would not cut Medicare benefits. I am so disappointed in the most transparent administration in history...
The smart people in this country know
conservative spin when they see it. That's
why adults now run this country. The right-
wing will have to wait 16 years to try again.
teamster is going to lead us in a few verses...
Uhm, uhm, uhm, Barack Hussein Obama
He said all should lend a hand to make the country strong again
Uhm, uhm, uhm, Barack Hussein Obama
He said we must be fair today, equal work means equal pay
Uhm, uhm, uhm, Barack Hussein Obama
He said take a stand, make sure everyone gets a chance
Uhm, uhm, uhm, Barack Hussein Obama
He said red, yellow, black and white, all are equal in his sight
Uhm, uhm, uhm, Barack Hussein Obama
YEAH. Barack Hussein Obama
16 YEARS.