The Senate reform bill passed quickly with the help of late payoffs to several senators in a trade off to get the votes for senate passage of health reform bill. It also provides payoffs for many other beaurocratic groups.
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The Senate reform bill passed quickly with the help of late payoffs to several senators in a trade off to get the votes for senate passage of health reform bill. It also provides payoffs for many other beaurocratic groups.
FIVE SENATORS ARE BIG WINNERS
Ending weeks of uncertainty, Democratic Nebraska Sen. Nelson was able to have scratched out a provision that would repeal the insurance industries antitrust exemption. He said he wasn't negotiating this issue but the Democratic leaders chose not to put it in.
Louisiana Sen. Landrieu, got a provision to give her state a bonus of $250 million in Medicaid funds. Louisiana was the only state given this money. This resulted in her support for the health reform plan. Other senators will twist Obama’s arm for perks to their states, in exchange for their votes.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln. of Arkansas, was assured that her state would get extra government subsidies to help Arkansas's low and middle income families by coverage
Sen. Wyden, of Oregon, finally is supporting the measure because there will be $4 billion amendment designed to give workers greater flexibility to purchase health insurance outside the plan. He said this was his price for supporting the bill.
Sen. Reid, of Nevada, now can improve his precarious chances of being reelected next year.
OTHER WINNERS
LABOR UNIONS had taxes lowered for workers in dangerous fields as firefighters, coal miners, and all union members of the Communication Workers of America Union. Most unions already have generous benefits that will not be relinquished.
A CENTER FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID INNOVATION—a new part of the Health and Human Services Department—will receive $1 billion annually to test payment reforms. The HHS secretary can implement nationwide any reforms that will reduce long-term spending, --all this without congressional action.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS--will continue to go to emergency rooms, cannot be declined, will not have to enroll and pay into any plan, and will continue to get free services. They also have the right to sue in US courts, if their services are skimpy and inappropriate.
PEOPLE LIVING UNHEALTHY LIVES-- We can continue to smoke, over eat, and over drink, and under exercise, --with no need or incentives to encourage healthier lives to curb preventable diseases as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
THE POOR--they will have no incentives to avoid emergency rooms, and will continue to overuse the emergency rooms for their everyday health problems. Despite being enrolled in a public option, they will not have to pay a premium for individual services. You the middle-class taxpayer will subsidize their costs.
MEDICARE ADVISORY BOARD—a new beaurocratic board to offer cost-saving proposals when Medicare spending rises too fast.
MANAGED CARE—new departments will manage patient care by allowing them to share in any savings they produce by reducing medical wasteful costs to seniors.
HOME CARE, a pilot program to coordinate home-based care for chronically ill seniors, rather than have them enters a hospital.
HEALTH ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES--the budget will be increased to hire staff and expand the government bureaucratic empire. They will expand their power, influence, and capabilities to control health-care reform.
NURSE PRACTITIONERS--will replace general practitioners doing many of the routine work of routine examination, and giving advice you’re your doctors does now.
FOREIGN MEDICAL RESIDENTS--foreign graduates will fill the general practitioner residency slots that will be vacant due to lower primary care incomes.
MEDICAID--higher volume of Medicaid services will tax services of states,doctors, and medical care.
A NEW INDEPENDENT MEDICARE COMMISSION--it will continuously develop and implement new efforts to improve quality and contain costs.
DISABILITY BENEFITS-- a long-term care program is added to the bill, which will pay cash to people when they become disabled.
ABORTION ADVOCATES-- Pro-choice people are given the abortion amendment back on the Senate bill. Planned Parenthood would be provided added financial income, since 65% of its clients are women who now do not have health insurance,
PUBLIC OPTION LIBERALS-- got their bill back into the reform package plan. Private insurance will be eliminated.
TRIAL LAWYERS stay protected from tort reform and a continued to present frivolous suits in their malpractice claims
HOSPITALS get 10-year exemption is from cost-cutting measures. They can continue to compete with other hospitals for the same services, get new technologies and expensive equipment even if they don't need them, as fancy birthing suites despite low birth censuses.
AARP gets many more Medicare gap insurance contracts.
DOCTORS blocked a 20% scheduled pay cut from their Medicare payments.
DRUG COMPANIES get patents extended to 12 years on biological drugs and vaccines.
YOUR CONGRESS keeps their federal insurance program and perks along with federal employees and stay exempt from reform programs that all of us must learn to enjoy.
LOSERS
SENIORS will have Medicare services cut by 50%, (called waste cutting measures). Medicare Advantage gap insurance rates will skyrocket.
EMPLOYEES Last-minute additions proposed to raise the Medicare payroll tax resulting and $54 billion being raised.
COSMETIC SURGERY Raise $6 billion over 10 years with a 5% tax on elective cosmetic surgery.
EMPLOYERS must pay for employee insurance programs.
COMMENTARY
Our health care system certainly has problems with cost, access, and quality, and needs major reform. Speeches and news reports lead you to believe that this legislation will tackle these problems. But that's not true.
The overall effort will fail to qualify as reform. The various bills expand Medicaid and mandate subsidized insurance at substantial costs. There are no provisions to control the growth of costs or raise the quality of care.
Whatever the shape of the final legislation, healthcare leaders and economists, unanimously agree, that this bill will accelerate, rather than restrain, national healthcare spending. The quality and dysfunctional delivery of our health care system will become even worse.
Services may be covered, but it will become impossible to find a doctor to provide the medical care. Doctors and other health care providers will be given limited dollars per patient to fight over, for all of their medical care (called bundling).
Doctors will refuse to see the 31 million newly insured, the poor, and the Medicaid recipients. Since doctors will be judged by outcome, they will not treat a patient with a potentially poor result. By providing medical care to the low risk patient, they will be rewarded. By treating a high-risk patient, your doctor’s malpractice risk will rise and his batting average ranking with the government will drop along with his income.
If the current legislation becomes law, our country will face great explosive challenges and you the patient will find it more difficult to receive the quality of medical care you desire and need.
Nothing will change a 2000 page bad bill and make it a good bill. President Obama will sign any health bill, claim victory, and you will get a Christmas present you can’t return.
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