I’ve seen some Obama health-care plan details, and I’m frightened. You can read some of the full report here, but I hope you have a strong stomach. If you watched Obama’s press conference on Wednesday, you heard him assure us that you’ll be able to keep your same doctor and your existing health-care plan, etc. However, he was either lying or has no idea what is actually in the plan currently pending in front of Congress.
Here are some of the highlights of this disaster in waiting (you can get another wrap-up of the details here if you are interested:
The Bill requires a full government audit of financial books for all employers that self-insure. I’m sure all small employers (or any employer) wants to deal with a yearly audit of their books. They’ll just simply abandon their plans to avoid such headaches, which is really the goal of the legislation any way.
A “public-private” committee shall be formed to determine who can get what kind of coverage. Great, nothing like bureaucrats deciding on who is worthy of what kind of health care.
Health-care will be provided to all non-US citizens, legal or illegal (Page 50). Free social services to illegal aliens is one of the prime factors that is breaking our financial system as it is, how will this help. I’m sure everyone here is anxious to pay for every “undocumented worker” who wants to hop the border to get lasik eye surgery. Also, in the legislation, any non-resident alien is exempt from income tax. Awesome.
The government will have access to your private bank account and will be able to access your needs at any time.
Seniors might want to take a look at page 85 where the defined benefit levels are discussed, sure sounds like rationed care to me.
Anyone who is eligible for Medicaid will automatically be enrolled in it, no choice at all for them (public or private choice). Welcome to substandard, rationed care for the poor. I guess it’s better then no care.
Any employer who has a $400 k payroll and does not provide health insurance will pay an 8% tax. Guess what that’s going to do to employment? Considering most of the employment in this country is provided by small business, this will kill their ability to expand employees. If your payroll is between $250-400 k, then you will pay a 2-6% tax increase. Idiotic.
Possibly my favorite line from the whole bill says on page 203 Line 14-15 HC – “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax”. You can’t make this stuff up.
I could go on and on, check out Family Security Matters for a larger list of the horrors of this bill. Mr. President, before you speak out of your ass again, please read this bill, it is not what you are selling it as.
July 24th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Well, you seem to leave out, not a few, but all of the actual benefits that Obama’s reform will bring. You have only listed the inconveniences of what is yet to be determined. This bill will not be the same in its entirety.
Also, I live in a place where many workers are illegal and have gone around to states observing the same circumstances. You say that “Free social services to illegal aliens is one of the prime factors that is breaking our financial system as it is.” The keyword here is “Free.”
Most of these illegal immigrants use false social security numbers because that’s what they have to do if they want to work. They are taken away anywhere from $50 to $80 because of the federal income tax. And we’re talking about tens of thousands of people who, even they are able to claim it back because of dependents, don’t do so. They ultimately pay for of these “free” social services that you are talking about.
Besides, all of the immigrants that come to this wonderful country are willing to take jobs that would otherwise not be occupied by anyone born here, such as cleaning services, building industry, farming, etc.
As always, there will be very few slackers that came here to work but opted for the easy way. However, the vast majority of the immigrants won’t risk their lives to come across the border and live as parasites. The point of my message is to implore you to have a little more respect to these helpless people who contribute so much to our economy.
July 24th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I forgot to mentioned that the $50 are taken away WEEKLY.
July 24th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
This man is going to single-handedly destroy our country beyond what anyone can imagine. While campaigning he blamed former President Bush’s administration for every problem the country had, and claimed to have the solution for those problems. He claimed his plan had everything covered and when he becomes president there would be a “new era” to restore all the damage. Well here we are six months later (only 6 months later), unemployment has continued to rise steadily with no end in sight, Americans are losing their jobs but taxes continue to rise, the death-toll in Afghanistan is at an alarmingly high rate, the stimulus plan didn’t work, 1 TRILLION DOLLARS was printed a few months ago deflating the value of the dollar and holding the potential to cause massive inflation, terrorists are being released from Guantanamo, North Korea laughs us off, Iran told obama to shut up and mind his own business (so much for talks with rogue regimes), his vice president joe biden wants to spend us out of bankruptcy(is that an oxymoron or just a moron?), he advocates cutting defense spending while our enemies are building up theirs, lets leaders from third world countries walk all over him(Chavez with the lame gift/book), and now he wants to give us a socialized system of medicine that will not work and end up killing the elderly, stunting job growth because employers will not hire new people due to the extra costs or they wil pay low wages to afford the additional costs which is disenchanting. I bet employers will tell employees, “You have a choice, get laid-off or take a pay cut to pay for the new health care law democrats passed”. After this he wants to ram through cap & con, whereby the companies in our country will be given limited pollution emissions restricting their ability to continually operate without a penalty in order to keep the environment clean, while China and India are at full throttle polluting like no tomorrow, so the environment will not be made any cleaner with this double standard. This will stunt our job growth, GDP, and the overall economy even more. By the way, obama has executives from Lehman Brothers working within his administration, who are also buying up carbon footprint credits in order to make a profit. Also note that Lehman Brothers made a record profit this year of something like 2.6 billion dollars and obama made sure they didn’t pay any tax on it. Where are all the Halliburton whistle-blowers that went on a witch hunt against former Vice President Dick Cheney, and come to think of it, what happened with Nancy Pelosi accusing the CIA of lying to her? None of this matters to obama, with the New York City flyover of Airforce One that cost us, the taxpayers, hundreds of thousands, the dinner and Broadway play that cost us, the taxpayer, over $300,000., overturning by executive order $400,000,000.00 of funding for abortion his first week in office(instead of using that money for our country), the $6,000 handbag his wife carries, the firing of GM’s CEO which he has no Constitutional power to do, or the $10,000. swing set he put outside the Oval Office for his children to play on. Recently there was a person who asked him a question about a 100 year old lady getting medical attention and his response was, “Maybe she should consider taking a pill”, well I would like to then ask, would he say the same should be done of Senator Ted Kennedy? Should he just be given some pills instead of top quality surgery and medicine to save his life? Would obama and all the members of Congress take the same healthcare plan they want the American people to be stuck with? I bet the answer would be some type of “round-about” loopy response that leaves you still waiting for a real answer to the question. All this while obama made $4 million dollars last year, I guess the quote by George Orwell is true, “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS”…
July 24th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I don’t care about the supposed benefits, these are non-starters. The ability to reach into my bank account at will, rationed health-care, mandated public options are non-starters.
Not to mention, how much do you think its going to cost to hire an army of auditors to monitor all this? The IRS audits a fraction of the businesses in this country, are we going to double or triple the size of the IRS in order to ensure compliance? How much do you think that’s going to cost?
This bill is dead, thanks for playing, but if people start to realize what is actually in here, there is no chance it passes.
July 24th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
In regards to illegal immigrants, first and foremost, THEY DO NOT BELONG HERE!!!!! HELLO!!!! This misconception that they are performing jobs that Americans refuse to take is bull. If they were not here to take those jobs then companies would be forced to pay an American what we would consider a fair wage to peform that job, but the American with a home, college, car payment etc. cannot compete with the illegal immigrant who is willing to work for half the pay, while living with 10 other illegals and his/her cost of living is $50 per week. They are creating more problems than good within the social services, criminal justice, education sytem, etc. Every aspect of our infrastructure is strained due to the additional negligence they bring. Keep in mind that they can come here illegally, get an operation, then leave and never pay for it. Who pays that cost? Let’s do the math, giving the benefit of the doubt, I will use your $80. a week x 52 weeks = $4,160. a year. Do you think a visit to the emergency room for a stab wound, gunshot wound, auto accident can cost more than their contribution of $4,160 per year? I certainly do! And secondly, while in a severe recession like this, with jobs becoming scarcer by the day, Americans shouldn’t have to compete with illegal aliens for a job in their own country! Don’t misunderstand me, I am a God fearing man and sympathize with the situation illegals are in, but this is a problem their countries of origin have to help with, it cannot and should not fall on the backs of the American people.
July 24th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Have you read this plan?? Let’s talk about numbers because they don’t lie. Over 47 million Americans lack Health Insurance and for those who have them are drowning heavily in Insurance Bills there “Private” Insurance Companies fail to pay. We are one of the wealthiest developed nations in the world and we rank “37″ in health.(Center for Disease & Control) Doesn’t see what’s wrong with that picture? Canadians lifespans ten years longer than our because they’re system isn’t monopolized.
These private insurance companies have long monopolized our health care systems and it is definitely time to enforce regulation on their profiteering. Private Insurance companies pay doctors on their medical board to “DENY” care for their patients. Just look up Linda Pino’s confession in Congress on youtube.((The proof is in the pudding and on camera))She even says it herself, “For denying a man a procedure that could’ve saved his life I was never penalized because what I did was save the company money” Let’s not forget how they cherry pick on who they want to ensure with all their so called “Pre Existing” Conditions which run about a mile long. Regardless, of whether your employment covers it health insurance companies still have the power to deny coverage, raise premiums, and still kick you in the grave.
Before you start pointing fingers exert some due diligence on where America is at in regards to Health Care and then read the bill.Why does everyone need good coverage?? If we can find money to kill people then we ought to find some money to save them…especially our own.
July 24th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Yes, I’ve read it (well, not all of it, but a lot of it) have you?
Let’s talk about your 47 million number, that is just a number that Democrats throw out there, it’s completely arbitrary and goes up every 3 months. About 10 million of that number are in the country illegally, about 15 million are what folks call “chronically uninsured” because of pre-existing conditions or other factors. Then you have another 10 million or so who have simply chosen, because they are young and healthy, not to have insurance. Then you have a bunch of people, probably a million at least, who are eligible for medicaid or medicare but just never sign up.
So, take those numbers and what do you have left? Maybe 15 million people. So, you want to take a system that works for 97% of the population, completely up-end it for the sake of 3% of the population? Sounds like a great idea.
I don’t claim that our system is perfect and that it can’t use some fixes, but this bill isn’t even close.
July 24th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Well written Bryan McAffee, and that is the truth, not hear-say!
July 24th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Why are we insuring illegal aliens? I don’t feel the least bit sorry for them when they come to the country, and get the $50 or so less in their weekly paychecks. The rest of us give up more than that. But why give them priority over legal American citizens? They already get Medicaid coverage which pays for all their and their children’s medical expenses. They have better health coverage than I do! I tell you what, it’s not the health care system that needs reform. It’s the Medicaid system.
July 24th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Now that our legislators are supposedly on the same track with E-Verify, it needs to be rigorously enforced? California–a Sanctuary State–will need exclusive attention along with other border states, because they have been occupied by millions of illegal immigrants, causing major damage to their economies. Once E-Verify is fully implemented on a permanent basis for all the working population, including all persons on a payroll? My suggestion is an army of federal inspectors of perhaps retired civil servants, senior citizens in their resident community, to make unexpected inspections on large and small businesses.
The inspectors will probably have to be armed with a general search warrant, but honorable business will hardly impose this restriction if they have nothing to hide? This will be a strict deterrent to parasite businesses, who will never be aware–WHEN THAT FEDERAL OFFICER–is going to turn up, to observe their workers? They will audit their books and check for irregularities in the workplace. This is happening in Italy and other countries, because of the importation of illegal foreign labor, has caused major concerns amongst the countries bona-fide workers. If Washington is really sincere about the10.5 jobless Americans, then we need to impose heavy penalties on those business that scorn the law. Another possibility is a reward system for informants, who have positive knowledge of companies that are scoffing at E-Verify, and committing the offense of hiring illegal aliens. Business are living off taxpayers taxes, because they don’t convey health care to their illegal hires.
Get on the phone and tell your Representative, you support–THE SAVE ACT– 202-224-3121 Believe it! Your voices are having the right effect.?Support for the bi-partisan SAVE Act, which will expand E-Verify and protect American jobs! We must focus on the key to this major problem-the jobs that attract illegal aliens. It would phase in a requirement for every employer to use the electronic verification system. We must also be aware that the Democrats are ready to open the gates to our nation, once a path to citizenship is announced. Search out the facts at NUMBERSUSA, AMERICANPATROL
Copy, paste and distribute freely.
July 25th, 2009 at 7:00 am
Brian,
How are you bud? Obviously, I agree with everything you posted. I really just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your writing and, although you were good to begin with, how much you have improved.
(tears in eyes) You are doing a great job here at RP. I know it is McCain’s legacy but I like to think (in my own warped mind) that I had something to do with this. What a long way this site has come.
July 25th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Mdelf, buddy, I appreciate the kind words. It’s funny, the other day I was going over some old documents and saw your name and I thought to myself “I wonder what happened to Mdelf”? You still hanging out at HHR? I heard there was some kuufuffle over there.
July 25th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I think you’r right about the lack of public discussion of the details, and the reduction to the kind of pro and con arguments circulating publically now are a disservice to the American People. In some ways if we just madated pre-existing coverage for everyone with any kind of policy, and portability if you change jobs or are fired, the ultimate cobraization, some tax treatment to make it possible, a filling in of the medicare prescription donut hole which they seem to be getting anyway, and a redue of medicaid you’d have 3/4’s of what people with insurance want. Covering the uninsured and how to deal with uncompensated care is for another blog but medical and nursing schools, university hospitals and clinics could actually deal with a good part of that by letting them run and staff both inncer city and rural clinics, get more work out of the students and cut their tuition debt. And sweeping malpractice reform capping punative damages(that alone would cut down a lot of unnecessary testing and procedures) and honest accounting. The truth is many lab tests only cost a fraction of what they are billed at, perhaps a tenth for blood work. Its true. And the co-opt insurance exhchange is an interesting idea for those who want an alternative source for insurance. A lot of medical care is just so inflated and overbilled a careful righting of prices is in order. Its not really a problem of physician reimbursement as long as they are doing the actual work they claim, but a problem of testing, and procedure overbill and overcharge and overdo. There is a ton of money lost in that black hole. So this is more a specific set of reforms I am suggesting, than a one plan fits all run by the big government. Also Ifromational technology is really not the solution. Its a tool to help, but the above items are much more important. I would create a portable medical record for patients in the form of a credit card, or on a server, that any doctor could access with the patients security codes to check on tests and medical history. Yes one claim form for all too. Its really easier to do than you think, without creating another nightmare level of government beaurcarcy.
July 25th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Wow! Nancy is full of crap! Canadians do not have life expectancies that are 10 years longer than Americans. They are actually comparable. Actually, it would be lower. The CAD gov does not count the 3 northern territories; Northwest, Yukon or Nunavut, in it’s stats. These territories have almost zero healthcare and the highest suicide rates in the world. Also, alcoholism runs wild in the territories.
No Docters want to work there – ever! They are not compensated for the dreadful conditons.
Nancy, why not be honest the next time you post? You came off as a silly, mindless, vapid, dolt. Please provide a link to the information that shows Canadians with a life expectancy that is 10 years greater than Americans.
July 25th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED
ALIENS.
Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.
I want a section that deports the bastards back to meh-heh-ko
July 26th, 2009 at 10:21 am
My comment is in response to illegal immigrants only way of being able to work in this country-James Scott’s post- is through use of false social security numbers. I just can not get over this misconception. While I very much feel empathy for those wishing to make a better life for themselves and their familes, since I too would like that same oportunity and even as a citizen it is a struggle. But guess what to make your life better you will have to struggle at times and make sacrficies if you are going to do things the right and legal way. Sorry got off subject. As I meant to discuss using a false social security number is not the only way of working in the US. While it may be time consuming and require effort on the part of the person wishing to enter the US they can become a citizen legally and as such adhere to all laws and responsibilities of a US citizen. I am assisting a child right now to become a Legal US citizen. Yes it has required work and effort on her part and the parts of everyone involved in her life by when all is said and done she will be a US citizen. This child was brought to the US illegally and was for all intents and purposes abandoned when both of her parents aside from the crime(and it is a crime) of entering the US illigally where both deported for felony convictions, one of the crimes being sexual abuse of a child.
As far as illgal immigrants helping our ecomony and taking jobs that no one else is willing to do is another misconsption. I know this first hand as many families that i work with will send the money that they make in the US back to their families in their country of origin, thus not helping the ecomony by spending the money in the community that they earned it in. My fiance has applied for cleaning jobs, meat packing plants, etc and because he asks for minimum wage is unable to get a job as they can hire “cheaper labor”.
Again I empathize with the stuggles of any person trying to better their lives but if all of us where to respond by taking the easy way then where would this country be and what would we have to offer.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:17 am
I found this article while searching for the actual details of Obama’s health care plan. I want to read the actual language of it. Bryan sounds like a whiner, not making any salient points. He actually makes the plan look good considering the weakness of his complaints.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Sam,
I do like to whine, I won’t deny it. However, what does that have to do with any of the points I make? Do you have an actual point, or did you want to just whine about me whining? Do you have a substantive argument about the points I make, or are you just an Axel Astro turfer coming to make ad hominem attacks. I assume you’ve read through the bill and think we these provisions are all good?
August 26th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Irrespective of other details, I find it really odd that so many people criticize this plan for “rationed care”. Private insurers ration care daily, have been doing it since their inception, and have zero accountability over it. Denying coverage to all but the healthiest among us is the first level of rationing in the current system. IF you can get and/or afford health coverage, do you not need to get permission from the insurer (not a doctor) to have a procedure done? Aren’t we living in a fantasyland to believe that insurers do not currently deny coverage to those who need it (based on doctor’s recommendation)? Rationing of health care occurs everyday in this country, but people don’t seem to care unless the word ‘government’ is attached to it!
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Can you put more specific line numbers with your page references?
Specifically page 50 and the plan being available to illegal aliens. I can’t really find that reference. Also where does it say about them having full access to my bank account?
You did provide line numbers when you wrote “203 Line 14-15 HC”, but it seems you cut the quote in the middle. When you read the whole thing it’s far less amusing.
The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax (you stop here)
imposed by this chapter for purposes of determining the amount of any credit under this chapter or for purposes of section 55.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:46 am
crying about helping ppl republicans need 2 help support just as much as democrates ppl die every day but with the plan less will
October 8th, 2009 at 12:11 am
You are very wrong. You have managed to single out all the things you view as “bad” and left out things that could potentially be great to our ailing health care system. Please go back and research Obama’s health care plan. You will see that many of your above points are wrong. Please try unbiased reporting. If you dont like the President, that’s one thing, but please offer a full, complete report so people can be well informed, and not a report that’ll shift people’s support to your side. Thank You.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:12 am
In the early 60’s Nikita Krushev said America would be brought down from within,without s shot being fired!! We voted those clowns on Capital Hill in,now its time to vote the self serving S.O.B.’s out of office before they destroy this great nation.GOD HELP US,we really screwed up this time.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:18 am
your saying things completelly opposite to what obama or axelrod have said, and promised. why should these men be liars cooking up a takeover of your country? they know history is carefully watching them. it is a good point that employers won’t want yearly audits, but then its not much different than filing an osha injury report, so is it really a big deal? add a column to the social security payment page.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:58 am
your arguments suck. i hate you. Manual Madril for Homosexuals!!!