Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill

[BlueCrab]

So, the House of Representatives voted 219-212 to pass the Senate's version of Health Care Reform, and then 220-211 to pass the Reconciliation bill to amend the Senate bill.

Just wondering what other people's take on the whole thing is. I personally am for Health Care Reform at its root, but do not necessarily think that the bill as passed solves all of the problems the US faces in regard to the issue... Still I think passage of what has passed is an important first step, and applaud Congress for standing up for what is right.

[pavelbure]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

[BlueCrab]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

So college students who are working toward a degree to get a good job when they are done are bums now?

Well, I'm proud to be a bum then. I'm proud to be a bum going to a university to pursue a Master's Degree in Computer Science -- a degree to enable me to find a job and to actually make something of my life.

[pavelbure]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

So college students who are working toward a degree to get a good job when they are done are bums now?

Well, I'm proud to be a bum then. I'm proud to be a bum going to a university to pursue a Master's Degree in Computer Science -- a degree to enable me to find a job and to actually make something of my life.

i knew you would agree for someone else to foot the bill for you. congratulations bum.

[pixel]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

I can't agree with an alarmist, overly simplified judgement, I don't think anyone wants non-US citizens to receive care without paying. And college bums? Obviously, people that want to improve themselves shouldn't get healthcare.

The biggest things are removing justified pre-existing conditions out of decision making. And providing healthcare to those who lose their jobs. I don't want people to stay unemployed and receive benefits, but we should have to pay out of pocket because we are looking for a job.

[pixel]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

So college students who are working toward a degree to get a good job when they are done are bums now?

Well, I'm proud to be a bum then. I'm proud to be a bum going to a university to pursue a Master's Degree in Computer Science -- a degree to enable me to find a job and to actually make something of my life.

i knew you would agree for someone else to foot the bill for you. congratulations bum.

College students feed the loan industry and academia with their money. At least we're inputing into the system.

[Specially Cork]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

Yes they do. You shouldn't have to earn healthcare.

Well done America.

[BlueCrab]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

So college students who are working toward a degree to get a good job when they are done are bums now?

Well, I'm proud to be a bum then. I'm proud to be a bum going to a university to pursue a Master's Degree in Computer Science -- a degree to enable me to find a job and to actually make something of my life.

i knew you would agree for someone else to foot the bill for you. congratulations bum.

Actually, my health insurance was already provided to me by the government. I am currently an employee of the State of Maryland working as a research assistant. I earn my health care through my work. I guess you think that every employee of the government that receives health care as part of their work is also a bum. I guess you and your fellow "conservatives" think that your representatives in Congress shouldn't get health insurance through their work -- God forbid that the government pay for it!

Heck, why don't we just stop providing health care to veterans who don't have a way to pay for it. Who cares if they were injured in the line of duty for the country -- if they can't work for their health care now, they MUST be bums. While we're at it, why don't we deny health coverage for children who's parents have lost their jobs and can't afford to pay for coverage for their families. Obviously the parents and their children are bums, they don't have a job to pay for their own coverage!

I'm glad you think I'm a bum because the State of Maryland pays for my insurance. At least I'm doing something with my life. At least I'm trying to make my life better -- and attempting to make the world a better place too.

[Ex-Cyber]

The Senate still has to pass the reconciliation before this is really passed, right?

Anyway, I'm not thrilled with the mandate, but some of the regulations are long overdue. The requirement to accept pre-existing conditions is a huge one. Without a public option, though, I don't see what stops insurers from just hiking rates, cutting coverage, and/or engaging in other abusive practices for everyone. I haven't seen any indication that the bill does anything to ban cost-driven rescission (get cancer => suddenly get your contract canceled because you didn't tell them about your fallen arches), for example.

edit: I'm seeing some sources that say there's a rescission ban, but I can't find any details so far.

A random idea that I would have liked to see in the bill, but could be added later: require insurers to plainly reveal their "medical loss ratio" (percentage of money that actually pays claims) to their customers. AFAIK, this is not actually a trade secret, but is buried in shareholder reports and the like. I would love to see the insurance industry come up with an argument against that one (and I have no doubt that they would try).

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

You appear to be arguing against a bill that is not actually being considered by Congress (assuming it exists at all).

[pavelbure]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

Yes they do. You shouldn't have to earn healthcare.

Well done America.

what should you have to earn ? why not give out free homes and cars ? don't stop there, these homes will need to be furnished and only the finest will do. then when it's all said and done these people can go to your local grocery story and fill up their cart with better food than you can afford then pull out the access card or food stamps or whatever your state calls it.

and to bluecrab, i'm sorry i called you a bum. i just get so frustrated with these so called college students that expect the government to foot the bill for their healthcare. here's a newsflash, a lot of people out there are trying to better themselves, and dragging down the people who are getting ahead is not benefiting anyone.

you ramble on about veterans and people who have lost their jobs, their benefits have been getting extended a very long time now. when they are about to expire they get extended, as such there is no incentive to get a job. many people are waiting for it to run out before they look, which at this pace it never will.

[Specially Cork]

what should you have to earn ? why not give out free homes and cars ? don't stop there, these homes will need to be furnished and only the finest will do. then when it's all said and done these people can go to your local grocery story and fill up their cart with better food than you can afford then pull out the access card or food stamps or whatever your state calls it.

Getting treatable illnesses and injuries cured in a developed country is not a luxury item.

[Roofus]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

Don't worry. Once Sarah Palin is elected in 2012, she'll repeal it.

[Ex-Cyber]

I don't see the economic rationale for making people pay specifically for their own medical care, especially in the case of chronic illness. Medical care is primarily "consumed" on the basis of need, and the need mostly arises from luck. Lifestyle affects the risks for some illnesses, but it's rarely to the extent of a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Lifestyle is also key in managing many illnesses/conditions, but that's something that can only be intelligently managed after diagnosis. The lifestyle adjustments needed to manage one condition can exacerbate another; there's no such thing as an ideal "healthy lifestyle".

[not just souLLy now]

Using pavelbure's logic of holding back healthcare reform, America would have no literacy, roads, sanitation or street-lights. Congratulations America, a step towards being a civilised country

[BlueCrab]

The Senate still has to pass the reconciliation before this is really passed, right?

No. The bills were passed as two separate votes in the House of Representatives, and the Senate bill becomes law the minute the President signs it. Even if the reconciliation bill never passes, the Senate bill still becomes law.

At this point, any diversionary/stalling tactics by those opposed to the bill will simply mean that the reconciliation bill will take longer to take effect -- it does not change the outcome of the Senate bill at large.

you ramble on about veterans and people who have lost their jobs, their benefits have been getting extended a very long time now. when they are about to expire they get extended, as such there is no incentive to get a job. many people are waiting for it to run out before they look, which at this pace it never will.

So, a disabled veteran should have to get a job, no matter what their injury; is that what you're saying? What about the veterans who have lost their legs or arms? What about the veterans who have such injuries that they will never be able to work again? Should we deny them healthcare? By your logic, it seems like they're bums.

On the subject of unemployment benefits: companies simply are not hiring enough people to get everyone a job. It is not (in most cases -- I will not say all, because I know that many people have no intention of finding a job as long as they can leech off of the state) a case of people being bums and just not looking. Good people get laid off -- people that have every intention of being productive in their lives. Is it right to let these people die of easily treatable diseases because they are down on their luck? I don't believe it is. That doesn't seem like the American way.

[DaMadFiddler]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

1. This bill has nothing to do with illegal immigrants. In fact, despite the bullshit you've been fed by Fox News, it specifically does not apply to them.

2. We are already paying for individuals who do not have insurance, through our emergency rooms etc. The problem is that by the time they receive help, it has gotten to the point where it is a medical emergency and thus more costly to cover.

3. Also, there are many individuals already with jobs and insurance, but who cannot afford to pay the deductible on medication and services. And, in our current situation, there are countless people who have either lost their jobs, or have been forced to take a lower-paying job which does not provide benefits (and does not pay enough to afford benefits), simply because there *aren't* enough good jobs available.

4. Furthermore--until this bill, insurance companies had the right to deny service to anyone they wanted, by being able to draft their own list of "pre-existing conditions" and using it as a litmus test for obtaining service. Have a family history of a particular disease or disorder? Then you probably NEED health care, and you probably won't be able to find a single company willing to sell it to you. Just found out you have a rare genetic disorder? The company can strip you of your insurance, by claiming you should have already known, even if you had no way of knowing it before. Been raped? There are even providers who will deny you for that.

This is not an issue of bums vs. the strong and hardworking. Those black and white terms do nothing for progress and only obscure the true issues. Besides, are you against firefighters, police, public education, public defense (i.e. military), etc? We assume social responsibilities to help society as a whole; health care is should be one of these responsibilities. After all, this is the primary purpose of a society, and of a government.

To use a metaphor, you wouldn't tell a firefighter to stop putting out you neighbors house fire, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because fire spreads. This can be applied to our current health insurance system: the fire has already spread, and everyone is affected. It is time to put out the fire before it gets any worse, for everyone's sake, and start rebuilding.

[Roofus]

To use a metaphor, you wouldn't tell a firefighter to stop putting out you neighbors house fire, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because fire spreads. This can be applied to our current health insurance system: the fire has already spread, and everyone is affected. It is time to put out the fire before it gets any worse, for everyone's sake, and start rebuilding.

The free market will decide whose house is worth saving. If you can afford to hire a private fire fighter then your house gets saved.

[Ex-Cyber]

The free market will decide whose house is worth saving. If you can afford to hire a private fire fighter then your house gets saved.

That's actually how it used to work in some places. "Fire insurance" companies operated their own fire brigades that would only put out fires for their customers.

[Lartrak]

i'm glad, because i think bums, illegal aliens soon to be legal, and college bums who are just too damn lazy to get a job deserve the same level of care as everyone else.

You've just made it incredibly obvious you haven't even read a summary of the bill and what it does.

I might add there are certainly criticisms to make of this bill, particularly from a traditional conservative POV (being forced to buy into a FOR PROFIT enterprise is a bitter pill, as one example). Just not ones based entirely on an ignorance of what the bill actually does.

[Quzar]

you ramble on about veterans and people who have lost their jobs, their benefits have been getting extended a very long time now. when they are about to expire they get extended, as such there is no incentive to get a job. many people are waiting for it to run out before they look, which at this pace it never will.

Who was rambling on about that?

Also, GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY! HAHHAHA you capitolyst pigdogs ave finally fell into our trap! The USSA will rise now!