Kennedy Plan Guarantees Health Insurance for All

[kpete]

Kennedy Bill Would Make Employers Provide Care

Friday 05 June 2009

Washington - Employers would be required to offer health care to employees or pay a penalty - and all Americans would be guaranteed health insurance - under a draft bill circulated Friday by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's health committee.

The bill would provide subsidies to help poor people pay for care, guarantee patients the right to select any doctor they want and require everyone to purchase insurance, with exceptions for those who can't afford to.

Insurers would be required to provide a basic level of care and cover all comers, without turning people away because of pre-existing conditions or other reasons. Insurance companies' profits would be limited, and private companies would have to compete with a new public "affordable access" plan that would for the first time offer government-sponsored health care to Americans not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or other programs.

It all adds up to sweeping changes in how America's health care system operates and aims to achieve President Barack Obama's goal of holding down costs and extending health coverage to 50 million uninsured Americans.

more:
http://www.truthout.org/060609Z

[jody]

1. Employers would pay but try to pass on most of the cost to customers however customers

could buy cheaper foreign manufactured products.

That would force some/many U.S. manufacturers into bankruptcy but their former employees could find other jobs, perhaps as greeters at Wal-Mart boxes that sell mostly foreign products.

[JDPriestly]

2. Better to just go to single-payer right away. Forget the intermediary

step of involving employers. I used to handle the health insurance contracts for a very small non-profit. It took more time and trouble than it was worth, and, because of the small size of our staff, we had no leverage in the market. No companies were really excited about covering us, and we, a non-profit serving homeless people, paid top dollar. Employers should not be responsible for providing the insurance. In addition to everything else, it makes it harder for employees to change jobs. Most employers don't insure their employees until the employees have been on the job a while. This is not a good solution. Leave employers out. When employers pay for insurance, their products and services are less competitive in the world. No to this plan. Yes to single payer.

[jody]

4. Agree "products and services are less competitive in the world". n/t

[keep_it_real]

6. I agree single-payer is the way to go

We should have million people demonstrations demanding single-payer.

[kath]

7. Agree - insurance should NOT be tied to employment. - not in any way.

It LIMITS PEOPLE'S FREEDOM, in significant ways, to have medical coverage tied to one's job.

[Vinca]

3. This sounds like the Massachusetts plan which has not been

a great success story. Healthcare and employment need to be separated.

[Baby Snooks]

5. Why not just expand Medicare/Medicaid?

Why continue to propose solutions for a health care plan for some when the only real solution is one health care plan for all Americans.

Medicare/Medicaid is not perfect. But it's much better than what private insurers offer and will continue to offer under single-payer and certainly better than no insurance at all. Medicare/Medicaid are both basically the same plan. One simply provides health care for those who cannot afford health care, or health care insurance, on their own.

The solutions so far seem to be focused on saving the health insurance industry - it destroyed its profit base itself through greed. As did the health care industry itself by trying to balance Medicare/Medicaid payment rates with private insurance payments/patient deductibles and the growing number of people who simply cannot afford to pay what Medicare/Medicaid and private insurance companies pay.

The CHIP programs are wonderful. Everyone applauds them. But not all children in all states are covered the same. The states decide who qualifies and who doesn't. And none of their parents are. That's the way Congress works, however, which is one of the reasons why our health care system no longer works. It is another example of providing care for only some.

What good does CHIP do if the parents die because they were denied health care?

Congress needs to decide whether its priority is the American people or the health care industry.

So far it seems even Ted Kennedy is still focusing on the health care industry, particularly the health care insurance providers, to guarantee them a profit instead of focusing on the American people to guarantee access to health care for all Americans.

Why not just expand Medicare/Medicaid and have one plan for all?

[kath]

8. "Congress needs to decide whether its priority is the American people or the health care industry."

Sadly, I think we know where their loyalties lie (for the vast majority of 'em). Government of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation is what we've got, folks.

[lefthandedlefty]

9. That is just plain stupid

The only thing that will work is run the insurance companies out of business they have had it to good too long now they need to go.If democrats force anyone to buy health insurance I will never ever vote for one again.

[leftstreet]

10. Yeah, if the Dems mandate insurance, they might as well close up shop

But they know this, so they won't try it.

More likely they're trying to shift the debate from single payer vs insurance giveaway

to

mandated insurance vs voluntary insurance.

[wildflower]

11. There's a poll on Mother Earth News right now on Universal Health Care

Would you support health care reform that would implement universal coverage?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Unsure

http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Last I looked, "No" was at 38%. I'm surprised that's not lower for Mother Earth News readers.

[Cleita]

12. Mandatory insurance doesn't work. It's not working in Massachusetts,

Kennedy's state. People are still going uninsured. Why isn't he looking at the failure? The insurance companies have to go. They are the cause of our health system breakdown.

[eridani]

13. But I don't WANT insurance--I want CARE! n/t