It's always a good idea to recycle your garbage

[eridani]

With mandatory private insurance stinking it up, the Pelosi bill is garbage. However, as many have pointed out, it has some good stuff in it. So, reduce, reuse, recycle!

Put all related parts of Medicare reform into one separate bill. Include with 6-8 the Dicks/Inslee bill (Cantwell in the Senate) changing reimbursment to end the penalty against states which provide better results with less money now.

6. ELIMINATES COST-SHARING FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICES IN MEDICARE—Eliminates co-payments for preventive
services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program.

7. IMPROVES HELP FOR LOW-INCOME MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES—Improves the low-income protection programs in
Medicare to assure more individuals are able to access this vital help.

8. PROVIDES NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE— Prohibits Medicare Advantage plans from
charging enrollees higher cost-sharing for services in their private plan than what is charged in traditional Medicare.

1. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE — Reduces the donut hole by $500 and institutes a 50%
discount on brand-name drugs, effective January 1, 2010.

Throw the above on the compost pile and get a new one. This is an area where incrementalism is witless. Pass one piece of legislation abolishing the donut hole starting now.

2. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH-RISK POOL) — Creates a
temporary insurance program until the Exchange is available for individuals who have been uninsured for several months or have been denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions.

Compost pile. A useless overpriced abortion, assuming that it would be like high risk pools at the state level are like now. Just let high risk people into Medicare early like disabled people. Put the money into Medicare to take care of the extra expense.

Private insurance consumer reform. Another separate bill with 3, 4, 5 and 10

3. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE—Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage.

4. ENDS RESCISSIONS—Prohibits insurers from nullifying or rescinding a patient’s policy when they file a claim for benefits, except in the case of fraud.

5. INCREASE DEPENDENT AGE FOR POLICIES THROUGH AGE 26: Allows those through age 26 not otherwise covered to remain on their parents’ policies at their parents’ discretion

10. CONTINUITY FOR DISPLACED WORKERS—Allows Americans to keep their COBRA coverage until the Exchange is in place and they can access affordable coverage.

9. IMMEDIATE SUNSHINE ON PRICE GOUGING—Discourages excessive price increases by insurance companies through review and disclosure of insurance rate increases.

Compost pile-- useless tripe, not unlike Conyers' sternly worded letters to Rove et al chastising them for refusing to answer subpoenas. If we have to work through private insurance, just cut the crap and regulate what they can charge and what they must cover like every other civilized country with privately insured universal care does.

12. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES—Creates a $10 billon fund to finance a temporary reinsurance program to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64.

Compost pile. Useless to retirees with no access to such benefits. Put the damned $10 billion into Medicare, and allow retirees in this age group to join. Payments to retirees should trump payments to employers.

Each of the following could be separate bills.

11. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM—Creates a long-term care insurance
program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled.

13. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS—Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.

14. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS — Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals.