Is Biden's healthcare plan the only one being offered that is not mandatory?

[jillan]

I just read something that said it was, but I was thinking that Edwards'(?) plan wasn't either :shrug:

on edit - this is where I got it from:

The Florida insurance consultant said "Biden differs from the rest of the Democratic field because he does not require mandates." By bringing in catastrophic health insurance, Biden says he believes he keeps employers wanting to stay involved (since 60 percent of Americans covered are covered by their business) and health insurance costs lower for the American public.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/10/prweb564778.htm

[sandnsea]

1. Edwards' is mandatory

I think just his and Hillary's have mandates, nobody elses that I know of.

[Nederland]

2. Mandates are for losers

If you really can create a system that is better than what we have today (and that really isn't difficult) then you shouldn't need mandates. If something is truly better, people will choose it freely.

[iverglas]

11. yeah, sister! sing it!

If something is truly better, people will choose it freely.

Given the option, everybody in the world is gonna just voluntarily cough up the taxes to pay for the municipal firefighting service, and the roads and bridges, and the schools ...

And if they don't, fuck 'em. Let their houses burn and their kids grow up illiterate.


By the way, I think your knee jerked a little too quickly.

The issue is whether to require that individuals acquire some insurance coverage, whether in the private market or by signing on to some public plan. Not whether to require that individuals contribute to / receive coverage under a public plan. As I understand it.

[Nederland]

13. True

It does assume a degree of willingness to let people suffer the consequences of their own choices...

[cuke]

15. The uninsured are not the only one's affected by their selfish decisions

[Nederland]

16. Also true

Liberty has a price, and that price is less equality.

[iverglas]

24. spoken like a true ... uh ...

I give up. Liberal? Democrat? Progressive?

Or maybe you were just stating a fact, and not what you think about it. Funny habit, that.

At least this fact, unlike most of your other "facts" about things like, oh, the Canadian health care system, is arguably true. At least in the short term. The day just might come when not so many people actually want to be "free" to do things that result in others being less equal. Or free. You're just so not free when yer dead, eh?

[Mike03]

28. Why is it selfish to be uninsured?

The uninsured pay full price for medical services and drugs. How is that selfish?

ON EDIT: I mean, I suppose you are saying that those who can't afford to be insured and wish to be don't pay for their services, but isn't that sort of self-evident? When they can get insured, they will get insured.

[cuke]

3. Edwards and Clintons have "mandates"

Not really because there's no punitive measures if you don't get insurance, but individuals do have "a responsibility" for acquiring insurance

My question - Is there any way to get UCH without mandates?

[goodgd_yall]

10. I don't think it can work without mandates.

Why would one not want to be covered? Because of some delusional idea that you'll never get sick or injured?

[eridani]

18. Not delusional. The chances are 85%/15% that you will never get expensively sick

Just like your house probably won't burn. That's why fire protection and health care should be treated as public goods.

[GreenArrow]

27. "responsibility"

Nice Republican term, that. I don't especially like hearing Democratic candidates using it.

[Hieronymus]

4. Edwards' plan would allow you to have private or single payer care.

[monmouth]

5. If BHO or Edwards sinks like a rock in the next month or so.....

will Biden be in the top tier? Everytime a subject comes up, he has such great ideas, solutions, compromises, etc.....Healthcare plan, Iraq divional plans (even some Iraqis,at least,
aren't against and the beat goes on....I'm just saying, he certainly deserves to be up there with HRC and either Edwards or Obama...

[jillan]

7. If anybody breaks out of the second tier, it will be Biden. He just needs more $$.

So everyone contribute :)



(see my sig line ;))

[jillan]

8. delete -

[PatSeg]

12. Another great smiley!

How clever you are!

Politicians need to be careful with the dirty word "mandatory". It is an immediate turnoff for most people, especially Independents. People want reasonable and affordable options.

[gateley]

6. I didn't know that - interesting. nt

[jillan]

9. What about Obama's????

[superkia]

14. The question on all of the plans is, will people still be denied,

claims or only given partial payments so the insurance corporations can still make their huge profits? If thats the case, then we are still being sold out to the insurance companies and people will continue to lose and be forced into bankruptcies like normal. Why make the change if it doesn't cure the real problem, that only makes someone look good until everyone realizes that nothing much has changed.

[Jillian]

17. Not Biden's plan, insurance companies cannot deny someone. I can't speak for the others.

[cuke]

19. Same goes for Clinton's plan

[LWolf]

20. Since I support

universal single-payer, NOT FOR PROFIT health care, taking insurance companies out of the equation, then I support mandates.

I support a system that allows any person to see any doctor, and allows doctors to decide on treatment without needing approval from insurance companies.

I support a system that provides health care to every human, without exception.

I support a national health care system.

I support, yes, <gasp>......SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!

:wow:

The mandates? No one is turned down for health care, decisions are made by doctors and patients, and the quality of care is not based on the ability to pay.

[sandnsea]

22. Except these aren't single payer

These are mandated insurance premiums with some sort of unknown tax credit at a future date. My insurance would be $950 a month, and if I had to wait for a tax credit, I'd be homeless after 2 months. Obama's plan is to get the costs down so everybody can get covered, and then mandate if we need to for the hold-outs. This is a big difference for low income people and another example that he and/or his campaign is out of touch with working Americans since they don't get it. In fairness, I haven't heard Biden or Dodd point out this key difference either.

[LWolf]

23. Which plan are you referring to?

Are you saying that HR 676, which I'm referring to, is NOT single-payer?

[iverglas]

25. I still think there's a misunderstanding about "mandates"

Romney's state plan involves mandates: people are required to get insurance. Wherever they can, however they can, for as little coverage as is permitted or as much as they want, whether they can afford to pay for it or not.

Universal single public payer insurance isn't "mandated" in that sense -- in the sense that people are required to do something but not offered anything. In a universal coverage system the service is provided, and payment is required in some way (premium-funded or tax-funded, or a mix), and participation is mandatory. But it isn't just telling people what they have to do the way the mandates in question do while making no meaningful changes to the conditions on which they do it.

I just think some of this conversation is at cross purposes and wanna be helpful!

As I understand Biden's proposal, it is neither universal single public payer nor mandated. It proposes a mixed insurance market, with stringent regulation of suppliers' activities.

Obviously I prefer universal single public payer insurance (being Canadian, and having it already), but in a mixed economy regulation is a common way of ensuring that markets are not exploited in ways that are too contrary to the public interest -- by preventing monopolies and oligopolies, preventing price-gouging, imposing terms on which goods/services must be provided, etc.

Regulation plus an expanded publicly owned option (medicare) may be the best one is going to get in the short term, when opposition to exclusive public ownership and control is as strong as it still is in the US.

[LWolf]

26. That makes sense to me; thanks for clarifying.

When the OP asked if Biden's plan is the only one without mandates, I didn't realize the reference was to those plans requiring people to GET insurance. I thought it meant any mandate at all.

[youthere]

21. Kicking...

Biden once again shows he has a realistic and workable plan for helath care in this country. It isn't my perfect solution (yes, socialized medicine) but it's a heck of a lot better than what we have now, and actually has a rats ass chance of actually getting passed. Idealistic goals are all well and fine, but I would like to see some action for a change and NOT JUST TALK.