how do the candidates' respective health care plans

[leftofthedial]

account for preexisting conditions?


denials of coverage?





which plan do you prefer and why?

[Possumpoint]

1. How DO

They expect to pay for it? This country's already in deficit spending. The last thing we need do is create more debt.

[leftofthedial]

3. get out of IRaq

reverse the tax giveaways to the super-rich

not that that's how they propose to do it, but it is one way to do it

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I prefer the Kucinich plan

which is the only one that takes the profit away from the insurance companies.

The only difference I can see between Obama and Clinton is that the latter would force people to buy insurance from the greedy insurance companies while the former would only mandate insurance coverage for children. Both, I think, say they will address denial of coverage and make it mandatory that insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions--but am unsure whether the insurance companies will be allowed to charge usurous fees or not.

[leftofthedial]

4. I preferred Kucinich's plan too

rewarding the insurance companies for creating this mess and institutionalizing their ownership of the medical industry is absurd.

[DemVet]

5. Great post, I want to know the answers to these questions also. n/t

[leftofthedial]

6. not really getting answers

not in the media, not on their websites and not here . . .

[printpolitico]

7. PE condition-per plans

There are three types of insurance plans.: 1 individual- does not cover pre-ex's , you can get kicked out after sickness 2.group policies such as corporate- which guarantees coverage regardless of pre-ex's- can't be kicked out regardless of illness 3. you have small business plans- requires acceptance, but once accepted you can't be kicked out. does not cover pre-ex


The gov't plan supposedly acts like a corporate plan. By banding together such a large block of people they are able to accept pre-ex conditions without the fear of rate
hikes to the rest of the group. You can not be rejected nor kicked out.

But, the only plan that has a chance of working is Hillary's. It's not about liking her or not . Nor is it about a like or dislike of Obama. It's mere reality.
In order to make such a plan work all americans must be insured. The only way to bring down rates is to stop the masses of people who go to the emergency room for colds and such.
(why do they go? because they are not asked for pre-pay and if uninsured most never pay the bill and are never forced to do so.) As a result the expenses of those visits
drive healthcare costs up. Someone has to pay for that. Hence, the he insured. In order to drive down cost and get control of insurance companies everyone has to be insured.
And I do reject Obamas theory that people would elect to but health care if it were made affordable. I offer affordable health care to my employees now and they choose
not to get it, but instead spend that money on photo's at the club and 150.00 a pair shoes each trip to the club.

Health care for all Americans will not work under the Obama plan.

[leftofthedial]

8. mandating me to spend more money every month won't work.

I haven't had a real job in almost 3 years.

[printpolitico]

10. You have a problem then don't you

I ask do you have health insurance now or do you get free coverage. I know a great deal of people who don't work but could. I know alot of people who don't have coverage
and should get off their lazy tails and work. I know a lot of people who won't take the jobs they could get to support themselves because those jobs are beneath them.

People are too afraid to point out that there are a great deal of slackers and lazy individuals that expect the rest of us to work 80 hours a week to support them.
Every one thinks people will think badly of them if they point out that we have a lot of people getting gov't support just because they can.
I have a lot of ex-employees who only work if I call them to work, otherwise they have their hand out to Uncle Sam. He pays them pretty well I must say.

Don't know your case but three years seems awfully long to me.

[leftofthedial]

11. Uncle Sam hasn't given me a dime and I haven't asked. Unemployment

ran out 6 months after the last layoff. I work many part-time and temporary jobs, none of which pay anything close to my modest needs. Three years is nothing compared to the stack of about 1500 resumes I've sent out with two phone interviews to show for it in three years. Low-end jobs won't hire me because I'm so grotesquely overqualified they're sure I will leave. Jobs like I used to have won't hire me because they are few and because age discrimination is alive and well.

I'd gladly work 80 hours a week again if someone would hire me to do it.

[printpolitico]

13. Case doesn't apply

In your case the argument does not apply. But you should receive coverage according to these plans. And you should receive it at a very reduced rate.
Yes it is hard to pay even 5.00 more a week when your jobs don't pay enough, but the question is how to pay for thousands of dollars worth of hospital bills
if it came to that. The problem is educated people or hardworking people who having problems finding the appropriate jobs are the ones the hospitals will go after for payment.
One day they walk in with a summons and then what.

The answers are not simple. I do think you misrepresent when you say you haven't worked a real job in 3 years, because it sounds as though you are working.
Some people might consider the job you are working as real. It just sounds as though you are far overqualified for the jobs and the salary for which you receive.

You are not the individual I refer to. Don't take offense in your case. There are those out there who hurt us all in our quest for a better more profitable future.

[leftofthedial]

15. is health care a social service that should be provided by enlightened society

or is it just another governmental waste of your tax dollars?

[printpolitico]

16. That's the question

We have to take a stand and believe it is or isn't. But we have a problem and I really see the benefits of this. I would love not to pay social security to a failing system
but I do in hope that I will someday receive benefits. Until there is a better gov't pln I see this as a viable option.

[Vinca]

9. I hate both of their plans. We need single payer, universal healthcare. nt

[leftofthedial]

12. BADLY.

We are in deep shit I fear. Meltdown caused by unchecked corporate and capitalist greed and all the candidates are corporatists.

[democrattotheend]

14. Obama's plan requires insurers to cover everyone

Regardless of preexisting conditions.

I think Clinton's plan has a similar provision.

[Vinca]

17. The key word here is "insurers." Neither candidate has mentioned

how or why insurers would suddenly dump profit in favor of taking care of sick people. I read somewhere the average cost of a policy in Massacusetts for a family of 4 is $11,000 a year. That's not affordable to the average person. We need the Kucinich plan.

[k8conant]

18. We NEED national health CARE, not mandated health INSURANCE...

Kucinich's plan is single payer health insurance, which is a heck a lot better than what we have now.

However, we really need free and appropriate public health care just as we are supposed to have free and appropriate public education.

Watch SICKO again...