Any health insurance reform...

[SHRED]

...that keeps the private insurance corporations between us and health care, is a phony system.

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php

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[snappyturtle]

1. K&R Agreed. I don't understand why it seems that our new healthcare system

would suffer under single payor. Why can't it just be phased in gradually?

[SHRED]

2. For now we need a choice

---

A "Medicare for all" choice or stay with current insurance provider.

Those advocating in favor of corporate insurance should have no problem competing against a "wasteful" and "bloated" government system...right?
:sarcasm:

[snappyturtle]

3. Take a look at this:

http://www.sambaplans.com/HealthPlan2009.shtml#std

This is the program my mother is on and has been on for close to fifty years. SHe has had wonderful coverage...little out of pocket. Wouldn't we all like this? Browse around the site and see how it pays out. Not quite as good as it once was but a hell of a lot better than most anyone I know has.

[subterranean]

5. That's quite a generous plan.

Are those the total premiums, or are they just the portion the employee pays, with the rest paid by the government?

[snappyturtle]

6. I am assuming it is just the employee contribution.

Yes, it is a very generous program. If it pays for governmental employees, why wouldn't it pay with an even larger pool of participants? Let's assume 40 million people paying $200.00 a month, just to round it off, times twelve months...the way I figured, the number I came up with was in the trillions! I just don't understand why we can't have what the insurance companies have given the government. Me thinks we have been suckered with our premiums!!

edit: Have you ever seen what our congress critters pay? I've never seen the number published.

[subterranean]

13. Congress critters are covered by the FEHB program.

They have a variety of plans to choose from, but I read somewhere that they only pay about a quarter of the premium. Uncle Sam picks up the rest of the tab.

http://www.opm.gov/INSURE/HEALTH/

[snappyturtle]

17. I really wanted to open the pdf on premiums section of the link

but 'somehow' I can't get Adobe to open it. New laptop..just downloaded Adobe, even shut down and started again so I've got to figure out what's up. I have absolutely no idea what portion of the total premium my mother is paying. All I do know is that it is a great program and I'm more than upset that mr. snappy and I don't have the same opportunity for healthcare. What we can afford comes with a large deductible and then only 70/30 payout on the remainder. I guess we just don't dare get sick! Thanks for the link...I'll keep trying!

[leftofthedial]

4. yup.

I guess we know who the Obama serves.

[jtrockville]

7. Absolutely. The goal of health insurance companies is to DENY.

[leftstreet]

9. But this would create millions of Claims Denial Specialist jobs!

:sarcasm:

[leftstreet]

10. wrong spot

[FiveGoodMen]

12. Good one!

:rofl:

[Vinca]

8. Since it appears there is no hope of going straight to single payer,

I think it would be best to adopt the Edwards plan that would open up a government option for people and still allow the idiots who love paying $12,000 a year for a whole lot of nothing to keep funding United Healthcare. Eventually, everyone would gravitate to the government option and we'd have single payer.

[subterranean]

14. Isn't that the plan Obama was promoting during his campaign?

It's also what Howard Dean is pushing for now. I'm sure Dr. Dean would prefer a straight-up single-payer plan, too, but right now he's working to make sure that at least some public option is included in the reform bill.

www.standwithdrdean.com

[leftstreet]

11. K&R

[Faryn Balyncd]

15. K & R

[leftchick]

16. yep, and I am dreading

my husbands job loss which means no insurance at all. :(

[LWolf]

18. True. nt

[area51]

19. Kick. (n/t)

[Laelth]

20. Agreed.

I don't need health insurance. I need health care.

:dem:

-Laelth