Link Nancy Pelosi's New Health-Care Bill - WSJ.com The government would pay for 93% of insurance costs for a family making $42,000, 72% for another making $78,000, and so forth. At least at first, these benefits would be offered only to those whose employers don't provide insurance or work for small businesses with 100 or fewer workers. The taxpayer costs would be far higher if not for this "firewall"—which is sure to cave in when people see the deal their neighbors are getting on "free" health care. Mrs. Pelosi knows this, like everyone else in Washington. A decade from now more than a quarter of the population will be on a program originally intended for poor women, children and the disabled. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link Betsy McCaughey: What the Pelosi Health Care Bill Really Says - WSJ.com Wow, this is terrible! According to this you won't be able to keep your insurance. As soon as something changes on your contract you have to switch to a qualified plan designed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services Sec. 303 (pp. 167-168) makes it clear that, although the "qualified plan" is not yet designed, it will be of the "one size fits all" variety. The bill claims to offer choice—basic, enhanced and premium levels—but the benefits are the same. Only the co-pays and deductibles differ. You will have to enroll in the same plan, whether the government is paying for it or you and your employer are footing the bill. • Sec. 59b (pp. 297-299) says that when you file your taxes, you must include proof that you are in a qualified plan. If not, you will be fined thousands of dollars. Illegal immigrants are exempt from this requirement. In addition to reducing future Medicare funding by an estimated $500 billion, the bill fundamentally changes how Medicare pays doctors and hospitals, permitting the government to dictate treatment decisions. The medical home is this decade's version of HMO-restrictions on care. A primary-care provider manages access to costly specialists and diagnostic tests for a flat monthly fee. The bill specifies that patients may have to settle for a nurse practitioner rather than a physician as the primary-care provider. Medical homes begin with demonstration projects, but the HHS secretary is authorized to "disseminate this approach rapidly on a national basis." • Sec. 1114 (pp. 391-393) replaces physicians with physician assistants in overseeing care for hospice patients. • Sec. 1161 (pp. 520-545) cuts payments to Medicare Advantage plans (used by 20% of seniors). Advantage plans have warned this will result in reductions in optional benefits such as vision and dental care. • Sec. 1402 (p. 756) says that the results of comparative effectiveness research conducted by the government will be delivered to doctors electronically to guide their use of "medical items and services." While the bill will slash Medicare funding, it will also direct billions of dollars to numerous inner-city social work and diversity programs with vague standards of accountability.
There's a bright side. Once all Americans wake up to what has been perpetrated upon us, we may never have to put up with a liberal Democrat in national office ever again. The sh!t WILL hit the fan.
That op-ed is from 11/1/2009. This isn't reflective of the crap bill we got Sunday. Its a crap bill that died a long time ago.
