Here's a few things that I really admire about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:
Guaranteed issue will require policies to be issued regardless of any medical condition, and partial community rating will require insurers to offer the same premium to all applicants of the same age and geographical location without regard to gender or most pre-existing conditions (excluding tobacco use).
A shared responsibility requirement, commonly called an individual mandate, requires all individuals not covered by an employer sponsored health plan, Medicaid, Medicare or other public insurance programs, secure an approved private-insurance policy or pay a penalty, unless the applicable individual is a member of a recognized religious sect exempted by the Internal Revenue Service, or waived in cases of financial hardship. This was included on the rationale that - without such a mandate, a form of community rating, and coverage standards - the guaranteed issue provision would likely exacerbate adverse selection: if people could not be denied insurance by companies they might put-off insuring themselves until they got sick, causing insurers to resort to larger premium increases on sick individuals and more extensive coverage limits, which could result in an insurance death spiral. This led to the inclusion of subsidies (see below) so people with low-incomes can comply when the mandate goes into effect.
Health insurance exchanges will commence operation in each state, offering a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can compare policies and premiums, and buy insurance (with a government subsidy if eligible).
Low-income individuals and families above 100% and up to 400% of the federal poverty level will receive federal subsidies on a sliding scale if they choose to purchase insurance via an exchange (those from 133% to 150% of the poverty level would be subsidized such that their premium cost would be 3% to 4% of income).
The text of the law expands Medicaid eligibility to include all individuals and families with incomes up to 133% of the poverty level, effectively 138%, and simplifies the CHIP enrollment process. In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court effectively allowed states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion, and some states have stated their intention to do so. States that choose to reject the Medicaid expansion can set their own Medicaid eligibility thresholds, which in many states are significantly below 133% of the poverty line; in addition, many states do not make Medicaid available to childless adults at any income level. Because subsidies on insurance plans purchased through exchanges are not available to those below 100% of the poverty line, this may create a coverage gap in those states.
Minimum standards for health insurance policies are to be established and annual and lifetime coverage caps will be banned.
Firms employing 50 or more people but not offering health insurance will also pay a shared responsibility requirement if the government has had to subsidize an employee's health care.
Very small businesses will be able to get subsidies if they purchase insurance through an exchange.
Co-payments, co-insurance, and deductibles are to be eliminated for select health care insurance benefits considered to be part of an "essential benefits package"[36] for Level A or Level B preventive care.
Changes are enacted that allow a restructuring of Medicare reimbursement from "fee-for-service" to "bundled payment."A single payment is paid to a hospital and a physician group, for example, for a defined episode of care (such as a hip replacement), rather than individual payments to individual service-providers.
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Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction...it's just the first step towards affordable healthcare for all in America.
Healthcare is not going to be affordable for anybody except the rich. The incredibly complex Obamacare system guarantees that. Oh, and by the way, forget about the U.S. Constitution. Obama has flushed it down the toilet after wiping his ass with it.
Bill Wiltrack wrote:Why? What are you basing your philosophy upon?
Let's see, how about the fact that since everybody is covered by medical insurance or pays a fine, if not thrown in jail, people will be going to the doctor or hospital every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The number of available doctors and hospitals, however, will stay the same. What the hell do you think is going to happen short of a fucking, but well-deserved, American revolution?
................................................................................Worst Philosophy in the History of Mankind
Me personally, I’ve always looked at philosophy as being one of the most important positive aspects of my adult life, possibly THE most important aspect of my adult life.
Well, now is the time I must admit the anti-thesis of this tremendously positive feeling I have developed towards all things philosophical.
Today I must admit, and attempt to verbalize The worst Philosophy in the History of Mankind.
Today I must confront philosophy as being the worst overall influence put upon me from outside.
This blackest of all black philosophy that I'm referring to affects ALL people on earth. And for 99%, of us, yes for a full 6 Billion people, this philosophy is now crushing us. Crushing our bodies and stealing our souls.
Each day, the world turns, only to discover she is entering a new gate of hell. An ever more darker and deeper gate of hell on earth.
And you will sell your soul... And you will sell your soul. Just to be here.
Because we have lost all our belief. We have sold our belief. We have bought a ticket to hell.
Philosophy. Oh philosophy, the god of wisdom, is now the darkest enemy man has ever faced. And there is no apparent way out. No end in sight. Not now.
What is by far the worst scourge of all scourges in the history of mankind?
It is the philosophy of conservatism.
I do not know where it started and I cannot foresee an end but I will share the point at which the world visibly took note.
It was back in August of 1981 in America. Ronald Reagan, the 40 President of the United States did Beelzebub's bidding as he destroyed the Air Traffic Controllers Union ability to bargain effectively.
In short, he put profit before people. He said it was for national interest and national security. Thirty years later, the world witnesses that on that day, August 1, 1981 the United States of America sacrificed both. The United States of America betrayed her own people, and the world's corporate headquarters took note.
The air traffic controllers’ strike was a major union movement in America. It proved the importance of worker’s rights and liberties. The strike proved that unions could make a difference in a society based on capitalism.
As they say, the rest is history.
The philosophy of profit was put before people.
The philosophy that government is the problem was openly accepted by the leader of the world's largest government and, at the time, the most successful society the world has ever known.
Upside-down. On our heads. Nothing anymore made sense.
And for the next thirty years the daily headlines of all major newspapers reflected that theme at an ever increasingly bold pace.
And then it eventually became all the media outlets of all media, and the paid announcers, writers, and performers...
This hell. This all encompassing hell on earth.
The economic and emotional race to the bottom that all countries, all peoples must participate in.
Fast track forward to today. We are the dying fruit of this horrible disease. We are the end.
Philosophy, this philosophy of the night undoes all the apparent good that any school or mode of philosophy has ever accomplished.
You and I are now witnessing, you and I are a part of this dark night of the soul.
And when they look back and say, why didn't someone do something? Why didn't someone stop this?
Because we couldn’t. We, the dust in the wind. We couldn’t.
As you finish reading this post are you able to accept the fact that philosophy, namely the philosophical lie that is conservatism, has ruined your life?
I will state that here on this site philosophy is THE most important aspect of our adult life.
The only thing I would add is that philosophy has become the most overall negative aspect in our lives.
Bill Wiltrack wrote:.
It was back in August of 1981 in America. Ronald Reagan, the 40 President of the United States did Beelzebub's bidding as he destroyed the Air Traffic Controllers Union ability to bargain effectively.
In short, he put profit before people. He said it was for national interest and national security. Thirty years later, the world witnesses that on that day, August 1, 1981 the United States of America sacrificed both. The United States of America betrayed her own people, and the world's corporate headquarters took note.
The air traffic controllers’ strike was a major union movement in America. It proved the importance of worker’s rights and liberties. The strike proved that unions could make a difference in a society based on capitalism.
Wasn't there a regulation (Taft-Hartley Act?) preventing this particular union from striking since it served the public?
I agree with you, the Taft-Hartley Act was and is a horrible document that greatly attenuated the stunningly progressive National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
Unfortunately the assault upon free speech and other worker and civil rights better known as the Taft-Hartley Act was used to usurp the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization in August of, I believe, 1981.
Good point.
Thank you for your support and relevant information.
