Health Care (No Fear, Only FACTS)

Hi Everyone!

This entry has taken quite a while to get these things together.
If you are truly interested in the "facts" of this Health Care bill, and not only in spreading innuendo, water cooler noise, or outright lies, then read on.
If not, it will be your childrens and grandchildrens loss if nothing gets done.

XOXO
Me

Most importantly would be to actually READ and COMPREHEND (understand), the bill that so many are trashing due simply to their ignorance of it, and their personal failure to ask the important and pertinent questions.

Again, here is the link to the bill.
http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf

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• This isn't about politics.
• This is about people's lives.
• This is about people's businesses.
• This is about our future.

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THE SECURITY YOU GET from health insurance reform:

    * No Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions

    * Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.


    * No Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays

    * Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

    * No Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care

    * Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.

    * No Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill

    * Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.

    * No Gender Discrimination

    * Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.

    * No Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage

    * Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.

    * Extended Coverage for Young Adults

    * Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.

    * Guaranteed Insurance Renewal

    * Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

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"The health care fight has turned ugly, fast.
Right-wing mobs are crashing congressional town halls,  1
Lies are spreading via anonymous email chains, 2
Sarah Palin bizarrely said that President Obama was going to set up a "death panel," whatever that is. 3 "


Top Five Health Care Reform Lies

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."  4

What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans. 5



Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options. 6
Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down. 7

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them. 8
But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.



Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage. 9
And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.



Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits. 10
Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. 11



Lie #5:
Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.

Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.12 The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade 13—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses. 14 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit. 15

Sources:
1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=2
2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=3
3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC News, August 7, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=4
4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=5
5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=6
6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1
7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=7
8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=8
9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1
10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=9
11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1
12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=10
14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=11
15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=12
#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=13
#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=14
#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=15
#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744&id=16782-14408432-3hODlCx&t=16
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"This isn't about politics. This is about people's lives. This is about people's businesses. This is about our future."
President Barack Obama

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I have included a few comments found on a few of these links...

"Apparently some people don't even look into the proposed health care program before they open their mouths.
Check out the facts, instead of being afraid of change that very well might help you!"

"Hard to believe people actually think the government will have a death panel. We can thank people like limbaugh and beck for the anger. All they care about is ratings and will do anything to get it!"

"The GOP has lost their mind it is making them look like a bunch of silly babies."

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Want more? ~You should.
Check out this great new White House "Reality Check" website:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/
 

Health Insurance Reform Reality Check

Whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don't have today.

Get the facts about the stability and security you get from health insurance reform.

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• Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it

Debunk[ing] the myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing."
To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
    

• The "euthanasia" distortion on help for families

Debunk[ing] the malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors.

• Vets' health care is safe and sound

Matt Flavin, Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, explains that nothing in health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now.
To the contrary, the President's budget greatly expands coverage for veterans who have been denied access in the past.

• Reform will benefit small business - not burden it

Debunk[ing] the myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses.
To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.

• Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform

Debunk[ing] the myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits.
To the contrary, reform would simply eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies.

• You can keep your own insurance

Debunk[ing] the myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors.
To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.

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Health insurance reform FAQs  
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq

Contact the White House: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/contact

For more information, visit HealthReform.gov 
Also includes link to Español  http://www.whitehouse.gov/spanish/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
http://m.factcheck.org/2009/07/false-euthanasia-claims/

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Please just educate yourselves already!
(That means taking the time to read the bill,
& past whatever seems convenient to your own suppositions).

Know that I have tried to check (and double~check) the links above.
Please let me know if I have inadvertently screwed up hehehe
If I have, please nclude the link(s) to where, and how.

XOXO
Me

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Last but not least, my gratitude to Senator Herb Kohl, my own senator, for writing to dispel many errors to this controversy.

• *Here is his note to his constituents, in its entirety:

Over the past several months, people in Washington have been working to carefully craft a health care reform package. Though progress has been steady, there are still several proposals in flux. Please be aware that neither the House nor the Senate has formulated one bill, and that no final decisions have been made about what will be included in health reform.

Most of us agree that reforming and improving our health care system is necessary, and we cannot afford to wait another 10 or 20 years until health care costs consume an even greater percentage of the economy and the budgets of American families.

Consider this: The United States spends $7,290 on health care per person, per year - while the average spent by the 30 most developed countries is $2,960. It is unacceptable that we have so much more of our money tied up in health care, yet we are not delivering demonstrably better health care than many of these countries. Studies show that the U.S. ranks below average on major health indicators, including infant mortality and life expectancy, when compared with the rest of the world.

We currently rank 44th in infant mortality and 30th in life expectancy, with the average American living to 78 years of age. By comparison, Japan spends $2,550 on health care per person each year - just over a third of what the U.S. spends - and boasts a life expectancy of 83 years.

There is no doubt that American health care is breaking the bank and making us less competitive in the world economy. Money that should be going to wage increases and helping to make our businesses more competitive is instead going to pay for increases in health care costs. This will not change until we get a handle on those costs.

Controlling costs is a goal we can all support in principle, especially when other countries have demonstrated that quality health care can be delivered at a much lower cost. We can start controlling costs by paying for value of care, not volume, and eliminating duplicative testing and over-treatment. If we can do that, then our health care system - and America's patients - will be in better shape. We need to ensure that all health care systems provide better care in a more efficient way, and reward those systems that already do so, such as the ones we have in several locations in Wisconsin.

America's health systems should expand the use of health information technology, which has been shown to save lives by reducing medical errors and save money by promoting efficiency in testing and communication. We can support the use of generic drugs and get generic equivalents on the market faster. And we can encourage Americans to engage in preventive care and healthy lifestyles.

Many of these money-saving ideas are not controversial. The fact is that there is a lot that we can all agree on. We agree that we need to expand coverage to most, if not all, Americans. We also agree that people should not be denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions. The principles we agree on far outnumber those on which we differ.

In addition to saving costs, health reform can do so much good for the average American. We want to limit your out-of-pocket expenses and co-pays. We want to make sure your coverage is not dropped just when you get sick and need it most. We want to eliminate caps on coverage, offer free preventive care and protect small businesses from the crushing costs of health care.

Despite all these positive changes that will benefit individual Americans, the debate surrounding health care threatens to get out of hand. False reports about what will be included in health care reform have taken on a life of their own. We need to strip away the rhetoric and dispel some of these rumors, many of which are meant to scare older Americans.

The most important thing for seniors to know is that health care reform will not diminish Medicare, the health care program those 65 and older have come to value. As we all know, Medicare provides older Americans with quality health care at a cost that is affordable.

Seniors are happy with Medicare. In fact, Medicare, a government-run program, boasts a satisfaction rate even higher than private insurance. The reform proposals to date are intended to strengthen Medicare, and will not make any significant changes to the way seniors receive their health care services.

As for the rumors out there about how health care will be drastically changed for the worse, you can rest assured: Health care reform will not limit choices, take away treatment options, ration care, eliminate private insurance, or tell you how or when to die. These things are not going to happen.

In the meantime, we hear you. We hear your needs and we hear your concerns. Your perspectives are invaluable, and we will continue to keep American families in mind as we work to complete a health reform package that starts to get costs under control, continues to provide high quality care, and begins to expand coverage to include most, if not all, Americans.
Sincerely,
Herb Kohl http://kohl.senate.gov/index.cfm