Real Health Care Reform

I doubt if too many people in the know are surprised that the CBO has released a report showing that the new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is going to cost at least $115 billion more over the next 10 years than they estimated before it was passed. So the total estimated cost is now well over $1 trillion, and I have no doubt that we’ll see real costs far exceed that.

In order to come up with numbers below $1 trillion when trying to pass the original bill, lawmakers also included a provision that would reduce payments who treat Medicare patients by 21 percent. Well, surprise surprise, there is now a bill being taken up in the House, the American Works, State and Business Relief Act of 2010, H.R. 4213, which would delay this payment reduction. Expect this payment reduction to be delayed, eventually, forever. (more…)

When Medicare was first enacted in 1965, men had an average life expectancy of almost 70 years. So the average guy received Medicare benefits for 5 years.

Now the average male lives to be about 75, and the average guy receives benefits for twice as long.

In January of last year, the first babyboomers started retiring. This massive wave of retirees will start receiving Medicare benefits, and be spending so much that Medicare trustees predict funds will run out in 2019. (more…)

Learn how your HSA-qualified plan must be effective no later than December 1st in order to qualify for a 2009 tax deductible HSA contribution (which could reduce your April 15th taxes by $1900 or more!).

The Congressional rush continues towards a reckless takeover of healthcare. Nancy Pelosi is hoping to schedule a vote for tomorrow at 6 pm. It is certain that she will get zero Republican votes, and uncertain whether she has the Democrat votes she needs.

Those who support this bill and claim to be for more competition, are really against allowing true competition by enabling people to choose the type of health coverage they want, and purchase across state lines.

Instead of legislation which encourages people to carry their own private health insurance coverage, this legislation further entrenches employer-sponsored health insurance – lessening individual choice, and leaving people tied to their employment. (more…)

On Friday I called my Congressional representative Betsy Markey. I wasn’t able to speak directly to her, but I did get a call back from her representative, and we had a nice long talk.

The main thing we talked about how was much the premiums will go up on our customers, and her constituents, if this healthcare reform passes. (That’s looking like a bigger “IF” than ever, by the way).

When it happens, it will be easy to look back in history and see where this has occurred before. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, several states passed legislation that was to guarantee affordable health insurance to all. Here’s a few quotes: (more…)

Will Health Savings Accounts be part of the future healthcare bill? Well, its starting to look questionable whether anything will even pass, but if so, here’s where things stand with Health Savings Accounts:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has now announced that the health care legislation he is drafting will include a government-run health insurance plan, or so-called “public option”. At least the most liberal of the liberals out there are being honest about this, and are for it because it will lead to a single-payer system. But most of the Democrats that support this are saying its purpose is to “increase competition” and “keep the insurance companies honest.”

Politicians saying they want to keep someone else honest. That would be pretty funny, if it weren’t so deceitful and tragic. (more…)

One of the ways Congress plans to change health insurance is to interfere with market pricing based on sex. Anytime government gets involved in the pricing of privately sold goods and services there are some unintended consequences. In this video I talk about what some of those are.

Anyone wonder why it took a week, after voting to pass a healthcare reform bill, for the Senate Finance Committee to post it for the public to view?

All 1500 pages are now available to read here:

http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2009press/prb101909.pdf

Turns out that Senators from “red” states are taking care of themselves in this bill.

Senator Harry Reid’s state of Nevada will be exempt from increased Medicaid expenses that other states will face, for the first 5 years of Obamacare. And there’s more: (more…)

The healthcare reform bills working their way through congress have a lot of fundamental features that people just don’t want. A recent survey conducted by the non-partisan research firm International Communications Research found the following:

71% oppose the individual mandate

Only 21% said they would support a law saying everyone would have to obtain health insurance approved by the government, or pay a tax of $750 or more every year.

68% oppose reducing seniors’ health benefits

One of the ways healthcare reform will be paid for is by reducing spending on Medicare. A majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all oppose this provision. (more…)