Wednesday, November 3, 2010

EOC week 5:health care reform

The health care issue, is in today’s  time is the most important issue of our time, with the newest set of Baby Boomers now reaching the age of 65, the idea of who is going to take care of me is massive important. The massive Burdon to the generation X, of which are the offspring to the baby boomers, is a hardship that most of us do not like to face. Using a example; in a typical month, a 67 year old widow of who is medically handicapped , living on a fixed income must spend about  1/3 of her income on prescription drugs, and must every month decided on what bill does not get paid, in the new health care reform she will spend on average 36,035 on out of pocket expense in order to pay for theses cost before the government will step in to pay for any of it, now on a average a women such as that will have a income on or about $12000.00 a year,(http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032007/health/h01_001.htm)  now this will not include the need to see her doctor once every 6 months or so, it will also require her to fund her own supplement care on a month by month bases. It is said that with the government involved it will, in the past 10 years the increase of health care cost has skyrocketed and this is done in part for the government involvement. The numbers are staggering (The uninsured and self-employed would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges with subsidies available to individuals and families with income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level.  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000846-503544.html) and how will this be paid for (Medicare Payroll tax on investment income -- Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be expanded to include unearned income. That will be a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for families making more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for individuals). http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000846-503544.html) 

However without any government involvement the health care industry will go completely unchecked and unregulated and the baby boomers will be seen as a cash cow ready to be harvested, (Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition.
  • Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.
  • Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent's insurance plans until age 26th.
  • The bill segregates private insurance premium funds from taxpayer funds. Individuals would have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds.
  • No health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage. States could pass legislation choosing to opt out of offering abortion coverage through the exchange. )
So as a society we do have a choice and that choice is that change no matter how hard must happen if we are to grow as a group and as a nation.

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