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What does the health care bill mean for me and you?

Posted 22 months ago|5 comments|4,456 views

The health care bill: what does it mean?

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What health care reform , health care reform mean , what health care bill , health care bill summary , health care bill means

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Chris D
Seattle, WA

So now that the health care reform bill has passed the House of Representatives, what can we expect in the coming weeks?

First the Senate must pass the reconciliation health care bill that the House passed on Sunday. (They can't make any changes.) Once the Senate passes the modified health care reform bill, it will be sent to President Obama's desk. He'll sign it immediately, of course. But then what will happen?

If the health care reform bill does become law, both the Democrats and the Republicans will face lengthy legal battles. The state attorney generals in Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, and others have pledged to file federal lawsuits after the health care reform bill is signed.

According to the Democrats' website, after the health care reform bill passes, there will be several "immediate benefits." They say that the bill will:

"Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children; provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool; lower seniors' prescription drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole…"

In complete opposition, the Republican Party's website refers to the health care reform bill as:

"…the first vote for the end of representative government…that encourages out of control spending, increased national debt and does nothing to control the cost of health care."

But Reuters has the absolute best summary of what the Health Care Bill actually will do. They break it down in a sort of timeline: what you can expect from the health care bill this year and in the future.

Check it out here.

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AdamE
Atlanta, GA

22 months ago: My taxes will skyrocket and I can hardly keep up with them now. I employ several people (all American citizens by my choice) and may have to outsource the work overseas. I pay them enough to buy their own insurance now, but how this will play out is very uncertain. I will have to scrap any thoughts of hiring more. there are so many things the Dems could do to Really help people like repealing the criminal bankruptcy bill passed a few years ago, or limiting the H1B visas that take jobs.

Many things in this bill are fantastic regulations that should have been passed before, but the way they are accomplishing these regs, the bad outweighs the good. If they had used a tiny bit of innovation and some new ideas this could have been much better than the cobbled together monster that it is.

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scotmanster

22 months ago: I been hearing the same many will have to ship their companies overseas after the tax increase. Crying shame people can see past the vote. I hear many say it is better than nothing, what a disgrace, what a gamble but we are talking about a society that caused the housing bubble so what do your expect from spoiled children.

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Altruist
Eugene, OR

22 months ago: The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the exchanges would ease small business insurance costs, albeit only marginally: premiums in the small-group market are forecast to fall between 1% and 4% under the exchanges, while the amount of coverage would rise by up to 3%.

* For the next four years, until the SHOP Exchanges are set up, businesses with 10 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees earning less than $25,000 a year on average will be eligible for a tax credit of 35% of health insurance costs. (Companies with between 11 and 25 workers and an average wage of up to $50,000 are eligible for partial credits.)

The tax credit will remain in place, increasing to 50% of costs, for the first two years a company buys insurance through its state exchange. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the tax credit will affect about 12% of individuals covered via the small-group insurance market, lowering their cost of insurance by between 8% and 11%.

Taken from:http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/22/smallbusiness/small_business_health_reform/

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sixholdens

22 months ago: If you send your work overseas, take your business with it and stop doing business in the US. Sounds harsh but why do you think people can't afford health care? Their job got shipped overseas. At least you say you pay your people enough to buy health insurance, which is saying you pay them at least $1,200 more per month than other workers so they can afford full health insurance and not the cheap stuff. I didn't dream that $1,200 up, the last place I worked the company paid $795 per employee and the employee paid $3-500 for family coverage at 80% with a deductable of $500 per person, that was six years ago....

I've seen businesses that refused to pay for employee health insurance or give raises so they could, all because the owner refused to decrease his own high life style, cars, boats, Humvees, vacation trips two or three times a year to overseas spots, lived high on the hog at the expense of the workers. The answer I got when I asked about it was "The owner took the risk and should reap the benefits". BS. The workers take more risk by accepting employment with someone who promises fairness and then rewards only himself. Employers think workers grow on trees and only need a little "water" once in a while and if one "falls off" they can just go get another at a lesser price. And no, I am not a union supporter or member. Sorry for the mini-rant, you touched a nerve….

I hope that the fines for an individual are low and that no one should ever have to pay one.

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scotmanster

22 months ago: I could not agree more six. Hillary first started pushing this whole everyone is required to have health insurance in her eyes ten years ago NY as senator. I knew she would eventually get it passed, not sure if she made a deal with insurance companies or what but I believe all politicians should be under the same health insurance plans as we are maybe then they would realize what we have to go through.

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