It began because my friend’s husband, a diabetic with about a quarter use of his heart, is now in a nursing home after almost dying. He is in the nursing home only until he can get his feet underneath him and then he can come home. At the same time she has a daughter who is severely disabled and frequently hospitalized. On top of her daughter’s on going needs, they will now be billed for her husband’s stay in the rehab center.
The other “friend” ekes a living off Social Security and Medicare.
Neither thinks that “Obamacare” is a good thing. Oh no, he’s bleeding us dry, giving us government intrusions into our lives. Both mocked the Obama’s for how much money they make and that maybe they could come organize their lives. I minded this much. Very FUCKING MUCH.
She is being sucked dry by no job, too many medical bills, and their energy bills and consumption make me quiver in fear. Yet, health care reform that is meant to help people just like her gets her distain.
He could have had a retirement plan, he worked for Bechtold, I mean really he had a good plan until he cashed it in for a piano for his wife. Seriously. Dude, what were you thinking? He was thinking he’d live on Social Security, because by gosh he’s going to get back every penny he paid in (I think he passed that mark years ago) and while he doesn’t want government messing with health care, he has no problem being on Medicare. I’m thinking this greatly pisses me off - he wants wants wants on my tax dollars, but doesn’t care about anyone else.
John Boehner and company wants us to believe that the budget busting, job killing bill would add $701 billion to the national deficit over the next ten years. Nancy Pelosi and cronies want us to believe this will save us $1.3 Trillion over the next ten years. Smoke and Mirrors. They are both blowing smoke up our proverbial skirts (gosh I miss wearing dresses.)
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office states that repealing the health care law would worsen the federal deficit over the next 10 years — by $230 billion. (1)
If I know this, they could know this too. I don’t mind an opposing thought if it’s based on educated knowledge, but on willful ignorance – no way. Instead of intelligent decision making, they will just let the agenda laden talking heads tell them what to know and think, instead of learning for themselves. And yes Virginia, I mind this very much.
Sith,
Cele
1. Fact Check - A Budget Busting Bill.
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3 comments:
I tend to believe the OMB, since they're not on anybody's side but their own. But here's an eye-opener; who do they think pays for care for those who can't? Uh, that would be the rest of us, folks. It's on your hospital bill, if you know where to look. Those of us with insurance are paying a portion of our hospital bills for the uninsured and people on Medicaid, which underpays for care to the extent that a hospital that had nothing but Medicaid patients would be bankrupt inside of a year. (That's Medicaid, health care for the indigent, not Medicare; Medicare is its own kettle of worms and I won't get into it here.)
Furthermore, if five people walk into an E.R. with the same kind of broken arm, all five of them are going to end up getting billed for a different amount depending on whether they have Medicaid, Medicare, worker's compensation, private insurance or no insurance at all. Guess who gets billed the MOST? Yep, the uninsured guy, ie, the one least likely to pay at all. The uninsured guy gets billed full price, like the "rack rate" at a hotel, while the people with various forms of insurance get billed at various discounts like they've shopped at Expedia, Priceline and the like. Why? So in case he declares bankruptcy rather than try to pay his medical bills (and over half of all personal bankruptcies are caused by medical bills), they can enter a claim against what we call his bankruptcy estate for the entire amount.
You can trust me on this, I used to work for a medical billing company. Furthermore, I work for a law firm now, and one of our clients was overcharged 400% for a hospital stay because he didn't have insurance. We're now suing the hospital on the client's behalf, but not every uninsured person knows he or she has rights, nor does he or she always have a law firm willing to go to bat for him or her.
What's the solution? Single payer insurance. Or a public option. Both of which got tossed overboard as not being politically expedient. Obama said he was willing to fix what was wrong with his health care bill. Let's hope he really meant it, and that in a few years' time we can actually have real, meaningful reform. In the meantime, keep those checkbooks handy, folks. And try not to get sick. Cele, sorry I went on overlong.
I agree. But in all truth I think non-profit hospitals are the worse as are most people on long term assistance. We aren't proactive, we just continue to create a society that is codependent and entitled. I honestly believe this begins at home.
I totally agree. The spin is spinning, but history shows that the Repubs promise of fiscal responsibility is a deception so I tend to believe the Dems a little more. Repub railing on the costs of health care as a reason to kill it tells me that what they are really afraid of is that it will succeed and actually reduce costs. Which means reduce profits for their precious Big Pharma and medical junta. And they will lose elections (unless they can make their lies more believable).
Sometimes Canada looks good to me. Second only to Oregon.
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