Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

SHRED

(28,136 posts)
Sun Oct 6, 2013, 11:05 AM Oct 2013

On review...here's what WE compromised

From our side of the political spectrum (Left) we wanted this (below).
A truly Public Health Insurance program.

What we got instead was the ACA (Obamacare) which is a HUGE compromise, by comparison, that favors the private corporate sector which Republicans claim to love so much.
And they are still not happy as they have shutdown the government over it.

---




http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single-payer-faq

7% tax on employers
2% add'l tax on employees' paychecks.
no deductibles
no co-pays

Full medical, hospital, dental, vision, mental health, and long term care

A universal public system would be financed in the following way: The public funds already funneled to Medicare and Medicaid would be retained. The difference, or the gap between current public funding and what we would need for a universal health care system, would be financed by a payroll tax on employers (about 7%) and an income tax on individuals (about 2%). The payroll tax would replace all other employer expenses for employees’ health care, which would be eliminated. The income tax would take the place of all current insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket payments. For the vast majority of people, a 2% income tax is less than what they now pay for insurance premiums and out-of-pocket payments such as co-pays and deductibles, particularly if a family member has a serious illness. It is also a fair and sustainable contribution.

Currently, 47 million people have no insurance and hundreds of thousands of people with insurance are bankrupted when they have an accident or illness. Employers who currently offer no health insurance would pay more, but those who currently offer coverage would, on average, pay less. For most large employers, a payroll tax in the 7% range would mean they would pay slightly less than they currently do (about 8.5%). No employer, moreover, would gain a competitive advantage because he had scrimped on employee health benefits. And health insurance would disappear from the bargaining table between employers and employees.

Of course, the biggest change would be that everyone would have the same comprehensive health coverage, including all medical, hospital, eye care, dental care, long-term care, and mental health services. Currently, many people and businesses are paying huge premiums for insurance so full of gaps like co-payments, deductibles and uncovered services that it would be almost worthless if they were to have a serious illness.
2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
On review...here's what WE compromised (Original Post) SHRED Oct 2013 OP
IOW: Hey, GOP- We already compromised. Now let it go and STFU. NYC_SKP Oct 2013 #1
I like your info there Roland99 Oct 2013 #2
 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
1. IOW: Hey, GOP- We already compromised. Now let it go and STFU.
Sun Oct 6, 2013, 11:12 AM
Oct 2013

ACA is the best we could do and we need to hang on to that much.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»On review...here's what W...