FACT - The President gave no commitment to a public option, bit did commit TO PAY OR PUNISH

FACT - The President gave no commitment to a public option, bit did commit To mandatory insurance.


THIS IS CODE: IT MEANS TRILLIONS FOR BIG INSURANCE.


The very real possibility exists that we may be forced to buy CHEAP, UNUSABLE private insurance.


THE FINE ONE PAYS UNDER HIS PLAN (HR3200) DOES NOT GO TO YOUR INSURANCE. IT IS PUNISHMENT FOR THE WORKING POOR.

AFTER YOU PAY YOU WILL NOT BE COVERED FOR ANYTHING!


No commitment to bulk drug purchasing.

No way to opt out of your private insurance and get the public if your in a company plan.

You'll be fined 2.5 percent of your yearly salary but still not be covered (according to HR 3200):


"2) SEC. 401. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE", should AT A MINIMUM be amended to apply this tax to the persons premiums, and, when paid, should fully cover the person for the next calendar year.

Better yet, just take out our premiums in our payroll taxes for the public option.

This PAY OR PUNISH PROVISION is completely outrageous and unacceptable, IMHO.

Why would we tax the working poor after the fact as a penalty, rather than before the fact to make sure they are covered? It is taxation without remuneration or benefit. In a way it is fining you for simply simply being alive. What this will produce are cheap plans by fly-by-night insurers that meet the legal requirement, but actually pay no benefits.



In essence, the PAY OR PUNISH PROVISION MUST BE CHANGED TO PAY AND PROVIDE, at minimum, or removed



From HR3200:
"SEC. 401. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE.
SEC. 59B. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE.
`(a) Tax Imposed- In the case of any individual who does not meet the requirements of subsection (d) at any time during the taxable year, there is hereby imposed a tax equal to 2.5 percent of the excess of--
`(1) the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income for the taxable year, over
`(2) the amount of gross income specified in section 6012(a)(1) with respect to the taxpayer. "

and there is it's fatal flaw --

and of course -- as you can tell from comments here -- moderates want to fix it after it passes.

of course so do the republicans.

good luck with all that.

Do you want health care for all as long as it doesn't cost you a cent to help someone else or even yourself?

If you are a taxpayer, then under a real public option you are "paying your share." And if your wages are so low that you effectively pay no Federal Income Tax (of course, you still pay a multitude of other taxes in the form of fees, sales taxes, etc.)then your coverage is indeed "paid for" by others - as it is in any other civilized country.
edit for sp typo

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It guarantees that any gains made by the working class and working poor to drag themselves out of this depression in the next decade will go directly to private ins. companies. Anyone who is financially subsidized will effectively be working not to get ahead but to pay ins. companies more money for shitty overpriced ins. as they struggle to work their way up the subsidized ladder.

Not only are the ins. corps getting a massive welfare program through subsidies, at least 40 million new customers and counting they get the majority of americans working their behinds off not to get ahead and save a bit but to turn any gains over to ins. companies as a result of reduced subsidies.

we get a very weak public option. MAYBE!

That is what he said.

We need to go back to square 1 and hammer through single payer.

Bogus and disengenuous.

That is exactly the same thing, and we have tax credits for tons of things.

This is aside from the fact that people who are poor will have fully subsidized premiums, and people who are not as poor will still have partially subsidized premiums. People who are not poor but for whom healthcare costs too much will be exempt from the mandate.

when he clearly came out fighting for the public option. I guess you posted before the speech? :shrug: In any event, I'm sure the video is posted here in the video forum. :)

If that door gets pried open wide enough a few people squeezing through will hold the door open for the rest of us.

IMHO.