At the end of the day what form of "national health care" do you think we will end up with?

So much is still swirling around, undecided, rumors, lies and half truths.

What do you think we will be forced upon us?

"I can envision a day when you have to show proof of insurance at the job interview" -Hilary Clinton

That is the insurance companies wet dream, hence it is the most likely outcome.

And I'm going to go drink heavily.

But it's going to be a shell game to make people think insurance companies aren't dictating this completely. Pundits have already been using the terms 'private option' and 'single payer' interchangeably. There'll be crocodile tears galore from insurance companies but they'll be laughing up their sleeves.

They'll claim to have a pulic option, it will be run by the states, they'll subcontract it out to a private insurer. Think "Halliburton" only for healthcare. And it will destroy any ability to negotiate practices and prices with the providers.

movement did in the 60s, hit the streets in force. The only problem is there is no health care MLK to lead us. Howard Dean might have filled those shoes, but he seems to be going along with the corporate ideas.

I am not optimistic that the kleptocratic stranglehold on congress will allow anything else.

it will be designed only for the poorest and the unemployed who do not qualify for private insurance, and even then it will be made damned hard to qualify for. I expect many such to "fall through the cracks".

Here in Oregon they made what was hailed as huge advances in coverage by eliminating several things from coverage and "supposedly" making it possible to cover more people. At a time when my wife and I were struggling I thought maybe I should apply for that coverage, turned out that with an income of $804.00 month we made too much money to qualify, I would imagine that the mandated coverage will be along those lines with an income level that will cover mainly the destitute and homeless with no real income. The rest of us will possibly get "tax breaks" to ease the burden which will amount to something that sounds good but as usual in practical terms will mean little since most people in that area really pay no taxes or such a low amount that it amounts to no realistic help. Mandated insurance has been a boon to the auto insurance companies and the health insurance will amount to the same thing. I do not trust the government to do us any good regardless of who is in the Oval office, we still have the same politicians running the country and the dems in the house and senate have shown themselves to be pretty ineffectual,in most cases caving in to the money in the end.

AT MINIMUM we should accept a plan that has a fully funded public option available to anyone who wants to enroll.

Anything less than that is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE as far as I am concerned.

Oh, and you will have three calls a year to a "certified medical specialist" in Bangalore who will ask you intelligent questions like "Are you breathing still now?"

I was going to say: "Take these two placebos, if you don't get better, DIE."

But your relatives will still have to pay the bill!

Sick and sad, ain't it.

Then, when all the health insurance corporations are as bankrupt as GM and all their billionaire executives flee the country to protect their ill-gotten wealth, the Federal Government will pick up whatever pieces are left and Congress will realize "Doh! We own this! We can merge it into medicare!" The result won't be called "single-payer" or anything like "national health care," but that's what it will be.

filter grid at Stand with Dr. Dean showing who in the legislature is/is not/unknown supporting the public option with phone numbers & email addresses.

http://www.openleft.com/

http://standwithdrdean.com/where_congress_stands?chamber=Senate&party=D&state=&hc_status=0&commit=Filter



Also, Ted Kennedy is trying to get WY Sen. Mike Enzi (R) to co-sponsor his bill.

We can't back down!

Nothing is going to be done that will help the people. All that will be done will only benefit the corporation.

Healthcare reform is going to be just like the bankruptcy reform congress put through. It will be written by lobbyists where the main goal is to increase profits.

And everyone will have to carry supplemental to cover what the plan does not. All sorts of services will be denied by the system and you will either have to buck up or die.

affordable premiums to very wealthy or powerful people who are not doctors. These people will either be business people (wealthy) or bureaucrats (powerful)depending on what label we give this "reform" but regardless of what we call it or who they are their job will be to choose how much health care YOU and YOUR FAMILY can't have.

Which I'm guessing is most of it.

national health insurance. Just like now, we'll get care or we'll have it denied. We'll get whatever the insurance companies deign to give us. The more things "change" the more they stay the same.

:(

Been nice knowing all of you.

This will just be the start. We will probably have a bastardized system that really helps the lower income but leaves out much help for middle class. Then over the course of the next 10 years we will get closer to access for all.


-nnnm