LETTER TO FINANCE CHAIRMAN FROM SIX SENATE DEMS: “There are many, wide-ranging options to address the broad and complicated issue of runaway health care costs, and we pledge our support to you in making the necessary and tough decisions. This is our number one priority. If we pass health reform legislation without addressing the issue of health care spending, we will have failed.”
(Sens. Kohl, McCaskill, Pryor, Begich, Bayh, and Klobuchar, Letter To Sen. Baucus, 9/17/09)
Hmm...lets' look into this a bit more.
Administration’s Own Actuary Says The Reid Bill Makes Health Care More Expensive Than Doing Nothing At All
CMS: “…We Estimate That Total National Health Expenditures Under This Bill Would Increase By An Estimated Total Of $234 Billion (0.7 Percent) During Calendar Years 2010-2019…” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2009,’ As Proposed By The Senate Majority Leader On November 18, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.4, 12/10/09)
…
“Current Law Baseline, Total National Health Expenditures (NHE)… Total, CY 2010-2019… $35,253.3 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2009,’ As Proposed By The Senate Majority Leader On November 18, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.33, 12/10/09)
“Proposed-PPACA, Total National Health Expenditures (NHE)… Total, CY 2010-2019… $35,487.4 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2009,’ As Proposed By The Senate Majority Leader On November 18, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.33, 12/10/09)
“Impact Of PPACA, Total National Health Expenditures (NHE)… Total, CY 2010-2019… $234.1 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Financial Effects Of The ‘Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2009,’ As Proposed By The Senate Majority Leader On November 18, 2009,” Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, P.34, 12/10/09)
It appears the Dems are failing.
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1 comment:
If the recent debate on health care has taught us anything...it's that the consumer is not in the driver's seat on this.
Drug Companies, Insurance companies, Hospitals, and doctors...the ones that set the pricing for medical care...all have their high paid lobbyist prowling the halls of congress, dishing promises of golf outings, campaign contributions, future employment and other goodies to the hungry members of congress.
As long as money is being waved in front of our elected representatives...don't expect them to pay much attention to voters. After all even elections are won by slick ads that cost money...so follow the money , right?
My wife and I have found a solution that seems to work for us...
Health care beyond America's borders.
With medical costs a fraction of what the health care industry charges us in the US, we've found excellent affordable health care in Thailand, of all places..even without insurance.
To woo the cash strapped and weary American uninsured and underinsured, The Thais (and Indians, Malaysian, and Singaporeans) have built excellent private hospital system that provide top notch care for a fraction of the costs in the US.
These hospitals are accredited and follow the same standards as in the US. In fact they outperform US hospitals in service and care.
Yet you can expect to pay 1/10th to 1/20th what it cost for the same procedure in the US.
Heart Bypass...US $150,000.
Hear Bypass..Thailand $15,000
My minor throat surgery for disphagia...US $2500
Thailand $100.
(That was 1 year ago today and I am back in the US... very much alive.)
In fact in Thailand most people have no use for health insurance. Prices are so affordable that Thais would rather save the insurance premiums and bank it.
While we in the US get hit twice....once by the insurance company...and the second time by the medical profession. So we pay twice for health care.
And don't think that you are safe with insurance in America. Check your insurance policy for hidden costs like deductibles, copays and insurance caps and you will be shocked to find that health care coverage is VERY LIMITED
The US health care system is a train wreck hurtling down the mountainside with hope that anything...even the health care proposals in Congress can fix.
As long as the people who stand to gain the most profit from health care are calling the shots...people who rely on the US health care system are SCREWED.
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