Health care reform?

[kitty]

Nikkol,
Yes... the big corp want to drop healthcare. That's really no surprise... But here is the real deal. They would have dropped it any way... They have been looking at ways to advoid giving insurance to employees for years before Obama ever took office....

Here is an perfect example... Most companies want a person to work for them for over 3 months before their healthcare even applies... That was not the case 20 years ago. Many companies also tried to force as many of their employees as possible into HMO's until that became illegal and they have to offer them a choice. I have a relative now that is in serious trouble because she opted for the HMO. She now has cancer but can't go to the top hospitals or doctors because the HMO won't pay for it. Healthcare is not cheap...

Nikkol, this really isn't about the USA being a place that people can come and be able to make money. This is about greed... Most of the companies aren't really "American" to start with... They have branches all over the world and do not care or look to support the American way of life. It's just the opposite. They want to treat us the way they have been treating people in 3rd world countries for decades... They want people to work for little or nuthin... Just look at what they are doing about pension plans... They no longer want to contribute to them... And when the GOP was running the administration they allowed company after company to rob all the employees of their retirement by claiming bankruptcy. But when the company get's dismantled that want to pay themselves first by stealing that money that was put aside for retirement! I see that BS going on all the time...Now it's at the point where the companies don't want to even offer retirement plans to new employees... they have been declaring that they don't want to offer healthcare to new employees either. These are 2 plans that they have been looking at for a long time before now.

These are just two of the reasons that I think a public option should be offered. Nikkol... yes people can still keep the healthcare insurance plans that they have... They will just have to pay a little more for them. But at least now Obama protects them from being dumped from those insurance companies for being sick... Really I just think that so many "fat cats" are just upset that the greed party that got started in the 80's is really over... I mean seriously insurance companies were taking people's money for years... all through the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, then dump them on medicare when they get old... Right around the time that most people will get sick for the first time in their lives. People may not realize it but there are millions of people who have paid into healthcare for over 40 years and then their insurance companies turned around and didn't pay a dime!

I don't know if it was Annoited teacher... but who ever mentioned the current oil spill is right! Ultimately is will be the government that will have to come in and pay for the damage... as well as find a way to stop the spill. Bp doesn't want to fork over the money... I mean seriously they just jacked up an area that will be destoryed possible for the next 50 years before the plant and animal life return. Yet they don't want to be regulated? Pleeeeze spare me! Let them continue to go do that on other countries where people don't have a democratic vote and the governemt doesn't care. But not here!

But while we are on the subject... You asked a very imporant question... Can you come to the USA and get rich??? That's clearly not as easy as it was before but why??? For example what about those miners that lost their lives off the coast of LA? I wondered how much they were getting paid? I mean seriously...BP can't get the oil unless people go down there and seriously risk their lives to get the oil... But are those miner making decent money for that? NOPE! Miners are some of the poorest people in the world. Those people should be making 6 figures just based on the risk alone! But they are being paid peanuts! I doubt they even make 30K! Heck they need the money just to pay for their healthcare alone! Mining coal and oil will make you sick! It wrecks you lungs and causes cancer.


Kitty

[anointedteacher]

author=electladynb board=news thread=2332 post=28015 time=1273512405][quoteYou don't get it..... It was even cheaper before HCR to drop health care cause there wasn't a fine to pay.... NOW cost will be cheaper to pay... all the sudden they want to drop it.... It is because they are not eligible for tax credit... This was their biggest complain when they met at the WH with the President.

1) How much cheaper? Anything to verify this claim?
2) Do you believe that just because someone makes a certain amount of money they should no longer be eligible for tax credit?

Tax credit is for the struggling middle class to help them get back on their feet.... it don't make sense to give to those who don't need it... They are still able to deduct what they paid from their tax.... the different that they are complaining about is that they will not be able to deduct an 100% for Medicare prescription drug, when they are paying only 72%, 28% is subsided by taxpayers... They were making 28% profit off of taxpayers' money... Now they will only be allow to deduct 72% and not an 100%, only what they actually pay... so it still not costing them anything....

3) You believe that the oil spill is due to de-regulations?
4) what defines how to do it "right/fair"?

They knew they were not prepare to deal with an oil spill before they start drilling... Now BP, Halliburton and Transocean all pointing fingers at each other. They need more regulation to make sure it wont happen again... Plus President Obama say BP will pay for the full cost, that includes those who doing the clean up and those who out there to saves the animals, birds that affected.

5) Lowering the cost of health care how? I'm trying to find the information that gives the numbers (I wish I would've saved it) but for some ppl, the cost of their insurance would actually go up based on how much they make....

Because there are more compatition and regulation the cost will decrease... I guess the same ppl who llie and say their tax increase and is now saying cost of their insurance increase.... I don't buy it. What we need is public option to be added or open Medicare for all to buy into it....

6) Just because you have more money doesn't mean that you'd be able to hire more people perse....unless you'd have a reason to hire them.

These corporations are full of it... They are complaining about 28% taxpayers' money they can nolonger get tax deductions.... ha ha ha ;D .... They were making money off of other ppl money and act like they were doing their retirees a favor.. Instead giving out big bonus... they should expand and hire more... but these greedy cow don't care about the ppl in this country.


EXPLAIN TO ME NIKKOL... Why should these corporations get tax deductions on government money? The government gave them 1 billion dollar to cover prescription drugs, than they used to get another billion write-off from there taxes... do it make sense? Obama closed the loophole!!!

Another false alarm by the uninformed right.... ppl need wait before screaming.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/27/att-plans-1-billion-charg_n_515747.html

NEW YORK — AT&T Inc. will take a $1 billion non-cash accounting charge in the first quarter because of the health care overhaul and may cut benefits it offers to current and retired workers.

The charge is the largest disclosed so far. Earlier this week, AK Steel Corp., Caterpillar Inc., Deere & Co. and Valero Energy announced similar accounting charges, saying the health care law that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday will raise their expenses. On Friday, 3M Co. said it will also take a charge of $85 million to $90 million.

All five are smaller than AT&T, and their combined charges are less than half of the $1 billion that AT&T is planning. The $1 billion is a third of AT&T's most recent quarterly earnings. In the fourth quarter of 2009, the company earned $3 billion on revenue of $30.9 billion.

AT&T said Friday that the charge reflects changes to how Medicare subsidies are taxed. Companies say the health care overhaul will require them to start paying taxes next year on a subsidy they receive for retiree drug coverage.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the tax law closed a loophole.

Under the 2003 Medicare prescription drug program, companies that provide prescription drug benefits for retirees have been able to receive subsidies covering 28 percent of eligible costs. But they could deduct the entire amount they spent on these drug benefits – including the subsidies – from their taxable income.[/u]
The new law allows companies to only deduct the 72 percent they spent.

AT&T also said Friday that it is looking into changing the health care benefits it offers because of the new law. Analysts say retirees could lose the prescription drug coverage provided by their former employers as a result of the overhaul.

Changes to benefits are unlikely to take effect immediately. Rather, the issue would most likely come up as part of contract negotiations between the company and unions representing its employees and retirees. AT&T is the largest private employer of union workers in the U.S.

Story continues below
Candice Johnson, spokeswoman for the Communications Workers of America, which represents more than 160,000 AT&T workers, said these employees have contracts in place until 2012. An agreement covering retirees also runs through 2012.

AT&T rival Verizon Communications Inc. was among 10 companies that sent a letter to congressional leaders in December warning that their costs would increase with the health care changes. Verizon spokesman Peter Thonis said the company had no comment.

Also on Friday, Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said they are asking the CEOs of Caterpillar, Verizon, Deere and others to testify at an April 21 House subcommittee hearing on claims that the health care law could hurt their ability to provide health insurance to workers.

Shares in AT&T, which is based in Dallas, climbed 9 cents to close Friday at $26.24.

[anointedteacher]

Read this article too....

www.fastcompany.com/1599951/healthcare-bill-will-cost-att-1-billion-may-lead-to-cut-in-retiree-drug-coverage-whos-to-bla

The 28% of government hand out is the 1 billion dollar they are talking about... they can't get tax deduction on that amount.... but they can deduct what they actually paid... the 72%

[Nikkol]

Well, just got word that my health insurance is going up.... thanks to the health care reform.....

[krazeeboi]

That should have been expected. You get more people on the rolls, including sick people, and you're bound to have some premium increases.

[kitty]

Nikkol....
It's an insurance company.... Your rates were going to go up anyway! LOL That's simply how they do business... It's the same with cable companies, telephone, rental agencies, and gas bills. Nope matter what you pay this year... they are going to go up next year.

Now... they just can't actually dump you if you get sick... Thanks to Obamacare...

And>>>> AND>>>> This is a bigg one... They can't put a cap on paying your medical bill for "reasonable" or "reliable" treatment of an illiness.

Kitty

[krazeeboi]

^Very true. I think it's a small price to pay. Now the next thing to do is truly get costs under control. The bill failed to do that initially, so it has to be tweaked in order to make that happen.

[anointedteacher]

^Thanks to the Conservative Dem and Rep who weaken the bill... But it is a foot in the door to make a change. If we vote in a strong Dem in the House and Senators, we may can strengthen HCR and get Public Option and put a stronger cap on insurance. Here in Florida, we have Humana One, single payer insurance, that is reasonable. The health care is much better since the reform, and many thing are just being put in place....

Nikkol... Sorry HCR is still good for American...

[anointedteacher]

These corporations are full of it... They are complaining about 28% taxpayers' money they can nolonger get tax deductions.... ha ha ha .... They were making money off of other ppl money and act like they were doing their retirees a favor.. Instead giving out big bonus... they should expand and hire more... but these greedy cow don't care about the ppl in this country.


EXPLAIN TO ME NIKKOL... Why should these corporations get tax deductions on government money? The government gave them 1 billion dollar to cover prescription drugs, than they used to get another billion write-off from there taxes... do it make sense? Obama closed the loophole!!!


Another false alarm by the uninformed right.... ppl need wait before screaming.


www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/27/att-plans-1-billion-charg_n_515747.html

NEW YORK — AT&T Inc. will take a $1 billion non-cash accounting charge in the first quarter because of the health care overhaul and may cut benefits it offers to current and retired workers.

The charge is the largest disclosed so far. Earlier this week, AK Steel Corp., Caterpillar Inc., Deere & Co. and Valero Energy announced similar accounting charges, saying the health care law that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday will raise their expenses. On Friday, 3M Co. said it will also take a charge of $85 million to $90 million.

All five are smaller than AT&T, and their combined charges are less than half of the $1 billion that AT&T is planning. The $1 billion is a third of AT&T's most recent quarterly earnings. In the fourth quarter of 2009, the company earned $3 billion on revenue of $30.9 billion.

This part of what I've post back in May.... I wonder how much tax revenue came in since they close the tax loopholes. At&t brought in 1 billion dollar a year alone! We won't know still next years how much all those corporations combine bring in, it may add up to 50+ billion dollars.... The tax cut for the top 2% cost us in a 10 years period 2.11 trillion dollars or more... in tax revenue... The HCR will bring in 1.8 trillion with in a few year after it pay off the cost.

[Nikkol]

I still don't like it....esp since it also forces ppl that really didn't want insurance to have it....but it's spilled milk now.

[anointedteacher]

Sept 16, 2010 11:48:02 GMT -5 Nikkol said:

I still don't like it....esp since it also forces ppl that really didn't want insurance to have it....but it's spilled milk now.

If those same ppl ended up in the ER is the flu... who going to pay for it?... If they bring their children who just have a bad cold into the ER, who going to pay for it?.... If they ended up with cancer and need surgery, who going to pay for it?.. Our health care goes up, because who don't have insurance and don't paid the ER bill.

Why do ppl especially those who call themselves Christians defend the rich and corporations? the Bible tell us to defend the poor, fatherless, widows and the strangers from the OT thru the NT. We have these Conservative Republicans Christians the against anything and everything that will befenfit the middle class and poor, equal right, equal pay, and education.... but call themselves Real American, while trying to destroy her.

[giantsdodie]

Sept 15, 2010 6:35:18 GMT -5 Nikkol said:

Well, just got word that my health insurance is going up.... thanks to the health care reform.....

REALLY Nikkol are you serious

I do the healthcare for my job and the premium goes up EVERY year WITHOUT FAIL for the last 8 years in a row.. sometimes a little sometimes a lot... before there ever was a healthcare reform bill...

Im sorry but some of the stuff we blame things on is just too much..

[Nikkol]

Sept 16, 2010 23:39:43 GMT -5 giantsdodie said:

Sept 15, 2010 6:35:18 GMT -5 Nikkol said:

Well, just got word that my health insurance is going up.... thanks to the health care reform.....

REALLY Nikkol are you serious

I do the healthcare for my job and the premium goes up EVERY year WITHOUT FAIL for the last 8 years in a row.. sometimes a little sometimes a lot... before there ever was a healthcare reform bill...

Im sorry but some of the stuff we blame things on is just too much..

Actually mine hadn't gone up.....

And all I said was "Well, just got word that my health insurance is going up.... thanks to the health care reform....." My statement still rings true....

[Nikkol]

Sept 16, 2010 19:11:25 GMT -5 anointedteacher said:

Sept 16, 2010 11:48:02 GMT -5 Nikkol said:

I still don't like it....esp since it also forces ppl that really didn't want insurance to have it....but it's spilled milk now.

If those same ppl ended up in the ER is the flu... who going to pay for it?... If they bring their children who just have a bad cold into the ER, who going to pay for it?.... If they ended up with cancer and need surgery, who going to pay for it?.. Our health care goes up, because who don't have insurance and don't paid the ER bill.

Why do ppl especially those who call themselves Christians defend the rich and corporations? the Bible tell us to defend the poor, fatherless, widows and the strangers from the OT thru the NT. We have these Conservative Republicans Christians the against anything and everything that will befenfit the middle class and poor, equal right, equal pay, and education.... but call themselves Real American, while trying to destroy her.

Now, let's understand that not everyone without insurance ends up in the ER....I was just reading that it doesn't appear that the # of uninsured ppl going to the Emergency room is very high....but this is all a moot point.

Please...let's not make the statement that gives the impression that "If you don't like the bill, you're trying to defend the rich and corporations." That's not true.

But my MAIN point was just that part of the reason my insurance is going up is because of the HCR....that's it.

[anointedteacher]

Sept 17, 2010 7:40:42 GMT -5 Nikkol said:

Sept 16, 2010 19:11:25 GMT -5 anointedteacher said:

If those same ppl ended up in the ER is the flu... who going to pay for it?... If they bring their children who just have a bad cold into the ER, who going to pay for it?.... If they ended up with cancer and need surgery, who going to pay for it?.. Our health care goes up, because who don't have insurance and don't paid the ER bill.

Why do ppl especially those who call themselves Christians defend the rich and corporations? the Bible tell us to defend the poor, fatherless, widows and the strangers from the OT thru the NT. We have these Conservative Republicans Christians the against anything and everything that will befenfit the middle class and poor, equal right, equal pay, and education.... but call themselves Real American, while trying to destroy her.

Now, let's understand that not everyone without insurance ends up in the ER....I was just reading that it doesn't appear that the # of uninsured ppl going to the Emergency room is very high....but this is all a moot point.

Did I say everything? Those states that don't have clinic for those without insurance, will have an high level of un-necessary visit to the ER... especially children with ear infection and flu/cold. It is high enough, that those who need emergency attention is not getting serve fast enough... twice someone in the ER die before seeing a doctor, before too many ppl their with minor problem... Here, in Miami, They open a place for non-emergency sickness... They tell those who don't have insurance to come there for non-emergency sickness... We have clinic that charge according to your income... you are given a medical card and you only paid when you visit... It may be just $5 to 35....

Please...let's not make the statement that gives the impression that "If you don't like the bill, you're trying to defend the rich and corporations." That's not true.

No... I am not giving any impression about the HCR... Why defend AT&T over the HCR? Why are you against something that will help so many ppl... PPl are dying because their insurance companies cut them off or denied because of pre-exist sickness... Do you care about ppl?

But my MAIN point was just that part of the reason my insurance is going up is because of the HCR....that's it.

Your MAIN point is to attack the HCR, cause we all know their is always a cost of living increase every year....