Senate health panel readies gov't insurance option

[Terri]

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press
July 1, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators on a key committee are putting the finishing touches on a government health insurance option that they hope will win broad support among Democrats and the public.

According to a draft summary circulating Tuesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee proposal calls for a nationwide plan to be run by the federal government. An upfront loan from taxpayers would get the plan started, but it would have to pay its own way after a few months, relying on premiums collected from beneficiaries to stay solvent.

The public plan would be offered alongside private coverage through new insurance purchasing pools called exchanges. The government option would have to follow the same consumer protection rules as private plans it competes with.

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[excop]

I'm totally opposed to any furtherance of a national health care plan. I don't think that the citizens in favor of this realize what they are going to get and therefore don't know what they are supporting. They just know it sounds good. For God sakes think for your self just once.

1. First Medicaid and Medicare as managed by the government are total failures. While the elderly and poor need health insurance the govt. has show they cannot run it effectively. There are billions of dollars in fraud claims every year in this program and very little is done to effectively stop it. Now we are talking about expanding this incompetence 100 fold.

2. Illegal aliens will also have benefit of this insurance. The state of California alone paid more than $487 millions dollars for health care for illegal aliens last year. Can you conceive how much money that will be for all 50 states. Do you understand who pays for this? The government has no money except through the taxation of us. Do you understand that there are some 12 million illegal aliens in this country? Do you understand that this country is borrowing every dime of this cost because for all practical purposes this nation is broke now.

3. Do you not understand that private insurance companies cannot compete with this national government plan? Not because the actual cost is cheaper but because when the Govt plan needs more money the Govt. will simply tax the citizens more and provide the money without an increase in rates to the insured. The insurance companies can only raise rates to the insured. This will result in more and more private companies going out of business because more and more companies and people will switch over to the Govt. Plan because it cost them less. Once the Govt. Plan is the only option, you will then see health care rationing a reality in this country and there will be nothing you can do about it. The govt. will decide if you get the medical services you need and you will have no option if they say NO. This is not to mention the shortage of nurses and doctors that will occur because of this and the long waits for medical service even when approved.

This administration is leading this country to financial disaster and many are following like sheep to the slaughter house. The citizens o9f the nation had better wake up NOW once this passes it's over.

[thomas]

We are blepped! With the Franken senate win there is no way to stop the fools in congress from voting in any damn bill they want. Unfortunately I doubt we will be able to undo the harm to our nation that the national health care and cap and trade bills cause, if conservatives regain a majority in the future. These bills will wreck our representative republic, destroy the middle class, raise taxes, severely limit our personal freedoms, encourage individual failure and government dependence (welfare), put us in harms way from our enemies, cause terrible consequences, intended and unintended not yet imagined and we will not be able to undo the damage. We are bleeped!!! I curse our enemies and weep for our nation.
The Old Chief