SMALL BUSINESS TAX CREDITS—Offers tax credits to small businesses to make employee coverage more affordable. Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums will be available to firms that choose to offer coverage. Effective beginning calendar year 2010. (Beginning in 2014, the small business tax credits will cover 50 percent of premiums.)
Increases unemployment. Also very poorly worded. It's spinning the true meaning of the bill.
NO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN WITH PRE‐EXISTING CONDITIONS—Prohibits new health plans in all markets plus grandfathered group health plans from denying coverage to children with pre‐existing conditions. Effective 6 months after enactment. (Beginning in 2014, this prohibition would apply to all persons.)
If it's just children, I can accept this. Will create a higher premium, but understandable.
HELP FOR UNINSURED AMERICANS WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH‐RISK POOL)—Provides access to affordable insurance for Americans who are uninsured because of a pre‐existing condition through a temporary subsidized high‐risk pool. Effective in 2010.
As someone with degrees in both economics and finance, I am really going to try and refrain from commenting about the fallacies of risk pooling. And frankly, I doubt you'd understand anyway.
ENDS RESCISSIONS—Bans insurance companies from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Effective 6 months after enactment.
Doesn't bother me, as long as they were given a clean bill of health upon acquiring insurance.
BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE—Provides a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010. Effective for calendar year 2010. (Beginning in 2011, institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the donut hole; also completely closes the donut hole by 2020.)
Complete lie. It's already been shown that this bill will slash Medicare by 60 billion.
FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER MEDICARE—Eliminates co‐payments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program. Effective beginning January 1, 2011.
I support it.
EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 26TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENTS’ INSURANCE—Requires new health plans and certain grandfathered plans to allow young people up to their 26th birthday to remain on their parents’ insurance policy, at the parents’ choice. Effective 6 months after enactment.
I support it.
HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES—Creates a temporary re‐insurance program (until the Exchanges are available) to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees for health benefits for retirees age 55‐64. Effective in 2010.
Oh this is just funny. This just creates a butterfly effect in forcing businesses to push old people out before they become a huge liability.
BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE—Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage. Effective 6 months after enactment.
Very much against this. This would cause some very sickly people to force redistribution on the taxpayer. It also shirks responsibility away from people who make poor choices. If you smoke 20 years and find yourself unable to be covered because your lung cancer and emphyzema is too expensive, go die in a ditch somewhere off my paycheck.
BANS RESTRICTIVE ANNUAL LIMITS ON COVERAGE—Tightly restricts the use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care in all new plans and grandfathered group health plans. These tight restrictions will be defined by HHS. Effective 6 months after enactment. (Beginning in 2014, the use of any annual limits would be prohibited for all new plans and grandfathered group health plans.)
Same as above.
FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER NEW PRIVATE PLANS—Requires new private plans to cover preventive services with no co‐payments and with preventive services being exempt from deductibles. Effective 6 months after enactment.
I support it.
NEW, INDEPENDENT APPEALS PROCESS—Ensures consumers in new plans have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal decisions by their health insurance plan. Effective 6 months after enactment.
Oh great. Another massive financial drain at the taxpayer's expense. To give you a further idea, the appeal process is the reason why it's more expensive to sentence an inmate to die than it is to imprison him for the rest of his life. Appeals are a waste.
ENSURES VALUE FOR PREMIUM PAYMENTS—Requires plans in the individual and small group market to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on medical services, and plans in the large group market to spend 85 percent. Insurers that do not meet these thresholds must provide rebates to policyholders. Effective on January 1, 2011.
Once again, as above, it creates a huge fallacy with risk management. These guys just have no clue.
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS—Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for nearly a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2011.
Yeah, that's what we need -revolving door medical care. Obama's policies are already going to change a medical labor shortage to a crisis, and now we want to take the few professionals out there and heap even more patients and responsibilities on them. Gee, I wonder if I smell disaster...
INCREASES THE NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE PRACTITIONERS—Provides new investments to increase the number of primary care practitioners, including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2011.
AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SALARY—Prohibits new group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees. Effective 6 months after enactment.
Sounds good. Pretty soon the upper middle class will just take their balls and go home. At least if you didn't punish them, you could keep them in the loop and create a symbiotic relationship with those who don't make as much. If I was in that tax bracket, I'd just get a select premium private insurance, find a doctor that only takes it, and just leave leeching poor people to fend for themselves on the government's dime.
HEALTH INSURANCE CONSUMER INFORMATION—Provides aid to states in establishing offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals with the filing of complaints and appeals. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.
Novel idea, but incredibly costly. Moreso with that employment field crisis I mentioned above.
HOLDS INSURANCE COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNREASONABLE RATE HIKES—Creates a grant program to support States in requiring health insurance companies to submit justification for all requested premium increases, and insurance companies with excessive or unjustified premium exchanges may not be able to participate in the new Health Insurance Exchanges. Starting in plan year 2011.
Not only costly, but discrimination. Absolutely awful.
