Is the health insurance reform bill now supposed to be in it’s final composition is going to be derailed because of the Democrats lose the seat vacated by Ted Kennedy?
This is going to be very interesting as things are beginning to unravel for the Rock Star President! Most of the democrats are blaming Mr. Obama for the Dems losing that valuable seat and traditional Senate Seat.
But does it really tip the balance on how the health care reform bill will be pass or not? My personal view on this is that it is going to be difficult for the Republicans to derail the inevitable passing of the bill. Only time will tell!
The other question is the what is going to happen to the public health insurance option? Public health care is very much needed and they need to have that incorporated into the bill regardless or it is run by the government or not.
But with the democrats losing more seats to the Republicans, it will obviously become harder for the President to get his programs and plans to get favorable treatment from congress.
What they need with the health care reform bill is by-partisan passing so that it will have support from the people and will eventually become a more popular and accepted health care and one that really works for every American.
There are so many things that can happen and if they are going to happen, the Health Care reform Bill may stall. The reason for this is the special elections that are about to happen. These two seats in the senate can give the Republicans to to do some damage or may stall the final passing of the bill especially with a lot of people being unhappy with the government of Mr. Obama tilting to what they felt is Socialism.
There are two seats to that needs to be filled and the seat of the late Ted Kennedy which was suppose to be a no problem for the Democrats is not a big problem for them if they can their candidate to win. About two weeks ago the white house according to news suggest that they are in control but now they have doubts if they still win it.
This will be huge loss for the Dems if they cannot win the two seats as this are crucial to the passing of the health care reform bill.
And how about the public health insurance option? Is there any talk about it? I think it is almost dead but my guess is that somehow they will make it available to the more needy people.
I hope they will include a part of the bill where all Americans can have health insurance even at least a basic one. It would be great to have a more comparable health insurance to Canada and Australia.
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There is so much vote buying going around the Senate just to pass or to get a few of their colleagues to be in favor of the Health Care Reform Bill. Yes! it did pass by 60 to 40 votes and there is a reason to celebrate because this has never been done by the past 6 US presidents. But vote buying? This is appalling to me. There has always been the backroom deals but never heard of anything in this magnitude or proportions. Giving these Senators hundreds of millions to thee pet projects is totally unacceptable. With no public health insurance option totally strip in the Senate and it’s still favored in the lower house, I just don’t see how this is going pan out.
For a layman like me, it is very hard to comprehend how the magnitude on how far they go just to get these votes even it is so unpopular to masses. How can a trusted lawmaker stomach that kind of deals or bribery? is there anything ethical or morally right these days or simply these words are just writing on the encyclopedia?
A 100 million for the lawmaker from Louisiana so they can secure her vote! Compromise on how to tax other health services such increasing one and the getting rid of the other just to satisfy the request for a senators State. Public health care should be given to every American citizen but not at this expense.
The Health Care Reform bill has gone too far and has disregard the very foundation of what the US pres. profess to do. Clean and transparent government and upholding ethical and moral values.
Can any one step in and say “with TEETH” this has gone too far and has to Stop!???
Good Luck America!
Now the Senate democrats have the number to push the Health Care Reform bill to pass before the Christmas timetable. Senator Ben Nelson who was a hold out and wanted some more changes to abortion part of the bill got his wishes. So now they have the Magic 60 votes to get through Senate. The remains if the public health insurance option would still be an option. Or did they change the wording on it and would still have the public health care option?
This is Big Win for Pres Obama who has been the main supporter and or probably the author of this bill in essence. Whether we will see the public health insurance option or not the passage of the Health Care Reform bill is almost a done deal!
This is very great news to all democrats and Americans who were in favor of this health care reform but great sadness for those republicans and other Americans who thought that it will cut a lot of the services going to Medicare and left some seniors in serious trouble.
There are two sides to this and if this bill passes through it got to have the real value otherwise people would shouting on the streets for a hush-hush health care reform.
The other question now is who are the winners and losers in all of this big debate and sometime personal debates between the Democrats and the Republicans?
Some of the health care insurer are going to be hit by this and some estimates has it some will close down and since the economy is very weak and still a working progress, companies closing down is the last thing you need to see.
With the news of Senator Ben Nelson not yet in favor of the health care reform bill, the Democrats badly needed his vote to make the 60 votes needed to prevent the filibuster from the Republicans.
Sen. Ben Nelson withheld his vote because he needed to see more stricter rules on abortion and unless it is modified he is withholding his vote. This bill is fully supported by Pres. Obama.
The problem of democrats to get this done before Christmas become unrealistic when when Sen. Olympia Snowe said after a meeting with the President that the timetable given is “totally unrealistic” According to the AP Associated Press news from yahoo news online.
This has put any chance of getting some form of publicly funded public health insurance option for people who cannot afford it. With the strong lobbying by big insurance companies for the bill not to pass has makes things worse for the President and the Democrats who have tabled this bill.
Without the public health insurance option or public health care option on the table or on the bill, it will be hard for those 47 million or whatever the number is, to get any decent type or form of health insurance.
This will most likely not going to pass the Senate floor before the Christmas timetable that Pres. Obama has said.
I just hope that these Senators will have some kind of a compromise to this historical health reform bill so that Americans can get what they deserve.
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The public health insurance option is now back on track and the democrats are hoping this could be “it”. With an “State Opt Out ” clause so that if they do not like it they can opt of of the program. What a mess!? we’ll see what is going to happen soon.
That is a big “it” because there are still many who dissatisfied with how this bill will work and with huge government undertaking and managing, you will never know how it will pan out. The pros are eager to go ahead and that the senate part will also go through but that would still remains to be seen.
Public option for health insurance is actually an excellent idea but if the government is running it will be someday become a huge behemoth that can spun out of control just like the big and oldest banks and or financial institutions in the US.
Too much government can also cripple an ailing economy. Whether this will the real thing and finally pass it’s way to the president’s office for signature, it will still get into rough waters as too many people and bureaucrats do not agree this is good idea. Though they have included a clause that will the other States who doesn’t really want it can “opt out”. But then again this is the reality with Government run Health Insurance Corporation. Now you have to ask the state senate and then get them to vote on teh public option and if they like, it has to be signed by the State Governor. What a waste of time and money for the government!? It is like doing it all over again except its at the confines of the State.
Anyways, there are a lot of more knowledgeable people and consultants who are payed to study this things so good luck America!!!
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Most of the White house aides to President Obama is downplaying the public option and their leader is no longer demanding a government run health care system. With all the opposition form the Senate from both the Republican and the Democrats, it seems that Obama has mellowed down and will not like to see a government run health care system. These war of words from the within the democratic party has echoed through the halls of power!
The differences amongst the democrats is not good in the eyes of many Americans as it just has created more confusion and getting more unfavorable response even the ardent follower of Obama. So where does the public health insurance option go from here!?
Obama still thinks that the best health system will include the public option health insurance but because of the many senators opposing it, he has mellowed down to something that will in effect diminish his power – this is just my opinion.
To read more on this pronouncements from the online news, read more here…
I would really appreciate any comments on this matter and hopefully, together we can make a difference…
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Julie
According to former DNC chairman and governor Howard Dean, the public health insurance option is worth fighting for. He was a quest blogger at Thinkporgress.org post and written some interesting post about how and why the public health insurance option is indeed worth fighting for.
But if you think about it, this is Howard Dean after all so it must be pro DNC type of article or view and opinion of the debate about Obama’s Health care reform plan. While he put forward to best of what is yet to come or possibly what is going to happen if we have a public health insurance option , it remains to be seen if this particular proposed bill will go through congress.
For more on Howard Deans Blog Post- Why The Public Health Insurance Option Is Worth Fighting For
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The current debate on health reform is getting lost in the numbers and dollars game in Congress. The arguments have become about price. What is the cheaper option? How can we pay for it? What is the best value? It is about the health insurance industry defending its ground, and attempting to maintain the current status quo. It is about how this industry may continue to make substantial profits out of the misery of all those patients who are sick, while maintaining a system that encourages them to avoid making payments as much as possible, to either patients or doctors. It is about a system where large special interests are able to negotiate low payments to doctors who have little bargaining power or strength, and which leads doctors to increasingly insist that patients pay them directly, rather than go through their insurers, hence letting the insurers completely off the financial hook.
Let’s put a real human face on what is happening in American healthcare at present.
As a physician working in a major academic medical center in California, let me tell a few stories of some of the horrors that I have seen that are directly caused by the appalling way that American healthcare is organized and paid for. These stories are clear evidence that we cannot continue with our current system of insurance funding. We simply have to have a public insurance option available to offer choice to all Americans, and to create competition for private insurance companies which they just don’t have at present.
Firstly let me say that I am extremely proud to be working in this medical center, which last year provided over $160 million of uncompensated care to the uninsured. This is about double the year before, a fact that is directly the consequence of the recession, increased numbers of uninsured patients, and an increased level of social poverty.
Think of the middle-aged homeless woman with diabetes who was admitted yet again with pneumonia. She has been sleeping rough, and in great personal danger having been assaulted numerous times. She cannot get out of a cycle of poverty, homelessness, illness and peril, and every time she recovers in hospital, it is sickening for the medical and nursing staff to know that she is being discharged to the street, where the cycle will continue. She has no insurance, no family, no future and no hope. Her medical prognosis is dreadful, she is unable to receive any regular follow up care for her diabetes, and she will probably not live for more than a few years unless there are major changes in her situation. She desperately needs good medical and social care, but there is little for her to receive, and she ends up costing society a huge amount because of her multiple expensive hospital admissions, occurring because she has no regular outpatient care. She would be so much better off with regular public health insurance, and would at least have a chance of breaking this cycle.
Think of the recently unemployed father of three young children whose wife died a year ago. He lost his company sponsored health insurance when he lost his job, and is unable to afford to pay the quoted premiums from other insurance companies because of his possible prior history of high blood pressure, found on two medical exams in the past, and which is seen as a risk factor for possible cardiac problems in the future.
Think of the patient with chronic schizophrenia who has suddenly had his treatment program closed by a county mental health department desperate to save money and faced with the decision to close either their firefighting or mental health services to meet their budget. This patient has nowhere to go for treatment, eventually runs out of medication, becomes psychotic again, tries to kill himself because of his delusions, and is re-admitted to an inpatient facility for several weeks at great public expense.
These are the faces of the health reform debate. These are the people that President Obama is fighting for, and which the insurance industry will not help, which they prefer to ignore. This is why we have to have a public health insurance option. And this is why we have to have true health reform in this country.
Peter Yellowlees MD has recently published “Your Health in the Information Age – how you and your doctor can use the Internet to work together”. It is available at http://www.InformationAgeHealth.com and most online bookstores.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Yellowlees
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Regardless of what the outcome of the this proposed bill in congress that ask for a public heath care insurance, it remains to be seen what will turn out of it.
Public health insurance option is good to point and when those very people you trusted to run it start abusing the program, then you a big problem on your hand.
On top of that where does the Federal Government get the money to finance this undertaking? This is the main sticking point for me. I cannot see this working viably and how about the private health care system and Medicaid?
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