Speaker Urges Senate Dems to Stop Obstructing Measures to Help Uninsued

[Nambe]

U.S. Newswire

Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) today made the following statement:

"While we already have taken a much-needed step to help control rising medical costs by enacting Health Savings Accounts, today's report of a million and a half more uninsured Americans illustrates a willing Congress still has work to do.

"I call on obstructionist Democrats in the Senate to drop their silent filibuster of demanding sixty votes and instead move forward with a simple up-or-down vote on Medical Liability Reform and Association Health Plans. Both of these common-sense measures to hold down health care costs already have passed the House and simply await Senate approval.

"Senators John Kerry and John Edwards should willingly stand up to the Democrat Party's special interests, stop playing politics with the lives of these 45-million Americans, and do the right thing to hold down health care costs before it's too late. ..
Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[liberalnurse]

1. Posturing at every turn.....

Empty, fraudulent rhetoric......The sad thing is, most folks will buy it....well, repugs will ....validates their choice.

[trogdor]

2. Ooooooo.

I'm sure they're reeeeeeeeeeeeeely scared.


Not.



If it were me running for President, I'd take this as an opportunity to tell the American people just what a sham Hastert's bill is.

[hatrack]

3. HSAs - so, people without money can invest it to pay for health care?

Yeah, Denny, that makes a lot of fucking sense.

[napi21]

8. That's been my objection to the HSA's & tax credits for healthcare.

A tax credit isn't going to do ANYTHING for somebody who doesn't have the $$ to pay for ins. or meds NOW! HSA's are the same problem. If you don't have any $$, you're not magically going to have some to put into an HSA.

[Eloriel]

4. If Hastert's for it, it's got to be bad

More money for HIS people (corporations and the rich), more pain, heartache, poverty for our people.

[loftycity]

5. Repukes and Reform bad for all of us-- two words to beware of.

[punpirate]

6. Hastert is pushing his luck....

After the shady stuff surrounding the Medicare reform bill, no one is going to be taking what he says at face value on any health care legislation.

Some people will still be fooled, but national tort reform and a trojan horse like the AHP bill won't do anything but make more money for the insurers--that's who will benefit by these two pieces of legislation. Hastert knows this. I'll give him this much credit--he's got a helluva lot of chutzpah.

[displacedtexan]

7. Then Denny ate another donut.

Health Savings Accounts = They get the interest on your $ and deny deny deny deny deny deny and deny coverage until your coverage window expires for the year... then they get to keep your account $.

I had to hire a trial lawyer (GASP!) to get my COVERED eye exam payment from my Health Savings Account accountants.
What a crock!

[Radius]

9. HSA

My job offers HSA accounts. You can contribute up to whatever your total liability under the plan is say 4000 for a family, pre tax. If you use it you can spend on health care deductibles (vision, dental, health, copays) it is pre tax. You have to spend it though.

If you regularly meet your deductible it is a good deal to max it out. If you are young it doesn't do you any good to make big contributions.


Insurance varies in quality based on cost.