How much does President Obama expect us to pay for health care?

[nightrain]

Dr Don McCanne's take on Obama's proposal

http://pnhp.org/news/quote-of-the-day


"Comment: The greatest significance of President Obama's health care reform proposal released today is that he has now formally placed his stamp of approval on the fundamental policies already contained in the House and Senate reform bills. While remaining silent on some of the third rail issues(public option, Medicare buy-in, pregnancy termination, etc.), he and his staff merely tweaked the bills and added insurance premium rate review, whatever that's worth, and some rhetoric on waste, fraud, and abuse.

His proposal still falls far short on two of the most important goals of reform: 1) insuring everyone, and 2) ensuring that health care is affordable for each of us. Merely tweaking the Senate version, which is what they did,could not have attained these goals since the most effective policies were already traded away before serious negotiations began.

That said, let's look at what the President expects a family of four with an income of $66,000 to pay for health care. The premium contribution would be 9.5% of income, or $6270 for the basic plan with an actuarial value of 70%. If they wanted or needed a better plan, they would have to pay the full difference in the premium. At an actuarial value of 70%, they would also have to pay an average of 30% of all health care costs. This can vary considerably because of plan design in the form of deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, non-covered benefits, stop loss, out-of-network care exempt from stop loss, and other factors. If they either elected not to or were unable to pay the premium, they would have to pay a penalty of $1650, but then, of course, they would have no protection at all against potential health care costs.

Clearly, President Obama has not done any better than Congress in protecting families from financial hardship should they have the misfortune of developing significant medical problems. Unaffordable underinsurance is not the change that we needed."

------------
Emphasis added.
Terribly sad that this is the best Obama can offer...

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

1. For the good of all we need a Medicare System for all.

[maryf]

2. K&R nt

[ixion]

3. HCR is a sham

what started as a noble effort has turned into the Insurance Industry Profit Protection Act.

[loudsue]

9. +10.

n/t

[slipslidingaway]

4. knr ...

but the President's plan cuts premiums in half, or so I've been told.

:)

[nightrain]

6. really? do you have a link?

:hi:

[slipslidingaway]

15. Sent you the DU link in a PM in case it violates any DU rules, but the

idea was that the average premium was currently $13,515 and the President's plan would have a charge of $6270 in this example, so the President's plan really is 50% less of what people are currently paying.

:shrug:

This was the article posted ...

Average family health insurance policy: $13,375
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2009-09-15-insurance-costs_N.htm

What got lost in that thread is that the actual cost to the employee is only $3515 according to the referenced study, maybe the Presidents's plan actually doubles what people pay instead of cutting their premium in half.

;)

Fun with numbers.

:hi:

[still_one]

5. He has also made it clear in the proposals that pre-existing conditions and other items won't happen

for four years

The whole thing is a crock

[nightrain]

7. yes, it's basically the Senate proposal with a few additional items...

I don't think these millionaires understand and appreciate what "affordable" actually means for real people (and/or they really don't give a shit because their goal is to protect the disease management corporations).

[eridani]

16. The state regulation proposed in the Senate bill insures that they will never happen-

--in practice. CA already has an anti-recission law, but they can't afford to enforce it.

[still_one]

8. Don't worry, a lot of the people who could use help now won't be around since this kicks in

years from now in different stages

[nightrain]

10. yes, and there will be more who follow them.... really unconscionable

that the US won't do right by its citizens... It's an ethical issue...

[JohnWxy]

11. Anthem Blue Cross going ahead with 39% rate hike. How's a 39% increase sound??

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x516688

An executive for the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross told state officials Tuesday that California's largest health insurer will go forward with much-criticized individual-policy rate hikes of as much as 39% once a two-month delay lapses May 1.

[nightrain]

12. yeah, and anyone in the Obama Administration see this as a problem?? This is

the future as the disease management corporations get their way. Guess it's not enough that sometimes premiums cost more than a mortgage per month! They want an even greater percentage of our income.

[truedelphi]

19. I found it interesting that almost everyone of the

Repug talking points sent to me in an email are right on the mark.

Now believe me, I know that were the Repugs back in office, they're just as unlikely as the Dems to do the right things. the talking points they cite are of interest, but would never ever see the light of day should they regain power.

But I do find it grieviously unfortunate that this HC "reform" Act entails no examination, let alone any roll backs, in the escalated price hikes of insurance premiums over the last several years. And some of the biggest rate hikes have been in just the last six months.

And there is not much being done about the pre-existing segment of the population. One day you hear that they will be covered, the next day you here that part of the bill is dead.

What I keep reflecting on is that the only nations that have Universal Single Payer HC for All and that do not have endless wars for profit are nations where there are more than two political parties whose members are owned by the Corporate Interests.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

13. Do the math, here on the southern Oregon coast the mean annual

income is only about 25,000 a year and thats if you work full time. But most make about $10 an hour or less lets say 20,000 a year with a couple of holidays. Take away basic health plan of $6270, $9600 for rent, $1200 for utilities, $1200 for vehicle insurance and fuel, and that leaves $1200 a year for food or $100 a week and no money left over for clothes. Anyone want to live like this.

[truedelphi]

18. Being rich and powerful means you never have to do the math.

When Hillary was running around squaking about her Health care Proposal back in 1993 or '94, she emphasized how the average working person making 24K a yr and having a wife and three kids would ONLY pay $ 4,000 a year for health insurance.

I mean, I guess she expected that family to give up their yearly trips to the French Riviera. And the butler and the maid to boot!

And that same sort of thinking is apparent in all these schemes.

That is why I was sad to see Grayson going around campaigning for this HCR. He is so very very rich, and to him, he just has no concept of what it is like to live on under 30K a year and try and support yourself, let alone one spouse or one child. Although he is very good on other matters realted to fiannce, he has no concept of what the average working stiff faces.

[janet118]

14. This is similar to what we have in Massachusetts . . .

Romney's plan, now Deval Patrick's baggage.

And it sucks. We are at the mercy of private insurers that offer supposedly "affordable" plans that cover little. I avoid seeing my doctor because I'm still paying co-pays on my last set of tests. That's on top of my monthly premium. My husband still owes big buck for gall bladder surgery he had last summer. We just had to re-finance our house to lower mortgage payments so we can make ends meet.

Without some mechanism to keep costs - both insurance and medical - down (public option or Medicare for All), we, who are neither very rich nor very poor, will be no better off. The Democrats will pay dearly if they produce a system like we have in Massachusetts.

The worst part is that those in Congress have no clue about what is happening - I swear some of them run to get their "cadillac" plans that we pay for while they leave us at the mercy of the insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies and call us "insured."

[truedelphi]

17. i would actually have a little respect for Obama if he had just come out like last July

And stated up front, "Look everybody, I know you expected some real change from me, but the reality is I like having the money that the Big Insurers and that Big Pharma will be sweetening my re-run for the Presidency with.

"So I am not going to ask that Congress do anything other than mandate that everybody pay for the inflated policies and terrible health covereage that they are now getting. I'd like change as the next person, but I am only the President.

"So rather than wasting a lot of everybody's time over the matter, we will at least see to it that our promise of transperency is met. The Health Care Reform Act will be only four pages long and its most salient facts will be these:

"All Americans are mandated to purchase insurance from the usual suspects.

"All Americans are expected to endure the usual shitty service.

"And if you don't like it, you and your family can still, while the Patriot Act and Homeland Security allows for it, fly off to Mexico, Canada or European nations to receive real medical care."