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Title: 20 Way ObamaCare will Take Away Our Freedoms
Source:
Investors Business Daily
URL Source: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/capitalhill.htm
Published: Mar 23, 2010
Author: David Hogberg
Post Date: 2010-03-23 15:17:06 by Get Outta Dodge!
Keywords: None
Views: 48830
Comments: 161
20 Way ObamaCare will Take Away Our Freedoms By David Hogberg Sun., March 21, '10 3:24 PM ET Tags: Health Care - ObamaCare - Freedom With House Democrats poised to pass the Senate health care bill with some reconciliation changes later today, it is worthwhile to take a comprehensive look at the freedoms we will lose. Of course, the overhaul is supposed to provide us with security. But it will result in skyrocketing insurance costs and physicians leaving the field in droves, making it harder to afford and find medical care. We may be about to live Benjamin Franklin’s adage, “People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.” The sections described below are taken from HR 3590 as agreed to by the Senate and from the reconciliation bill as displayed by the Rules Committee. 1. You are young and don’t want health insurance? You are starting up a small business and need to minimize expenses, and one way to do that is to forego health insurance? Tough. You have to pay $750 annually for the “privilege.” (Section 1501) 2. You are young and healthy and want to pay for insurance that reflects that status? Tough. You’ll have to pay for premiums that cover not only you, but also the guy who smokes three packs a day, drink a gallon of whiskey and eats chicken fat off the floor. That’s because insurance companies will no longer be able to underwrite on the basis of a person’s health status. (Section 2701). 3. You would like to pay less in premiums by buying insurance with lifetime or annual limits on coverage? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer such policies, even if that is what customers prefer. (Section 2711). 4. Think you’d like a policy that is cheaper because it doesn’t cover preventive care or requires cost-sharing for such care? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer policies that do not cover preventive services or offer them with cost-sharing, even if that’s what the customer wants. (Section 2712). 5. You are an employer and you would like to offer coverage that doesn’t allow your employees’ slacker children to stay on the policy until age 26? Tough. (Section 2714). 6. You must buy a policy that covers ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services; chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care. You’re a single guy without children? Tough, your policy must cover pediatric services. You’re a woman who can’t have children? Tough, your policy must cover maternity services. You’re a teetotaler? Tough, your policy must cover substance abuse treatment. (Add your own violation of personal freedom here.) (Section 1302). 7. Do you want a plan with lots of cost-sharing and low premiums? Well, the best you can do is a “Bronze plan,” which has benefits that provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 60% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Anything lower than that, tough. (Section 1302 (d) (1) (A)) 8. You are an employer in the small-group insurance market and you’d like to offer policies with deductibles higher than $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families? Tough. (Section 1302 (c) (2) (A). 9. If you are a large employer (defined as at least 50 employees) and you do not want to provide health insurance to your employee, then you will pay a $750 fine per employee (It could be $2,000 to $3,000 under the reconciliation changes). Think you know how to better spend that money? Tough. (Section 1513). 10. You are an employer who offers health flexible spending arrangements and your employees want to deduct more than $2,500 from their salaries for it? Sorry, can’t do that. (Section 9005 (i)). 11. If you are a physician and you don’t want the government looking over your shoulder? Tough. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to use your claims data to issue you reports that measure the resources you use, provide information on the quality of care you provide, and compare the resources you use to those used by other physicians. Of course, this will all be just for informational purposes. It’s not like the government will ever use it to intervene in your practice and patients’ care. Of course not. (Section 3003 (i)) 12. If you are a physician and you want to own your own hospital, you must be an owner and have a “Medicare provider agreement” by Feb. 1, 2010. (Dec. 31, 2010 in the reconciliation changes.) If you didn’t have those by then, you are out of luck. (Section 6001 (i) (1) (A)) 13. If you are a physician owner and you want to expand your hospital? Well, you can’t (Section 6001 (i) (1) (B). Unless, it is located in a country where, over the last five years, population growth has been 150% of what it has been in the state (Section 6601 (i) (3) ( E)). And then you cannot increase your capacity by more than 200% (Section 6001 (i) (3) (C)). 14. You are a health insurer and you want to raise premiums to meet costs? Well, if that increase is deemed “unreasonable” by the Secretary of Health and Human Services it will be subject to review and can be denied. (Section 1003) 15. The government will extract a fee of $2.3 billion annually from the pharmaceutical industry. If you are a pharmaceutical company what you will pay depends on the ratio of the number of brand-name drugs you sell to the total number of brand-name drugs sold in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the brand-name drugs in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2.3 billion, or $230,000,000. (Under reconciliation, it starts at $2.55 billion, jumps to $3 billion in 2012, then to $3.5 billion in 2017 and $4.2 billion in 2018, before settling at $2.8 billion in 2019 (Section 1404)). Think you, as a pharmaceutical executive, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 9008 (b)). 16. The government will extract a fee of $2 billion annually from medical device makers. If you are a medical device maker what you will pay depends on your share of medical device sales in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the medical devices in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2 billion, or $200,000,000. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for R&D? Tough. (Section 9009 (b)). The reconciliation package turns that into a 2.9% excise tax for medical device makers. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 1405). 17. The government will extract a fee of $6.7 billion annually from insurance companies. If you are an insurer, what you will pay depends on your share of net premiums plus 200% of your administrative costs. So, if your net premiums and administrative costs are equal to 10% of the total, you will pay 10% of $6.7 billion, or $670,000,000. In the reconciliation bill, the fee will start at $8 billion in 2014, $11.3 billion in 2015, $1.9 billion in 2017, and $14.3 billion in 2018 (Section 1406).Think you, as an insurance executive, know how to better spend that money? Tough.(Section 9010 (b) (1) (A and B).) 18. If an insurance company board or its stockholders think the CEO is worth more than $500,000 in deferred compensation? Tough.(Section 9014). 19. You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. What? You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9015). That amount will rise to a 3.8% tax if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts. You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Like you need to ask. (Section 1402). 20. If you go for cosmetic surgery, you will pay an additional 5% tax on the cost of the procedure. Think you know how to spend that money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9017). Welcome Power Line, Fark.com and Big Government readers.
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#1. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#0)
A half a percent tax on every dollar over $200,000 earned, man that is tough!
Does that mean I'll only be clearing $.995 instead of $1.00? The bastards!
"I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica!" -Rush Limbaugh
At least Mussolini made the trains run on time.
Obammy sez it At least they had trains to run. Here on the west coast we've got nothing.
"I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica!" -Rush Limbaugh
I stopped at #2 if the first two were wrong the chances of any that followed being correct were slim to none. And, PS Investors.com, Congress sits on CAPITOL HILL...
Day 30 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 28 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Hey...you have BART and TED and The Big Blue Bus!!!
Day 30 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 28 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Who writes this stuff? Most people get their health insurance through their employers. The only choices they have are to sign on or not, and what doctor to choose from the approved list. And the doctor wanting to buy or expand a hospital example - if that isn't a deal breaker for me, then I don't know what is.
What "temporary" security have we had to date when it comes to health care? I lost a close relative recently. He had a heart attack at a relatively young age. His employer (a small company) apparently saw skyrocketing premiums in front of them, so the CEO laid off my relative a few years ago--just a reduction in force, nothing to do with my relative's health care crisis (wink, wink, nod, nod). My relative couldn't afford COBRA and couldn't find any other reasonably priced insurance on his own--especially since he was unemployed. His health care crisis ultimately meant that he ran into money troubles, which affected his credit score and hurt him while looking for a job (potential employers check FICO scores). Anyway, after a long time of menial employment, living with his mother, and visits to the emergency room, he died. Yup, that's the kind of health-care system we need to keep on a-goin'. Yeah, his death smacks of political and economic freedom (not).
I'm sorry for your loss. I truly am. But since you seem to wish to make policy based on anecdotes, will you allow me to cite one too? I live in the US but somewhat near the Canadian border (I won't get more specific than that.) Several years ago, my then 80 something year old mother was in need of a CAT scan. Her doctor wrote her a prescription, and within a week she had one. I should note that this occurred in a rural area, and the hospital where the CAT scan took place was in a town of about 10,000 residents. The nearest city of any size is 40 miles away. It has about 250,000 residents. The reason I mention Canada? Well, when I took mom for her appointment, I struck up a conversation with some of the staff people. Indeed, I realized that CAT scans must be expensive and all - and I was somewhat surprised my mom was getting one. Someone remarked something like " well, it's a good thing you're not in Canada - cause there'd be a six month wait at least (if she qualified), and you'd probably have to travel to Toronto." Now, please understand. I'm not mentioning this to minimize your loss. It's just that it is ALWAYS bad policy to base laws on individual anecdotes. Because when you get down to it - for every instance one side can cite, the other side can cite one in opposition. Where does that get us - really?
Obammy sez it Our free will, and right to choose will be gone...forever!
Our free will, and right to choose will be gone...forever! I know. I'm not faulting Suzanne here - but it made me sick when dems were exploiting that 11 year old boy who lost his mother. I really believe these people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
Obammy sez it As long as we're trading stories, a friend's doctor ordered a CAT scan and her insurance wouldn't approve it.
I am sorry. There are aspects of our system that just don't make sense.
Neither mean much when you are sick or dead. I really believe these people will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what is it that we want? The same health care for our loved ones that your mother got. Its none of my business and you don't have to answer, but I can't help wondering, did Medicare pay for the CAT scan?
My ancestors survived just fine without government interference where medical and charity help was needed, whether their choices were right or wrong, they still belonged to them, not the KING! There are tens of thousands of insurrance companies to choose from, and millions of different options to pick and choose from, some are better than others, like any choice you make in everyday. I do not want it DICTATED to me what doctor I see, what treatment I can and cannot have. I do not want their 'assisted suicide', 'hospises' where the aged are sent to DIE, I choose to die at home when my time comes. What makes you think for one moment these COMMUNISTS will stop at Health Care?
"When government starts taking over private enterprise, it's COMMUNISM. Socialism is the buzzword they use because they know it's more palatable to the people, but make no mistake, this is just as totalitarian as Russia or China ever thought of being. With the laws they now have on the books there is virtually no aspect of your life they can't control. America...land of the free and home of the brave has become a sad joke." ~ freedomsnotfree
I think that it is high time we all bought up as much stock in the FIREARMS COMPANIES as possible so that we patriots can gain control of them and "Gun Control" "Progressive" Thugocracies like the Fed "Alphabet" agencies, Commiefornia, Taxachussets, Chicago and New York in reverse (By refusing them firerarms sales and repair services until they clean up their Second Amendment act). This has replaced Jesuitism as my major issue since becomming an active poster again. (These days I don't see the totalitarian problem coming from ANY specific racial or religious group like Jews, Catholics, Mislems, Blacks, etc. It comes soully from PROGRESSIVISM and there are both "Progressives" and patriots in all of these religions and racial groups. You may not like Glenn Beck because of some of the beliefs he might hold on 9-11 and the Obama birth certificate issue but he is a very good and even handed teacher in the history of the Totalitarian problem which in a single word is "PROGRESSIVISM".)
Was it for a potentially life-threatening condition, or did the doctor order it to shield him/herself from a potential malpractice lawsuit?
Obammy sez it In what "system" is that not true?
Obammy sez it That and the "Medi-gap" insurance policy my mom and dad had. I answered your question, now please answer mine: How does adding 30 plus million people to an already strapped system (waited long in a waiting-room lately?) lower costs and improve health care?
Obammy sez it Putting aside the fact that Canada is not a valid model as their system is based at the provincial level, the clinics in Sherbrooke and Magog are full of Vermont residents seeking healthcare...
Day 30 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 28 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Potting aside the fact that for the first time these people will actually be paying something into the system, not all 30MM will get sick at the same time and if they do the situation would be so dire it wouldn t matter anyway.
Day 30 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 28 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Morons writing for suckers...
Day 30 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 28 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
And what is it that we want? The same health care for our loved ones that your mother got. Tell you what: Let's really go for broke! Let's all DEMAND that we get the health care that CONGRESS gets. Think that'll happen? It's fair, isn't it? Isn't everything in life supposed to be fair? I can see the millions demonstrating outside the halls of Congress now: WHAT DO WE WANT: Your heath care! Obammy sez it I agree. I see my relative's story as representative of so many others and not just a sad personal story. When half of all personal bankruptcies are linked to health care costs and debts, then we have an unsustainable system. And as far as being told what doctor to see or what procedure is approved, if you're lucky enough to have health insurance, the insurance company will decide that. If you have a personal health insurance policy, things are even tougher. These private plans don't have to follow the rules that apply to group plans and if you get sick, your insurance company can drop you. And if they drop you, it's unlikely any other insurance company will accept you, making you uninsurable. I just can't get nostalgic for that type of health care system.
The morons in this debate are the ones - like G.O.D. - who believe that we can get healthcare on demand in this nation. I have a dozen horror stories of my own...from my daughter's Lisfranc to my son's broken leg to my own broken legs to my brother in law having to pay our of pocket for a nuclear stress... It's moronic to believe that this debate centered around a health care system that was at the pinnacle of pro and "e" - fficiency...
Day 31 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 29 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Good one.
You doing any events?
Day 31 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 29 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Don't worry. You will
"UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's always having problems." Communism and Socialism are not necessarily totalitarian, nor is Capitalism necessarily free and Democratic. Without a moment's hesitation I would have picked Denmark and its Socialism over Pinochet's Chile, and its free market Capitalism as a place to live. If the US was just as "totalitarian as Russia or China ever thought of", you and I would both have been sent off to the gulags by now.
20% unemployment rate in real numbers...and I question the validity of the statement overall.
my anti groupie can't get through life without me.
Right. Its the employers fault your relative had a fatal heart attack years after he was let go. Riiiight.
my anti groupie can't get through life without me.
Neither mean much when you are sick or dead. Most of us posting are alive and reasonably well....dumb assertion.
my anti groupie can't get through life without me.
Bingo. Same for the ultra expensive use of MRI's.
my anti groupie can't get through life without me.
Without our "capitalism" (such as it was), Denmark (and the rest of Europe) would be living under a different kind of socialism right now. National Socialism You know - the guy with the funny mustache?
"UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's always having problems." Nazi Germany was as capitalist as they come...it's also why they were fascist...
Day 31 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 29 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Had nothing to do with Economics...
Day 31 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 29 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
That's good news to hear, CS.
Did you understand what he meant?
Day 31 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 29 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
If only because what she stated is true...
Day 31 of Packrat refusing to register here. Day 29 of Boofer The One Eyed Wonder Bot refusing to answer: When is Blackwell going to have the recount? Jan 30, 2006 ... by saveliberty (Proud to be Head Snowflake, Bushbot...
Comments (41 - 161) not displayed.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest19. You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. What? You think you know how to spend the money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9015).
#2. To: lucysmom (#1)
A half a percent tax on every dollar over $200,000 earned, man that is tough!
#3. To: Skip Intro, lucysmom (#2)
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#4. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#3)
At least Mussolini made the trains run on time.
#5. To: Skip Intro (#4)
(Edited)
#6. To: Skip Intro (#4)
#7. To: war (#5)
(Edited)
I stopped at #2 if the first two were wrong the chances of any that followed being correct were slim to none.
#8. To: Get Outta Dodge!, WAR, Lucysmom (#0)
People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both
#9. To: Suzanne (#8)
(Edited)
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#10. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#9)
Where does that get us - really?
#11. To: Murron (#10)
Where does that get us - really?
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#12. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#9)
#13. To: Suzanne (#8)
#14. To: Get Outta Dodge!, Murron (#11)
Our free will, and right to choose will be gone...forever!
#15. To: lucysmom (#14)
Neither mean much when you are sick or dead.
#16. To: Get Outta Dodge!, ALL (#0)
"20 Way ObamaCare will Take Away Our Freedoms"
#17. To: Murron (#16)
Oh what a DUFFLE-HEAD that Barack Obama is !!! Duffle-Head (As used in a Felix the Cat cartoon) A wicked person of limited intelegence but with pretenses of intelectual grandeur. Their only successful endevors are usually the invention of self punishment machines.
#18. To: lucysmom (#12)
As long as we're trading stories, a friend's doctor ordered a CAT scan and her insurance wouldn't approve it.
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#19. To: lucysmom (#13)
There are aspects of our system that just don't make sense.
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#20. To: lucysmom (#14)
Its none of my business and you don't have to answer, but I can't help wondering, did Medicare pay for the CAT scan?
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#21. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#9)
#22. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#20)
How does adding 30 plus million people to an already strapped system (waited long in a waiting-room lately?) lower costs and improve health care?
#23. To: lucysmom (#7)
Who writes this stuff?
#24. To: lucysmom (#14)
I really believe these people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
WHEN DO WE WANT IT: Now!
I believes it
an' that settles it!
#25. To: lucysmom, Get Outta Dodge!, Murron, war (#13)
There are aspects of our system that just don't make sense.
#26. To: Suzanne (#25)
(Edited)
#27. To: war (#26)
pro and "e" - fficiency...
#28. To: Suzanne (#27)
#29. To: Suzanne (#25)
I just can't get nostalgic for that type of health care system.
–Barry Soetoro attempting to make the case for government-run healthcare, while simultaneously undercutting his own argument, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 11, 2009
#30. To: Murron (#16)
When government starts taking over private enterprise, it's COMMUNISM. Socialism is the buzzword they use because they know it's more palatable to the people, but make no mistake, this is just as totalitarian as Russia or China ever thought of being.
#31. To: lucysmom (#7)
Most people get their health insurance through their employers.
#32. To: Suzanne (#8)
#33. To: lucysmom (#14)
Our free will, and right to choose will be gone...forever!
#34. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#18)
or did the doctor order it to shield him/herself from a potential malpractice lawsuit?
#35. To: lucysmom (#30)
Without a moment's hesitation I would have picked Denmark
–Barry Soetoro attempting to make the case for government-run healthcare, while simultaneously undercutting his own argument, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 11, 2009
#36. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#35)
(Edited)
#37. To: Get Outta Dodge! (#35)
(Edited)
National Socialism
#38. To: Coral Snake (#17)
This has replaced Jesuitism as my major issue since becomming an active poster again.
#39. To: Fred Mertz (#38)
#40. To: Boofer (#31)
(Edited)
...and I question the validity of the statement overall.
.
.
.
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