Comments on: Key Senator Says Tax Health Care Benefits

As The White House Works With The Senate On Health Care Reform, A New Report Says Costs Will Soar And Ruin The Economy

[inesje88]

Our present for profit system of health care (through corporations known as Health Insurance Companies), aren't acheiving positive results for American citizens. If it did we would not be rate 37th by the WHO and spend nearly double per capita of what most other first world countries spend on health care with far better outcomes(lower infant mortality rates, quality of elder care etc.)

One of the primary reasons is corporations run our Health Insurance Industry. By law corporations can only consider the interest of their shareholders. They are legally bound to put their bottom line before everything else, even the public good. In order to not have their monopoly game over turned, these corporations give "donations" to US elected officials. This ensures that NOT FOR PROFIT health care has no seat at the table. Corporations have no soul and they are not meant to. Profits come before everything else.

US citizens who do not have health insurance must pay higher rates to institutes such as hospitals for the same care an insured person might pay. Issues like this are externalties. The unisured party is not involved in the transaction between the 2 (health insur. corp and hospital) but suffer because they do not have the muscle to lower the rate like the corporation. Often people w/o health insurance are unable to afford coverage due to pre-existing condition or finances. Too often this racket is shouldered by those least able to afford it.

In order to have a viable solution we must toss out the health insurance corporations. By eliminating them, patients would have more choice in doctors not less. Government would only collect the finances and dole them out to NOT FOR PROFIT administrative systems. No longer would a corporation whose only concern is bottom line, dictate to a doctor or patient what care would be permitted. Doctors would not work for the government.

If we do not change health care now, future generations will not only be saddled with trillions in debt from the bailouts, but work only to pay for health care and taxes. If we pass that one to the next generation we are as soul less as corporations.

[inesje88]

Great comment whitemale08. Single payer would eliminate the FOR PROFIT cartel that holds Americans hostage.
Wake up Americans. Please watch T.R. Reid's "Sick Around The World" to see how single payer works in several countries. Our elected officials should stop taking "donations" from the health insurance corp. and pharma and review systems in place around the world. Most people look only as far as Canada and the UK when contrasting health care options. Folks, there are numerous countries with numerous versions of single payer. Educate yourselves and demand your elected officials do the same. We elected them and when we allow DC to inact laws benefiting corporations interests and not ours, we have Fascism. We have Wall Street and the health care industry paying off our elected officials and running DC.
Please read up on Rick Scott and his campaign to keep promote the For Profit system we have now. Look up William McGuire who was let go from United Health when he back dated stock options (thank heavens for Sarbannes-Oxley), to gain over $1.6 billion in profits for himself. His golden parachute was over $1.1 billion. These dodgy characters and others in their positions have a great deal of money at stake and give large donations to elected officials.
Senator Baucus, is your premium health care plan that the US taxpayer gives you going to be taxed? Why don't you on the hill try to purchase your plans in the Free Market?
Senator Baucus, does your office have a red light hanging over your door? It should since you sold seats to your health care forum and did not save one for single payer. When elected officials accept donations from the health insurance industry, it comes from denying care to a person who counts on the insurance company for their care. Denying claims (and in turn people die, families become bankrupt etc..), and donating money to elected officials is a morally criminal act.

[cydygitt1]

We need National Health Insurance. You have the choice of putting your premium dollars towards a private or public policy. You choose the one you think provides the best coverage for your money.
Posted by sjc_1
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While I'm a firm believer in SP-UHC, at least the option for a government-run health care system without GREEDY profits would surely give us better coverage for those not able to be part of any corporate or group policy.

[cydygitt1]

If they are going to tax my health benefits Then I will cancel mine and go on welfare. This is the most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard of.
Posted by pollroller1
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The most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard of, is this post.

You claim to have employer provided benefits, and if they are taxed, you're going to quit your job and and go on welfare as a form of protest?
Posted by hungry1968-15
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I am in my 70s and retired but my company still provides my health care. I will stop getting it and go on welfare. Yes that is what I will do.
Posted by pollroller1
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I agree......that is simply ridiculous, but let us know how that works out for you.

[forrestlayne]

Baucus says the tax-free benefit packages Americans now enjoy are a big factor in the high costs of the country's health care system, because they provide workers free or low-cost access to too many health care services.

So that means that insurance companies that offer these policies are losing money due to high medical costs? My insurance goes up or down depending on the amount of claims filed from our company in the previous year. The more people use the insurance the higher everyone's premium is. And most companies that offer the goode insurance are actually "self-insured" in that they actually pay the insured amount and simply pay the carrier for handling the transaction. How many employers will drop their plans and tell teh employees to go on the governemnt plan and then pocket all that money? SHifts the paying to taxpayers and profits to themselves. This is a rich man's scheme for sure.

[sjc_1]

McCain wanted to tax health care benefits, it was a bad idea then and is a bad idea now. We need National Health Insurance. You have the choice of putting your premium dollars towards a private or public policy. You choose the one you think provides the best coverage for your money.

[stn_sage]

Let's see!

We can't "cap" or limit doctors salaries, at say---a million or $500,000 bucks a year---because THAT would be UNFAIR.

We can't prevent pharmaceutical companies from marketing dangerous drugs that weren't properly tested and that kill thousands of Americans every year, because THAT would be UNFAIR!

We can't "cap" insurance companies from raising rates at random at will, because THAT would be UNFAIR!

We can't regulate the services hospitals provide in order to prevent expensive duplication of services and equipment, because THAT would be UNFAIR!

However, we CAN TAX the health care benefits of middle and working poor class peoples, in order to provide FORCED medical coverage for many people who DON'T even want it!

Now, friends!! You don't have to have a '.Phd' to figure out, THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL!

There are a whole bunch of control points that can and should be acted upon before you even start thinking about taxing health benefits! But, politicians are content to take the lobbyists' dollars that represent these previously mentioned groups to give them what they want, and ABANDON the citizenry whom they are supposed to work for---in theory!

Shameful! But, you know what to do about it! Vote them out if you're not being represented!
Check out third party candidates, too.

[pollroller1]

You claim to have employer provided benefits, and if they are taxed, you're going to quit your job and and go on welfare as a form of protest?
I am in my 70s and retired but my company still provides my health care. I will stop getting it and go on welfare. Yes that is what I will do.

[hungry1968-15]

If they are going to tax my health benefits Then I will cancel mine and go on welfare. This is the most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard of.
Posted by pollroller1 at 1:36 PM : Jun 2, 2009





The most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard of, is this post.

You claim to have employer provided benefits, and if they are taxed, you're going to quit your job and and go on welfare as a form of protest?

[element51]

All this stuff is somewhat hard to understand and somewhat confusing. I will be 65 in a couple of months and I don't know what to do. And the funny thing is that I have a bachelors degree. That just goes to show you that a degree doesn't necessairly make you smart. Ha Ha. But I do remember that before Ronald Reagan was elected I had insurance and if I had a medical problem I went to the doctor, got treatment and gave them my insurance card and that was it. Then Reagan de-regulated the medical care industry and the insurance industry and suddenly I had no coverage. At least coverage that I could afford. I've been without insurance since Reagan was elected. I am lucky that since I am a veteran I have the VA to fall back on. There is a VA clinic 40 miles away that I go to for simple things but for anything major I am 200 miles away from a major facility. And to those of ;you who believe that Social Security is just welfare, try living on 900.00 a month and see if you consider yourself to be living in the lap of luxury. I paid all my life and I need that little extra to add to my pension in order to survive. But you neo-cons all believe that everyone is stealing from you. It really slays me when you run around screaming about what wonderful "christians" you are but at the same time don't believe that you are your brothers keeper.