House Democrats Unveil Health Care Plan

(CBS)  House Democrats are pushing this summer to pass sweeping health care reforms. And President Barack Obama said yesterday that he'd like to see a bill come out of committee as early as this week.

Right now, healthcare costs in this country run about $2.5 trillion a year, or nearly 18 percent of the national economy. With those costs rising, the Democrats' plan calls for extending coverage. So who gets the doctor's bill. CBS News White House correspondent Chip Reid reports.

In Michigan today the president was fired up over health reform, telling a cheering crowd, "We have no choice but to change the healthcare system, because right now it's broken for too many Americans."

In Washington, House democrats responded with a 1,000-page bill to overhaul American health care. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., called "landmark legislation" and "a defining moment for our nation."

Major provisions include:

Federal subsidies for low-income Americans to help them buy health insurance;

Penalties for large companies that refuse to provide insurance;

Penalties for individuals who refuse to buy it; and

A government health insurance plan to compete with private ones

Republicans condemned the bill. House leader John Boehner called it criminal malpractice.

"This so-called public option is going to force millions of Americans out of their private health insurance into a government-run plan," he said.

The bill seeks to ensure coverage of 97 percent of Americans. Experts say it will cost at least $1 trillion over 10 years.

It would be paid for through cost savings, including long-term cuts in Medicare and a new tax on those earning more than $350,000 a year.

Passing the bill won't be easy, because about 40 conservative democrats - enough to kill the bill - say they'll oppose it unless the cost is brought down dramatically

"I wouldn't say the health care bill is in jeopardy at this point but it's a long way from passing the House," said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark.

Mr. Obama praised the House action today without specifically endorsing every aspect of the Democratic plan. He said he'd like to see bills from both houses of Congress before the August recess. But it's unclear if he's going to get his wish.

[jsd330]

No choice, according to congress. Keep what you have ,but you can't change to a differen't private company. check this website out
IBDeditorials.com

[mary-miami]

Health care is a human right. Everyone deserves to see a doctor if they are ill or in need of care, not just the wealthy. There are thousands of people working full time jobs who have no health care benefits whatsoever. There are more thousands who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and have no money to see a doctor at all. Even if it means having to wait six months for treatment,it's better than never getting it.

[Illuminated1]

Many of you argueing against National Healthcare are simply misleading people.
The United States is the only one of the major developed nations that have health insurance.
The fact is healthcare in the other nations is way better than our system of insurance coverage with many getting some coverage and others not getting any....
For those arguing that drug abusers should pay their own...how selfish a person you must be....drug abuse is a disease.
The only reason our system is so screwed up is because of the greed.

[HGOODGUY]

FOX COULD NOT FIND ITS ASS WITH BOTH HANDS, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!!!

[noloyalisti]

A flat tax is a scam brought upon us by Libertarians who hate government more than even Republi CONS. Although they are the first in line for welfare. It targets the poor far more than the rich. Just like now.

I am so happy to hear the proposal by the House to tax the top 1% to hlep pay for the health care since they made the money from the backs of all of us. Their plan will actually cost LESS because it gets rid of a lot of waste and corporate fraud and stealing, their normal MO.

[jsd330]

Remember sh_t runs down hill. A lot of the rich own business's, taxing them more means they invest less, cut a few jobs, spend less to make up for the extra taxes they are paying. Just takes more money out of the economy. And now you will be forced to have health care insurance even if you don't want it, and there are people that can afford it and don't want it.

[jsd330]

skyk 2009
If your a vet(and so am I) you already have a choice for health care the VA or a private plan. Hey the VA is free, or is it that maybe their services aren't good enough for you? Is it because you might have to wait awhile to get a test done or see a specialist. I know it's my choice government or private insurer. My point is everything the government does ends up costing way more then projected. You have a 1000 page bill, how much pork is in those 1000 pages? Just like the stimulas package, what happened to all the jobs it was supposed to save and create. We'll see how great this plan ends up being. At least I'll have a choice for a few years, until the government takes over the whole health care industry.

[novamba]

Almost all wealthy people I know are offshoring their money. What are we going to do? force businesses and wealthy to maintain a certain number of people employed? Please watch and see the "sucking sound" of jobs going overseas all brought to you by a party that claims to protect jobs in the US only to pander to the same unions that have ruined manufacturing in the US.

[onesword]

What happen to the barter system? You do something for me and I'll do something for you. A doctor fix my leg and I'll replace his/her light bulb. No, that wouldn't be fair. I'll babysit the kids. Money seemed to made a mess out of everything.

[gnimelf1968]

Money was created for those that were not capable of doing anything valuable to be bartered for.

[xlib]

Yea, push it through before any of you idiots have a chance to read the darn thing. Excuse me but weren't we, the taxpayers (all 50% of the populace)supposed to be able to review these bills? Wasn't that one of the the "transparency" issues the thug droned on about?

[noloyalisti]

About 1/3 of the people surveyed think that any change to health care is SOCIALISM. OMG and LOL. Those people must think that big corporations who have ruined our country are good at health care. OMG.

I can never get anyone to say what is wrong with socialism anyway. They start blathering about Ho Chi Minh or the Soviet Union or other such nonsense.

Let's call it controlled capitalism or some such thing and get on with it. It is about time we reeled in the out of control big corporations who own and run our media and Congress, think they have human rights such as free speech, start invasions for oil and land and write our laws for their profit. When will we wake up?

[xlib]

Well, this is just my opinion but no one has been able to show me a country where socialism has done well for the people. Is it working in Cuba? According to sean penn and michael moore it is but, gosh, I tend to not believe them.
My point on the universal health care issue is this,it's rationing. I live close to the Canadian border and I see, and have taken care of, Canadians who come here for care. There is a waiting list for simple procedures such as CT scans & MRI's. So, it's rationing that I don't want.
Here's a thought, how about we all, the populace, the peons, have the same health care that your dems and the rest of the politicians have. That works for me.

[gnimelf1968]

Anytime a government REQUIRES people to do something that should be a personal choice and then fines them for not following orders, it's going too far. You want to mandate that if you have children under 18 that they need to be covered, fine, but once a person is of legal age they should be able to choose if they want coverage or not. If you choose not to have coverage, then you pay the bills yourself if you need medical assistance. Government is getting way to much into people's personal lives and they are making it impossible to want to work hard for a living. People who don't want to work get all of the benefits. I'm not saying that there aren't people who truly cannot work and need financial help, I just know far too many people who would just rather not work and expect a hand out. In this economy we have people at my place of employment that CHOOSE to take voluntary lay-offs and then complain that they don't have any money or don't get paid enough when contract time comes up, and then they throw fits when they have to work too many hours because it screws up their unemployment benefits? Who in their right mind would be choosing to be laid-off right now? These are the people who do not deserve unemployment, food stamps, etc. Why should I pay for these people to do nothing?