Obamacare Bill passes

[ProfessorFarnsworth]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8579322.stm

It passed 219 over 212. Just thought I'd let everyone know, if you weren't blasted by the media about it yet.

[Scrapheap]

Watched it live as it happened. I think I'll move to Suriname. 

[Silk]

It has some good and shitty things in it, so I'm still on the fence about this deal.

[Callaway]

I agree.

At least after some period of time, health insurance companies won't be able to refuse to cover pre-existing conditions, but I don't think any limit was set on what they are allowed to charge and no public option was included to give them an incentive to keep the prices at least somewhat affordable.

[Parts]

It's good and bad like anything they pass. Now that it's there they will start tacking on other things could be very good or it could turn out a disaster we will have to wait and see

[Peter]

Keep your government hands off my NHS!

[Scrapheap]

It's good and bad like anything they pass. Now that it's there they will start tacking on other things could be very good or it could turn out a disaster we will have to wait and see

I'm begining to think there's far more bad in it. Hopefully the maditory provisions in it will be thrown out in court.

[Christopher McCandless]

It's good and bad like anything they pass. Now that it's there they will start tacking on other things could be very good or it could turn out a disaster we will have to wait and see

I'm begining to think there's far more bad in it. Hopefully the maditory provisions in it will be thrown out in court.

What are the dodgy ones???

[Scrapheap]

It's good and bad like anything they pass. Now that it's there they will start tacking on other things could be very good or it could turn out a disaster we will have to wait and see

I'm begining to think there's far more bad in it. Hopefully the maditory provisions in it will be thrown out in court.

What are the dodgy ones???

The provision that says you MUST buy health insurance and you'll be fined if you don't.

[Parts]

It's good and bad like anything they pass. Now that it's there they will start tacking on other things could be very good or it could turn out a disaster we will have to wait and see

I'm begining to think there's far more bad in it. Hopefully the maditory provisions in it will be thrown out in court.

I think the mandatory part is stupid unless it is offered by the government.  Without them offering a government insurance companies can charge what ever they want it doesn't matter if they give you subsidies if you can't afford it in the first place .  Also what can they do to you if you don't get it anyway put you in jail then they pay for it anyway,  fine you well you already don't have the money so where will it come from

[Christopher McCandless]

It's good and bad like anything they pass. Now that it's there they will start tacking on other things could be very good or it could turn out a disaster we will have to wait and see

I'm begining to think there's far more bad in it. Hopefully the maditory provisions in it will be thrown out in court.

What are the dodgy ones???

The provision that says you MUST buy health insurance and you'll be fined if you don't.

In Europe it comes straight out of your taxes for the whole health service. I gather that in the US you only get emergency care free - so if you wait until you get to a critical level before going to hospital, that costs the taxpayer a lot more. Seems sensible that they set up fines to mittigate that cost.

[odeon]

Watched it live as it happened. I think I'll move to Suriname. 

Because...? The US is pretty much the last Western country without a health care insurance available to every citizen. I must say that I (along with many other Europeans, it seems) have a very hard time understanding why so many people seem to be against Obama's health care bill. What is so bad about it? What is so bad about not being completely in the hands of Eli Lily & Co?

[Callaway]

Watched it live as it happened. I think I'll move to Suriname. 

Because...? The US is pretty much the last Western country without a health care insurance available to every citizen. I must say that I (along with many other Europeans, it seems) have a very hard time understanding why so many people seem to be against Obama's health care bill. What is so bad about it? What is so bad about not being completely in the hands of Eli Lily & Co?

For me, it's because there is no public option, which would be the government offering an option to buy health insurance from them.  Instead, we will be forced to buy health insurance from one of the health insurance companies, who have had no limits placed on what they can charge for their policies, or we will have to pay a fine of 2.5% of our annual income or up to $695, whichever is larger.  Also, they will not have to cover adults with pre-existing conditions for another four years and they will not have to cover children with pre-existing conditions for six months, although the fines for not buying health insurance start right away.  Because of this bill, health insurance companies' stocks have risen significantly, even though they have fought the new regulations that will be placed on them tooth and nail because they don't want to be forced to cover people with pre-existing conditions.

[Alex179]

I actually got a call from an insurance company today, they were offering me a job.   They claimed to have read my resume on either Monster or Careerbuilder (forgot which).  I don't see myself selling insurance, but now that it is compulsory this all gets fucked up.   I am not going to take any such job, as I hate sales (done it in the past and did fine though).   The whole part where people get fined for not having insurance is totally fucked up.

[odeon]

Watched it live as it happened. I think I'll move to Suriname. 

Because...? The US is pretty much the last Western country without a health care insurance available to every citizen. I must say that I (along with many other Europeans, it seems) have a very hard time understanding why so many people seem to be against Obama's health care bill. What is so bad about it? What is so bad about not being completely in the hands of Eli Lily & Co?

For me, it's because there is no public option, which would be the government offering an option to buy health insurance from them.  Instead, we will be forced to buy health insurance from one of the health insurance companies, who have had no limits placed on what they can charge for their policies, or we will have to pay a fine of 2.5% of our annual income or up to $695, whichever is larger.  Also, they will not have to cover adults with pre-existing conditions for another four years and they will not have to cover children with pre-existing conditions for six months, although the fines for not buying health insurance start right away.  Because of this bill, health insurance companies' stocks have risen significantly, even though they have fought the new regulations that will be placed on them tooth and nail because they don't want to be forced to cover people with pre-existing conditions.

So you'll be forced into their hands? That fine, if you don't buy from a health care company, will it just be a punishment or will it actually cover something?

This is fucked up.