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Just Say “No” to Obama Care

10 Responses

1. Ben, on March 19, 2010 at 9:44 AM said:

   The “Real” Super Sunday

   A nice exhortation, regardless of your viewpoint, as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer outlined a rare weekend schedule for lawmakers in the House, with a vote on a $940 billion health overhaul package expected Sunday afternoon.

   On Thursday, the House Rules Committee posted the legislative text of the bill, as well as its estimated financial impact. House leaders have said that they wanted the legislation available online for 72 hours before a final vote is called.

   Source: Matthew DoBias, Modern Healthcare [3/18/10]

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2. Ann, on March 19, 2010 at 1:13 PM said:

   Health Care Budget Deficit Calculator

   The U.S. health care system is possibly the most inefficient in the world; why?

   We spend twice as much per person on health care as other advanced countries, but we have worse health outcomes, including a lower life expectancy. And, the government, through programs like Medicare and Medicaid, pays for approximately half of the country’s health care, almost all of which is actually provided by the private sector.

   Thus, the bulk of our projected rising budget deficits are due to skyrocketing health care costs.

   http://www.cepr.net/calculators/hc/hc-calculator.html

   Ann Miller; RN, MHA
   [Executive-Director]

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3. John, on March 19, 2010 at 11:52 PM said:

   Dear Dr. and Mrs. Marcinko

   Thank you for contacting me to express your thoughts about health care reform. I appreciate hearing from you on this very important issue.

   As you may know, while I wholeheartedly believe that there are parts of our nation’s health care system that should be reformed to better serve the American people and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars, I am opposed to President Barack Obama’s plan. Rather than lower our health care costs, his plan, which is heavily based on the bill that the U.S. Senate passed in December 2009, would increase national health care costs by $222 billion and quickly lead to spiraling deficits.

   According to a RAND study completed this past February, the President’s plan increases total personal health care spending to over $23 trillion in the next ten years and would still leave 23 million Americans without health insurance. Alternatively, if Congress did absolutely nothing to change our health care system, the American taxpayer would save $565 billion more than the Obama plan. That is the choice before Congress; accept the Obama plan and spend $23 trillion or reject the Obama plan, automatically save $565 billion, and come up with a new, fiscally responsible bill.

   You may also be concerned about the term “reconciliation.” I am wholeheartedly against this option and am happy to take this opportunity to explain its use to you. Reconciliation was introduced into the Congressional budget process in 1974 as a way of moving legislation through the Senate without the threat of a filibuster. In general, reconciliation legislation is supposed to be technical in nature and have a direct effect on taxes or mandatory spending; it is not intended to be a vehicle for passing contentious pieces of legislation that will overhaul our nation’s health care system for generations.

   One of the key architects of the reconciliation process in 1974, Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) has staunchly come out against the use of reconciliation in this manner. In a 2009 letter to his Senate Appropriations Committee colleagues, Senator Byrd said that using reconciliation to push through any policy overhaul would “violate the intent and spirit of the budget process and do serious injury to the Constitutional role of the Senate.” I tend to agree. Health reform legislation is too important to be considered under special rules that take away the Senate’s right to a full debate. While it is true that reconciliation has been used in the past to pass large pieces of legislation that reformed portions of the health care system, those bills passed the Senate and the House with significant majorities and were supported by members of both parties. This is clearly not the case with the current health care bill.

   That being said, I look forward to working with my fellow Members of Congress and the President to start over and develop a health care reform plan that effectively addresses our current weaknesses and provides individuals with better choices and more power over their own health care dollars. Instead of weighing the American people down with a massive, trillion dollar package of unnecessary rules and regulations, we must pass targeted legislation dealing with some of the issues on which most Americans can agree: medical liability reform, elimination of preexisting condition exclusions, and the purchase of health insurance policies across state lines. Tackling these three issues could significantly lower national health care costs and provide access to the health care marketplace for millions of Americans who are currently being kept out of the system.

   Thank you again for contacting me. If I may be of any further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to call on me.

   Sincerely,
   John Linder
   Member of Congress

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4. Dr. Stephen Hodson; DPM, MS, on March 25, 2010 at 1:56 PM said:

   Healthcare Reform

   While arguments rage pro and con about the dubious benefits (are there any?) of Obama Care for the health care delivery personnel in the trenches — the physicians — there are other vital issues in play here.

   Unfortunately, most receive relatively little attention in the press. We have a crisis in medical education in this country. Medical graduates have long shunned low-paying, lower-status general family practice as a career path in favor of higher paying specialty practice. That issue notwithstanding, many voices are questioning the quality of medical education itself. We have a new breed of superb test-takers who post high marks on board exams, but are often detached, goal-driven physicians with less empathy and service orientation than their predecessors. If we legislate medical practice to death, one of the consequences is that it will become just a job. Is that what we want it to be?

   I had the pleasure of practicing in Canada’s socialized health system in the 1990’s. Our daily patient census would have boggled the mind of most American practitioners. It boggles mine now. It was an question of getting the job done, essentially triaging your way through the day. In-depth care? Well, you can deliver that north of the 49th parallel by adding time and effort to your already long and busy day until … eventually, you burn out.

   Now admittedly there are excellent physicians in Canada. I worked with many. But burnout and exodus to America were always an issue. With the advent of the new Obama-care package, physician burn-out and exodus out of the medical profession entirely may be what lies ahead.

   Stephen Hodson; DPM, MS

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5. Duke, on March 26, 2010 at 12:00 PM said:

   Obama Care Penalties

   When fully phased in (2016), the penalty under ACA will be $695 per person per year up to a maximum of three times that amount ($2,085) per family or 2.5% of household income, whichever is greater.

   Exemptions apply for individuals for whom the premium of the lowest cost plan exceeds 8% of family income.

   Duke

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6. Barbara, on April 26, 2010 at 2:10 PM said:

   Beware of ‘ObamaCare’ Scams

   Your patients, employees and clients may ask about insurance plans – that protect against their insurance plans – so read on to learn how to advise them to beware of these sham Obama Care scams:

   It didn’t take long for the vermin to [re]enter the health insurance game, did it?

   Barbara

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7. Duke, on April 27, 2010 at 9:48 AM said:

   Another SGR Reprieve – Good News For Hospital-Based Physicians

   President Barack Obama signed legislation this month that temporarily holds off a steep cut in physician Medicare payments and lengthens benefits under the COBRA program. The legislation extends until June 1 the current higher level of physician payment, and extends until May 1 federal assistance for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act premiums.

   The legislation also effectively reverses an interpretation by the CMS in a rule it issued in December that made many hospital-based physicians ineligible for federal electronic health-record subsidy payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The new law attempts to clarify that Congress wants physicians who work in hospitals and in outpatient settings to be eligible for subsidies to computerize their offices.

   Source: Modern Physician [4/26/10

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8. Pam, on April 28, 2010 at 12:47 AM said:

   KHN says that Changes Coming to Health Insurance Plans

   According to Kaiser Health News, Consumers and employers who buy health insurance are scrambling to understand what will change in their premiums and benefits once provisions of the recently passed Obama Care law go into effect.

   http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/April/06/Changes-Coming-To-Insurance-Plans.aspx

   More related from CFO.com
   http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14485986

   And, finally from CNNMoney.com
   http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/31/news/economy/health_care_reform_corporate_finances/

   Well – Ya think!

   Pamela

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9. Jeff, on August 21, 2010 at 12:39 PM said:

   Americans Likelier to Cut Back on Healthcare

   Americans are more inclined to shun medical care during an economic downturn than those living in countries with government-backed health systems, according to a study.

   Researchers from Dartmouth College, Princeton, and Harvard universities found that Americans reduced their use of routine care because of a loss of money or job by 26.5%—much more than their counterparts living in Canada, Great Britain, France, and Germany.

   In Great Britain and Canada, citizens sought 5.6% and 7.6% less care, while those living in France and Germany reduced their doctor visits by 12% and 10.3%, respectively. All of those countries have some level of government-backed healthcare. “We find strong evidence that the economic crisis—manifested in job and wealth losses—has led to reductions in the use of routine medical care,” according to the study. The survey, conducted in June and July of 2009, included 2,148 participants in the U.S., 1,001 in Great Britain, 1,132 in Canada, 1,097 in France, and 1,107 in Germany.

   Source: Matthew DoBias, Modern Healthcare [8/17/10]

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10. Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA, on April 27, 2020 at 5:03 PM said:

    O’CARE CLAIMS

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/supreme-court-rules-for-insurers-over-dollar12-billion-obamacare-claims/ar-BB13gzKo?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=SK2LDHP

    Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA

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