From the WSJ online:
Government control freaks on the loose.
Any changes in your current policy: must be approved by Big Sam (sections 202 and 224.)
Costs for middle income families will rise:
Copays and deductibles will vary, but coverage will not. (section 303).
When you file your taxes, you must prove that you have a qualified plan (section 59b.) If you don't you will face thousands of dollars in fines. Illegals are exempt. Non payment of fines lands you in jail.
Section 412: Employers must offer a plan that covers 72% of costs or incur an 8% payroll tax. Do the math. What do you think they will do? My employer currently foots 30% of my payroll for my families medical insurance.
Medicare funding cut by 500 billion.
Section 1114 replaces physicians with physicians assistants for hospice care.
Government control freaks on the loose.
Any changes in your current policy: must be approved by Big Sam (sections 202 and 224.)
Costs for middle income families will rise:
On Nov. 2, the Congressional Budget Office estimated what the plans will likely cost. An individual earning $44,000 before taxes who purchases his own insurance will have to pay a $5,300 premium and an estimated $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, for a total of $7,300 a year, which is 17% of his pre-tax income.
Copays and deductibles will vary, but coverage will not. (section 303).
When you file your taxes, you must prove that you have a qualified plan (section 59b.) If you don't you will face thousands of dollars in fines. Illegals are exempt. Non payment of fines lands you in jail.
Section 412: Employers must offer a plan that covers 72% of costs or incur an 8% payroll tax. Do the math. What do you think they will do? My employer currently foots 30% of my payroll for my families medical insurance.
Medicare funding cut by 500 billion.
Sec. 1302 (pp. 672-692) moves Medicare from a fee-for-service payment system, in which patients choose which doctors to see and doctors are paid for each service they provide, toward what's called a "medical home."
The medical home is this decade's version of HMO-restrictions on care. A primary-care provider manages access to costly specialists and diagnostic tests for a flat monthly fee. The bill specifies that patients may have to settle for a nurse practitioner rather than a physician as the primary-care provider. Medical homes begin with demonstration projects, but the HHS secretary is authorized to "disseminate this approach rapidly on a national basis."
A December 2008 Congressional Budget Office report noted that "medical homes" were likely to resemble the unpopular gatekeepers of 20 years ago if cost control was a priority.
Section 1114 replaces physicians with physicians assistants for hospice care.
Secs. 1158-1160 (pp. 499-520) initiates programs to reduce payments for patient care to what it costs in the lowest cost regions of the country. This will reduce payments for care (and by implication the standard of care) for hospital patients in higher cost areas such as New York and Florida.
Sec. 1161 (pp. 520-545) cuts payments to Medicare Advantage plans (used by 20% of seniors). Advantage plans have warned this will result in reductions in optional benefits such as vision and dental care.
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