Reid eyes tax hike on wealthy to pay for health bill

this is why i think we need a third party. (I prefer a more progressive third party) I wish we could hold the dems to the fire and say that this bill is too small of a stepping stone of what we really need. We still wont have 100% coverage and that bull crap.

I think it's begging to become that way since there's many independent voters now and young people who consider themselves republican/democrat but don't vote along party lines or wont vote for their party just because the incumbent is in the same party they're affiliated with. Just like what happed in NJ/VA last week.

Thats what I as a progressive want. I want people to choose between the federal/state program(medicare, medicaid, VA, etc) and the private market. I want them to be able to choose between either or at any time of their life. Though I do wonder why we need the choice. I can hardly tell the difference from one doc to the next, let alone tell you what an insurance company does for the medical system or how it provides choice. I also want the universities to be the center of research not these companies that have a seated interest. They care more about the profits than the science. They'll knock the science out of the way if profit is involved.

Thats why I am truly for a single payer non-profit healthcare system that puts patients and docs first.

The problem is that as long as they chan charge what they want and exclude who they want , we don't have the ability to reform anything.

This may be a boondoggle for private insurance companies. Take out the mandatory and I'm all for it. Put a mandate on private insurance companies, demand health care for our health care premiums.

How do you know if it is a good start? Nobody has even read the final bill because the Dems are still negotiating the final version.

the bill doesn't change dramatically in these neg there are changes and the representatives know or there staff know. Second there are tons of bills going through congress, reading every one when your not on every committee may not be a good thing. or we just need more representatives, but who knows. Medicare and social just like kenny said started more bare bone than it is and had to grow into the good programs that they are. No doubt they need fixing and updating but what doesn't need that?

At least their taxpayer paid staff can read the bill and brief them before the vote if they are just too busy to inform themselves of what is actually in a bill before voting on it.

When the dust clears I think we might have to face the fact that we all got duped and believed the hype bro! After all, it is a shell game. Do you really think the powers that be only play one side? They own the white house son!!!!!

Don't be silly. It will guarantee mandatory new policy holders. An insurance industry bailout! Party tonight at CIGNA HQ. Everyone's invited. Free beer!

I agree. This is actually absurd when you look at what they're really saying and attempting to do. The problem is that millions of people in the country don't have healthcare. Why? Largely because they can't afford it because the prick insurance companies have to gouge every last drop of profit out of the American people. The Democrats' solution: If you don't have health coverage now, don't worry. Starting tomorrow, it's against the law for you to not buy coverage for yourself. There ya go!"

Were anything to be mandatory in this bill, a person's income would determine if they were eligible for subsidy. A more in depth understanding of this legislation would benefit you.

sorry neocongo, but I don't agree with you on this one. I fear the new mandate will create the new debtors prison. Some people will not have more money, even if the majority of people think they should.

How dare the Congress and Senate put a mandatory on the American people, while just giving a gigantic 'bailout' to banks and financial institutions, with NO ACCOUNTABILITY! NO THREAT OF JAIL TIME FOR MISUSING OUR TAX DOLLARS. Ordinary Americans will be threatened with fines and possible jail time, if they do not buy private insurance. Private insurance companies have been spending our insurance premiums, not on our health care, but on buying our politicians, financing political campaigns and overloading Washington with paid lobbyists.

I'd say the 'FIRST MANDATE' should be on the health care industry and the insurance companies to spend our 'insurance premiums' providing us health care!!! Piss on the poor again? Many familites are paying for health care and still have a $4,000 deductible, that's not health care, that's highway robbery. What's a person to do?

If there is a public option, which there is in the House bill, the prices won't be as outrageous as the would be w/o public option - plus, more people will qualify for Medicaid - the House bill is the best of all bills proposed so far, in my opinion, and for goodness sake - WE NEED HEALTH CARE REFORM!! Let's do this while we can!!

I absolutely agree with you connie that the industry should be forced to pay for every dollar they take in pay 91(example, but no less than that, in my opinion) cents of that dollar to healthcare needs (Medicare is 93-96 cents of every dollar). not filling the pockets of the politicains or the CEOs. Sadly the private market expects a profit and will buy out politicains to favor them if they can. This is the real problem. Not the government mandate. First it shouldn't be a mandate it should be a right. you should be in the system at birth and till death. if you choose not to pay we should have an australian system where you pay more later(so if you choose to come in at 30 or 40 or higher you have higher premiums for not coming in at 20 or 30.)

we do need health care reform but this bill should have focused on INDUSTRY REFORM NOT HEALTH REFORM. Both are very important but we have a broken industry. It has gotten to a point that it kills 45,000 americans every year. People who can't afford to pay premiums, deductibles, and co-payments shouldn't be forced into poverty to pay their fair share. They should be taken care of by the gov, tax payer, the community, the rich sons of bitches that stole from us once again.

there are people who can afford health insurance but don't buy. When they need treatment they go to the emergency rooms and get free medical. This makes the rest of us having to foot the bill. The healthcare plan will allow the poor to receive funding to get health insurance. You have a mandatory buying of car insurance if you drive, and if you buy a home and get a mortage then you need home owners. Forcing others to buy will get rid of cheaters. The more policies in the public option will decrease the premiums by spreading the risk.

You uhm don't look like you need no health care anyway. Just a guess.

Excuse me? I haven't had insurance in 8 years. I DO need them to do something! But they won't. I am CONFIDENT in that.

My point still stands, even after they pass the bill in the House, this isn't news, it means nothing. It won't pass in the Senate and they'll start over from scratch. It's a meaningless pointless gesture to act like they're doing something. Congress can suck my fucking dick.

We all need it eventually

You can. Its been out for over 5 days. http://current.com/177km4c

Not the final version.....

the Stupak amendment is the only likely amendment to pass. It bans federal funding of abortion.

It will be changed over and over in the coming weeks anyway. it now goes to the Senate and then maybe back to committees and possibly even back to the house. It could get delayed or even vetoed by the President if he grows some balls.

How about you run a test on this and report back the results?

What's with neocons, tea-baggers - haters all, and guns? You can't make up for your short comings with large calibers - sorry.

You crazies are always talking violencel. Not all Republicans are KKK, ABT, or skin heads but all KKK, skinheads, ABT and other crazy white mens hate groups that identify with the Republican party.

Im a "crazy white man" and I dont identify with the republicans.

EZ Slarabee, you have to use small words or they get confused and upset I've found.

not all democrats are radical mao loving communists but all radical mao loving communists identify with the democratic party

great logic

liberalism- a viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state.

conservatism-A political philosophy or attitude emphasizing respect for traditional institutions, distrust of government activism, and opposition to sudden change in the established order.

Is it my pro-choice stance that makes you think Im a republican.
How about my pro weed stance.
Maybe its my anti israel stance that makes you think it.
Is it my commitment to the animal rights issues that make you think it?
Maybe its the fact that I think all the people involved with starting the wars we are in right now are war criminals, and should be prosecuted as such that. is that what makes you think Im a republican?
Maybe its my "9-11 was an inside job" that shows my republican colors, is that it?

Let me guess, you think it because im a gun rights advocate that slams losers who bleed the system dry with every check they got and didnt earn that makes you think Im a republican, isnt it? So personal responsability is only a republican trait? Then I guess your right, I am a republican.

Just to clarify my meanings behind "bleeding the system dry" It does not include those collecting unemployment. They worked for it.

yah i dont think i know a republican who is anti israel lol

The only people that should be packing that piece are the lobbyist and both parties work for them, not us!! They need to pass a law that requires all lobbyist fire these simultaneously, then and only then will we have true change in this country!!

Why are both sides playing the race card? If we must, todays biggots are the party of Lincoln who wanted to abolish slavery! And the dems of the late fifties and early sixties had some of the most racist senators of all times!! Shame shame, the irony!!

That would be unAmerican.

What about Switzerland? Its the same as the regulated utilities we used to have here. Its private, but regulated, and the stock pays dividends. Its a win win for everyone.

"If the people let government decide which foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson

I just stumbled upon that quote. Don't you just love it?

What about when it's hard to see were corporations stop and government begins?

"If the people let government decide which foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson

Fortunately, the government won't be able to tell you what medications to take, it will tell you what medications you can't take. If you are an adult, unless you are diagnosed insane, legally nobody can make you take any kind of medication. This will not change. Ideally it will be a government rarely telling you what medication it won't pay for as opposed to a corporation that constantly does so.

Varex: I can't support that, you're looking at the quote too narrowly. The government isn't literally "forcing" us to take anything with this legislation, but they will certainly be saying "This is covered by government sponsored health care. This is not. You are taking pill A or paying out of pocket for it."

We already send astronauts into space on the machine built by the lowest bidder. What hope to Joe Blows like you and me have?

In the sense of NASA, the lowest bidder is chosen in order to keep extreme costs down. There might be a reason why we not only beat the Russians to the moon, but also why we didn't go bankrupt in the process and they did. Lowest bidder helps to promote competition.

it's true. it does suck. The Weiner Amendment is awesome though. It replaced the whole bill with the language of HR 676.

Lets hope that all the confidence in the new administration is valid, because if not we must change our title from gen- y to gen- duped!!!!

Only applies to those who can't yet read. Y'all might want to go ahead an git yourself sum education.

It's on line can't you read or are you ignant?

The old health care was: "American Health Care, when you're rich, fuck the poor!"

Ohhh hmm that sounds similar to the complaints about the passing of the Patriot Act... but the repubs passed that so its all good!!11 ...right? Now that the tables have turned it kinda sucks doesnt it?

"Sucks to be you doesn't it?"

MMMMMMM that compassionate bipartisanship is so wonderful to hear. You libs are like a bunch of five year old kids. Nothing says progress and change like saying "nyah nyah nyah, we passed flimsy legislature! SUCK IT!"

It's great to be me: I have no medical expenses, I'm in excellent shape, and I have a good job and a good education. Sorry if, even after all that, I don't think it's my responsibility to take care of every dumbass in our woefully health-ignorant country. I'd love to see the vital statistics of half of the people that voted in favor of this bullshit.

The problem is when you get laid off or hurt, unfortunately you'll be the first to stick you hand out for assistance and then it won't be "SOCIALISM" it will be your right as an American - because it's you. That's the problem with conservative thinking. It tends to be short sighted and selfish.

"unfortunately you'll be the first to stick you hand out for assistance"

You seem pretty confident that that's how I would react to adversity. Why do liberals think that people are incapable of dealing with their own problems without the government kissing every boo-boo and wiping every ass?

I'm an adult, and I deal with my own problems. You apparently think the rest of the United States isn't capable of taking care of themselves. This vote seems to prove you right, which is more depressing than it is comforting.

The problem is conservatives tend to take arguments to the extremes to support their weak positions. The government does not have to kiss every boo boo as you espouse. They simply have to promote the general welfare as stated in the Constitution.

What I don't understand is why is "freedom" so important if your simply trying to impose your will, beliefs and arcane ideology on others?

"They simply have to promote the general welfare as stated in the Constitution"

That's where judgment enters into the equation. You and I have two different ideas of what is required to promote the general welfare of the people. The hell of it is, everybody on both sides of the fence just says "fuck it, we're in power so we're doing this," and the citizens love to rub it in each other's faces when they get their own way. It's asinine.

I have to agree with you there, for the most part. The system has a serious design flaw whereby it makes the losers want to get back in power so badly they are counter productive to a point just this side of treason.

eldamon - so narrowminded that you think this is just a partizen battle.
The uninsured in this country could be covered just by eliminating the fraud in medicare, yet you buy into this scam that we need to hand over control to the federal govnment. You don't know when your being played by marxists who seek to take over power for themselves --- people like you are dupes, and we all are going to suffer loss of our sacred freedoms because of it.

Monte, ez with the sweeping generalizations and soaring rhetoric. You lose credibility almost instantly upon invoking "Marxism, Hitler or freedoms". Why are you so convinced the gov is out to get you and if they truly were why take such a round about manor? Moreover, can you name ONE "freedom" lost to the current administration and were you so animate about government take over when you were actually losing Constitutional rights under the previous administration under the guise of false war, patriotism and national security? I suspect you were just fine then so what's changed now pray tell?

So which of these awesome examples have you lost, as the question reads?

Yes, the Patriot Act required democrat votes to pass, but there was something behind the patriot act that really helped encourage many people to vote for it. Fear. Didn't the Anthrax scare, which oddly enough only targeted a few people who happened to be liberal, occur shortly before the Patriot Act was signed, or am I incorrect in that assumption?

mmmmm yes. That's the bipartisanship I was so excited to see from democrats. Wonderful.

All American women should start wearing face masks and head covering and shields, axes optional.

Immigrants pay sales taxes.

This is a social service. That means illegal immigrants are not paying sufficient taxes to justify qualification for these services.

Lets not forget the brothers, sisters, vatos and bubbas that are on welfare and not paying income taxes. Do they qualify? Who pays for them?

The feds are are going to be paying for this.
sales tax goes to the state, not the feds.

he would shit a golden brick.