tagged w/ US Health Care System
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A proposed health-care bill by the powerful chairman of the Senate Finance Committee does not include a government-run insurance plan, a source close to the discussions said Monday.
Although the proposal from Sen. Max Baucus excludes a "public option," it would allow for the creation of nonprofit health care cooperatives, an idea that some moderate Democrats and Republicans have expressed possible interest in supporting.
It was sent to committee members Saturday night.
Congressional liberals are pushing strongly for inclusion of a public option; conservatives are sharply opposed.
President Obama has said he supports a public option but has not clearly indicated that he will veto a bill that fails to include it.
Baucus' bill would cost less than $900 billion over 10 years, according to the source. The price tag is at least $100 billion less than any other health-care reform bill currently under consideration by Congress, the source said.
It would be paid for, in part, by a new tax on health insurance companies that provide high-end "Cadillac" insurance plans, the source added.
Supporters of such a tax, initially proposed by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and other Democrats several weeks ago, say will it help curb the cost of health care by discouraging employers from offering such plans.
They also argue that consumers, in turn, will be discouraged from overusing the health care system.
Critics claim that the new tax will cause insurance companies to raise rates on all of their customers, even those without more expensive plans.
The "Gang of Six" Senate negotiators -- a group of three Democrats and three Republicans on the Finance Committee -- is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the proposal.
Obama is slated to give a speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night on the divisive issue of health-care reform, now his top domestic priority.
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The Senate Finance Committee is the last of five congressional committees needed to approve health-care legislation before it can be taken up by both the full Senate and the full House of Representatives.
Different forms of the legislation have cleared three House committees, as well as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A proposed health-care bill by the powerful chairman of the Senate... more
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A hammer is a marvelous tool, but only for the right job. If you took an expensive watch to a repairman and he pulled out a hammer, you would be extremely nervous, if not aghast. Maybe he could find a way to do some good with that implement, but you would be more focused on the damage he could cause.
A similar scenario is playing out in the public anxiety over health-care reform. Plenty of people think the existing system is in need of repair. But when they hear about expensive plans that require a more powerful and intrusive federal government, they fear that what is best in our approach to medicine may get smashed in the process.
What is best in our approach is the exceptional quality it provides. Americans grasp that: A 2006 poll found that 89 percent were happy with the medical care they get. But President Barack Obama and his allies in Congress don't seem to realize how good we have it.
He says though the United States spends more per person on medical care than any other nation, "the quality of our care is often lower, and we aren't any healthier. In fact, citizens in some countries that spend substantially less than we do are actually living longer than we do."
That's one of the favorite rationales for a government-led overhaul. But it gives about as realistic a picture of American medicine as an episode of "Scrubs."
It's true that the United States spends more on health care than anyone else, and it's true that we rank below a lot of other advanced countries in life expectancy. The juxtaposition of the two facts, however, doesn't prove we are wasting our money or doing the wrong things.
It only proves that lots of things affect mortality besides medical treatment. Actor Heath Ledger didn't die at age 28 because the American health-care system failed him.
One big reason our life expectancy lags is that Americans have an unusual tendency to perish in homicides or accidents. We are 12 times more likely than the Japanese to be murdered and nearly twice as likely to be killed in auto wrecks.
In their 2006 book, "The Business of Health," economists Robert L. Ohsfeldt and John E. Schneider set out to determine where the U.S. would rank in life span among developed nations if homicides and accidents are factored out. Their answer? First place.
That discovery indicates our health-care system is doing a poor job of preventing shootouts and drunk driving but a good job of healing the sick. All those universal-care systems in Canada and Europe may sound like Health Heaven, but they fall short of our model when it comes to combating life-threatening diseases.
Some of those foreign systems are great, as long as you don't get sick. Samuel Preston and Jessica Ho of the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania examined survival rates for lung, breast, prostate, colon and rectum cancers in 18 countries and found that Americans fared best.
The U.S. also excelled on other measures, such as surviving heart attacks for more than a year. Why? Because our doctors and patients don't take no for an answer. The researchers attribute the results to "wider screening and more aggressive treatment." Another factor is that we get quicker access to new cancer drugs than anyone else.
Critics say all those great medicines and therapies are cold comfort to Americans who lack insurance -- which by any standard is our greatest shortcoming. People without coverage are more likely to do without needed treatment or preventive care and more likely to die from disease or accidents.
But they have it better than you might think. Some 62 percent of uninsured Americans are satisfied with their medical care. That is probably because they get a lot of uncompensated treatment from the most advanced, ambitious and capable medical system in the world.
a bit more at link.....A hammer is a marvelous tool, but only for the right job. If you took an expensive... more
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plusaf
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3 months ago
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The meeting would mark the first public drafting session in either chamber on legislation to control the costs of health care, yet having government not involved was not discussed.
The talks have involved insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical firms and the makers of medical devices; all the profiteers, but none of the patients.The meeting would mark the first public drafting session in either chamber on... more
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Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: IOUSA: The Movie
Did you know that Americans spend more on health care than any other country? Costs have been rising significantly faster than economic or personal income growth for the past 40 years, and the trend is continuing at an unsustainable rate. In fact, it is the worst long-term crisis facing the nation, and it demands a solution.
If we don't address these rising costs now, our entire safety net could disappear, including Medicare and Social Security. Even worse, cost burdens and our $9.5 trillion national debt make it almost impossible to invest in new programs that make us healthier and more secure.
Annually, the U.S. health care industry spends an amount equal to the entire gross domestic product of France and Spain combined, so reform is going to be complicated and challenging. But it needs to happen sooner rather than later, and the first step is asking hard questions about health care in America.
Waiting to reform the health care system will just push the problem onto our children and grandchildren, and that is irresponsible and immoral. Ask Congress to seriously face health care reform today.Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: IOUSA: The Movie
Did you know... more
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experience being treated for the same illness in the U.S. through private health insurance and later through the United Kingdom's National Health Service. The treatments were worlds apart, she writes.
Most agree there’s a problem with health care in the U.S., but is the United Kingdom’s system the way toexperience being treated for the same illness in the U.S. through private health... more
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A journalist's treatment for same condition in two countries is worlds apart
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Hospital staff chose to play cards and watch TV instead.
A hospital patient in the US state of North Carolina died after th staff neglected to care for the man.The 50-year-old mentally ill man sat on a chair and was completely ignored, as nobody brought him food or water, or helped him to the bathroom. Security camera footage showed hospital staff watching television or playing cards while the man was left to suffer alone.
It's not the first time a patient in an American hospital has been apallingly mistreated...
Will the next President fix the deplorable state of US health care?Hospital staff chose to play cards and watch TV instead.
A hospital patient in the... more
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Jaeger
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1 year ago
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A recent study shows that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems.A recent study shows that more than half of all insured Americans are taking... more
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Healthcare Should Be Free For Everyone.
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Ro_Lew
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1 year ago
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THIS IS AWESOME! I am very fortunate to have found A benefit package that me and my 7 kids can use everytime we visit our dentist and recieve a great discount. I mean this is really unbelievable, until you use the discount program yourself you will not be able to really appreciate the savings that occur. Im just posting because once I was included as a member and saved I was thinking "A person can really make a living providing this to uninsured homes"
so I started reserching and called the person that signed me as a member and became an independent business owner (IBO) and now im spreading the news everywhere 24/7.
I have since found that their are more than 100million americans that has either no coverage or just paying to much for healthcare and it's projected to become even more costly.
listen to me! Their are many insurance companies that leave us out in the cold after taking or money claming that we were not well when we signed OR we have to pay an extremly large deductible after paying years of monthly payments to are insurance providers for a service rendered. Don't make sense to pay all that time and still have to pay deductibles when we have companies such as this http://deliveringonthepromise.com/cbgreene that helps you be the one receiving the savings and gains.So I urge you all to check out the savings and if their is something that im missing please let me know...
THIS IS AWESOME! I am very fortunate to have found A benefit package that me and my 7... more
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ecurbg
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1 year ago
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just a little breif on me.
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Universal health care is not the right answer.
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What we need to work on, as a nation, is health disparity. People without health care are put at a disadvantage.What we need to work on, as a nation, is health disparity. People without health care... more
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Considering the rising costs of US healthcare and the inadequacies of our current medical system in handling them, the international outsourcing of medical care is a very real prospect....for those who can afford to get there.Considering the rising costs of US healthcare and the inadequacies of our current... more
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Considering the state of domestic affairs, this is in no way surprising.
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Health Care for everyone,anytime,anywhere. Its possible and its time!
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UNHC
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2 years ago
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Michelle is a 29 year old mother of three who has been on the kidney transplant waitlist for four years. This pod by VC2 producer Kathleen Russell explores the reality of the organ transplant system through the eyes of someone "on-the-list."Michelle is a 29 year old mother of three who has been on the kidney transplant... more
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Courtesy of Ryan Maisel
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saskia
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2 years ago
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You've got to have it right? But if you do, it doesnt necessarily save the day--that's what they dont tell you. These medical insurance companies do EVERYTHING THEY CAN to not pay. Its basically a war of attrition in order to get payment out of these people... What's sad is that even if you're trying to do the right thing and be covered--your essentially naked in many regards anyway.. You've got to have it right? But if you do, it doesnt necessarily save the... more
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I really don't know what to say. Could someone please try to enlighten me why Bush would veto a bill to help support Children's health care?I really don't know what to say. Could someone please try to enlighten me why Bush... more
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