By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The Senate health care reform bill unveiled Wednesday by Majority Leader Harry Reid is superior to the House-approved measure, at least when it comes to costs.
These are important points for senators to keep in mind when they vote on the bill, possibly as early as this weekend.
-- The Senate bill would cost $849 billion over 10 years, compared with the $1.1 trillion tab for the House measure.
-- The Senate bill would reduce the federal deficit by $127 billion over a decade, compared with $104 billion in the House bill.
But the Senate bill would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage -- under the 36 million covered by the House bill.
Of course, most if not all Republican senators are likely to oppose any measure that offers positive health care changes to Americans.
The GOP has consistently said that it does not want more government intrusion into health care. The Republicans are content with the expensive, ineffective health care plans that now cover most Americans.
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This bill is a lie
It will not reduce the deficit. It's immpossible under this bill.
Raising taxes to 50-58% on small businesses will force them to fire employees - who will not be paying taxes. The tax increase on the wealthy will never materialize.
You can not spend an additional $900 Billion and save $127 Billion.
They also do not include the tax increases state will incur as this bill pushes people without insurance onto state run Medicaid - with zero funding from federal gov't.
That cost is not included in the final $900 Billion.
So everyone's taxes at the state levels will have to go up.
So this is an out and out to the American public by our elected officials. Tragic.
The laughable YT whiffs another on another one...
......Of course, most if not all Republican senators are likely to oppose any measure that offers positive health care changes to Americans.
The GOP has consistently said that it does not want more government intrusion into health care. The Republicans are content with the expensive, ineffective health care plans that now cover most Americans.
He wipes out his post and the comments that followed it so that he can throw in a couple of snarky lies and distortions that turn his post into a laughably deceitful diatribe against republicans. Mr Abouhalkah: you are a disgrace to the word "journalist".
A couple of reminders, Yael....the democrats have .....for forty-six years ....refused numerous opportunities to significantly improve the Health Care provided to America's citizens. Why and how?
The why is patently obvious ......they want the whole magilla...or nothing at all. Even the late St. Teddy acknowledged last year that the 2 biggest mistakes of his legislative life were the turning down of both Nixon and Reagan (2 separate instances) of a significant incremental health care reform proposal.
Yael, of course, has no recollection of those efforts of the GOP to forward significant reform. Nor does he have any consideration of, or memory of the GOP bills forwarded in both houses of congress this year. (Those were not viewable on the DNC website, Yael)
The bills forwarded by the dems do absolutely nothing for health care cost reductions or cost containment. They are all about Insurance costs, Insurance control, and federal usurpation of but another section of this recently vital and vibrant economy.
To suggest that republicans are "opposed to any measure that offers positive health care changess for Americans" is quite simply a partisan hack's rant of blather. His blather is ramped up further in his last paragraph.
I used to think the man was just a wrong...I now believe him to be ethically handicapped. Is that a covered affliction, Yael?
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
yael the value of
your opinions can be sumed up in one line from your lie above:
"Of course, most if not all Republican senators are likely to oppose any measure that offers positive health care changes to Americans."
You sir are a certifiable jacka$$. So I will infer that all dem senators will support any measure that has a negative change to health care. Wait that is not really true either. Your kind of labeling makes it appear that in your heart you are a partisan racist fool full of hubris. At least that's what's indicated in your writing.
Unicorns, Yael?
Reid's senate bill was "unveiled" Wednesday and could be voted on this weekend and it's over 2000 pages.
Absolutely, breathtakingly unbelievable and Abouhalkah is all tingly over the prospect.
Pathetic.
Who believes the federal deficit will be REDUCED by $127 billion by a government takeover of health care?
C'mon, Yael -- believe in unicorns too?
"Republicans are content with the expensive, ineffective health care plans that now cover most Americans."
WRONG, Abouhalkah!
MOST AMERICANS are content with the effective health care plans that now cover us.
But I guess saying anything to further the Obama agenda is OK down at 18th and Grand, huh?!
$849 billion over 10 years
Let's do some fun math. $849 billion over 10 years to give 31 million people some form of government mandated insurance (helping pay for private plans or a public option).
That means the government is going to insure the 31 million new people for 10 years at a cost of $27,400 per person, or $2,740 per person, per year. Remember, many of these people are those folks who have pre-existing conditions or illnesses that currently keep them from getting insurance. And the government is going to limit their medical bills to $2,740 per year?
My family is what I would consider extremely healthy in that none of us takes ongoing medications, we haven't been hospitalize the past two years, and we have only maybe 1 or 2 doctor visits per year. I'm pretty sure we spend more than $2,740 per person per year, when you figure in our insurance costs, co-pays, deductible, etc.
Now my $2,740 figure per person, per year only covers the costs of getting the uninsured to have insurance. It doesn't include spending any of the $849 billion to help those already having insurance get lower prices or expand any other government programs like Medicare or Medicaid.
I'm simply asking if you really think the government can give someone who doesn't already have insurance access to free medical care while spending an average of less than $2,740 per year. Because that's what has to happen to have this plan cost only $849 billion over 10 years.
You're forgetting something, Weaselbill
Government bureaucracy! You know lots of the bucks will be going for more government employees and buildings. Obama's got to create those jobs somewhere.
As another note..
Another story in today's Star by Diane Stafford said...
"A sampling of 44 Kansas City area employers shows that their total health benefit costs for their employees rose 5.6 percent this year.
The primarily large workplaces spent an average of $8,376 per employee on health benefits, according to a survey released Wednesday."
The figure doesn't add in what the employee spent as their portion of health care costs.
So, the government has to shave almost $5,600 per year off what employers are spending in Kansas City to offer insurance to the uninsured at the above price tag.
Senate Bill = More lies to harm us more
The Senate bill seems to be "superior" to the house bill in that includes more lies, more manipulation and more measures to harm Americans.
Obama and his accomplices are going to "save us money" and "reduce the federal deficit" by forcing us to swallow the Obamacare SCAM just like they are "creating jobs" by destroying businesses and jobs and increasing unemployment.
As part of the Obamacare SCAM, the Senate bill is meant to manipulate us into believing it will help us. All thinking Americans realize, however, that Obamacare has NOTHING to do with helping us or improving anything. It is a criminal scam, a power grab that will destroy our health care, our economy, our freedoms and our country.