Medicare Overhaul-your Comments!

[Joe Gutstadt]

Anyone care to share their thoughts on the passage
of the Medicare bill by congress?

The younger generation should comment too as the
impact will effect your parents and grandparents.

 

[hhardt]

It must be really good. Kennedy was against it.

 

[Ross]

Ah Joe you beat me to it. I was going to post a poll and see what people thought. My question would have been, "With the knowledge of the bill as it stands, would you have voted for it or against it?"

I've been reading this bill and it is terrifying. President Bush did less then be honest with everyone during his conference yesterday.

As the bill stood, I would not have voted for it. I'm still reading 687 pages of it and it's not a good thing that I'm reading.

 

[Joe Gutstadt]

Ross:

I had hoped to put up a poll too, but couldn't make it
function. Checked the poll box, but nothing came up.

The poll I had prepared to use was:

EXPRESS YOUR VIEWPOINT ON THE NEW MEDICARE BILL

1. Sounds great, can't wait until 2006 when it kicks in.

2. They stuck it to the Senior Citizen once again.

3. Some provisions look hopeful, others have me concerned.

4. I don't know-requires a MBA to figure it all out.

At least that was my idea. Not sure if spacing would have
allowed it read that way. Realize that's 2 no's, a yes and
a maybe. But, wanted to have some fun with it too.

 

[hensylee]

2.
TWO
II

$35.00/mo to participate
$250 deductible
pays for $2200 worth of med - after that no payment help w/meds til you reach about 7000 (for the year)?

I met a man at my pharmacy this week who showed me his bill for that visit $326!!!!!!! But nobody can get this 'help' til 2006 and this poor man will be gone by then.

This bill ain't gonna help him! It's just another boon for the drug companies. They'll make out like bandits. You just watch.

 

[Ross]

What a lot of people fail to realize is that this bill doesn't just add a prescription plan, but has other hidden changes as well. I've been reading into this bill and I do not like what I'm reading. I'll post a link to the file for anyone who'd like to look it over. It's 678 pages long, so you'll be reading for a long time to come.

http://www.house.gov./medicarerx/hr1-conflegtext.pdf

 

[hensylee]

Thanks, Ross - I have only gotten snips on tv but have heard over the net from organizations who tell us it's not a good thing. I know there are other hidden things - subsidies, too, for drug companies. I will read it when you put it in.

 

[Ross]

http://www.house.gov/commerce_democrats/legviews/108lvhr2473.htm

I'm Republican, but what I see in the Democrats views here are exactly my concerns also. Maybe I'm a Democrat and don't know it yet? This bill is scary stuff. Start reading about half way down the page. You'll get the jest of it.

 

[hensylee]

Ross, the parties are ever-changing. Republicans are what the Democrats used to be and I don't know what Democrats have advanced to. (or not advanced)

 

[hhardt]

Ross, your reference is the "Dissenting Views" and as you say says all the bad versions of what is there. From listening to the Democrats talk for hours on CSPAN I have heard most of the slanted crap (Demo. Senate verbage) one can hear. Now I must labor through the real truth to find out what is really there. One problem, is the things added to get it passed or deleted for the same. Are we ahead or behind? Time will tell but adding the slant to peoples minds before they read it does not help. Most of the big talkers in the Senate (Demo's) are against things just because the President is for it. Here we are examining what was originally a Democrat idea that got that treatment just because Bush was for it. The poor really make out. Those of means don't fair that well. The middle???? Of course the Demo theme of big business has already been imaged in our mind and a lot of what we see hear is influenced by that. Someone has to manage it, and we all know how good the government has been in the past at that. Keep an open mind and lets see.
Hell, the flu is a bigger problem for all of us avr-ers and that we all need to get ready for.---NOW

 

[bvdr]

I get so sick of politics sometimes. The problems that this country has to deal with are so complex. There isn't enough money anywhere to provide the type of medical coverage people want. Even if we don't want to admit , alot of our medical problems in this country are results of our life-styles and personal choices.

The same thing with our insurance coverage. I see employees at work who choose not to insure their families and it makes me want to cry. These people are hard working, nice people, who drive nice cars, live in lovely homes, and I know if they chose to, could manage the extra cost. I have worked jobs that I didn't enjoy at all because I chose to make having insurance a very high priority. I could not imagine leaving a place and not taking advantage of COBRA.

I'm sure at sometime our country will go to a form of government provided healthcare but it will not be the panacea that so many expect it will be. I believe that when that time comes, the healthcare available will more likely be more like the lowest level now available than the highest.

Today, one of the things I am thankful for is our healthcare as imperfect as it is. I have found for the most part that our healthcare providers are caring individuals and do a good job. I also know that most people providing care have no knowledge of that person's insured status.

 

[Ross]

I still have lots more reading to do of the 678 pages, but the conclusion of what I've read so far is, This bill is not going to help anyone but the HMO's, Pharmaceutical Companies and Politicians. I see where people are going to be forced into HMO's in order to have drug coverage. I see many spots where there will be payout freezes for years while costs continue to rise, I see trouble all the way around.

I don't know about most people, but I'm already in a Medicare plus choice HMO. This is not new by any means, but it's being made to sound like it is. More and more things are becoming out of pocket pays. When you have a garbage benefit amount to start with, the last thing you need to do is be paying more for less. Sorry, but this bill is going to hurt many more then it's ever going to help.

I do not want this to turn into a political debate. It's not. All I'm saying is that what the Democratic view as posted says, is very much what I'm reading in this 678 pages of legislature. I can very well see where this could be the dismantling of Medicare as it is today and handed over to the private sector.