So, today I was invited to join a Facebook group called "DOWN WITH SOCIALISM, COMMUNISM, AND THE GLOBALISTIC SCHEME!!" On their front page was a discussion board topic that said, "here is the health care bill." First, nowhere in the link was a copy of the bill. Instead, what was there was a point by point exaggeration of the bill. I know this email has been floating around a while, and I know there are other refutations out there. My reply is below the fold.
Here's a breakdown by someone who has read the house bill. This is not a health care bill. It's a takeover of our whole society - including our personal bank accounts!!! These maniacs MUST BE STOPPED!!!
Shock: Inside the Healthcare Bill
Following the mad recommendations of Peter Singer made in NYT's Sunday magazine, it pays to take a look at what is actually in the healthcare bill.
It's worse than you can possibly imagine. Somehow, it manages to be Singer on steroids. Who wrote this bill? It has Singer's footprints all over it.
Peter Fleckstein (aka Fleckman) is reading it and has been posting on Twitter his findings. This is from his postings (Note: All comments are Fleckman's)
Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the gov't will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS who self-insure!!
Page 22: It doesn't mandate an audit of all self-insuring employers; in fact, the word audit doesn't appear anywhere in the section. It calls for a market study of large group AND self-insured employers to examine things such as financial solvency. The key word there is market study. It's not about figuring out if you've paid your taxes; the purpose of the study is to find out capital reserve levels and any risk of becoming insolvent. Translation: they want to know how many employers who self insure are likely to go bankrupt if one of their employees is diagnosed with something that is expensive to treat. If healthcare costs are allowed to bankrupt the company, that poses a risk to all their other employees as well.
Pg 30 Section 123 of HC Bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get
Page 30: The committee of between 21 and 27 members includes at least 18 non-government employees. The Health and Human Services secretary and between 2 and 8 federal employees. The majority are not to be federal employees and only receive a per diem for their service on the panel. There are also meant to be members who represent consumer interests, and experts on diversity and disparity in healthcare delivery. The bill provides the minimum level of care a patient must receive. Any advisory board wouldn't be able to exclude basic services. In fact, the bill even requires that the package provide for mental health and addiction care, something that most insurers explicitly exclude. The committee is also required to solicit public input on what is included. A few things the committee is NOT going to do: review individual cases and decide what care an individual receives, or decide a patient can't receive life-saving treatment, nor can it decide to exclude anything that is provided in the bill.
The panel is there to outline the basic package, as well as any premium packages made available through the program. If you or anyone else you know has ever purchased insurance individually, all they are doing is creating what goes in their version of the little packet that the insurance company gave you that explains what each package is and what is covered. For instance, they will be deciding what treatments are eligible for office co-pays, and which ones they will pay as first-dollar care. They won't be saying "you can have 1 X-ray this year, and no more." They won't be deciding on termination of care, nor will they "pull the plug on grandma."
Lastly, on this point, insurance companies already do this, except they don't ask for public input, and they actively want to cut you from their rolls. The government has no profit motive, so they won't be looking to cut you off from care once you are already in need, as the insurance companies are. The panel is required by law to provide more than most insurance plans do already.
Pg 29 Lines 4-16 of the HC Bill - YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!!
Page 29: This deals with cost-sharing, typically referred to as copayment, or co-insurance. The annual limit, not to exceed $5000 for individuals and $10000 for families does not limit the government's contribution to that, but your potential contribution. Subsection 3 of the previous section explicitly states that the benefits package "Does not impose any annual or lifetime limit on the coverage of covered health care items and services." If you're looking for rationing, you won't find it on page 29.
Pg 42 of the HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose YOUR HEALTH CARE Benefits for you. You have no choice.
Page 42: This is a continuation of the above. Your insurance company doesn't give you any choice either. Anyone who has ever had a chronic condition or previous injury will find that insurance companies attach contract riders that specifically exclude care for those things. For example, as a result of a neck injury I received in a car accident, no insurance company will ever again insure anything regarding my neck or spine. I don't have a choice. I either accept the restriction, or I don't get insurance. The government option plan does not allow for that kind of pre-existing condition exclusion, and they are to provide three separate packages with three different levels of care that people may opt-in to: basic, enhanced, and premium. All the commissioner is deciding is what the costs and benefits are in the packages, and providing you with a choice: Pick one of the three, or pick a private plan that you like better. It's a lot more choice than what is out there right now.
Pg 50 Section 152 of the HC Bill - HEALTHCARE will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise
Page 50: First, emergency treatment is already provided to anyone who walks into a hospital ER in the United States regardless of nationality or resident status. This one should be a no-brainer. If someone walks into a hospital with a gunshot wound, there might not even be time to figure out their identity, let alone their nationality. But more importantly, the bill is implementing the non-discrimination right that all Americans have. Since this is a federal program, they are bound by the Constitution. But there's also a key phrase: "Except as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act. . ." What this means is that illegal aliens are not eligible to participate in the health insurance exchange purchasing program because they are not explicitly listed as being allowed to, and existing federal law and regulations then apply.
Pg 58 of the HC Bill - Government will have real-time access to individuals' finances, and a National ID Healthcard will be issued!
Pg 59 Lines 21-24 of the HC Bill - Government will have di rect access to your bank accounts for electronic fund transfers
Page 58: Nowhere, I repeat, NOWHERE in this section does it say the government has any access, real-time or otherwise, to you or anyone else's bank accounts. When it says that the health care provider should determine immediately the person's "financial responsibility at the point of service," it is saying they will be able to explain up front and in clear terms what, if any, cost there will be to the patient. It does NOT say they will bill you immediately or automatically, nor without your consent. All it is saying is that they should know in advance of treatment what you will owe so that you can make an informed decision on cost and care.
As for the medical ID card, you are already required to carry them on you at all times if you have insurance. A state issued ID, and a proof-of-insurance card issued by your insurer. But most importantly, the bill specifies that they MAY be issued, not that they WILL be issued. Nor does it say that not having one will prevent you from receiving care, just like not having your wallet on you won't prevent you from seeing your doctor now. It just slows things down since they have to look up your records manually instead of swiping the card. If government-issued IDs are a problem, please return your driver's license and social security card.
Pg 65 Section 164 of the HC Bill - Payoff-subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & Community Organizations (ACORN)
Page 65: First, to address the ACORN issue, ACORN was the victim of the fraud, not the perpetrator. People were unlawfully giving ACORN false registration documents in order to exploit ACORN's payment incentives. ACORN immediately took steps to rectify the situation by notifying proper state authorities of the false documents and those involved in providing them. As a former regstration deputy myself, I say that ACORN was required by law to provide those false registrations to the state, even knowing they were falsified. The proper course of action is to then tell the state officers that it is a forged document so that they can deal with it accordingly. They were not allowed to simply dispose of them; after all, somewhere out there a parent may have actually named their child Mickey Mouse, and community organizations an registration deputies do not have access to any means of verifying their identity the way the state does.
Second, nowhere in the bill does it say anything that can be construed as applying to community organizations. The provision is there to ease the burden on companies that provided pensions to those who retired before 65. Once the person is eligible ot receive medicare, this section of the bill no longer applies.
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 of the HC Bill - Government is creating an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control
Pg 84 Section 203 of the HC Bill - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the Exchange
Page 72-84: This says nothing of the sort. It is creating an exchange, but it is not putting any private company under government control. All it is doing is providing a common market space and establishing the rules for those who wish to participate in it. No company is forced to do so, nor are they required to offer all their options through this exchange. Think of it like a grocery store for insurance, where you get to comparison shop. All it is saying is that if the company participates in the exchange, they may offer on the exchange one plan for each tier of coverage (basic, enhanced, premium, premium-plus). That does not mean they cannot offer more competing plans outside the exchange in the same manner insurance is sold now.
Pg 85 Line 7 of the HC Bill - Specs of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Government will ration your HC!
Page 85: There is no rationing of care. This section provides the rules which the exchange-offered plans must follow, and sets the MINIMUM level of care that can be provided. A health insurer can always provide MORE care than the government-specified minimum. It is the opposite of rationing: it is encouraging private insurers to offer MORE services than the government does in order to outsell their competitors. And again, the company can provide other alternative plans outside the exchange.
Pg 91 Lines 4-7 of the HC Bill - Government mandates linguistically appropriate services - Example: Translation for illegal aliens
Page 91: This is not about translating for illegal aliens. There are many American citizens for whom English is not their first language. Regardless of how people feel about it, we do not have an official language in the United States. Some states have mandated it, but not every state does. Since this is a federal program, and may affect people in states that don't mandate an official language, the benifits packages must be provided in a language the purchaser can understand. Health care is a tricky thing. Read over your own insurance package sometime. It's in English and it's still hard to understand; imagine a language barrier added to that. How can a consumer make an informed choice about how to spend their money if they don't understand the choices being offered?
Pg 95 Lines 8-18 of the HC Bill - The Government will use groups, i.e. ACORN & Americorps, to sign up individuals for Government HC plan
Page 95: The bill says they may work with any appropriate outside entity to spread information. That means ad agencies, PR firms, and so on, not just community organizations. Nowhere does it confer to these outside groups the power to sign anyone up. The bill specifies that they are to assist in educating and informing specific vulnerable populations such as "children, individuals with disabilities, individuals with mental illness, and individuals with other cognitive impairments." The purpose os to provide aid to those who might not otherwise be capable of accessing the needed information or services to make a choice about their health care.
Pg 102 Lines 12-18 of the HC Bill - Medicaid-eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice
Page 102: This is kind of the heart of the bill. In order to pool risk and bring everyone's costs down, everyone must be covered in some form. For those who do not, or cannot enroll in any of the private plans, they are covered under medicaid. It's the same logic that applies to requiring all drivers to carry some form of car insurance. Without that requirement, the uninsured push the costs onto the insured, who then pay higher premiums for less coverage.
Pg 124 Lines 24-25 of the HC Bill - No company can sue the government on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Government Monopoly
Page 124: This is fairly common. Very few government agencies can be called as defendant in a case. There are exceptions that supercede that rule, though, such as pay discrimination, harassment, and more.
Pg 127 Lines 1-16 of the HC Bill - Doctors/AMA - The government will tell YOU what you can make
Page 127: In large part, this is already the case, except it is insurance companies who make the determination, or large health care conglomerates who tell their physicians how to treat their patients. But, this problem exists with Medicare also, with Medicare rates being substantially lower than market rate. However, market rate is artificially high to offset the losses from Medicare patients. Under this system, everyone will be playing by the same rules, and everyone will be covered, so there will be no need for providers to overcharge to make up for losses sustained by Medicare patients, or patients who cannot pay for care they've received. Also, power over payments is in the hands of the agency, not Congress, so annual adjustment of rates can occur more frequently and with greater attention to the changing markets. Having Congress involved is what has slowed down the rate at which Medicare payments to providers is raised.
Pg 145 Lines 15-17 of the HC Bill - An employer MUST automatically enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE
Pg 126 Lines 22-25 of the HC Bill - Employers MUST pay for HC for part time-employees AND their families
Page 145: This is a bit misleading. There is no mandate to choose the government-provided plan. The mandate is to choose one of the plans offered on the exchange, which includes private insurers. An employer CAN choose a private healthcare package. Any employee is then enrolled in that plan, however the employee MAY OPT-OUT to get a plan of their own elsewhere.
Pg 149 Lines 16-24 of the HC Bill - ANY employer with a payroll of $400k and above who does not provide the Public Option must pay 8% tax on all payroll
PG 150 Lines 9-13 of the HC Bill - Businesses with payrolls between $251k and $400k that don't provide the Public Option must pay 2-6% tax on all payroll
Page 149: True, sort of. Again, this statement confuses public option with the exchange. The public option is one of many plans offered on the exchange. An employer may choose a private insurer. And any payroll less than $250,000 pays nothing. Not sales, not gross revenue, not taxable income, but PAYROLL costs. As an example, the hypothetical $400,000 payroll cost would be subject to a $32,000 tax, far less than existing premiums for the number of employees they'd be insuring. Many companies report as a percentage of payroll expenses that their health care premiums are over 10%, some reach as high as 18%.
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 of the HC Bill - ANY individual who doesn't have acceptable HC, according to the government, will be taxed 2.5% of income
Page 167: This is also a bit misleading. It's 2.5%, OR the cost of the annual premium for individual (or in the case of families, family) insurance, whichever is LOWER. It is also prorated based upon how long the person was uninsured. If you were uninsured for a single day out of the year, you would pay the premium divided by 365; the cost of a single day's insurance. If your income is so low that 2.5% is lower than one day's coverage, you probably do not make enough money in a year to be paying income taxes in the first place, and are probably going to receive a tax credit to help pay the cost. How many families in this country would leap at the chance to pay ONLY 2.5% of their annual income for health care? Many are paying in excess of 10%, same as their employers. For some, the cost is over 100% and they are living entirely on savings, or second mortgages.
Ok. At this point it's been 3 hours, and its time for me to get some work done. I'll get back to this. Please read the bill before believing the hyperbolic mischaracterizations of it.
http://docs.house.gov/...
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay)
Pg 195 of the HC Bill - Officers and employees of HC Administration (GOV'T) will have access to ALL Americans' financial/personal records
Pg 203 Lines 14-15 of the HC Bill - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it actually says that
Pg 239 Lines 14-24 of the HC Bill - Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, and the poor affected
Pg 241 Lines 6-8 of the HC Bill - Doctors, it does't matter what specialty you have. All will be paid the same
Pg 253 Lines 10-18 of the HC Bill - Government sets the value of doctors' time, professional judgement, etc. Literally value of humans
< br> Pg 265 Section 1131 of the HC Bill - Government mandates and controls productivity for private HC industries Pg 268 Section 1141 of the HC Bill Federal government regulates rental & purchase of powerdriven wheelchairs
Pg 272 Section 1145 of the HC Bill - TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients, welcome to rationing!
Pg 280 Section 1151 of the HC Bill - The government will penalize hospitals for what the government deems preventable readmissions
Pg 298 Lines 9-11 of the HC Bill - Doctors who treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission: the government will penalize you
Pg 317 Lines 13-20 of the HC Bill - PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. The government tells doctors what/how much they can own
Pgs 317-318 Lines 1-3 and 21-25 of the HC Bill - PROHIBITION on expansion. The government is mandating that hospitals cannot expand
Pg 321 Lines 2-13 of the HC Bill - Hospitals will have opportunity to apply for exception to the preceding, but community input required. Can you say "ACORN"?!!
Pg 335 Lines 16-25 and Pgs 336-339 of the HC Bill - Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing
Pg 341 Lines 3-9 of the HC Bill - Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advanced Plans, HMOs, etc., forcing people into the Government Plan
Pg 354 Section 1177 of the HC Bill20- Government will RESTRICT enrollment of special needs people!
Pg 379 Section 1191 of the HC Bill - Government creates more bureaucracy - "Telehealth Advisory Committee." Can you say "health care by phone"?
Pg 425 Lines 4-12 of the HC Bill - Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consultants. Think senior citizens and the end of their lives.
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 of the HC Bill - Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory!
Pg 425 Lines 22-25 and Pg 426 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you into death
Pg 427 Lines 15-24 of the HC Bill - Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The government has a say in how your life ends
Pg 429 Lines 1-9 of the HC Bill - An "advanced care planning consultant" will be used frequently as a patient's health deteriorates
Pg 429 Lines 10-12 of the HC Bill - "advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. AN ORDER from GOVERNMENT!
Pg 429 Lines 13-25 of the HC Bill - The government will specify which doctors can write an end of life order
Pg 430 Lines 11-15 of the HC Bill - The government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of your life
Pg 469 of the HC Bill - Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit Organizations. Hello! ACORN Medical Services has arrived!!!
Pg 472 Lines 14-17 of the HC Bill - PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. One monthly payment to a community-based organization. ACORN?
Pg 489 Section 1308 of the HC Bill - The government will cover marriage and family therapy, which means government will insert itself into your marriage
Pgs 494-498 of the HC Bill - Government will cover mental health services, including defining, creating, AND rationing those services
Here's the full Health Care bill that sits in the House.