Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Health care bill for dummies


Healthcare reform... Where?

I started to read the health care bill and found a lot of it is written in "Lawyer" (Shakespeare was right). I also went online to find both the Republicans’ and Democrats’ pros and cons of the bill and got to read their translations. It's all kind of The Health Care Bill For Dummies.

Some of this is really scary:

Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and no appeals process).

Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None. 

Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer. 

Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same 

Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death. 

Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends. 

Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT. 

Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.

Note to the Government: I'll die when I'm ready, not when you tell me.

But here's the good news:

Everybody can have health insurance if they want it.

Insurers will not be able to stop paying for people who are sick, even if they lose their jobs.

People who cannot afford health insurance won’t have to pay as much money.

People who are already sick will be eligible for health care.

Health insurers can no longer cap coverage. In other words, they’ll no longer be able to say that they’ve spent enough on you and you’re on your own for the next hundred thousand dollars. This should reduce medical bankruptcy.