USA HC Reform (48)
A reforma da saúde avança palmo a palmo, com maior dificuldade do que se previa. O debate envolvente vai deixar marcas profundas na sociedade americana. O rsultado de tanto esforço poderá ser decepcionante. Como foi, recentemente, a Cimeira de Copenhaga.
1.º - Obama congratula-se com avanços para a aprovação da reforma da saúde no Senado link
2.º - Deal on health bill is reached link
3.º - To sway Nelson, a hard-won compromise on abortion issue link
4.º - Senate Democrats block GOP filibuster link
5.º - Why the Senate Should Vote Yes on Health Care link
6.º - Health-care reform: How the bills stack up link
7.º - Obama, Denied Full Victory on 2 Issues, Takes Validation link
8.º - Negotiating to 60 Votes, Compromise by Compromise link
2.º - Deal on health bill is reached link
3.º - To sway Nelson, a hard-won compromise on abortion issue link
4.º - Senate Democrats block GOP filibuster link
5.º - Why the Senate Should Vote Yes on Health Care link
6.º - Health-care reform: How the bills stack up link
7.º - Obama, Denied Full Victory on 2 Issues, Takes Validation link
8.º - Negotiating to 60 Votes, Compromise by Compromise link
Etiquetas: USA health 3
4 Comments:
Is there anyone left, on either side of the political spectrum, who wants the Senate health care bill to pass?
Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour had this to say about the Senate bill last week, “This health care plan is like mackerel in the moonlight. Longer that it's out there, the more that it stinks.”
And yesterday, MoveOn said this about the Senate Democratic health care bill in an email to its members, "America needs real health care reform—not a massive giveaway to the insurance companies. Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives should block this bill until it's fixed."
When Haley Barbour and MoveOn are saying about the same things—this bill should be stopped in its current form albeit for very different reasons—that says a lot.
I haven’t seen a poll the last month that has found an approval rating for the Democratic efforts that was any better than the high 30s or low 40s.
Then came what has to be the most bizarre health care poll finding I have ever seen. In this week’s Washington Post/ABC News poll, 54% of those who are uninsured said they thought Democratic efforts to change the health care system would mean their health insurance would cost more if it were passed—35% said it would cost less.
The uninsured aren’t even buying this!
In a recent post, I pointed out that the Democrats would face four health insurance renewal cycles and two elections between 2010 and 2014 when the benefits of the health care bill would finally become effective. That’s four years of new taxes and continuing big health insurance rate increases before voters see any big benefits from what looks like it will be a very unpopular bill.
This debate isn’t coming down to the “Harry and Louise” moment we might have expected.
It does look like it could be more like a “Thelma and Louise” moment with the Democrats seemingly intent on driving this health care express off a political cliff.
LR
To get the 60 votes needed to pass their bill, Democrats scrapped the idea of a government-run public insurance plan. NYT
Uma das peças fundamentais da reforma, a constituição de um seguro público, concorrencial com os privados, destinado em primeiro lugar a todos quantos não conseguem pagar os elevados prémios das seguradoras, poderá cair.
Apesar de ter sido o dinheiro público que salvou a banca americana da falência em toda a linha, a América profunda continua a ter grande desconfiança de tudo quanto seja intervenção do Estado.
This is a good bill. Not a great bill, but a good bill. Imagine telling a Democrat in the days after the 2004 election that the 2006 election would end Republican control of Congress, the 2008 election would return a Democrat to the White House, and by the 2010 election, Democrats would have passed a bill extending health-care coverage to 94 percent of Americans, securing trillions of dollars in subsidies for low-income Americans (the bill's $900 billion cost is calculated over 10 years, but the subsidies continue indefinitely into the future), and imposing a raft of new regulations on private insurers. It is, without doubt or competition, the single largest social policy advance since the Great Society.
Not bad, huh?
This bill is likely to pass the Senate on Christmas, and head to the president's desk before the State of the Union. It will be hard to change big things about the bill between now and then. But it will be fully possible to change small things. An example came in the manager's amendment. The original Senate bill barred insurers from imposing "unreasonable" annual caps on spending. This bill bars them from imposing any annual caps on spending. That's thanks, in large part, to the left, which attacked that weakness ferociously.
There are a lot of pages in this bill. A lot of sentences. A lot of loopholes and weaknesses (alongside a lot of strengths and improvements). Not all of them will be caught between now and passage, or even between now and implementation. But some of them can be. And some small things can be added, changed or tweaked. But first, they have to be noticed and publicized. Both the underlying bill and the package of amendment can be downloaded and scrutinized here. link link
victor --
Early this morning, the Senate made history and health reform cleared its most important hurdle yet -- garnering the 60 votes needed to move toward a final vote in that chamber later this week.
This marks the first time in our nation's history that comprehensive health reform has come to this point. And it appears that the American people will soon realize the genuine reform that offers security to those who have health insurance and affordable options to those who do not.
I'm grateful to Senator Harry Reid and every senator who's been working around the clock to make this happen. And I'm grateful to you, and every member of the Organizing for America community, for all the work you have done to make this progress possible.
After a nearly century-long struggle, we are now on the cusp of making health insurance reform a reality in the United States of America.
As with any legislation, compromise is part of the process. But I'm pleased that recently added provisions have made this landmark bill even stronger. Between the time when the bill passes and the time when the insurance exchanges get up and running, insurance companies that try to jack up their rates do so at their own peril. Those who hike their prices may be barred from selling plans on the exchanges.
And while insurance companies will be prevented from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions once the exchanges are open, in the meantime there will be a high-risk pool where people with pre-existing conditions can purchase affordable coverage.
A recent amendment has made these protections even stronger. Insurance companies will now be prohibited from denying coverage to children immediately after this bill passes. There's also explicit language in this bill that will protect a patient's choice of doctor. And small businesses will get additional assistance as well.
These protections are in addition to the ones we've been talking about for some time. No longer will insurance companies be able to drop your coverage if you become sick and no longer will you have to pay unlimited amounts out of your own pocket for treatments that you need.
Under this bill families will save on their premiums; businesses that would see their costs rise if we don't act will save money now and in the future. This bill will strengthen Medicare and extend the life of the program. Because it's paid for and gets rid of waste and inefficiency in our health care system, this will be the largest deficit reduction plan in over a decade.
Finally, this reform will extend coverage to more than 30 million Americans who don't have it.
These are not small changes. These are big changes. They're fundamental reforms. They will save money. They will save lives.
And your passion, your work, your organizing helped make all of this possible. Now it's time to finish the job.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
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