Seeing less change all the time

Great move isn't it?
Someone can't afford insurance so they have to pay a $1000.000 fine, that ought to help them afford coverage.
Once upon a time this was "The Land Of The Free", those days are gone.

By forcing everyone to have coverage rates should become more affordable. An example was given that if you pay in $25 dollars a week and only use $100.00 a year where does the rest go. A lot of it goes to help pay for people that don’t have insurance. Let’s say you pay in $25.00 a week and your medical bills are $20,000 a year where does that money come from? If everyone is forced to have insurance your rates should become more reasonable because your insurance company will no longer have to pay for the uninsured by way of rising hospital fees and doctors visits. You see if one person can’t pay his bill a doctor has to raise his rates to cover what he has lost so he can pay his insurance and his staff and his taxes and whom ever else he owes money along with college debt. Multiply that by how many million of people that are not insured and it is not hard to see why we are in the shape we are in.
I doubt very seriously Branden’s insurance was only $25.00 a week. That was probably a small portion of what his employer was paying.
We can do nothing and have the insurance companies and the hospitals come up with a solution (like that will happen) because we are all conservatives and we believe that by doing nothing the market will somehow magically take care of itself. How about this? If there is a fine for people that don’t have insurance it will give them an incentive to get off their lazy asses and get a job instead of sitting around sucking on the welfare tit.You would think conservatives would be all over that.

Randy. Hopeless...

Randy wrote:

By forcing everyone to have coverage rates should become more affordable. An example was given that if you pay in $25 dollars a week and only use $100.00 a year where does the rest go. A lot of it goes to help pay for people that don’t have insurance. Let’s say you pay in $25.00 a week and your medical bills are $20,000 a year where does that money come from? If everyone is forced to have insurance your rates should become more reasonable because your insurance company will no longer have to pay for the uninsured by way of rising hospital fees and doctors visits. You see if one person can’t pay his bill a doctor has to raise his rates to cover what he has lost so he can pay his insurance and his staff and his taxes and whom ever else he owes money along with college debt. Multiply that by how many million of people that are not insured and it is not hard to see why we are in the shape we are in.
I doubt very seriously Branden’s insurance was only $25.00 a week. That was probably a small portion of what his employer was paying.
We can do nothing and have the insurance companies and the hospitals come up with a solution (like that will happen) because we are all conservatives and we believe that by doing nothing the market will somehow magically take care of itself. How about this? If there is a fine for people that don’t have insurance it will give them an incentive to get off their lazy asses and get a job instead of sitting around sucking on the welfare tit.You would think conservatives would be all over that.

I understand how the insurance and health care industries work, that doesn't make the premiums any easier to afford.
What's happening is going to take even more money out of the pockets of the working class American
and punish those who can't afford it but still fall within the guidelines of what the bureaucrats decide as far as who can and can't afford what.
The government is getting too involved in our personal lives.

Buster wrote:

Randy. Hopeless...

AMEN!
The liberal/socialist types just don't get it. I've been working since 1974, in that time I've been unemployed for a total of 14 months. I had my first job for 4 years, second job for 8 years and my current job for 23 years. I'm making decent money for a working class person in this area but the cost of health care for us as a family is almost prohibitive.$644.00 per month payroll deduction!! That's more than my mortgage. I don't see how anyone making less than $20.00/hour can afford housing, utilities, groceries, and transportation and still have enough left to pay outrageous insurance premiums and ever increasing taxes.
How are young couples just starting out supposed to have a fighting chance? Then to be fined because you can't afford something is adding insult to injury.

Brandon you are not alone in not being able to afford healthcare. I would though relax and give the adminsitration and Congress a chance to come out with the plans before getting alll excited about paying any fines.

The rich Republicans are using the fines as a way to try to build support against an affordable healthcare program.

The fines will be targeted at the rich Republicans who can afford healthcare costs without buying insurance, not the poor people in the country.

My advice to you is stop watching Fox Republican News and wait for the plan to be passed by Congress.

Tony wrote:

Great move isn't it?
Someone can't afford insurance so they have to pay a $1000.000 fine, that ought to help them afford coverage.
Once upon a time this was "The Land Of The Free", those days are gone.

Fox News and Republicans what a team. The fines won't be assessed on poor people, they will be assessed on the rich who don't need healthcare coverage. You people need to turn off Fox News.

Randy wrote:

By forcing everyone to have coverage rates should become more affordable. An example was given that if you pay in $25 dollars a week and only use $100.00 a year where does the rest go. A lot of it goes to help pay for people that don’t have insurance. Let’s say you pay in $25.00 a week and your medical bills are $20,000 a year where does that money come from? If everyone is forced to have insurance your rates should become more reasonable because your insurance company will no longer have to pay for the uninsured by way of rising hospital fees and doctors visits. You see if one person can’t pay his bill a doctor has to raise his rates to cover what he has lost so he can pay his insurance and his staff and his taxes and whom ever else he owes money along with college debt. Multiply that by how many million of people that are not insured and it is not hard to see why we are in the shape we are in.
I doubt very seriously Branden’s insurance was only $25.00 a week. That was probably a small portion of what his employer was paying.
We can do nothing and have the insurance companies and the hospitals come up with a solution (like that will happen) because we are all conservatives and we believe that by doing nothing the market will somehow magically take care of itself. How about this? If there is a fine for people that don’t have insurance it will give them an incentive to get off their lazy asses and get a job instead of sitting around sucking on the welfare tit.You would think conservatives would be all over that.

Think about what your typing. The fines will go after the rich Republicans who don't need insurance, not the bum who lives on the street. All you people need to use your own brains and stop listening to Fox News or Republicans their the same two groups that told you Iraq had WMD.

Govt provided Health Insurance = Answer. The only people who don't like that answer are the insurance companies who wouldn't be able to make so much profits.

Doctors deserve to get rich, they save lives - but the CEO of an Insurance company should get rich just by pushing papers around, taking premiums from healthy people, & denying sick coverage.

Every body should just pay taxes for Health care, with the rich paying most, & middleclass paying less, & poor paying none. That's how the Police work.

So I ask would you rather pay less taxes by ending public supported police & change to a private system. You know everyone for yourself - if your wife is raped or murdered, no police just hire a private detective. Concerned for safety buy an alarm or hire body gaurds. And if you don't think you can afford that buy 'protection insurance"!!!! The last example shows how crazy the private health insurance system now is...Get it?

*EDIT above* "should NOT get rich by pushing papers..."

What wrote:

<quoted text>
Think about what your typing. The fines will go after the rich Republicans who don't need insurance, not the bum who lives on the street. All you people need to use your own brains and stop listening to Fox News or Republicans their the same two groups that told you Iraq had WMD.

"What"....you need to start thinking about what you are typing!!!!! I am so sick and tired of you bleeding heart liberals thinking that it is ok to tax (or fine) people who work hard, save and support themselves in a comfortable fashion.....just who do you think you are judging who should be fined and who shouldn't be. Frankly, in my opinion, I think the people who prey on the system are the ones who should be "fined"...they obviously are not responsible enough or educated enough or smart enough to take care of themselves and to save and EARN a living instead of being GIVEN a living.

I do have one question I would like for you to answer:
How many jobs do poor people provide?

What wrote:

Brandon you are not alone in not being able to afford healthcare. I would though relax and give the adminsitration and Congress a chance to come out with the plans before getting alll excited about paying any fines.
The rich Republicans are using the fines as a way to try to build support against an affordable healthcare program.
The fines will be targeted at the rich Republicans who can afford healthcare costs without buying insurance, not the poor people in the country.
My advice to you is stop watching Fox Republican News and wait for the plan to be passed by Congress.

Most of the republicans I know are working class people and most of the working class people I know are republicans or libertarian. Most of the chronically unemployed or under-employed people I know are either politically unaware or claim to be democrats. The "rich" people seem to favor being politicians regardless of party affiliation.
Lebanon county has traditionally been predominantly republican and has also been a community of working class people. If you call being gainfully employed "rich" then you have a little bit to learn about social status.
I've been gainfully employed for 35 years, we bought a house about 12 years ago that we have about half paid off, we drive second hand cars that we pay cash for,(typically less than $2000.00), I do my own car repairs, drive the cars until they don't run any more, look for sales and bargains at the grocery store, etc. just so I can keep as much of my own money as possible, I'd like to be able to retire some day.
Does that qualify me as a "rich republican"?
Not even close, unless you think that anyone who isn't dependent on government handouts is "rich".
I certainly can't afford health care without insurance, I can barely afford health insurance premiums. I'm all in favor of major changes to the way the health care and insurance industries in this country are run. I'm against taxing and fining the working class people (regardless of party affiliation) to afford to keep the system running with the outrageous waste and operating costs as it currently is.
I'm also against the working class supporting those who won't work. I have no problem helping those who need help but I draw the line somewhere around enabling people who would rather not work and find ways to live off of my labor.
That being said "what", if you're looking for a heated argument as I suspect you are by the verbiage you use, you'll not get it from me. If you are looking for debate based on facts and common sense without insults and name calling I'd be happy to oblige.
That being said, I'll end for now, it's time to go to the flea market to find some stuff to sell on eBay so I can afford the gas to go to my nephew's send-off party next month.
I just love being rich, don't you?

Today is the first time I have noticed comments from "What" on several letters to the Editor.

It seems almost indisputable that What is a certified idiot.

SS

Ummmm wrote:

<quoted text>
"...I think the people who prey on the system are the ones who should be "fined"...they obviously are not responsible enough or educated enough or smart enough to take care of themselves and to save and EARN a living instead of being GIVEN a living.
I do have one question I would like for you to answer:
How many jobs do poor people provide?

You better watch out how you judge, in this Great Recession millions of Americans now have no job /and are homeless.

I have some questions for you (Ummmm)?:

Are you calling people who got laid off from their job they worked 10yrs at uneducated & irresponsible(bad)? Are you calling the people who paid their rent on time for 5yrs bad because their landlord got behind on the mortgage payments & one day the renter came home to see a foreclosure notice on the door? How about the person 1 year away from retirement that saw their 401k value nosedive?

Some things work better when all citizens put a little in the pot. Examples Our military & Police. I feel that the military & police are their to protect/save American lives & therefore should not be 'for-profit'. I think healthcare should be almost the same. I'd rather use a tax supported police officer then hire a private detective(for profit) if a crime is committed against me. So, I'd like the CHOICE to use a tax supported Govt Health Insurance, but if you still wish to pay for private for profit insurance that's up to you.

I notice not one person has commented to my posts, LOL of course how can anyone - I'M RIGHT!!!:P

Tony wrote:

<quoted text>
but the cost of health care for us as a family is almost prohibitive.$644.00 per month payroll deduction!

Hmmm maybe this will convice people to support Govt Single player Health Care:

To Tony, on your next paycheck compare the deductions of your private health care to the deduction from Medicare...which is lower?

Well, of course the govt Medicare is less because that's a public plan, where your private is for Profit. Really easy to understand, a 'for profit' is always more.

Side note, I work for a huge top fortune 500 company, so I guess since their work force is so huge they get a good deal, or help out. Because my family of six is covered with the TOP plan from Aetna & my monthly deduction =$204 (med,vision,& dental)

CommonsenseExtinct wrote:

<quoted text>
Hmmm maybe this will convice people to support Govt Single player Health Care:
To Tony, on your next paycheck compare the deductions of your private health care to the deduction from Medicare...which is lower?
Well, of course the govt Medicare is less because that's a public plan, where your private is for Profit. Really easy to understand, a 'for profit' is always more.
Side note, I work for a huge top fortune 500 company, so I guess since their work force is so huge they get a good deal, or help out. Because my family of six is covered with the TOP plan from Aetna & my monthly deduction =$204 (med,vision,& dental)

Of course the Medicare tax is lower than my insurance premium, I'm not covered by Medicare. I've been paying in for 35 years and I'll be paying in for another 17 years before I can even think about meeting the eligibility requirements.
At that point I'll have coverage for myself and nobody else, that may last a few years unless I outlive the average life expectancy. Now I'm paying for coverage that includes myself and my family and we can use it now. That does seem really easy to understand.
If you want to talk about the difference between "for profit" and "non-profit" consider this;
Most doctors are "for profit".
Most drug companies are "for profit".
The lawyers who represent patients in frivolous law suits against medical professionals are "for profit".
(In my personal opinion that last entry is responsible for a huge portion of the outrageous cost of health care and should be among the first things the government should look at.)
You work for a large company that can apparently cover a bigger portion of your insurance premium, that would explain why my payroll deduction is more than triple what yours is and doesn't include vision and dental. If they start taxing your benefits you'll have a better idea of just how much your employer is actually paying.
Side note, you might want to be cautious when revealing personal information here, it sounds like you may qualify as one of the "rich republicans" that someone here is so strongly against. It certainly sounds like you have a better job than I do and I get the feeling that I qualify, at least by some people's standards.

What wrote:

Brandon you are not alone in not being able to afford healthcare. I would though relax and give the adminsitration and Congress a chance to come out with the plans before getting alll excited about paying any fines.
The rich Republicans are using the fines as a way to try to build support against an affordable healthcare program.
The fines will be targeted at the rich Republicans who can afford healthcare costs without buying insurance, not the poor people in the country.
My advice to you is stop watching Fox Republican News and wait for the plan to be passed by Congress.

Another dumbacrat trying tell people what they should or should not watch or listen too. Do you really believe people should wait till a bill passes before they show disapproval. Someone else posted here, "What" is a "Certified Idiot", I Agree.

Tony wrote:

<quoted text>
If you want to talk about the difference between "for profit" and "non-profit" consider this;
Most doctors are "for profit".
Most drug companies are "for profit".
The lawyers who represent patients in frivolous law suits against medical professionals are "for profit"

You may have not read my earlier post, but I'm all for Doctors, drug companies, & Lawyers making profits! I actually believe in the free market (with regulations), I don't believe in a chaos market no regulations...but I digress.

I think all the careers you mention deserve profits, however I don't think a paper pusher of an insurance company should make money by taking healthy people's money & denying coverage to sick people!!!

What do you think of this example: You can rely on a Public Tax dollar supported Police officer to prevent crime, or you may hire private body guards for your family. All I'm asking for is the same setup for health: Some people can use a govt health insurance plan or others can choose to pay a high priced private health insurance plan like you do now! Are private security body guards going to protect your family better then the police, YES, however most people can't afford that expense...get it???

Anyway, I'm for giving citizens a choice of a non-profit Govt health insurance. I can't see how that wouldn't save money. I mean if you have 2 Insurance companies side by side one non-profit VS profit which would be cheaper???

Here's my plan: All Amerians making say $50,000 or higher would pay a 'health tax', progressive, starting small say .005%($250/yr),$100,000-$250,0 00 x .01% & $250,000+ x .015/yr...

Here's the 'elephant in the room', public insurance would work great, but then everyone like you would drop there expensive plan & many insurance companies would go out of business. The insurance companies are behind the anti-govt plan for this reason ONLY. Think of it this way, most drug dealers wouldn't want to legalize drugs, because then they'd go out of business since all could just buy at the pharmacy instead! Hmmm think about all I said.

Anyway back to work for me....I don't know why I bother with these comments...

Commonsense...I am convinced that you "bother with these comments" because you like to hear yourself.....

**********All Amerians making say $50,000 or higher would pay a 'health tax', progressive, starting small say .005%($250/yr),$100,000-$250,0 00 x .01% & $250,000+ x .015/yr...

Why should we pay a tax that you wouldn't have to pay? Who do you think you are? What makes you so special that you shouldn't have to pay a "health care" tax? You will probably be the one using it. I am tired of carrying you on my back......start to walk on your own for crying out loud.

Ummmm wrote:

Commonsense...
Why should we pay a tax that you wouldn't have to pay? Who do you think you are? What makes you so special that you shouldn't have to pay a "health care" tax? You will probably be the one using it. I am tired of carrying you on my back......start to walk on your own for crying out loud.

You know what they say happens when you ASSUME... my income last year was $75,000+. As I stated in one of my earlier posts I have the best Health Insurance Aetna has to offer through my employment.

See, I'm not a greedy bastard...as Biden correctly said it's patriotic to pay your fair share of taxes! I'm an American so I care about my fellow citizens. Now I don't believe in giving people a free ride. I say get a job & work hard & support yourself - absolutely!

However, certain things we should all chip in for the greater good. Our highway system, military, police force, firefighters, FDA, etc...

Do you support my taxes going to pay for our military defense? Should I say "Hey don't take my money to support protecting your family - you can hire your own mercenary or pay for your own scientists to invent a high-tech weapon to protect your family!" That would be silly right!

Ummmmm do you support taxes being spent on the B-2? The cost of single B-2 bomber vary from $737 million to $2.2 billion! The Iraq War has cost $878+ Billion so far! I just find it interesting that I hear more people complaining about spending taxes to provide American citizens with affordable healthcare, yet not as many complaining about the cost of the B-2's or Iraq war? Hmmm how do you justify that???

Military spending = save American lives
Health care spending = save American lives

Final note: I don't know if an enemy will try to launch an attack on the U.S. tomorrow, but I know for a FACT that Americans will die tomorrow due to lack of affordable health care...

To explain why people under a certain income should pay less taxes = simple.

No one should be taxed into poverty. My earlier posts I just made up an example. But, pretty much the way to make taxes fair would be to calculate the bare minimum a person needs to survive - shelter, food, clothes, electric, etc.(JUST made up numbers)- If a person needs $20,000 a year just to make ends meet they should pay no taxes. A person making $21,000 could pay a little tax,$60,000 can afford to pay more taxes...Mega rich Millionaires & above should pay the most taxes.

I mean wouldn't it be stupid to make a person on welfare pay taxes towards welfare? LOL

I'm proud to pay my fair share of taxes - my money goes to keeping America strong. Military, infrastructure, Science, Safety, Health, etc...I'd be ashamed of myself if I went offshore & paid no taxes.