for those of you with healthcare through work

I'm outa Cali in a second if I could take my kids w/me. Short of an amber alert I'm here for another 6 years till my little one is off to college. Back to the subject though; I've worked for mostly global giant companies (yes, even an evil oil company). I've always had unreal employer-provided healthcare bennies. But I'm smart, far thinking, and I've worked my friggin arse off; I feel deserving of every cent of compensation I've received, whether it be $$ or bennies. However, I'm 100% for some form of universal health safety net for all and I have no problem kicking in for some of the cost.

Personally I think one of the significantly ignored keys to cost-effectiveness in health-care is tort reform. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure a private person can't sue for damages or pain and suffering in most or all countries offering workable national healthcare. But I'm off the subject...

 

What taxes have been raised since January 2009? Specifics please.

"Obamacare" isn't government run healthcare. It's a Rube Goldberg design to help ensure that the administrative middlemen that are the health insurance companies can keep shaving a large % of health spending off the top.

That's the reason why the health reform sucks, by the way. Healthcare is not a normal good, and market solutions don't work optimally for it.

Also, since the US controls its own currency, we can't turn into Greece in a couple of years. Spain's property bubble also was much larger than the one we had here.

 

Silver: Taxes went up in California in 2010. Sacramento is adding "fees" every where you turn. Cities are increasing costs for doing business. Car registration almost doubled. Most likely federal tax rate increases in 2011 if Obama and Reid have their way. My health insurance cost is going up, and most everyone I know is going to have their healthcare insurance jacked up starting next year.

The perception that health insurance companies are "greedy" is not quite accurate. Trivia question: where do health insurance companies fare for profitability compared to other industries? About 9th overall. They make about 2-3%. Yet Coca-Cola makes 10-11% on their capital. Hmmmmmm, why are health insurance companies demonized for "gouging"? Shouldn't they make a law for Coke to subsidize healthcare since they are so profitable? Liberal logic to me.

They're raising premiums because the Obamacare is sticking them with high risk people to insure, so of course they're going to need to raise premiums to cover it.

And what about my 401(k) that might have "health care" stocks in the portfolio. I'm going to lose value in my retirement account because of a stroke of a pen to try to demonize an entire sector of the economy? Thanks a lot.

Everyone in this country had access to health care last year. Insurance, not necessarily depending on their income, but health care, yes. Go to a local emergency room, and note the people there, many illegals getting treated. I had 2 friends without a pot to piss in, either one, and they both got top notch health care at Mission Hospital when they had liver failure and other major issues, spending weeks in the hospital on some Medi-Cal program. You and I paid for that, by the way. Virtually everyone in this country will be treated through a charity clinic, or major hospital. People do get treated even without insurance.

Spain is experiencing huge unemployment as they threw everything but the kitchen sink towards "green" jobs. Guess what, each "green job" cost 2-3 private sector jobs, and it all came tumbling down. Subsidies killed them, so they are sucking wind.

Greece ran out of credit due to too much debt and too much public entitlement drain, so whether the buck is or isn't tied to another currency is moot, imho, so I still think we could hit that wall unless government spending gets under control and the current regime balances the budget. Good luck with that though.

France goes bananas last week with the passage of the retirement age increasing from 60 to 62. Why? Where do these people think money comes from, a printing press? Someone has to pay for this all.

That's it. My perspective and opinion. Worth about 2 cents, but at least I can still speak my opinion

Jeff

 

You create a memo to the democrats, yet admit you havent seen a bonus or raise since 2007 when Bush was still in office. I dont get it.

I have allways thought of the Democrats are more about the working class than republicans. Republicans are all about big business. Most of the worst offenders of people killing America are Republicans.

Starting next year? The steady increases have been coming for years.

My car registration went up $25 over last year. That is far from double.

What are these new fees you speak of?

And even though taxes went down last year, people still insist they are going up, up, up with Obama.

http://20somethingfinance.com/obama-tax-cuts/


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/tax-day-2010-protesters-i_n_538556.html

Now if we are at all time lows and all time spending of course the rates are going to go up. There is a cost of living in the greatest country on earth, and its still very reasonable for what we have. We have to pay for past spending and wars. That started long before Obama got into office.

Here is also a little blurb for you to read. It is about the New Hire Tax Credits that is putting 6.2% of all payroll from new hires back in the pocket of the employer.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=220326,00.html

I am all for free enterprise. I wont even argue your numbers or care if they are true. But if you have to ask why its ok for Coke to make profit but not a healthcare company, than somwhere in your family tree their is a couple of banjo players dualing it out.

Keep in mind, these are net profits that you are talking about. Think about it.

The day Blue Cross discovers a cure for anything and stops acting as a bank to finance your healthcare, they may have a point to all this. As much as I hate Pharma companies too, at least I can look at what they have done and discovered, in the advancement of medicine.

What are you talking about? Obamacare is not doing that. You are just drinking the Kool-aid. None of the major reform is taking place until 2014 anyways. Here is a novel approach. Lower health insurance so that people quit cancelling it, more people join and you have more people funding a system. Stop allowing doctors to charge for a $20 tongue depresser.....I know I know they are friends and all and colusion would never happen in America

What are you investing in health care for? Apparently they dont make money. Try Coke.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101104/ap_on_bi_ge/us_aarp_health_plan

 

^^^

"AARP officials said medical inflation is the main reason employee costs will be going up. The health care law is "a small part," said David Certner, legislative affairs director."

 

Sorry its not that simple. AARP is using the impending effects of the biil as an excuse to make its workers pay more for their own coverage.

Per the article 'And AARP adds that it's changing copayments and deductibles to avoid a 40 percent tax on high-cost health plans that takes effect in 2018 under the law. Aerospace giant Boeing also has cited the tax in asking its workers to pay more. Shifting costs to employees lowers the value of a health care plan and acts like an escape hatch from the tax.'

Why change copayments and deductibles now if the 'Cadillac' tax doesn't take effect until 2018?

 

(Naive to believe whatever the AARP say)

AARP is run by liberals. The AARP supported propositions leading to raising of property taxes in California - the last thing someone on a retirement (fixed) income needs. I opted out of the AARP. The AARP is not run for the benefit of retired persons.

[youtube]AoMNDdQ1_h0[/youtube]

 

Democrats are all about power. Power through distribution of money. Power through racial or ethnic animosity. Their latest cry is "social justice". Every loser thinks "the system" owes them success. A worker is someone to tax.

Republicans are all about freedom to succeed.

Democrats want equal results.
Republicans want equal opportunity.

 

What is your education background and occupation again? Maybe I am talking to someone more educated and working in closer proximity to the healthcare industry, but these statements seem pretty absurd.

 

Unless you are a gay person wanting the equal opportunity or freedom to marry.

 

Business degree. Self-employed.

What parts are absurd? If Greece had it's own currency, it could print as much as it wanted and devalue, boosting exports. Because it's locked into the euro, it's unable to do that. The Fed can conjure up US dollars anytime it wants, and has been doing so at pretty amazing rates so far. We're a long way away from Greece.

Don't think Spain had a worse bubble?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/10/global_house_prices

Or is it the healthcare comment? Would you agree that a good with large amounts of asymmetric information, agency issues, opaque pricing, and the potential to be invaluable to the consumer is ripe for a market failure?

 

Is there a Republican in the White House? The Obama Justice Department filed suit to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. Aw shucks, just another promise broken. But you know in your heart that Obama means well. Sure, intentions matter more than acts.

 

You were generalizing with you Republican's are all about freedom comment. Obama is not "all" of the Democrats.

 

This thread is about health care at work. Please keep it on topic.

Thank you.

 

Austerity programs in Europe are going to be the norm regardless of the currency. One can devalue the currncy and simply make it much more costly to issue debt and arguably far more irresponsible for future generations--but who cares so long as everyone gets theirs today.

Oh gee, cry havoc (market failure) and let loose the hogs of government peace. Market failure is hardly a rationale for a cure that does nothing to inject market discipline and is far more likely to result in yet another uncontrolled government entitlement that is essentially buying votes. Provision of health care doesn't change the nature of the limited abililty of any entity to provide it, i.e., it's a good like any other good and if demand is subsidized with little discipline on cost then one should expect much higher costs. I'd prefer an approach that provides consumers with an incentive to ration their own health care. That might require trumping state regulations and allowing consumers to purchase health care insurance with the same tax benefit that has been provided to employers. In addition the structure of the product has to become more flexible not less. The connection between employment and health insurance should be severed, but it should be done in a way that moves towards a real insurance product and not another BS entitlement that insures X ,w here half of X shouldn't qualify as events that require insurance. The math on this won't support government health care any more than it supports S.S. redistribution (v. a real retirement program). Eventually the numbers will prevail, the public employment will burst, and entitlement programs, which are excessive towards the middle class will be restructured. Either that or every time a government expenditure is conjured up for anything ti will require a 100 year bond issuance. "911 what is you emergency? Yes, we will send a car out as soon as we issue a bond for this particular emergency call. "Thank you, Government! I am saved and I can pass on the costs of all my choices and bad luck to future generations!""

 

Thanks Rush. Paragraphs next time? Jesus invented them for a reason.

Explain why the UK has per capita healthcare costs much lower than ours. They have government provided healthcare, so they should have costs that are exploding at a much higher rate than ours. Or Canada. Or Japan. Or France. That's all I'm asking for. You can keep screaming "THEY RATION" but that doesn't magically make rationing in the US nonexistent.

 

Ok, so if we are on this course to devalue our money, how does that make us better off? Doesn't this directly eat into the living standard of everyone and make everything more expensive? I thought one of the main goals of reform was supposed to be lowering health care prices. Doesn't this also punish people for saving money since they can't get a decent return in interest? I thought one of the main causes of our troubles was people spending a lot of money they didn't have and thus creating a demand for complex financial instruments that imploded.

And on health care I don't get why market forces would be inadequate since the things you listed sound the opposite of free market from my understanding, ie why do you want us to move away from a free market solution when the problems you list are anti-free market to begin with?

Just trying to reconcile a bunch of conflicting arguments I hear that make it hard for me to understand.

 

Republicans arent all about power? Don't fool yourself there. While most Republicans dont wish for the the distribution of money I agree, they are all about keeping it for themselves.

Republicans are all about the elite. Many working class rally around them thinking, "I want to succeed, I want more for my family", but the truth is the top 1% will continue to keep that money in their pocket, not spread it around.

No matter who is in power, it does not take away from the majority to get equal opportunity. Nothing is stopping anyone in this formum from going out and succeeding today. We all have the power to do as we like, change careers, go back to school, and provide the best for our family.

I am not part of the 1% elite, I never will be. This I understand.

In my line of work, when I see Rich Fat Cat Republicans who make millions of dollars a year do things like hire illegal aliens, pay them minimum wage while looking for tax breaks while there employees are sitting in the hospitals and clinics getting free medical care on my dollar, while my friends who cant find jobs sit at home, it changes your views.

I am the working class. Everyone who thanked your post are the working class. We support this country and the 1% take advantage of it.

 

As CalEpic already stated, this about health care at work, not about anything else. Please keep it on topic. Any post that has nothing to do with the OP will be deleted! Thanks