NationStates Jolt Archive

Look, JK says the economy is in the sh*ter, and needs to be stimulated. But surely his plan for healthcare would withdraw a lot of money from the private sector causing an economic downturn.

Now please begin the flaming.

Which one is Kerry again?

surely his plan for healthcare would withdraw a lot of money from the private sector causing an economic downturn.

You sure? I'm not.

Government-run medicine doesn't play well in the crucial Pepe Dominguez demographic.. ;)

You sure? I'm not.

are you saying it wouldn't withdraw money from the private sector?

just curious, not flaming.

He says he has a plan, but no one knows what it is. When I see factual evidence of his plan I'll comment, until then it's just a pipe dream.

Hillary Clinton is the one who screwed up health care, and the Republicans will never fix it.

Hillary Clinton is the one who screwed up health care, and the Republicans will never fix it.

As usual NS posters totally stray from the point.

are you saying it wouldn't withdraw money from the private sector?

just curious, not flaming.

just not sure that it would automatically cause an economic downturn. I mean, if it would, then he wouldn't support such a plan, right? Maybe I'm reading too much into this.

just not sure that it would automatically cause an economic downturn. I mean, if it would, then he wouldn't support such a plan, right? Maybe I'm reading too much into this.
The same people who say Kerry's plan will hurt the economy are the same ones who were saying that Clinton's tax plan in 1992 would hurt the economy, and we all know how that turned out. Their track record on economic predictions ain't the greatest.

As an American, aren't you somewhat concerned about these kinds of stories?

Health costs rising faster than incomes, study says

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-09-27-healthcare-usat_x.htm

WASHINGTON — Health insurance premiums paid by U.S. workers have risen nearly three times faster than average earnings in the past four years, eroding the income of average Americans, a study based on federal data shows.

Premium costs for private health insurance coverage grew 35.9% from 2000 to 2004. Average individual earnings grew 12.4%, the study found. Those findings are similar to those of other non-partisan groups, such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, and government agencies, including the Commerce Department.

Higher Costs, Less Care
Data Show Crisis In Health Insurance

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55301-2004Sep27.html

By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 28, 2004; Page A01

In the past four years, Americans have spent an ever-growing portion of their paychecks on health care and for the most part gotten less for their money, forcing millions into the ranks of the uninsured or personal bankruptcy, according to government figures and several independent assessments.

Nationwide, workers' costs for health insurance have risen by 36 percent since 2000, dwarfing the average 12.4 percent increase in earnings since President Bush took office, the liberal consumer group Families USA reports in an analysis scheduled for release today. The number of Americans spending more than a quarter of their income on medical costs climbed from 11.6 million in 2000 to 14.3 million this year, according to the group.



http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/rptspubs/hewitt_magazine/vol6_iss1/upfront/upfront5_1.html

Hewitt’s 2003 Future Health Care Expectations Survey of more than 500 major U.S. companies revealed that nine out of 10 survey participants report that senior management (CEO/CFO/CHRO) is significantly or critically concerned about the costs of health care benefits and the impact on both corporate costs and employees.

“Health care has not been a top issue for CEOs since the early 1990s. Health care is back on the radar screen and is becoming a top priority because it’s impacting the bottom line of organizations,” says Jack Bruner, Hewitt’s Health Management Practice Leader. “Major hikes are forcing companies to take a closer look at the health care system, and many are identifying areas where change is needed.”

And for those that complain about Canada's "socialized" medicine, take note:

Rising Health Costs
U.S. health care: expensive and less effective at keeping people healthy

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Health/Rising_Health_Costs.html

Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler recently joined a legal challenge to block two Michigan health systems from building two new hospitals in the Detroit suburbs. The Big 3 automakers, with a combined annual employee health bill of nearly $10 billion, worry that the new hospitals will lead to overcapacity in Detroit's Oakland County suburbs. They argue, correctly, that in the hospital business, overcapacity pushes medical costs up, because it encourages doctors to put more patients-particularly those with good health plans who pay little out of pocket-into empty hospital beds.

It's not surprising that businesses worry about developments in the health sector since health coverage has become one of the largest expenses for many U. S. employers. Employers' health-care costs, which are expected to rise 12 percent this year, have doubled since 1999 for each active employee to an average of $7,308. (Companies have also downloaded costs onto workers and retirees.)

One reason for the current "job loss recovery" is rising health costs. Companies prefer to increase existing employees' hours, even if they have to pay overtime, rather than cover new workers' health insurance. The loss of more than 2.8 million manufacturing jobs since August 2000 is that's hard not to compare with Canada, where the labor market has been booming and health care is publicly funded."

U.S. health expenditures are by far the highest of any country in the world at 15 percent of GDP. No other country spends even 11 percent of GDP. The U.S. also spends much more in absolute dollars. U.S. citizens pay $5,440 on average for health coverage while Canadians, the fourth biggest spenders, shell out $2,927.

I'm sick of people saying that John Kerry's healthcare plan would lead to socialized medicine. I am a socialist and I wis his plan amounted to socialized medicine. Instead it is simply another spineless democratic party comprimise which would defer massive amounts tax payers' money into the hands of the same coorporations which have thus failed miserably in poviding adiquate healthcare to our population. Don't get me wrong, I think taxes should cover health insurance for all; however, that care should be provided by government or non-profits, not for-profit HMOs more concerned with the bottom line than with producing a good product.

He says he has a plan, but no one knows what it is. When I see factual evidence of his plan I'll comment, until then it's just a pipe dream.http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/health_care/family.html
John Kerry and John Edwards believe that all American families are entitled to the security and peace of mind that comes from knowing their families have the coverage they need to stay healthy - without breaking the bank.

Over the last three years, the cost of family health insurance has increased by more than $3,512, and the portion paid by families has increased by almost 64 percent. Even today, millions of children lack basic coverage. John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to cut health care costs for families, cut waste from the system, and ensure access to reliable, affordable coverage for 95 percent of Americans, including every American child.

Cut Family Premiums By Up To $1,000 For American Workers. Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, employers will benefit from offering their employees quality care with choices. By helping out with certain high-cost cases, the Kerry-Edwards plan will cut premiums by up to $1,000 per year for America's families.

Cover All Children And Millions More Adults. By extending state-based programs, the Kerry-Edwards plan will pick up the full cost of coverage for the more than 20 million children enrolled in Medicaid. In exchange, states would expand coverage for families up to 200 percent of poverty and for childless adults up to 100 percent of poverty. As a result, the Kerry-Edwards plan will extend reliable coverage to:

26.7 million Americans who are currently uninsured
95 percent of all Americans
Every child
Help All Americans Buy Into The Same Coverage As Members Of Congress. The Kerry-Edwards plan will give all Americans access to the same range of affordable plans currently available to members of Congress. This will provide more choices and better, more affordable coverage than is generally available to people without high-quality, employer-sponsored insurance.

Cut Prescription Drug Costs. In the last year alone, prescription drug prices have risen by 17 percent, a major cause of skyrocketing health insurance costs. To dramatically reduce the cost of prescription drugs, the Kerry-Edwards plan will overhaul the current Medicare bill to:

Allow re-importation of Prescription Drugs to give Americans access to the substantial discounts available in Canada.
End artificial barriers to generic drug competition.
Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate better prices for prescription drugs, instead of paying whatever the drug companies choose to charge.
Require transparency rules for Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that do business with the Federal government. PBMs process hundreds of millions of pharmaceutical claims per year and manage drug benefits for more than 200 million Americans. Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, companies will be required to reveal the profits they make from the drug industry and show that discounts are being passed on to seniors.
Help states provide discounts by giving them incentives to implement more efficient contracting in order to obtain better rates for prescription drugs.
Reduce Medical Malpractice Premiums. As president, John Kerry will require that a qualified specialist certifies a medical malpractice case's merit before it is allowed to move forward. He will also work with states to ensure the availability of non-binding mediation in all malpractice claims before cases proceed to trial. John Kerry will make the system fairer for doctors and patients alike by preventing and punishing frivolous lawsuits. Lawyers who file frivolous cases would face tough, mandatory sanctions, including a "three strikes and you're out" provision that forbids lawyers who file three frivolous cases from bringing another suit for the next 10 years. John Kerry also opposes punitive damages -- unless intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless indifference to life can be established. Finally, John Kerry will work to eliminate the special privileges that allow insurance companies to fix prices and collude in ways that increase medical malpractice premiums.

Cut Taxes To Make Health Insurance More Affordable. The Kerry-Edwards plan will provide $177 billion in tax credits to make health care more affordable for people and businesses that buy into the new Congressional Health Plan. These credits include:

A 25 percent credit for seniors aged 55 to 64 whose salaries fall below 300 percent of poverty.
A 75 percent credit for people between jobs and whose salaries fall below 300 percent of poverty.
A tax credit of up to 50 percent for small businesses that cover low-to-moderate income workers.
A tax credit for workers not eligible for other provisions of the Kerry-Edwards plan. This credit would limit premiums to less than 6 percent of income for workers below poverty, then phase out to 12 percent of income for workers at 300 percent of poverty.
Cut Administrative Costs By Eliminating Waste, Fraud And Abuse. Today, about 25 percent of the annual cost of health care goes towards non-medical costs - mainly paperwork and other costs associated with preparing, submitting, calculating, and paying bills. Due to these costs, settling a single transaction can cost as much as $12 to $25. By comparison, a transaction in the banking industry costs less than a penny. Harnessing the power of American ingenuity and technological know-how, the Kerry-Edwards plan will save billions every year by:

Ensuring that all Americans have secure, private medical records by 2008, which will eliminate unnecessary tests and reduce serious medical errors by as much as 88 percent.
Giving health providers technology bonuses to simplify and streamline their paperwork - allowing patients to spend more time with doctors and less time filling out forms.
Require private sector insurers to use advanced systems. To make health care transactions less costly, private insurers would have to use this simplified technology standard as a condition of doing business with the Federal government (Medicare, Medicaid, and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program).
Giving Patients Real Protections Through A Real, Enforceable Patients' Bill Of Rights. The Bush administration has continued blocking bipartisan efforts to pass a Patients' Bill of Rights in Congress. They also sent their lawyers to the Supreme Court to stand with the HMOs and argue against giving patients the right to sue HMOs. As president, John Kerry will push for a real Patients' Bill of Rights to protect Americans from HMO decisions that harm patients by denying them necessary medical care - one that ensures patients have access to reliable, high-quality health care. Critical patient protections John Kerry and John Edwards will support include:

A right to see the specialists they need
A right to real emergency protections
A real external appeals process that allows patients to appeal a HMO decision
A right to hold health plans accountable
Whistleblower protections that allow health care workers to report quality problems without fear of retaliation


http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/health_care/fairness.html
John Kerry and John Edwards believe that our shared belief in fairness and equality should drive us to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality, and reliable health care. Today, too many Americans lack health care coverage for their ailments because of their income, their gender, the color of their skin, a mental illness, or a disability. We cannot allow this discrimination to exist in the greatest nation in the world. John Kerry and John Edwards will fight to ensure access to quality health care coverage for all Americans.


Pass a Real Patients' Bill of Rights

Ensuring that all Americans receive the care they need means creating a real Patient's Bill of Rights. It's time that doctors and nurses are put in charge of making medical decisions with their patients - instead of allowing HMO bureaucrats to determine the care Americans receive. Americans deserve the right to choose their own doctor and have access to the specialists they wish to see.

The Bush administration has continued blocking bipartisan efforts to pass a Patients' Bill of Rights in Congress. Worse yet, the Bush administration sent their lawyers to the Supreme Court to stand with the HMOs and argue against giving patients the right to sue HMOs.

John Kerry and John Edwards believe that the time is overdue for a real Patients' Bill of Rights - one that puts patients ahead of HMO profits. They will push Congress to pass a real Patients' Bill of Rights that allows Americans to hold HMOs accountable for decisions that harm patients by denying necessary medical care. Other critical patient protections John Kerry and John Edwards will support include:

A right to see the specialists they need
A right to real emergency protections
A real external appeals process that allows patients to appeal a HMO decision
Whistleblower protections that allow health care workers to report quality problems without fear of retaliation
End Minority Health Disparities

Our nation still struggles to close disparities in health care access, care, and outcomes. Today, minorities continue to live sicker and die younger in America. African Americans are one-third more likely than all other Americans to die from cancer and they have the highest rate of hypertension in the world. On average, Hispanic Americans possess the least insurance, with one in three possessing no coverage at all. Native Americans struggle with what can only be called an epidemic of diabetes, with rates near 50 percent in certain tribes. The tremendous gains that we have witnessed in science and medicine have benefited millions of our citizens, but too often they are out of reach for minorities.

John Kerry and John Edwards understand that the need is great and the time is now to improve the health of those Americans who have been left behind. They will work to eliminate minority health disparities by expanding health insurance to 95 percent of Americans and every American child, improving language access programs in medical facilities, and ensuring access to quality care through greater disease management and prevention efforts.

Ensure Mental Health Parity

Ensuring equality in health care also includes ending discrimination for Americans with mental illnesses. Many of us have friends, family members, co-workers, or neighbors who struggle with a mental illness. And while the good news is that scientific breakthroughs have made it possible for us to diagnose and effectively treat many mental illnesses, the bad news is that silent discrimination against these individuals is all too common in our society. Many Americans forgo treatment because of financial penalties in their insurance plans or fear of being stigmatized by others. John Kerry and John Edwards will fight for mental health parity to end all discrimination against those with mental illnesses - and to end the social stigma attached to mental illness.

Ensure Freedom, Independence, and Choices for Americans with Disabilities

John Kerry and John Edwards believe that we must fight to ensure that people with disabilities can meet their potential and fully participate in the American dream. They believe in an America that ensures freedom, independence, and choices for people with disabilities. As part of that vision, they will ensure access to affordable health coverage and remove barriers to work for Americans with disabilites. While we have made great strides by helping people with disabilities return to work without losing their health care, it's time to make sure that parents caring for children with disabilities can keep their jobs without worrying about paying for their kids' health care bills. John Kerry and John Edwards also support expanding the Medicaid program so people with disabilities have more options for community and home-based care. As president, John Kerry will work to implement the Olmstead decision to make personal assistance services and supports available to people with disabilities in their homes and communities - because no one should be kept in institutional care if they prefer to live elsewhere and can do so with the dignity they deserve.

Improve Women's Health

Nearly one in five women below the age of 65 lack health insurance. As the economy has lagged, states have been forced to cut Medicaid budgets and businesses have been pushed to trim health care coverage and benefits - with women disproportionately affected. John Kerry and John Edwards will ensure that women have access to affordable, quality coverage that provides specialty care and preventive services, as well as wellness check-ups for their children. And they will work to improve the economy and shore up our Social Security and Medicare programs, which predominantly serve America's women.


http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/health_care/business.html
Today, America's businesses face daunting challenges in providing employees with quality health care at affordable prices. The national health care system is riddled with waste and inefficiency, making it unreasonably expensive for employers to keep their workers covered and their businesses growing.

John Kerry and John Edwards believe that businesses should not have to compromise on coverage to stay competitive. By helping businesses reduce their costs, the Kerry-Edwards plan will provide relief for America's employers and workers.

Cut Premiums By Up To $1,000 For America's Workers. Paying for catastrophic care can pose enormous problems for businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones. Catastrophic injuries and illnesses are impossible to predict, and caring for them is extremely expensive. As a result, a single catastrophic case can drastically raise the price of health insurance for all the employees of a small business. To ease the burden of businesses in caring for catastrophic cases, the Kerry-Edwards plan will reimburse businesses for 75 percent of the cost of catastrophic care.

Taxes Credits To Cut The Cost Of Health Insurance By Up To 50 Percent. Under the Kerry-Edwards plan, small businesses will receive tax credits to help them provide health insurance for their low and moderate-income employees. The tax credit will cover up to 50 percent of the cost of the employers' share of the premiums. To be eligible, an employer offering the new Kerry-Edwards Congressional Health Plan will have to pay at least 50 percent of the health insurance premium.

Cut Administrative Costs By Eliminating Waste, Fraud And Abuse. Today, about 25 percent of the annual cost of health care goes towards non-medical costs - mainly paperwork and other costs associated with preparing, submitting, calculating, and paying bills. Due to these costs, settling a single transaction can cost as much as $12 to $25. By comparison, a transaction in the banking industry costs less than a penny.

Harnessing the power of America's ingenuity and technological know-how, the Kerry-Edwards plan will save billions every year by:

Ensuring that all Americans have secure, private medical records by 2008, which will eliminate unnecessary tests and reduce serious medical errors by as much as 88 percent.
Giving health providers technology bonuses to simplify and streamline their paperwork - allowing patients to spend more time with doctors and less time filling out forms.
Require insurers doing business with the federal government to use advanced systems. To make health care transactions less costly, private insurers would have to use this simplified technology standard as a condition of doing business with the Federal government (Medicare, Medicaid, and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program).
Reduce Medical Malpractice Premiums. As president, John Kerry will require that a qualified specialist certifies a medical malpractice case's merit before it is allowed to move forward. He will also work with states to ensure the availability of non-binding mediation in all malpractice claims before cases proceed to trial. John Kerry will make the system fairer for doctors and patients alike by preventing and punishing frivolous lawsuits. Lawyers who file frivolous cases would face tough, mandatory sanctions, including a "three strikes and you're out" provision that forbids lawyers who file three frivolous cases from bringing another suit for the next 10 years. John Kerry also opposes punitive damages - unless intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless indifference to life can be established. Finally, John Kerry will work to eliminate the special privileges that allow insurance companies to fix prices and collude in ways that increase medical malpractice premiums.

Improve The Efficiency And Quality Of Care To Cut Administrative Costs. In the health care system, inefficiency and negligence can lead to serious injury and even death - as well as higher costs. A recent study by the Institute of Medicine found that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die of medical errors every year. These tragedies are preventable. The vast majorities of injuries are not caused by negligent doctors or hospitals, but because of outmoded practices, habits and systems that fail to adequately protect patients from harmful errors.

The Kerry-Edwards plan will offer a "quality bonus," enabling purchasers and providers to use upfront capital to upgrade quality and reduce errors to improve outcomes. It will also ensure that health care organizations and physicians that invest in advanced information technology are rewarded with financial incentives, including the funds needed to install computerized prescribing systems, which can reduce medication errors by 80 percent or more.


There's his plan. It's no longer a pipe dream. Now you can comment

http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/health_care/family.html

There's his plan. It's no longer a pipe dream. Now you can comment

And, yet, Republicons say Kerry's whole platform is "I HAVE 3 PURPLE HEARTS! I'M NOT BUSH!"

Betcha $10 that not one single Bushite will read that or comment intelligently.

Good effort, though. :)

Kerry isn't going to fix anything. Why do you keep believing everything these politicians tell you?

It dosen't matter, even if Kerry were elected such a mammoth plan wouldn't get through an opposition controlled Congress (or even just House).

Kerry isn't going to fix anything. Why do you keep believing everything these politicians tell you?
your a rabid republican, so w hy dont you tell us why

Mmm hmm ... here's the problem ...

Example:
Neocon: KERRY HAS NO PLAN!
Neocon: WE WANT HIS PLAN!
Neocon: SHOW US THE PLAN!
Neocon: KERRY LIES ABOUT HIS PLAN!
Neocon: GIVE US THE PLAN!
Neocon: YOU STUPID LIBERAL! KERRY HAS NO PLAN!
Neocon: WE HATE ALL YOU HIPPIES WHO THINK KERRY HAS A PLAN!
Neocon: PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!
Liberal: Oh, here you go. Kerry's plan.

<moment of pause>

Neocon: KERRY GOT A SPRAY ON TAN!

*sigh*

One word:

BULLSHIT