November 9, 2009
Health
Is the current Healthcare bill just passed by Congress better than nothing?
By Scott Baker (about the author )
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Is the current Healthcare bill just passed by Congress better than nothing?
Marcia Angell M.D. writes today in Huffington Post that the Healthcare Reform Bill just passed by the House is NOT better than nothing. Indeed, it provides a "public" option that the CBO estimates will cover only 6% of the population, and those would be the sickest part whom private insurance doesn't want to cover anyway. Abortion is not covered under ANY subsidized plan - a big reduction in services from the current system. Perhaps most importantly, Healthcare companies do not have to reform their ways - there is nothing in the bill to make them more efficient, or reduce CEO pay (The CEO of U.S. Healthcare alone is estimated to cost 1 out of every 700 dollars spent on healthcare). On the other hand, the Administration is saying this is a first step toward reform, and that it will cover most of the uninsured, somehow. Also, that coverage can't be denied based on pre-existing conditions (except for age, where rates can be doubled for older enrollees). Ending Recision is a big accomplishment, they say. Read more details about what the bill provides here. What do you think? Is the current bill better than nothing?
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Scott Baker is a Senior Editor and Writer at Op Ed News, a Writer for DailyKos, and is the author of Neitherworld - a two-volume novel blending Native American myth, archaeological detail, government conspiracy, with a sci-fi flair.
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