Re: March for health care!
 

Im actually on Cobra this month because I changed jobs and my new work insurance kicks in Oct 1st. 300 bucks gives me good coverage per month. Its not cheap but it works.

Re: March for health care!
 

At least let HIM try? This is America, for the people, by the people - NOT what he wants.

Republicans are not giving him a chance to succeed because they know that the people out there that work hard and make an honest living (the majority of Americans, by the way) do not want this "socialized" (as you described it) healthcare.

Re: March for health care!
 

Hey Tom, why didn't you follow your own advice after the 2000 and 2004 elections?

Re: March for health care!
 

And COBRA is prohibitively expensive for an unemployed person. I just don't think most people realize what employers but up for premiums. I was told that for me (28 years old, single, healthy) that it's $700 some a month. That's all COBRA does. It allows you to keep what you had, but pay all the cost. I just look at it this way. You spend you whole life working and paying premiums. Why shouldn't you be covered for those (hopefully) few months you spend between jobs for a reasonable cost. Yes, I know you could go to another cheap plan, or state care or something until you get another job, but there's waiting involved. You can't plan when you'll get sick.

Here's another fun question. What if your employer gave you the $700-$2000 a month they spent on premiums and let you put it in you pocket instead. Would you pay for the same plan you're on, or would yo skimp to some crappy plan that no person in thier right mind brag about being the "best in the world"

Re: March for health care!
 

Just saw this, which kind of proves my point. I you need to do COBRA, your stuck with whatever you had. Sometimes thats a $300 plan, and sometimes it's a $1000 plan, whichever you had when you're layed off. Which leads to another great point. People are pretty much stuck with whatever the employer offers. I don't know what it's like at a big company, but at my small one, we have the choice between really expensive/no deductible, or the new super high deductible plan. Nothing in between.

Re: March for health care!
 

Also, don't forget that if you have a $300/month or $1000/month plan, your employer can adjust the cost for you up to a 10% administrative fee. :P

Another great point? You're stuck with what your employer offers? Not true. You can go out and get individual insurance (for yourself only, or plus a spouse/children). Just because someone doesn't want to go research their options doesn't give them a right to bitch about having to choose from two "bad" plans. The employer is at fault, too. They should shop around and find an insurance company that would let them choose from more than two plans. A "good, better, best" option (depending on what your definition of "best" is) is offered by many, many companies.

Re: March for health care!
 

I guess I can't really speak from experience. Never been layed-off. But, how many people seriously do that? I want to see a hands up. You completely lose the benefit of not being in a pool with individual plans (which are a huge savings for large companies and states). And employer plans are so heavily subsidized by the employer you'd never compete with them for cost. I know it's possible to do, but really who does it?

Re: March for health care!
 

I wasnt laid off at my last job, I quit for this new job. I took the Cobra from my old job.

I was laid off last year though, and luckily the company gave me 3 months severance with full benefits. I was lucky to get my old job back before that ran out.

Maybe some of the shops around here, or even Steve can comment on insurance for self employed? I dont know how the rates go there, but I know there are alot of options.

Re: March for health care!
 

I guess I don't want to argue on thing reasonable people can disagree on. I just want to know why employers got stuck with this whole healthcare thing. Why can't we look at something where large amounts of individuals can pool up and make choices from more plans.

Re: March for health care!
 

i have cobra, costs $108 a month, for the plan I have. There's a gov't subsidy for it right now that pays 66%.

Re: March for health care!
 

People are finally thinking for themselves, showing up in droves to town hall meetings showing their dislike of the proposed health care plan, and you have the audacity to think that it is entirely the media's doing for changing the way people think? Have you seen any video from these town hall meetings? The people that are supposedly helping run this country hardly know anything about the reform, and some of them even have the guts to admit that they are going to support it regardless of what people want because they believe it is the right thing to do even if it costs them reelection.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Watch these...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVCdz2507u8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Bpshk5nX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRRg7T6vcB4
http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblo...nterests-my-d/

Ordinary people standing up for what they believe in. Don't tell me this is all the doing of conservatives. There are just as many democrats as there are republicans against this whole thing. It's funny how standing up against Obama magically makes you a conservative. Seems like childish name calling to me. Check out my voting record to see how un-conservative I am.

Gotta love Reagan predicting the future...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs

Now, why is our current health care so bad? Those of us that work hard and have jobs have health care. If you don't work you have to buy it elsewhere. Saying it's not available to everyone is a lie, anyone can get it. After high school I was working but didn't have health care, and since I wasn't a student at the time I couldn't be covered under my parents. I was injured and ended up signing up for some simple health care through the state to help offset some of the costs. It was pretty cheap and was easy to do.

Now that I'm older, have a career and my employer is covering most of my health care costs even though they sky rocketed last year. I also suffer from a chronic illness that requires constant medication and frequent hospital visits. I refill three prescriptions a month. I don't have to wait weeks on end to get an appointment. My out of pocket expense limit for hospital visits is $2000 a year which I easily meet. This is a small price to pay for the awesome care I receive in order to keep me healthy.

Oh, and Obama's approval rating is spectacular... Must be all of the closet conservatives, huh?
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ..._tracking_poll
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Ga...-Approval.aspx

Re: March for health care!
 

I don't know what the law is about employers providing health care. Is it a choice, do they HAVE to do it, or do they do it in order to be a competitive employer?

Re: March for health care!
 

I don't think any state anywhere mandates employer coverage. What's the difference if it's mandated or because of competitive advantage? They still end up having to provide it becuase that how the current system expects it to be provided.

Re: March for health care!
 

This just in...

WHIP COUNT: DEMS LACK THE VOTES
Wed Sep 09 2009 17:03:37 ET

At least 44 more moderate Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record in opposition to the current health care bill in the House, Hill source claims. Likewise, at least 57 liberal Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record saying they will vote against a health care bill without a strong public option. In other words, unless multiple Democrats flip on their stated position on health care, Speaker Pelosi lacks the votes to pass a bill through the House on the strength of Democrat votes alone.

57 Liberal Democrats to vote no on a bill without a strong public option

On July 31, 2009, the Congressional Progressive Caucus sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi expressing their opposition to a weakening of the public option. The letter on behalf of 57 Progressive Democrats concludes, “In short, this agreement will result in the public, both as insurance purchasers and as taxpayers, paying ever higher rates to insurance companies. We simply cannot vote for such a proposal.” The text can be read here: http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/upload...%2030%2009.pdf

Full text here: http://www.drudgereport.com/flashwc.htm
Democrats have majority control and can't even pass their own bills. I'm sure Tom will bitch about me linking Drudge Report and Youtube, but we are in an information age, so deal with it.

Re: March for health care!
 

whats health care?


i like webmd.com

continue on..............

Re: March for health care!
 

I'd say it is part of being a good employer. Let's say you are Mr. Gates himself. Now, since your employee's do such a fabulous job at making YOU and the stock holders money, wouldn't you want to keep them there? Wouldn't YOU want to take care of them as they are doing for you? Now, if YOU don't care, then your employee's need to weigh their options, family, health, benefits, pay, etc. etc.

Re: March for health care!
 

Roads? Yeah ok, our crumbling national transportation infrastructure is definitely something the government can manage.

Re: March for health care!
 

see post #2

If you have something to say, say it intelligently w/o insulting others.

Re: March for health care!
 

Why part of not agreeing with this idea automatically makes someone a Republican?

Re: March for health care!
 

That's the same question I'd like answered. It's not just this, but anything related to Obama.