Health Reform: Will It Work?

What a lot of work you did in a short time; have read most, but not all of it.

But forgive me, I can’t figure out what the “5 keys to success or failure” are, from the 3 lists.

they are: cost control, medicare, finding providers, how the states do their job and then a series of questions about implementation. you click through them after the introduction.

Do you think the politics of implementation will change as the threats continue/grow?
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How about if the logical next step happens and someone gets physically hurt? Or worse?

Thanks Karen – I eventually figured that out. Your list here would have fit better with the “5 keys to success of failure” than “What will it cost?” “state by state,” etc. I’m being dense, not picky.

I wonder if the Republicans realize how peculiar it looks that they want to cut the “taxes,” and defund the program. They’re showing their true colors. They say they want to cut spending, but all they really seem to want to do is cut the funds that pay for the spending.

Despite the demonization of the health insurance industry — some of it deserved — the business operates on a simple principle: collect enough premium dollars to cover overhead and claims plus, in the case of commercial insurers, earn a profit margin of 3% to 6%. Contrary to the rhetoric that has permeated the reform debate, insurance rates in most cases are rising steadily not because of price gouging but rather because underlying health care costs are increasing at an unsustainable and possibly unstoppable rate.

NOW you tell us. I sometimes felt pretty lonely around here arguing that although the unsurers make great movie-villians, they don’t represent the root cause of the problem.

Unsurers…..
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Typo? or Hidden Meaning?
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Hmmmmm…..

But most policy experts believe it will do more to address the problem of exploding health care expenditures than anything else in history.

And just like the stimulus package, the uncertainty will allow folks to claim that it “didn’t work” even when it’s a clear improvement over doing nothing.

While your unrelenting defense of the Insurance Industry has been noted if you think the only reason that people have issues with them is that “in most cases are rising steadily not because of price gouging” (Damning with light praise that they only sometimes price gouge) and not terminating/denying coverage you are kidding yourself.
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By the way what does 3%-6% profit margin work out to in dollars?

Dude, I’ve been beating the “underlying prices insurers pay” drum forever, once I understood that the public option included by the House in HR 2300 wouldn’t even pay Medicare rates + 5%.

Sorry, HR 3200

It’s NOT health reform nor health care reform. It’s government takeover of the health care industry by passing legislation that will eventually cause premiums to sky rocket and insurance companies to go out of business so the liberal coup can claim that it didn’t work and now we “need” single payer socialized medicine. And why was the student loan program “nationalized” and hidden ion the health care “reform” bill? Are you all too stupid to see the fascism or is it intentional?

I don’t think that you know what the word “fascism” actually means.

“But most policy experts believe it will do more to address the problem of exploding health care expenditures than anything else in history. ”
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should read
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“….anything else in American history.”

Black tea partiers tell NBC where it can go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1CLPhz0DHM&feature=player_embedded#!