Congress is scheduled to vote on the final health care bill in the next few days. (About time, right?!)
We took on this fight for health care reform because the status quo is broken and young people needed to be heard. The process hasn’t been smooth and we didn’t get everything we wanted, but the bill represents a significant step forward in fixing a terribly broken system.
Before the final vote, we thought it would be important to take stock of what’s in the bill:
1. Young people will be allowed to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until the age of 26. We fought for this and won and that means that 2 million more young people will have health insurance.
2. The bill ends the long-standing insurance industry practice of denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and discriminating against women by charging higher premiums. Did you know that in some places pregnancy and even being the victim of domestic violence are considered “pre-existing conditions”? That will end.
3. If you aren’t getting insurance from your employer, there will be a transparent exchange (or marketplace) that will let you easily compare your options on the private market. These options will include low-cost catastrophic plans. There is no doubt that young people need a low-cost option for health insurance, but frankly we wish these plans were a better deal. We will continue to fight to improve them.
4. The bill provides subsidies for low- and moderate-income people to afford health insurance. So, for example, if you are a 22-year old making $20,000 a year, you would get $1,518 a year to buy a silver plan on the exchange, lowering your bill by $126 per month.
5. The bill extends Medicaid – the program that covers low-income people – coverage to millions of Americans, a disproportionate number of whom are young adults.
As an added bonus, student aid reform and a significant expansion of the Pell grant program will be part of the final package. These provisions will end wasteful government subsidies to banks and invest tens of billions of savings to help young people afford a college education and to strengthen our schools. All of this will happen while reducing the deficit, so that more debt doesn’t get passed onto our generation.
The bill isn’t perfect. But health care reform has been fought for since Teddy Roosevelt was president (over 100 years ago!). A vote is finally here. Some think the bill goes too far while others think it doesn’t go far enough. At the end of the day, the bill will expand coverage to 30 million Americans – including 10 million 18 to 29 year olds – and stop the insurance companies from engaging in the worst practices.
We think it is worth supporting. And all young people should keep fighting to make it better.
What do you think?
Tags: Congress, health care reform, SAFRA, student aid
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Thomas Bates Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement. @BatesThomas Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
Anyone that has read my comments here knows I’m against this bill in its entirety. This isn’t a health care reform bill, it is an insurance – and now student loan – takeover; a massive power grab by the federal state that enacts a penalty on all Americans who don’t “participate” in the exchange. Mandating that everyone purchase a product or service as a requirement for citizenship is wholly unconstitutional, and even though proponents of this debacle – like RTV – would say this is compassion it is not. This is slavery. Bondage. Serfdom. A system of indentured servitude to the master state not seen in hundreds of years. We do not have a problem with health care in this country, the problem is the constant meddling of the state in the free market in which obstacles and overregulation all done under the banner of compassion has birthed an insurance industry that can’t compete across state lines, can’t offer catastrophic health insurance because ala-carté programs don’t pass state mandates and has left us with a system of coverage by which employers cover their employees instead of the employees purchasing coverage as individuals.
You want to help the youth of America? Kill this bill. Stop the out of control spending that is saddling Gen X/Y/Millennials/etc with what is now estimated to be nearing $40,000 of debt each. Then demand these public servants go back and live within their means like every young American is attempting to do instead of selling debt to China, Japan, et al at a rate that has now threaten our country’s credit rating and financial standing in the world. Do you honestly believe that paying for 30 Million more American’s health care will save money? Medicare and Medicade are already going bust and are rampant with Billions of fraud, abuse and waste; how can anyone believe adding 30 million more people to such a system will make any of it better? What program has the government every run that not only paid for itself but made money to pay down debts?
We need to get the government out of the business of trying to run our lives, thinking that they can do better than the individual. We’re not serfs or pawns to be moved around on some giant board for their amusement or social experiments. We’re Americans damn it, start acting like it and take some responsibility for your own destiny instead of legislating others take responsibility for you. You shouldn’t be proud that you fought to allow a 26 year-old to remain on their parent’s policy, you should be ashamed.
I like most of this except for one thing. I have a 23 year old son who is on my health care plan as a student. I was told even if the bill passes my son won’t be able to continue coverage after he is out of school because my company self insures and is only administered by an insurance company. So if that is a loophole, how many more companies will self-insure to avoid paying premiums on dependents?
agreed! the health care bill is possible the most important piece of legislation we will get to vote in our lifetime! let’s make a real difference, people. i know i will spread the word on this like wildfire! everyone needs to know what’s at stake!
Let it Roll. Ilove it. It’s about time something is done for America. It’s a grand act and I give much praise and admiration to the memebers of congress who will vote in favor of. To the ones that don’t vote yea, we’ll see what happens come election time. This takes courage and I think we have what it takes. I salute them!
Thanks everyone for participating in the discussion! This is really great. Agree or disagree, the truth is the cost for Health Care is skyrocketing and will continue to grow unless reform happens. We also have a problem with a growing deficit. Well, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said this bill will shrink the deficit by $138 billion in the first 10 years and 1.2 trillion in the next 10 years. Seems to me like this bill accomplishes many of the concerns brought up by its detractors.
I don’t think this health care plan is going to do much for me and the people i know. How will this plan ensure that insurance companies don’t rob us and then provide horrible healthcare coverage. What’s the point of having coverage if it won’t be good. I also don’t see anything in here that says i will be able to get health insurance if i lose my job. I don’t need comopetetive rates. Airline tickets can be competetive but they’re still expensive. I need to know that i won’t be paying an arm and a leg for crappy health coverage.
I, like most people over the age of 22, have major issues with this bill and how congress may possibly pass it.
First, I would like to dispel the mantra of lower cost. In no way will government involvement provide for lower costs, those that think that are either being blatantly partisan or naive. There are numerous examples of government cost controls gone awry to support the assertion of inefficiencies of government. Listening to this administration talk about how this bill will lower costs is equivalent to listening to your army recruiter.
Simple understanding of supply and demand dictate this bill will have disastrous consequences for the nation:
Quality of care reduction/rationing of health care. You cannot add 30m+ people to the system without adding supply which the government cannot control. More people, less workers = longer waits, rationing of services and overall decline in quality
Gross negligence in reporting the cost of health care. Check out the CBO’s previous record of cost analysis prediction, it is frightful.
I want health care reform as much as anyone else in here but having the government involved is not the answer. They are the most corrupt, inefficient and lethargic entity in the United States. Look at the way the handle social security, the USPS, medicare, Medicaid… You want these people giving you a helping hand with your health care??
Wake up people. Just because the government is promising you a free lunch doesn’t make it free.
Having worked in pharmacy for over 25 years I have seen some pretty sad stories when it comes to the elderly that cannot afford life saving medication because it was not covered on the patients insurance plan. I have also seen perfectly healthy people that get medicare and medicaid because they work the system. Having spent a number of years at the VA in Reno, I know that the level of care our veterans get there is as good or better than the two area hospitals. Additionally if an outside procedure is required the VA staff work tirelessly to get it authorized. I have seen waste in the government via destroying expired drugs. They do this because they get such good prices from contracts taking in all agencies that dispense medications that they get many drugs for fractions of pennies on the dollar. Private companies can return expired drugs for credit. We need medical care for everyone, and if illegals are at issue then treat them, get them well and deport them. But ask them at the time if they want to apply for green card legally and they will be informed in their country as to the results. If they already have US born children, then allow them a visa so they can pay taxes and await the INS results. You should have seen the horror patients faced when Aids was at it’s peak in the early 90′s when no insurance companies would cover the medicine they needed. I love and live in Nevada, so Harry get your people in line and get people covered with the public option.
Health plan of OBama should pass. Any one against it is aginst american poeple. They Prefere more maney rather than health care of american poeple. My wife pass away on 2008 due routin systems of health care. I spent $15,000.00 per day at Jhon Hopkens Hospital at Balitmore. I get broken now due not coverage on due time by health care. I am 77 years old and a victim of existing routin system of medical care in our countary. I can not beleive a human being can vote against Obama plan. I will never vote me or my sons or my gound sons to any one or his party who vote against Obama Health care. Please pass my massage to all congree men or congress women and The at senator hous. No No No for any voting against Obama health plan.
Regards,
Ghaleb shoushaa
Wow! To think that we want to go back to the pioneer years and fend for ourselves without government. I don’t believe that health-care for everyone is un-American, it is progressive need with changing times. National Debt was created by multiple causes e.g. poor bank landing system, bail out of large car manufacturers, Iraq and Afghan war, etc. has nothing to do with the Healthcare of American Citizens!!! All about big business!!! It is everyone’s right to get treatment regardless of age, race and income! No one should be ashamed that a young individual just graduated from college is unable to find a full time job these days! This is what’s been happening to many young people. Jobs are being outsourced to overseas! These all happened because of the hands off idea of politics and business shouldn’t mix, unless business lobbyists influence government to flex the laws!
Come on now, we need Healthcare in this country so hard working Americans who have 2 -3 part time jobs can get insurance without taking money for their basic needs away from their family! Have you been out there trying to get self-insurance? 80$/month premium with 5000$ deductible!!! Or pay 250$/month with 1500$ deductible, without pre-existing conditions! Do you think that a low-wage fresh out of college employee can afford this type of healtchare insurance? Do you think that a person working 2-3 part time jobs can afford this type of deductible? Give me a break! My son is 24 years old and was dropped from my full time job’s health insurance because he goes to school part time and works at night part time. He’s been ill for 2 month with self-insurance everything is out of pocket until we reach the 5000$ deductible.
Other countries have done a good job taking care of their tax paying citizens, its time America the Giant wakes up and gives the basic right to all its Citizens which is affordable Healthcare! Anyone says otherwise either serves Corporate Interest or so privileged that has no clue what’s going on these days with middle and lower class citizens of this country.
The bill’s not perfect and I’m not sure it does what they say it will do. If it ends pre-existing discrimination and extends coverage to 30 million people then those two things alone are worth it. Wish it had more control over the insurance companies though.
@jason, just a slight correction, but in the letter to Speaker Pelosi today, the Director of the CBO Doug Elmendorf stated the estimate was preliminary due to the fact that they didn’t have all of the legislation (referring to the reconciliation amendments). That essentially makes the numbers purely an exercise in number crunching and nothing that should be touted as a true estimate on how this bill will impact the deficit.
One more point, and it’s one I haven’t seen mentioned in this blog as of yet. This bill will collect taxes for the next four years without rendering a single benefit so as to help pad the accounting of the CBO score. Nothing in this bill – besides the aforementioned taxes – will go into effect immediately, and instead will kick in sometime in 2014; which is what @Kathie Rogers was alluding to in her comment above. Every American will pay four years of taxes before rendering a single entitlement payment for care, and during that time are we to expect the same thoughtful “lockbox” treatment of this money that Social Security payments were supposedly getting? Or is it more likely that after the four years we’ll discover that the tax money was spent on ever kickback and bribe the Democrats are currently working on to secure their Deem and Pass vote on the bill to standard pork projects?
How great it is that they have fought to get young people to be able to stay on their parents health insurance up to age 26. Geez I thought you wanted to be independent, but riding on your parents coattails at their expense is a wonderful ride! Guess what the new health care bill allows the companies to violate the rules of providing your parents, and you up to age 26, health care benefits by paying a fine for stopping their coverage of health care benifits, to scare them out of giving up the coverage, since it may be a better plan then the government run health care plan. WELL GUESS WHAT THE FINE IS ONLY $3,000 per year too STOP providing insurance to their employees! Well I guess according to the Congressional Budget office PROJECTIONS you over 18 not working and going to college will end up being on Medicaid for your health insurance since it is economically advantageous for the business to give up their health care benifits for both you and your parents. Further in reading the above I find the statement of NO BENEFITS DUE TO PRE-Existing Condition of RAPE (presuming to get an insurance policy after the fact of having none!). Well do your homework, google the terms then cancel out certain terms of the hits such as “NOT” “turner” and you find only 3700 hits if I am correct, but you will find those 3700 hits are still the same hits as they have a hyphen (pre-existing condition) whereas the other search had none. GEEEEZZZZZZZZZ they are all from the same person or organization. Do I smell something here. Don’t get fooled, real health care reform in this county MUST start with TORT reform.
The current legislation at hand has NO TORT REFORM! Why, who makes the most money in a lawsuit off the bat, the lawyers. Go back a few years where your parents got screwed by greedy banks and investment advisor’s! The lawsuits filled to try and get monies back, the winners were only the lawyers.
I find it funny that Democrats are pushing the aspect of cost reduction when they are planning a document fix after the bill passes. Take a look at the following DNC memo:
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM138_100319_recon.html
“Don’t allow yourself to get into a discussion on the details of the CBO scores and textual narrative”.
Yes, don’t let the facts stop you from pushing this terrible bill down the people’s throats.
Something needs to be done and I think that many of the youth of today want to feel like they can change things in our twisted system. We need to fight for issues that we believe in. Nothing is going to get fixed over night and in government that means years sometimes, but if we get involved and stay involved then we can help make America a better place for everyone and not just the wealthy. It takes courage to change and courage to stand up for what you believe in. Many don’t fight because they think it is a losing battle maybe if this passes that make change a few peoples opinion.
I love the fact that is was the first election that the youth of today stood up and had an opinion but the battle is not over and many Americans just don’t pay attention to the issues at hand. This is our country and how responsibility to look after. Do something even if it is a little as writing a comment on here or some other blog. Signing a petition or becoming a local activist. Just help what you believe in and help make America a better country and you a better person.
That is my opinion above and I am entitled to it.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion Danielle. Definitely keep fighting because that is what makes America what it is today. I am assuming you and I disagree on this issue but this country has enough sheep, we need more fighters on both sides.