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First here's a series of links - so you can make up your own mind on this baby.
Hillary Clinton's 1993/1994 plan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Clinton_health_care_plan
Hillary vs. Obama Health Care Plans: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/17/health.care/index.html
Hillary vs. Obama Health Care Plans: http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSN2363970720080224
Obaman's Plan:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/
Clinton's Plan:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/
Plans compared:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html
Plan's compared:
http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/second-obama-mailer-slams-clinton-health-care-plan
Now, I know a little something about this that most people out there might not. In 1994 I worked in the Kansas State Senate for a Senator who desperately wanted a state health care plan and was actively co-sponsoring a bill for it. My job was to attend all the lobbyist meetings on the plan, check the bill, edit it, and research it. I wrote my paper for the class - Legislative Clinic - which I took in co-junction with the internship - on the path a bill made throught the legislature, whether or not it passed. This one didn't. And I was doing my research at a state level in a predominately conservative state at the same time that Clinton was doing her's at the national level. Ten years later, I found myself working for a health care insurance company. A company that had at one time been a non-profit, went for profit, and eventually was acquired by the nation's biggest health care company - which proceeded to lay me off in order to keep its stock-holders happy. The company I worked for by the way is the same company that funds most of the government's state and federal programs, including Congress.
The company is Wellpoint, otherwise known as Anthem and Empire Blue Cross Blue Sheild. On top of this - I have had to live without health insurance twice. In 2004 when my Cobra ran out, I actually attempted to get Metro-Plus or Healthy New York Insurance. I didn't qualify or I couldn't qualify unless I could supply at least one unemployment check or proof of self-employment. The fact I wasn't employed and not getting unemployment was beyond them. I gave up finally and prayed for a job. Cobra by the way is not cheap, it costs a single person anywhere between 380 to 600 dollars a month. For families - it is closer to 1400. HIPAA or the Health Care Portability Act - pushed through by the Clinton's and an act I'm beginning to hate, is supposed to ensure that our health insurance moves with us when we leave one job and jumpt to another, along with pre-existing conditions. It does and it doesn't. It only follows you if you are on Cobra and do not have a long period between no-Cobra and the new health insurance. In other words, if I had a pre-existing condition in 2004, it would not have been accepted by the new insurance, because I had a gap in health insurance. The other problem with HIPAA is that it has quadrupled the amount of paperwork. In some cases - such as my gynecologist - I can't get my health records sent to a new doctor, without faxing a form and signing it. A phone call isn't enough. In other instances - I don't get insurance at all if they get something as small as the month on my birthdate wrong. As far as privacy goes? Well, the health care company I worked for lost personal health information relating to mental health and employee assistance (drug rehabilitation) for over 1000 patients. But hey, its better than nothing, right?
In regards to the health care plans. Before the NY Primary, a close friend told me about the two candidates health care plans. I knew about Hillary's not about Obama's. I was planning on voting for Hillary at the time, partly because I thought she had a viable one at least. Obama, an unknown quantity. My friend told me that Hillary's plan mandated that people have health insurance.
Friend: People have to pay for it, they don't have a choice. Even if they don't have enough money to buy groceries.
Me: Wait, I thought the money would be deducted from their taxes or paycheck?
Friend: Yes - but if you aren't making that much...
Me: I'm sure they'll subsidize the people making below a certain amount.
Friend: That comes out of our paychecks then, right?
ME: It is to our benefit - we don't want people without health insurance on the streets. Trust me.
Friend: True. But what if you are barely making 15,000 a year, now you have to pay for health insurance and you barely go to the doctor? It's coming out of your food budget. Instead of buying food this week - you have to pay your insurance premium.
Me: Okay....that...uhm, I get your point. I remember deliberately choosing to go without health insurance after college for a while and at different points as did you in order to afford rent and food.
Friend: Do you really want the Government forcing you to do something? It's your body.
Me (I start seeing that old slippery slope creep upon me): If they can force health insurance, they can also control who our doctors are, hospitals, etc. We won't have any choices. (I remember running out of the nightmare inner city hospital to a less nightmarish inner city one.)
Friend: Exactly. Also do you really want our government telling us what is good for us? How we should take care of our bodies. What we should do with our money?
Me: But people may not do it otherwise. They will spend it on drugs or entertainment. When health care is so important.
Friend: Shouldn't that be their choice?
( what I think about this )
Hillary Clinton's 1993/1994 plan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Clinton_health_care_plan
Hillary vs. Obama Health Care Plans: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/17/health.care/index.html
Hillary vs. Obama Health Care Plans: http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSN2363970720080224
Obaman's Plan:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/
Clinton's Plan:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/
Plans compared:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html
Plan's compared:
http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/second-obama-mailer-slams-clinton-health-care-plan
Now, I know a little something about this that most people out there might not. In 1994 I worked in the Kansas State Senate for a Senator who desperately wanted a state health care plan and was actively co-sponsoring a bill for it. My job was to attend all the lobbyist meetings on the plan, check the bill, edit it, and research it. I wrote my paper for the class - Legislative Clinic - which I took in co-junction with the internship - on the path a bill made throught the legislature, whether or not it passed. This one didn't. And I was doing my research at a state level in a predominately conservative state at the same time that Clinton was doing her's at the national level. Ten years later, I found myself working for a health care insurance company. A company that had at one time been a non-profit, went for profit, and eventually was acquired by the nation's biggest health care company - which proceeded to lay me off in order to keep its stock-holders happy. The company I worked for by the way is the same company that funds most of the government's state and federal programs, including Congress.
The company is Wellpoint, otherwise known as Anthem and Empire Blue Cross Blue Sheild. On top of this - I have had to live without health insurance twice. In 2004 when my Cobra ran out, I actually attempted to get Metro-Plus or Healthy New York Insurance. I didn't qualify or I couldn't qualify unless I could supply at least one unemployment check or proof of self-employment. The fact I wasn't employed and not getting unemployment was beyond them. I gave up finally and prayed for a job. Cobra by the way is not cheap, it costs a single person anywhere between 380 to 600 dollars a month. For families - it is closer to 1400. HIPAA or the Health Care Portability Act - pushed through by the Clinton's and an act I'm beginning to hate, is supposed to ensure that our health insurance moves with us when we leave one job and jumpt to another, along with pre-existing conditions. It does and it doesn't. It only follows you if you are on Cobra and do not have a long period between no-Cobra and the new health insurance. In other words, if I had a pre-existing condition in 2004, it would not have been accepted by the new insurance, because I had a gap in health insurance. The other problem with HIPAA is that it has quadrupled the amount of paperwork. In some cases - such as my gynecologist - I can't get my health records sent to a new doctor, without faxing a form and signing it. A phone call isn't enough. In other instances - I don't get insurance at all if they get something as small as the month on my birthdate wrong. As far as privacy goes? Well, the health care company I worked for lost personal health information relating to mental health and employee assistance (drug rehabilitation) for over 1000 patients. But hey, its better than nothing, right?
In regards to the health care plans. Before the NY Primary, a close friend told me about the two candidates health care plans. I knew about Hillary's not about Obama's. I was planning on voting for Hillary at the time, partly because I thought she had a viable one at least. Obama, an unknown quantity. My friend told me that Hillary's plan mandated that people have health insurance.
Friend: People have to pay for it, they don't have a choice. Even if they don't have enough money to buy groceries.
Me: Wait, I thought the money would be deducted from their taxes or paycheck?
Friend: Yes - but if you aren't making that much...
Me: I'm sure they'll subsidize the people making below a certain amount.
Friend: That comes out of our paychecks then, right?
ME: It is to our benefit - we don't want people without health insurance on the streets. Trust me.
Friend: True. But what if you are barely making 15,000 a year, now you have to pay for health insurance and you barely go to the doctor? It's coming out of your food budget. Instead of buying food this week - you have to pay your insurance premium.
Me: Okay....that...uhm, I get your point. I remember deliberately choosing to go without health insurance after college for a while and at different points as did you in order to afford rent and food.
Friend: Do you really want the Government forcing you to do something? It's your body.
Me (I start seeing that old slippery slope creep upon me): If they can force health insurance, they can also control who our doctors are, hospitals, etc. We won't have any choices. (I remember running out of the nightmare inner city hospital to a less nightmarish inner city one.)
Friend: Exactly. Also do you really want our government telling us what is good for us? How we should take care of our bodies. What we should do with our money?
Me: But people may not do it otherwise. They will spend it on drugs or entertainment. When health care is so important.
Friend: Shouldn't that be their choice?
( what I think about this )
