Tuesday, August 18, 2009

We need to take care of the Unemployed in Healthcare Bill

Hello folks,

One significant group of people fall through cracks and have an extremely hard time, regarding health care.

Due to our current financial environment, a huge number of people lose their jobs every month. What are they supposed to do about health care? Sure, there is Cobra but, unless you got a good severance plan, you are probably hurting financially when your paycheck stops coming. And Cobra requires you, as an individual to pay the premiums that were previously often included as a benefit. (When you no longer know where the next check is coming, is that the time to be paying a huge Cobra premium?)

There is an even worse situation out there, often in the Computer fields: People who are part time contractors, where their job did not even include benefits. My prior job at E-Net (software firm in the San Francisco area) fit that category. So my health care was to hope that I can stay healthy!

When my job ended April 8, 2009, I went on Unemployment and then found that the amount you make under Unemployment is too much for Medicaid! By definition, when you are on Unemployment, you are ready and able to work each day and making an active search. Illness or injury therefore poses a problem.

The solution, to be part of our Health Care plan, is to allow people who draw Unemployment to get Medicaid. There can, of course, be the other existing tests, to make sure the person doesn't have other financial resources. But just drawing the amount the Unemployment provides is currently a show-stopper for Medicaid, but should not be.

Please make Medicaid an option for those who lose their jobs!

Thank you,

Kenneth Parker, Seattle, Washington

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Myths verses Facts in the Health Care Debate

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I just saw Obama's Town Hall meeting for Today (Tuesday), August 11, 2009. Now, immediately after the meeting was over, I'm hearing objections, that the people were hand picked. Perhaps so. For example, the names that were chosen online might have been handpicked to eliminate those with multiple, and/or recent charges of Disturbing the Peace. Why do I not think handpicking went beyond this? Because I saw all sides of the issue represented in the questions, even Republican concerns. But what I saw was Civil Discource. Nobody shouting other people down. No loud booing. (Even only polite applause, without the long standing ovations at other Obama rallys).

This strongly encouraged me, after hearing about some of the Town Hall meetings the Democrats were recently experiencing.

I choose to get my input from all sides of the issue. In fact, one email list I belong to regularly posts right wing rhetoric on the Health Care issue. My timing for this post was this web site, that was linked from one of those emails, as it throws all of the Right Wing concerns out at once. This allows me to answer some of these concerns.

Death Panels: This is the high-emotion fear-mongering term for a group of people who would supposedly visit older citizens, to "help them plan their upcoming death". The idea put forth is that older Americans would be visited every 5 years to determine if they are "too expensive" to keep alive. The truth is that this twists a provision (added, via Amendment by a Republican) that simply says that if somebody wants to do a "living Will" (where the individual initiates the contact), it will be reimbursed. But I needed to look closer to see if there is something like this in existing plans. Scroll forward in this Glossary to "Lifetime Maximum" to see an existing equivalent in current use. In this case, you are not visited by Government workers for counseling. Instead, when you need it most (i.e. Cancer), your Insurance cuts you off cold and every expense, after an arbitrary point is paid by you alone, or your Family! (I wonder: Are you still required to pay premiums for the care you are not getting?) And why are you cut off? I can only guess that it is because you now cost the Insurance Company too much money! (You know, actuarial tables and some such).

The Democratic bill would add Government run Health Insurance, where none exists now: This one can be quite short. Medicare and Medicaid are both Government run Health Care. Note that the website cited in the third paragraph is quite vocal, against Medicare and Medicaid!

The Comments are open on this post. I welcome opposing opinions. However, abusive comments will be deleted.