MyTenSense.com

The Senate approved its health care reform bill as promised on the eve of Christmas to help cover most of the estimated 50 million Americans shut out because of high premiums and pre-existing medical conditions.
The bill wasn’t supported by any Republicans, who think the government should stay out of the insurance business. But it was backed by the American Medical Association, which normally opposes health care overhaul.
However, the battle for universal health care isn’t over yet. It’s just beginning because now a committee has to merge the Senate’s newly approved health care bill and the bill from the House, which was approved in November.
A final health care bill that meets the approval of the House and the Senate is expected to be drafted and voted on by the end of January so that universal health care is officially approved in time for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
Contrary to the lies spewed by members of the Republican party, universal health care will not be a hand out as Medicaid and Medicare have been since being passed in 1965. And those who prefer private insurance and like their job benefits can keep their current insurance.
Health care reform is for the tens of millions left without insurance because it’s unaffordable or they have been turned down by insurance companies because of their health conditions.
Participants will be required to pay monthly premiums.
Yet before universal health care can be passed, the House and the Senate must agree on the final bill.
So far, the two groups in Congress agree on the following:
-government subsidies to help families making less than $90,000 per year pay for coverage
-health insurance exchanges to create a risk pool of small business, the self-employed and the unemployed to provide lower premiums
-insurance companies can’t turn a person down for pre-existing conditions or raise premiums because of medical history.
However, the House bill costs $1 trillion while the Senate bill costs $871 million, and they disagree on where the money will come from. The House would like to place higher taxes on individuals with annual incomes more than $500,000 and families making more than $1 million. The Senate wants to increase taxes on insurance companies for their higher-end health plans and increase Medicare payroll taxes on individuals making more than $250,000 annually. Both would like to make cuts to Medicare.
So the lies about working Americans footing the bill for the new health care are untrue because it’s the wealthy who would see increased taxes under the House and Senate bills.
As a successful insurance agent, I think it’s fantastic that insurance companies will no longer be allowed to turn individuals away because of their health and will no longer be allowed to jack up premiums after someone has a major illness.
And I don’t see a problem with wealthy Americans paying higher taxes to help uninsured Americans pay for, not be handed out, health care coverage. As the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is required.
What’s the point of being wealthy if you don’t help people who are trying to help themselves. Besides, the money isn’t going with the rich when they die, so they should use it for a good cause instead of booze, fancy houses and cars and women.

By Teneshia LaFaye
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