The Facts on The Health Care Bill

[Neubarth]

Now, for the people who think I hate Obama, I have said over and over again that I am a Democrat who is in their eyes Conservative. If I were a Republican, I would be a moderate. I would not be a Republican as I have grown to see it as a party endorsing graft and corruption as acceptable status quo. Sadly, I now see the Democratic party doing the same thing. As I presently stand, I am still a registered Democrat, but I will endorse any political candidate who wants to clean this whole country up and put all the crooks in jail.

That said, I can also say that I am neither pro or con health care reform. I have guaranteed health care coverage from two retirements. I always pick the policy that is the least expensive come November of each year. Now, with this new program I am just starting to learn what the provisions are. The site I link to seems to have the facts but does appear biased. Tell me of a better one by posting a link to it. I would prefer that we identify any overly strong Democratic or Republican spiel, though. Let's just get the facts out as best we can. I do not know if this site is totally accurate. I'm just getting the ball rolling.



Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill | FDL Action



The Firedoglake health care team has been covering the debate in congress since it began last year. The health care bill will come up for a vote in the House on Sunday, and as Nancy Pelosi works to wrangle votes, we’ve been running a detailed whip count on where every member of Congress stands, updated throughout the day.

We’ve also taken a detailed look at the bill, and have come up with 18 often stated myths about this health care reform bill.

Real health care reform is the thing we’ve fought for from the start. It is desperately needed. But this bill falls short on many levels, and hurts many people more than it helps.

A middle class family of four making $66,370 will be forced to pay $5,243 per year for insurance. After basic necessities, this leaves them with $8,307 in discretionary income — out of which they would have to cover clothing, credit card and other debt, child care and education costs, in addition to $5,882 in annual out-of-pocket medical expenses for which families will be responsible. Many families who are already struggling to get by would be better off saving the $5,243 in insurance costs and paying their medical expenses directly, rather than being forced to by coverage they can’t afford the co-pays on.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Now, for the people who think I hate Obama, I have said over and over again that I am a Democrat who is in their eyes Conservative. If I were a Republican, I would be a moderate. I would not be a Republican as I have grown to see it as a party endorsing graft and corruption as acceptable status quo. Sadly, I now see the Democratic party doing the same thing. As it presently stand, I am still a registered Democrat, but I will endorse any political candidate who whats to clean this whole country up and put all the crooks in jail. That said, I can also say that I am neither pro or con health care reform. I have guaranteed health care coverage from two retirements. I always pick the policy that is the least expensive come November of each year. Now, with this new program I am just starting to learn what the provisions are. The site I link to seems to have the facts but does appear biased. Tell me of a better one by posting a link to it. I would prefer that we identiry any overly strong Democratic or Republican spiel, though. Let's just get the facts out as best we can. I do not know if this site is totally accurate. I'm just getting the ball rolling.



Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill | FDL Action



The Firedoglake health care team has been covering the debate in congress since it began last year. The health care bill will come up for a vote in the House on Sunday, and as Nancy Pelosi works to wrangle votes, we’ve been running a detailed whip count on where every member of Congress stands, updated throughout the day.

We’ve also taken a detailed look at the bill, and have come up with 18 often stated myths about this health care reform bill.

Real health care reform is the thing we’ve fought for from the start. It is desperately needed. But this bill falls short on many levels, and hurts many people more than it helps.

A middle class family of four making $66,370 will be forced to pay $5,243 per year for insurance. After basic necessities, this leaves them with $8,307 in discretionary income — out of which they would have to cover clothing, credit card and other debt, child care and education costs, in addition to $5,882 in annual out-of-pocket medical expenses for which families will be responsible. Many families who are already struggling to get by would be better off saving the $5,243 in insurance costs and paying their medical expenses directly, rather than being forced to by coverage they can’t afford the co-pays on.

And, to complete the perspective:

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/images/0908/moneygo900.jpg
US Dept of Labor, april 2009
Here’s an interesting graphic of the spending breakdown for the average U.S. consumer. It’s based a theoretical household “unit” consisting of 2.5 people, not individuals. Looks like such a household unit spends approximately $50,000 per year. Click on image for larger version.
Income before taxes $63,091
Average annual expenditures $49,638
2.5 in the family
1.3 earners, 67% are homeowners
Entertainment $2698 5.4%
Food 6133 12.4
Alcoholic Bev. 457 0.9
Healthcare 2853 5.7
Tobacco 323 0.7
Housing 16,920 34.1
Transportation 8758 17.6
(gas&oil) 2384` 4.8
Average food spending was $6133, of which $3465 was spent on meals at home. Based on this data, one can conclude that the average consumer unit spends roughly $300 per month on meals prepared at home and roughly $225 per month on meals away from home.
Each year, the average American spends $1881 on “apparel and services”, for example, but only $118 on books.
The chart doesn’t include taxes because the government survey doesn’t include taxes. If the average consumer unit earns $63,091 but spends $49,648, there are $13,443 unaccounted for. The personal saving rate in 2007 was less than 1%, so I’m guessing that most of the unspecified money goes to taxes.


$.47 of every food dollar is spent on dining out
WikiAnswers - How much does an average american spend on dining out