He reiterated his support for allowing people to keep the plans they get through their jobs if they want, but also to offer the new public health insurance plan to compete against private insurers. "This will give them a better range of choices, make the health care market more competitive, and keep insurance companies honest," Obama wrote.
Obama urges Kennedy, Baucus to press ahead on healthcare - 2008 Presidential Campaign Blog - Political Intelligence - Boston.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is leaving the door open to taxing health care benefits, something he campaigned hard against while running for president, according to senators who met with him Tuesday.
The Associated Press: Obama said to be open to taxing health benefits
So let me see if I can understand this correctly, we have a record deficit, a massive debt, growing unemployment, large compaines going backrupt, and along with the so called stimulus package that has created to my knowlegde at least a few jobs for the mice that are being studied in California. We are now proposing healthcare for all and not only that we will pay for it by taxing everyone? and forcing them to have healthcare if they want it or not? Further, what private enterprise wants to compete with the very entity that regulates it? Eventually the only game in town will be the Federal Govt. as private insurers will not wish to compete with Fed. The fact is that the Federal Govt. has a dismal record on healthcare and the VA should be a good indication of that. While it's a noble thing to want the Govt. to provide healthcare for all, there are simply people out there that do not want healthcare coverage.
Here is a novel idea, how about paying down the debt and putting the economy back on it's feet and letting Americans make their own healthcare choices there's a novel idea. If the Govt. really wanted to be in the business of helping the American public with reforming an industry, they would regulate as they are entitlied to do under the commerce clause and perhaps more companies would want to get into the healthcare insurance business. There are many solutions other than a draconian edict from on high that demands everyone has healthcare.
In other words, business usual. Unfortunately, one of the reasons the economy is tanking on main street is because of the ever-increasing costs of private health care. While people are justified in objecting to the cost involved in any government program, and so am I, the projections are just as scary if left as is.
More and more people are being denied personal plans or can only get health coverage with a high deductible, getting dropped from their employer plans, going bankrupt due to exhorbitant catastrophic medical costs even WITH private insurance, and are unable to sustain the average monthly premiums which are often higher than their mortgage or rent.
The GAO gave it's opinion on the *health* of health care about a year ago, and although it doesn't offer solutions, it does outline the overall problem which does not have an easy, nor cheap, answer.
Long-Term Fiscal Outlook:
Long-Term Federal Fiscal Challenge Driven Primarily by Health Care
GAO-08-912T June 17, 2008
Summary
[excerpts]
GAO was asked to provide its views on the long-term fiscal outlook. This statement addresses four key points: (1) the federal government's long-term fiscal outlook is a matter of utmost concern; (2) this challenge is driven primarily by health care cost growth; (3) reform of health care is essential but other areas also need attention which requires a multipronged solution; and (4) the federal government faces increasing pressures yet a shrinking window of opportunity for phasing in needed adjustments.
...
Long-term fiscal simulations by GAO, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and others all show that despite a decline in the federal government's unified budget deficit between fiscal years 2003 and 2007, it still faces large and growing structural deficits driven primarily by rising health care costs and known demographic trends. Simply put, the federal government is on an unsustainable long-term fiscal path. Although Social Security is important because of its size, over the long term health care spending is the principal driver--Medicare and Medicaid are both large and projected to continue growing rapidly in the future.
Rapidly rising health care costs are not simply a federal budget problem. Growth in health-related spending is the primary driver of the fiscal challenges facing state and local governments as well.
Unsustainable growth in health care spending also threatens to erode the ability of employers to provide coverage to their workers and undercuts their ability to compete in a global marketplace.
Public and private health care spending continues to rise because of several key factors: (1) increased utilization of new and existing medical technology; (2) lack of reliable comparative information on medical outcomes, quality of care, and cost; and (3) increased prevalence of risk factors such as obesity that can lead to expensive chronic conditions.
Addressing health care costs and demographics--and their interaction--will be a major societal challenge. The longer action on reforming heath care and Social Security is delayed, the more painful and difficult the choices will become. The federal government faces increasing pressures yet a shrinking window of opportunity for phasing in adjustments. In fact, the oldest members of the baby-boom generation are now eligible for Social Security retirement benefits and will be eligible for Medicare benefits in less than 3 years. Additionally, in addressing this fiscal challenge it will be important to review other programs and activities on both the spending and revenue sides of the budget.