Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, isn't waiting for Election '08 to get the Healthy Americans Act passed.
* Every American will have it
* Comprehensive - comparable to Congress.
* Portable - take it when you leave your job.
* Non-discriminatory - ban on "pre-existing conditions" and everyone gets a fair price.
Affordable - under $40,000 income? Pay less than now. Under $150,000 pay $1 a day more for guaranteed coverage.
The Act, his site says also saves s1.48 trillion through wellness and prevention.
And he says he can make it reality in only one year.
Here's the real cost:
Families between $40,000 and $50,000 would pay about $81/year more - about $7 a month. Families between $50,000 and $150,000 would average between $327 and $341 per year more - about $28 a month.
In return for this modest increase these families would have guaranteed coverage that they could never lose, not if they get sick, not if they lose their jobs, not for any reason.
We'd be crazy not to take that deal. Why wait for elections? I want to see Senator Wyden deliver on this right now. Read the details by clicking this link.
Email your own representatives by visiting Congress.org and entering your zip code.
5 comments:
More than what?
We currently have no insurance, and don't pay anything so I don't understand how this would effect us. What about people who make less than 40K?
Just curious. :)
Thanks for posting this. I'll definately read up on it.
I think we need universal healthcare too. I was dropped from my husbands health insurance at his work in 2005 and I have been unable to get coverage because of pre-exsisting, so basically I'm a sitting duck.
More than what? is a great question Radical Mama.
I've been trying to find the exact number to that. I'll keep working on it.
Currently the average family of 4 pays $245 mo. But, I'm not totally sure that is the number our congressman used for his study. There is mention of $30 more than the current federal congressional plan, but I haven't been able to narrow down the premium on that. I've got a call in and will find out.
People who make under 400% of the poverty rate will be "subsidized". 400% is around mid $80,000 range. There is mention of an employer contribution per employee to pay for this subsidy as well as what is currently already being contributed in SCHIPS, Medicaid and Medicare which will all be rolled into this one system.
The catch is that it is mandatory. You don't currently have insurance, so you would be required to get it - but it would be available for the same rate everyone else gets and it would be "affordable".
If you couldn't afford it by the standard income, it would be subsidized. I don't know if free insurance would be available.
The idea behind the mandate is that it's much cheaper for everyone, taxpayers and insured people, if we pay your premium of $245 and copay rather than your emergency visit after an accident of $400,000.
Interesting. I certainly agree that preventative care is much much cheaper than emergency care.
We are 6 people with 40K in income. It would have to be VERY cheap before we could afford it. Our children have medicaid (which no one takes anyway so I am not sure why we even fill out the paperwork every year).
My understanding is that you would still qualify for what you get now, only it would be "comprehensive" and be equivalent to what Congress currently gets.
They would be rolling SCHIPS, Medicaid and Medicare into the system with everyone else.
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