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We will present the Art Exhibit next. Those of you who visit this site regularly are familiar with the Jackson Pollack and Salividor Dali exhibits. This one will be posted once and then available under ART EXHIBIT in the list of titles in the left column. However, I wish to leave it as the last post for more than a day or two, so I am sending some b its of information along first.
At least 10 Congressmen have asked for extra security while they were still in Washington and that will continue with them. There are more requests than that, however. Violence is the highest form of debate known to these morons.
One of you pointed out the following:
"Washington DC: The United States' commitment to the security and future of Israel was rock solid, unwavering, enduring and forever,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a speech to AIPAC, an Israel lobby.
How about in the year 3000 AD, 4000 AD or...? I mean, forever is a long long time....
Let's say Israel goes nuts and kills a hundred thousand Palestinians, they just killed 1400 last year. Are we still forever bound to them?
What if their consequent exploits make Nazis look like pathetically misunderstood adolescents, are we still 'unwaveringly' with Israel?
What if their consequent exploits make Nazis look like pathetically misunderstood adolescents, are we still 'unwaveringly' with Israel?
Israel has nukes, hello, does anyone but me know that? One bomb could make the Gaza Strip look like the Moon, with just as many inhabitants.
What an insane thing for a current US Sec'y of State to say, and nobody seems to have heard it except me."
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Another sent along the following information from Bart Stupak's office:
IMPACTS OF HEALTH CARE REFORM
Updated March 25, 2010
Consumer Protections for All Americans found in the health care legislation
strengthens consumer protections and provides the tools they need to make the best
health care insurance decision for them.
Beginning 90 days after enactment:
•
Provides access to insurance for Americans who are uninsured because of a preexisting
condition, through a temporary high-risk pool.
Six months after date of enactment:
•
Insurance companies will be prohibited from canceling health coverage when a
beneficiary becomes sick as way of avoiding paying that person’s health care bills.
(This practice is also known as rescissions.)
•
All insurance plans will be prohibited from excluding children due to pre-existing
conditions.
•
Insurance companies will be required to allow adult dependent children to stay on
family policies until age 26, should the parents wish to do so.
•
Insurance companies would be prohibited from requiring prior authorization
before a woman sees an ob-gyn.
•
Ensures access to emergency care without a referral for all individuals.
•
Insurance companies will no longer be able to place lifetime caps on benefits.
Beginning in 2014:
•
Insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate on the basis of preexisting
conditions.
•
Insurance companies will no longer be able to charge higher premiums due to
gender, health status, family history or job occupation.
•
Insurance companies will no longer be able to place annual caps on benefits.
Women will receive expanded access to health care services.
•
Starting immediately, there will be an interim high-risk pool providing access to
coverage to those currently uninsured because of a pre-existing condition.
•
Health care insurance reform will end discrimination against women by
prohibiting insurance companies from charging women more than men for the
same health care services.
•
In 2014, health insurance reform will make it against the law for insurance
companies to deny coverage or charge higher premiums on the basis of a “preexisting
condition,” such as C-sections and pregnancies.
•
Health insurance reform includes coverage of maternity services in the essential
benefits package in the new health insurance exchanges starting in 2014.
(continued on back)
Prepared by the Office of U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak
Veterans and military retirees are exempt from the bill, although Veterans will have the
option of participating in the exchange if they choose to do so. No other government
agency will be able to infringe on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ authority over the
TRICARE program.
Seniors/Medicare Beneficiaries will continue to have access to high quality, affordable
health care and keep their current coverage.
•
Effective immediately, it provides a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit
the donut hole in 2010. Beginning in 2011, the legislation institutes a 50 percent
discount on brand-name drugs for individuals who fall into the donut hole. The
donut hole is completely closed by 2020.
•
Beginning in 2011, the legislation eliminates co-payments for preventative
services such as mammography, colon and prostate screenings, diabetes screening
and bone mass measurements and it exempts preventative services from
deductibles under Medicare.
•
Requires Medicare Advantage plans to spend at least 85 percent of revenue on
medical care and improving quality of care, rather than on profit and overhead.
Plans will have three years to transition to the reformed payment system, with up
to seven years for counties facing more significant changes.
Small Business owners and their employees will have greater access to health care
coverage and tax credits to make it more affordable
•
Beginning immediately, small businesses that choose to offer health care
insurance will receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums, making
employee coverage more affordable. Beginning in 2014, the small business tax
credits will cover 50 percent of premiums.
•
Exempts employers with 50 or fewer employees from the employer responsibility
payments.
•
Reforms small business rating rules so that small employers will no longer pay
higher premiums if they have employees with higher health costs due to age or
illness.
•
In 2014 and later it provides eligible small employers who purchase coverage
through the Exchange with a tax credit for two years of up to 50 percent of their
contribution.
Prepared by the Office of U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING
HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION
Updated March 25, 2010
Question: Will health care reform force all Americans out of their private insurance plans and into a
government run plan?
Answer: No. If you like your insurance, nothing in the law requires you to change it. The Patient
Protection and Affordability Act builds on the employer based coverage we have today. If your employer
offers health coverage, you will continue to be able to receive coverage through them. If your employer
does not offer health coverage, beginning in 2014 you will be able to purchase health coverage through an
“exchange”, or one-stop clearinghouse, which will offer a variety of private health insurance plans.
Question: What is the exchange?
Answer: The exchange is a clearinghouse for all insurance plans. To be a part of it and compete for
customers, an insurance plan must contain a basic minimum of benefits such as prescription drugs,
pediatric services, preventative and wellness services and mental health and substance abuse services.
Information on coverage and benefits must be clearly listed beside each plan in easy-to-understand
language. The exchange will bring information that is currently scattered, giving consumers an
opportunity to make informed decisions about what plan works best for them. Beginning in 2014, each
state will have the option of setting up an exchange. If a state opts not to set up an exchange, the federal
government will set one up in its place.
Question: Will my Medicare coverage change?
Answer: The only changes in coverage Medicare beneficiaries will see are two significant improvements
to the program that seniors have long asked for. First, beginning in 2011, the bill will cover 100 percent
of the cost of preventative care, such as annual check-ups, mammograms and other preventive tests.
Second, the bill ensures that seniors will save money on their prescription drugs by phasing in a complete
fix for the “donut hole” in the Medicare prescription drug benefit (where drug costs are not reimbursed at
certain levels). This year, seniors who hit the donut hole will receive a $250 rebate check from the
federal government. The donut hole will be completely phased out in 2020.
Question: Does the bill eliminate my Medicare Advantage?
Answer: No. Currently the federal government is overpaying insurance companies that offer Medicare
Advantage plans by an average of 14 percent. The legislation will scale back these overpayments and
require Medicare Advantage plans to spend at least 85 percent of their revenue on clinical services and
activities that improve quality of care.
Question: Will my TRICARE or VA care change?
Answer: No. TRICARE and VA care are exempt from the legislation. The VA and TRICARE
programs will not be affected by the bill.
Question: Are members of Congress exempt from changes that are being proposed for the rest of the
country?
Answer: No. Members of Congress and their staff members must join the exchange.
Question: Will this plan lead to rationing of care?
Answer: No. Health care decisions should be between a patient and their doctor. The legislation
specifically forbids any studies or research from being used to either mandate or deny care to a patient.
The legislation significantly increases research funding to gather data about what procedures are most
effective in order to give doctors the best possible information when treating their patients.
(continued on back)
Prepared by the Office of U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak
Question: What if I can’t afford to purchase health insurance? Won’t it be mandatory under the
legislation?
Answer: Beginning in 2014, every American will be required to have health coverage. Medicare
recipients will continue to receive Medicare benefits, as will those receiving TRICARE and VA benefits.
The lowest income Americans will continue to receive Medicaid benefits. Those Americans who earn up
to 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($88,200 for a family of four) will receive tax credits to help
them purchase insurance. Those closest to the poverty level will receive the most assistance, while those
closest to 400 percent will receive the least. Failure to purchase even the most basic health insurance
policy will result in a penalty of $95 per uninsured individual for 2014, $325 for 2015, $695 for 2016 and
subsequent years (or, up to 2.5 percent of income in 2016). Families will pay half the amount for children,
up to a cap of $2,250 per family. Hardship waivers will be available for those Americans who, even with
federal subsidies, are still unable to afford insurance.
Question: Will I go to jail if I don’t have health insurance?
Answer: No. The bill requires individuals to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a penalty (see
previous question). The bill specifically prohibits the IRS from confiscating taxpayer assets, from using
liens or levies, or imposing criminal penalties of any kind — including jail time — because of a lack of
health care coverage.
Question: Will the proposed legislation provide free health care to illegal immigrants?
Answer: No. The bill prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer assistance for health care
coverage. It goes further by prohibiting illegal immigrants from even buying health insurance with their
own money in the exchange.
Question: Does the bill provide federal funding for abortion?
Answer: No. On March 24, 2010, President Obama signed an executive order that has the full force and
effect of law making clear that current law of no federal funding for abortion applies to the new health
care reform legislation.
Question: Will all small businesses be forced to provide coverage to their employees?
Answer: The bill exempts all small businesses with fewer than 50 employees from providing health
insurance to their employees (96 percent of small businesses fall into this category). Beginning in 2014,
employers with more than 50 employees that do not offer health insurance coverage will pay an
assessment of $2,000 per full-time worker if any of their employees obtain tax credits through the
exchange. However, to avoid disincentives to hire an additional employee above 49 employees, the bill
subtracts the first 30 employees from this payment calculation.
Question: Can our country afford health insurance reform?
Answer: The cost of health care is rising exponentially, far outpacing inflation. We simply cannot afford
to maintain the status quo. If we do nothing to curb health care costs, by 2019 we will be spending one
out of every $5 dollars on health care. The longer we wait, the more it will cost to fix our broken health
care system. A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) review of the legislation found that it does not add to
the federal budget deficit.
Question: Will insurance companies be able to drop patients who have pre-existing conditions?
Answer: No. Beginning in September insurance companies will be prohibited from discriminating
against children based on preexisting conditions. Beginning in 2014 insurance companies will be
prohibited from discriminating against anyone based on preexisting conditions. The practice of rescission
(where insurance companies drop a patient once they become ill) will also be banned beginning in
September.
Prepared by the Office of U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak
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