tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post2785719204049244462..comments2024-03-02T09:41:35.809-08:00Comments on Donkeylicious - A Blog by Neil Sinhababu and Nicholas Beaudrot: The FlowchartNeil Sinhababuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03249327186653397250noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-36863721192497104092010-03-22T11:08:33.908-07:002010-03-22T11:08:33.908-07:00Why is it that no one can actually explain the hea...Why is it that no one can actually explain the health care reform. So many try but it just becomes more confusing. I am a rep. and I know by what I have read and heard that I want nothing to do with this take over. Like I said before, this is a step toward one world gov. which I do not like or want.<br /><br />Still another concerned citizen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-50064275887159815802010-03-22T10:54:54.825-07:002010-03-22T10:54:54.825-07:00This is just another step to one world goverment !...This is just another step to one world goverment !!!!!<br /><br />VERY CONCERNED CITIZENAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-43901289088112220532009-08-29T23:07:18.687-07:002009-08-29T23:07:18.687-07:00This is beyond my vision--in several ways. However...This is beyond my vision--in several ways. However, I know that if there are not drastic changes in favor of the consumer, I will be priced out of health care insurance and will have to make choices between perscribed medicines, "insurance," and a continued middle-class life style. As a country responsible to its citizens, every person should have access to medical care, or Medicare. Carl C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-22094979543367051222009-08-26T16:09:59.784-07:002009-08-26T16:09:59.784-07:00Where are you getting your poverty level figures f...Where are you getting your poverty level figures from? Are those the numbers on the actual bill? <br />Commenters on other blogs with your chart posted to it have inferred that 3x the poverty level=rich. As someone who makes barely above 3x the poverty level, with no college education, that's not rich. At least not in the part of the country I live in. Having to buy into a private health plan or public health plan with no subsidies could be a bit of a financial stressor.Meghannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-80541944557397221312009-08-26T08:52:09.296-07:002009-08-26T08:52:09.296-07:00Two questions:
If I like my employer's plan I...Two questions:<br /><br />If I like my employer's plan I can keep it. Sounds great.<br /><br />But what if I lose my job? Can I stay on my (now former) employer's plan by paying the premiums the same way I can do so now under COBRA?<br /><br />If I change jobs, can I sign up for my new employer's plan?Terry Prattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-1549485348834379492009-08-25T06:56:59.340-07:002009-08-25T06:56:59.340-07:00Anonymous wrote: >>>>>The claim tha...Anonymous wrote: >>>>>The claim that Medicare is unchanged is false, afaict. Obama has made ending Medicare Advantage and filling the donut hole central points, no?<br />August 19, 2009 7:09 PM<br /><br />Yes, Medicare Advantage would be CUT, hopefully.<br />25% of seniors (wealthy & upper middle classes) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, an INSURANCE program which offers additional benefits to the standard Medicare.<br />Taxpayers fund Medicare Advantage to the tune of $180 BILLION.<br />imo - if seniors want more coverage than standard Medicare - they should pay for it themselves!<br /><br />Since 2004, Pelosi & Dems have complained about the Donut Hole and insisted if Dems controlled Congress, they would FIX IT.<br />ha!<br />Now - supposedly, Obama has made a deal with Pharma which includes NO CHANGES in the Donut Hole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-32922621228617701152009-08-25T06:20:54.047-07:002009-08-25T06:20:54.047-07:00Health Insurance Coverage Reform Flow Chart
Than...Health Insurance Coverage Reform Flow Chart <br /><br />Thank you for your terrific and very hard work! Would you identify the particular bill this represents? <br /><br />I am a Healthcare Advocate (www.healthcareadvocate.org). May I your permission to post this on my site.<br /><br />Thank you<br />Thank you.Steve Luptakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17914080252803956507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-68794633701127751042009-08-23T16:30:04.788-07:002009-08-23T16:30:04.788-07:00This is an excellent visualization of a complex is...This is an excellent visualization of a complex issue. Upon which bill is this based? Thank you.Steve Luptakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17914080252803956507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-72842762916522495272009-08-22T15:37:41.432-07:002009-08-22T15:37:41.432-07:00This reform makes no sense to me. The people it is...This reform makes no sense to me. The people it is supposed to help are those with no insurance. I'm one of those people. I fall in the >$66k family of 4 with no insurance category, and I don't know where I'm magically supposed to get the extra cash to pay insurance premiums.<br /><br />I would love to have insurance, but I simply don't have the money. And from what I understand, if I don't have the money, I will be fined for not buying insurance - making my financial situation even worse!<br /><br />So one segment that this is reform is supposed to help - the uninsured middle class (me) - are the ones getting screwed by this.<br /><br />This seems like some sort of Catch-22 nightmare. I never thought of myself as a blue dog before, but I guess I'm becoming one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-4895191380200719742009-08-21T10:27:11.012-07:002009-08-21T10:27:11.012-07:00The author of the flowchart asked for a link for e...The author of the flowchart asked for a link for employer sponsored health insurance numbers.<br /><br />That's another clue that the projections are suspect.PEU Report/State of the Divisionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10269683860174947542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-42852449091931102042009-08-21T10:24:14.280-07:002009-08-21T10:24:14.280-07:00Sorry Anardakos, your comment makes no sense. Fam...Sorry Anardakos, your comment makes no sense. Family coverage applies to individual buying private plans, just as it does to employer provided health insurance. <br /><br />Who publishes a chart mixing operation definitions? A hack would.<br /><br />The numbers roughly total our U.S. population.PEU Report/State of the Divisionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10269683860174947542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-40088176465549458652009-08-20T23:14:51.568-07:002009-08-20T23:14:51.568-07:00Oh-- and perhaps call out to show that illegal imm...Oh-- and perhaps call out to show that illegal immigrants are excluded!Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-28727513400869665642009-08-20T23:12:34.568-07:002009-08-20T23:12:34.568-07:00Nicholas-
Love the flowchart and have already Fac...Nicholas-<br /><br />Love the flowchart and have already Facebook-status-updated it to the fomenting masses. Some suggestions/requests:<br /><br />1. Add a "No change" to the "Employer-provided insurance" terminal (to reinforce the fact that private insurance isn't going away).<br /><br />2. I think you need to work the word "private" into the "individual insurance" terminals (to reinforce the fact that private insurance isn't going away).<br /><br />3. Adjust the Medicaid expansion terminal to reflect the change from the status quo, e.g. "Medicaid expansion from 49M to 64M", or by percentage.<br /><br />4. Add "VA" to the first decision in addition to Medicare and Medicaid.<br /><br />Thanks again!Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-89488230037393215772009-08-20T18:06:56.729-07:002009-08-20T18:06:56.729-07:00I expect that the big difference in employer cover...I expect that the big difference in employer coverage numbers between 122 million and 177 million is between 122 million <b>enrollments</b> and 177 million <b>people</b>. Many enrollments cover more than one person.Anandakoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15397105362372268883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-40514519559290448112009-08-20T17:54:44.545-07:002009-08-20T17:54:44.545-07:00I decided to make a derivative based on this but i...I decided to make a derivative based on this but in a slightly different format showing #s of people as thickness of lines. <a href="http://simonwoodside.com/weblog/2009/8/20/who_will_get_what_a/" rel="nofollow">Who Will Get What?</a>.sbwoodsidehttp://simonwoodside.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-76242521921226838882009-08-20T17:54:28.509-07:002009-08-20T17:54:28.509-07:00Wow, I am worried about the numbers for the subsid...Wow, I am worried about the numbers for the subsidies. $66K for the family cut-off? That's higher than the median family income in the US! <br /><br />Now I'm sure that the subsidies are inversely related to income, but that is a <b>lot</b> of families that will be receiving a subsidy. How do they expect to do all that for a trillion over a decade? Look how Plan D is nearly twice what the Bushies estimated it would be. We <b>don't</b> want to make that mistake again. <br /><br />And the person who raised a concern about the employer heath care is right. We can't say "we need to do this because we have to relieve American business from the burden of employer-provided health care to improve our international competitiveness" <b>and</b> "we don't expect any of the 122 million people now covered to be affected". <br /><br />That makes no sense.Anandakoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15397105362372268883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-6448990025294568052009-08-20T15:02:49.909-07:002009-08-20T15:02:49.909-07:00Thanks so much for this. That flowchart is fantast...Thanks so much for this. That flowchart is fantastic.<br /><br />We were there filming that panel and posted a clip of the exchange that "inspired" this flow chart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2aV6uJGkP0Will Urquharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11846169516190992245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-85152825954761926622009-08-20T12:14:38.482-07:002009-08-20T12:14:38.482-07:00Medicare/Medicaid covered 78 million in 2007.
W...Medicare/Medicaid covered 78 million in 2007. <br /><br />While a new box was added for additional Medicaid enrollees, there is no increase for Medicare, which has aging baby boomers on the way.PEU Report/State of the Divisionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10269683860174947542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-2255444832408290882009-08-20T09:17:59.409-07:002009-08-20T09:17:59.409-07:00Let's just stop with the first diamond. 800 pa...Let's just stop with the first diamond. 800 pages of the 1000 page HR3200 are devoted to Medicare and Medicaid. Are we too believe that these clauses were crafted so that there would be no change? Hardly. Especially when the IMAC mechanism to be introduced to Medicare has the explicit policy goal of cutting Medicare costs while insulating Congress from political pressure with an unaccountable and non-transparent board, a la the base closing commission.<br /><br />So, no reason to go with the rest of the flow until the first diamond gets straightened out, right? "No change," my sweet Aunt Fanny.lambert stretherhttp://www.correntewire.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-7457278380481671472009-08-19T19:09:12.843-07:002009-08-19T19:09:12.843-07:00The claim that Medicare is unchanged is false, afa...The claim that Medicare is unchanged is false, afaict. Obama has made ending Medicare Advantage and filling the donut hole central points, no?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-89865376029820040362009-08-19T14:27:14.211-07:002009-08-19T14:27:14.211-07:00what about vetrans?what about vetrans?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-79935438345591339712009-08-19T12:53:53.902-07:002009-08-19T12:53:53.902-07:00KIT, you are 100% correct & I appreciate your ...KIT, you are 100% correct & I appreciate your effort to educate the Ozombies. Just to back up your correct analysis of the 122 Million on employer sponsored plans, I employ 17 people who will be going to the public option even if I have to pay the penalties being discussed. I can't imagine the private insurers having any chance to compete with the public plans. <br />When the 122M switch to the bottom of this insane flowchart, what will be the cost of ObamaCare? What will our defecit be? <br />--NOISETedNugenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11214559750814905166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-11918224738799546902009-08-19T12:22:03.218-07:002009-08-19T12:22:03.218-07:00The part I see NO explanation of is... the effects...The part I see NO explanation of is... the effects on EMPLOYERS. Elementary economics will show that if it costs an employer more to insure/subsidize insurance for a group of employees, the number of employees will SHRINK. If I were a business barely getting by, and I had a choice of paying 20% more (fictitious example) to insure my 6 employees, or paying higher unemployment taxes plus some overtime to 5 employees, I'm betting my chances of staying afloat are better eliminating that one unfortunate employee. What so many people do not seem to get is BUSINESSES AREN'T RICH. Some individual or group took on the risk of building a business and invested their life savings. Some much larger group decided to work for them, trading their autonomy for stability. Somewhere along the way many of these people convinced themselves they deserve more XYZ, health care, vacation, smoke breaks, longer lunch, company car, ergonomic chair, dental plan, vision plan, child care plan, retirement plan, company stock, drug plan, public transit plan or credit, etc. And those rich companies should pay for it.Alan Howlettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-29356436910390011142009-08-19T11:44:28.736-07:002009-08-19T11:44:28.736-07:00This flowchart implies a straw man - that people d...This flowchart implies a straw man - that people disagree with health care reform because of the general proportion or flow of money - and that when it's made clear to them they'll just say, "Oh, that seems ok."<br /><br />In actuality, the points of contention for those opposed to this reform are more like this:<br />1. We have a general mistrust that systemic changes won't upset the balance of the system (i.e., why should we believe that tweaking one area wouldn't affect the others?). For example, high private costs subsidize the (artificially low) federal plans. How does that work when an increasing portion of people go onto that plan? And so on.<br /><br />2. If it's that simple, why a 1000+ page tome? We have a mistrust that the lawmakers understand this bill (or really the multiple versions floating around), we know there are untold billions at stake (which WILL draw lobbyists, etc.), and we're fearful of hurrying up such a massive change.<br /><br />3. Specifically, it is common sense to mistrust that the 122 million person "employer-provided" bubble will stay the same. Most of us believe that we won't have "choice," but will instead be pushed eventually into government-run health care, either by intent or through market forces, as private companies fail to compete with an entity that can ignore or change the rules.<br /><br />Finally, you guys loved the insanity of people like Cindy Sheehan and Code Pink and rioting G8 protestors who were ACTUALLY violent, and all of the whole "Kill Bush" cult, and it is unbelievably hyperbolic to call these town hall protesters an angry mob by comparison. You know that for every Obama Hitler sign there are HUNDREDS of normal concerned citizens. Calling the other side names suggests not only incivility on your part but also a lack of willingness to discuss the real issues.Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15827609627564121513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401584991689197404.post-7201892153746733842009-08-19T10:05:16.989-07:002009-08-19T10:05:16.989-07:00US Census Bureau:
The number of people covered by...US Census Bureau:<br /><br />The number of people covered by employment-based health insurance, 177.4 million, was not statistically different from 2006. <br /><br />http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin07/hlth07asc.html<br /><br />New numbers due out Sept. 10. They normally come out in mid to late August. The Obama team pushed them back this year.PEU Report/State of the Divisionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10269683860174947542noreply@blogger.com