Will Obamacare Cover Sick Children?
By louisehartmann
Some key parts of the new health care law are kicking in next week. Insurers will no longer be able to cap the amount of care they will provide or deny coverage to sick children. Children will be able to stay on their parent's insurance until age 26 and we will have some more rights in appealing insurer's decisions. In response, the major health insurance companies in California and many other states have decided to stop selling policies for children rather than comply with a new federal healthcare law that bars them from rejecting children with preexisting medical conditions. Meanwhile, an Associated Press poll has discovered that the nation still doesn't really know what's in the health care law, yet believe that health care reform will cause their taxes to rise. The fact that most Americans don't have a clue about the benefits to them with Obamacare, much less even realize that many of those benefits kick in next week, is a sad commentary on the messaging incompetence of Tim Kaine's DNC and Barack Obama'a White House. There are even some blue dog Democrats campaigning on their vote against Obamacare. The White House and the Democratic party have a great story to tell of many legislative accomplishments, and if they don't start telling it, loudly and effectively, they can expect even worse electoral losses in November.
Comments
#2
Private insurance is a bottom line money making scam for management, stockholders , and legions of attorneys alike . It's to big too take down in a high unemployment, bankrupt environment and it's too crooked to get under control without a clear cut public option. Another can that gets kicked down toward the end of the road.
#3
Enact Medicare for Kids NOW
As you read, the big insurance companies decided they are no longer going to write child-only policies. They need to save money, they say. It's unconscionable. How could anyone do this to kids? I can just see these fat cats sitting in their gentleman's clubs (or wherever) with big smug smiles on their faces because they just pulled one over on the Democrats. This after congress just handed them millions of new policies through the Health Care plan.
What an opportunity they just handed Democrats. Immediately, Democrats must get together and write emergency legislation to defeat their greed. Right now, an update to the Health Care Legislation MUST INCLUDE MEDICARE FOR KIDS. Any kid under the age of 19 can have his or her own federal insurance...just like their grandparents.
The advantage of this EMERGENCY LEGISLATION would be:
1) No kids falling through the cracks and dying because fat cat billionaires didn't want to lose what is lose change to them. Is this the Republican's form of a late term abortion? Just let the kids die?
2) It will help relieve the strapped state Medicaid programs.
3) It will give parents a choice. Those already in group plans will be able to reduce their premiums, some quite substantially, by paying into an already-proven federal program. Will it compete with insurance premiums? You bet. Let the SOBs cry with regret over their own greed. I mean come on now, drop kids from insurance? How evil are they?
4) One month before the election, Democrats can force Republicans into a piece of emergency legislation made necessary by the insurance companies themselves. According to the LA times, this will begin denying coverage NOW. http://www.latimes.com/health/la-fi-kids-health-insurance-20100921,0,799167.story.
I can't think of a better piece of Emergency Legislation that Medicare for Kids, but they have to act now.
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Dems definitely haven't told their story well on health care. And on other issues, they give credit to Republicans unnecessarily, when they could be blaming them.
Suggested reframe:
Not "extend the Bush tax cuts" but rather...
Cancel the Bush tax hike