Kennedy Plan to Outline U.S. Healthcare Overhaul.

[elleng]

Democratic plans for revamping U.S. healthcare are taking shape, with Senator Edward Kennedy soon to announce a proposal which could form the core of the nation's new health system.

Kennedy, a Democratic stalwart whose thinking is widely believed to track that of President Barack Obama on healthcare, is expected to unveil a plan in early June that will include both a new government program to provide medical coverage for all as well as a mandate that every American acquire some form

of health insurance.

The two elements -- government insurance and mandatory coverage -- have been hotly debated as Obama seeks to begin radically transforming the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry by the end of the year.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/05/31/us/politics/politics-us-usa-healthcare-congress.html

[regnaD kciN]

1. The devil is in the details...

If there's going to be an "individual mandate" plan, I hope it's very clear up-front how much every American is going to have to pay, maximum, to meet their obligation under the plan (i.e. an explicit dollar cap), so that we can let our opinions be known to our representatives. A plan without specific prices (in other words, "trust us...make this the law of the land, and only then will we tell you what you will be required to pay") will be enough to hand power back to the Republicans in record-setting time.

[elleng]

2. And I'm afraid that's but ONE of the devilish details.

:evilfrown:

[subterranean]

6. I agree, except instead of a dollar cap...

i think the maximum outlay should be a percentage of income.

Also, I think we need to have baseline standards for what qualifies as "some form of health insurance." For example, would a plan with a $10,000 deductible and large co-payments count if that's all you can afford? For many people, that's essentially like having no insurance at all.

[quidam56]

3. Affordable health care won't do much good until

we demand a higher quality of health care. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 In Tennessee and Virginia Profit Care comes ahead of Patient Care.

[nightrain]

4. without single payer, we are looking at massively watered-down reform

which does not confront the bloated health insurance corporations, nor big pharma. VERY DISAPPOINTING.

I'll be damned if someone wants me to support health insurance CEOs by mandating purchasing private insurance!! Obama's settling for far less than is possible. He is not providing any leadership on healthcare, just ..."hey Congress, what have you got?" Weak and very disappointing. And I thought we voted for change! This is more of the same bs.

[elleng]

5. From what I can see,

many who actually support 'single-payer' recognize the tremendous political difficulty actually attempting it will cause it, AND after that, actually implementing it will cause.

I do think we should be patient; keep 'demanding' it, without being contrarian about those who have to govern.

[nightrain]

7. many countries have been able to accomplish it, why not the US??

[MasonJar]

8. Single payer is the best answer for the government and the people.

Insurance/pharmaceutical companies and military companies are bankrupting our nation.