STARK HAILS PASSAGE OF HISTORIC HEALTH REFORM LEGISLATION

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STARK HAILS PASSAGE OF HISTORIC HEALTH REFORM LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON – Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), Chair of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, today hailed passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The House approved the measure by a vote of 220 to 215. This is the first time that the House has voted to provide quality, affordable health insurance for all Americans.

"Today's vote is the most important in my career," said Rep. Stark. "I am proud to have helped author this legislation, which will finally guarantee affordable, quality health care to every American. I urge the Senate to act so we can achieve health care reform this year."

The legislation will cover 96 percent of Americans by 2015, while reducing the deficit by tens of billions of dollars by 2019.

For a video of Rep. Stark's statement on the floor of the House today, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVizVr1edH0

For detailed information about H.R. 3962, including fact sheets and letters of support for the legislation, please visit: www.stark.house.gov/healthreform

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1. "quality, affordable health insurance for all Americans."

my lily-white arse. :puke:

This is a windfall for insurance companies, pure and simple.

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2. What a sad state of affairs we have today.

There's nothing good in this bill. From the documents on his website:

- limits age rating to 2:1.
This codifies individual-risk-based pricing which is contrary to the proper health insurance model of pool-risk-based pricing, thus we have a "ghetto" of citizens saddled with and private insurers guaranteed double premiums.

- Grandfathers current individual policies.
None of this legislation, as bad as it is, will apply to current policies.

- employers have a five-year grace period to come into compliance.
Employers can summarily drop or restrict coverage without any consequences.

- option for states that agree to meet federal standards to run their own exchange.
The more "exchanges" there are, the more they are guaranteed to fail. The largest risk pool possible is the only workable model, so this giveaway to private insurance will undermine any possible competition.

- All plans will limit annual out-of-pocket expenses for enrollees at a maximum of $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family
In other words, this is no better than the "pretend" policies many have now where, to keep premiums affordable, one must opt for the "catastrophic" coverage. Unless you have a very serious illness, it's like you have no coverage.

- the public option must survive on its premiums.
This would be reasonable if the "public option" were allowed to be truly "public." However, it isn't. Instead, it is so limited in its coverage and eligibility that it will never have a risk pool large enough to "survive on its premiums."

- The legislation authorizes start-up loans to assist states with the creation of health insurance co-operatives as an additional option.
Another taxpayer giveaway to the private insurance racket. Taxpayers will help fund the very things that will doom this to failure -- fracturing of the risk pool into the smallest possible size. The more states that create "co-operatives," the faster this whole idea will go bankrupt.

- Individuals are required to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a fee equal to lower of 2.5 percent of their adjusted income above the filing threshold or the average premium on the Exchange. Individuals and families below the income tax filing are exempt. (NOTE: In 2009, the threshold for taxpayers under age 65 is $9,350 for singles and $18,700 for couples).
It goes on about sliding scales and multiples of the poverty level, but this really amounts to the government forcing people to buy a defective product -- private health insurance. While you may get a subsidy, this is just a guarantee that the private health insurance racket will get guaranteed money for everyone in the country, courtesy of the US Treasury if someone can't afford it.

This bill is truly a sham and anyone who "praises" those who put it together, passed it or took credit for it should be ashamed of themselves.