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Health care reform
Health Care reform breakdown and students' opinions.
The recent news buzz about health care reform may have left some students confused about exactly what’s being discussed—and how they will be affected.
Wes Glinsmann, director of state legislative and political affairs for the Oklahoma State Medical Association, said the president will likely sign some type of health care reform bill before Christmas—it’s just a matter of what it contains.
“It’s a very fluid process right now. What will be in the final bill, I think, will be very different from what it looks like right now,” Glinsmann said. “The difference is how should we get there ... Should we do things to support the private market, or do we need the government taking over and reforming health care from the top down?”
What’s staying:
-Requirements that many individuals carry insurance
-Penalty, possibly as high as several thousands of dollars, for those who do not get insurance
-Requirement for insurers to accept customers regardless of pre-existing conditions
-Subsidies and expansion of Medicaid to help poor and lower-middle classes buy insurance
-New insurance exchange for individuals and small businesses to comparison-shop for plans
-Trimming payments through Medicare to help pay for health care legislation
-No coverage gap when switching jobs
What’s being discussed:
-Public option: a government-funded plan to compete with private insurers
-Nonprofit co-operatives to compete with private insurers
-Surtax on families earning $350,000 a year or more
-Mandate on employers to provide coverage to employees
-Fine of up to 8 percent payroll on businesses that fail to provide workers with coverage
What’s being eliminated:
-Medicare reimbursement for end-of-life planning
-Single-payer concept that would make the federal government the sole provider of health care in the U.S.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Although Democrats and Republicans have not agreed on everything, Glinsmann said most government officials agree insurance companies should be required to cover individuals regardless of pre-existing conditions. Most have also consented the bill should include a provision on portability issues, so individuals do not experience a gap in coverage when they change jobs.
A public option is on the table, but Glinsmann said it has caused significant debate and isn’t likely to make it into the bill. A public option would be a government-run insurance program available to all U.S. citizens that would aim to reduce costs and compete with private plans.
If a reform bill passed, students may not feel the impact until after graduation since most are still covered under their parents’ insurance, Glinsmann said.
“Where it might be an issue is for older students who can’t be on their parents’ insurance anymore, who don’t have a full-time job or can’t afford to go out and buy their own insurance,” he said.
The health care reform bill is a work in progress, Glinsmann said, but he expects the president to sign something in the coming months.
“Both sides have made it clear that if we want to get this done, we’ve got to get it done by the end of the year,” he said.
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roddack 2 years, 8 months ago
Nothing like the threat of force to hammer home these "compassionate laws"
eightbitgirl 2 years, 8 months ago
if there's no public option, how the heck do they think we're going to be able to afford insurance or fines for not having insurance?
idiots, the lot of them. we need a public option more than anything.