Congrats American's!!!

Thank you. I supported the new healthcare plan. Our family's medical insurance plan has drastically changed over the past 11 years (since I had my surgeries). We now have $30-50 Rx co-pays, $30-60 office co-pays, ER $250.00 co-pay, $2500.00 individual deductibles too. On top of that any test ordered by our doctors was ideally supposed to be applied towards our deductibles but they often were not. Consequently, I've been negligent on my doctor appts. Yes I've let some things slide. Focusing on my daughters. I haven't had one medical concern in 11 years either. In the beginning I had annual check-ups (flex-sigs, colonoscopies, etc.). Then they dropped me down to 3 years. Which is fine but truthfully it will be nice if my husband's company (under 10 employees) can purchase the more substantial plans large companies offer their employees.

We used to have $3 Rx co-pays........those days seem like lifetimes ago.

Every time my daughter sees her ENT doc, our co-pay is $60. The billing staff is just aghast that our part is that high. This is when I'd launch into, let me tell you why I support healthcare.

I usually lost them though. Because they had excellent insurance.

See the thing is people with great insurance right now, would have been in my shoes in just a few short years. They just didn't realize it was that dire.

Until it's gone, you just kind of take great health insurance for granted.

My first surgery's co-pay? $800! That's it. I cringe imagining what United Healthcare would charge me or if they'd even approve surgery.

I don't think it is a good idea. If you read deep into the plan, it does not sound good for the chronically ill or the elderly. Please go read the hundreds of pages and then make a decision.

heres the thing that noone thinks about.
No matter how this works out, people with insurance who pay taxes were already paying for those people.
And here is why, when people who dont have insurance need treatment they go to the ER, and no matter what they have, even a splinter, they MUST be seen, by law! That takes up time, and resources, AND those people dont pay. So the hopstial has to charge more to everyone hoping they can make up some of that. And people with actual problems, have to sit there and wait while someone with a stuffy nose is being seen.
DH is the director of an ER in a small city, and at this time, he writes off over a million dollars in expenses in one MONTH!!!
Pysch patients often sit in the ER for 5-10 days, because they dont have insurance and the hospital doesnt have to admit them, but the ER cant turn them out until they are "stable" and since they have no insurance they cant afford their meds so they end up right back there.
OR they end up in jail, and we pay for them there.
Ever since the law was passed that all people must be seen and cannot be turned away from the ER we have been paying for people without insurance.

The cost of this plan will far outweigh the benefits..

I strongly suspect that most insurance companies will simply get out of the health care business and insure homes, life and automobiles... Also most companies will simply healthcare coverage altogether as the cost of offering it will become exhorbant...

This, however, can be a good thing as hospitals and doctors are not immune to the marketplace of supply and demand. Without the insulation between the patient and paying for healthcare, expect prices to come down....

However, I also strongly suspect that the Federal government will have to step in and become the single-payer for healthcare by default. It will take a generation for the system to sort itself out; with much suffering by many people until a balance is found to allow people to receive the healthcare they need.

What was passed by Congress was a poor solution to a serious problem which I believe will cause more problems than it solves...