Possible Progress on Health Care Coverage Reform

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

Capitol Hill Watch | Bipartisan Group of 10 Senators Offers President Bush a Blueprint for Increasing Health Care Coverage, White House Agrees To Work With Lawmakers

bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday asked President Bush to work with them on a proposal to expand health insurance to all U.S. residents, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. According to the AP/Chronicle, Bush, "hoping to generate some positive momentum" for his domestic agenda, has accepted the offer." In a letter to Bush, the senators -- Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Robert Bennett (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) -- wrote that they have developed a broad outline for a proposal that would seek to expand affordable health insurance to all residents and to protect public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. The proposal also would seek to revise federal tax rules for health insurance because the rules favor higher-income residents and promote inefficiency, Wyden said. However, he said the senators have not endorsed the health insurance proposal that Bush announced last month in his State of the Union address (Freking, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/13). The senators wrote, "Further delay is unacceptable as costs continue to skyrocket, our population ages and chronic illness increases. In addition, our businesses are at a severe disadvantage when their competitors in the global market get health care for 'free.'" Allan Hubbard, director of the National Economic Council, said "We agree with these senators -- we want to fix health care now" (Reuters/Washington Post, 2/13). White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said that Bush hopes to discuss the proposal with the senators in the near future (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/13).

The letter is available online. http://wyden.senate.gov/media/2007/02132007_Health_Care_Letter.htm

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42925

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Health Care in France $260 Per Month, No Deductables

And France has the best health care in the world. US is 40th or so.

The only way to get great health care at far lower costs is to adopt European-style single-payer/few-payer health care. Anything else is nonsense designed to keep private insurance CEOs rolling in the dough.

[antigop]

2. $260 per month, per person? Family of 4 over $1,000 per month?

Is that what you are saying?

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Yes - Sort Of

The average is $260 per month, per person - compared to over $500 per month, per person in the US.

The average includes the elderly, who cost a lot more than average. So, for a family of 4 all under 65, the equivalent is probably under $500 per month.

Bottom line - we get crappy health care, and we pay twice as much for it.

[antigop]

4. OK, so each person doesn't pay $260 per month in premiums, right? n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

5. That's Correct.

Just like each person in the US doesn't pay $500+. In France, I believe that it is all paid by the government.

[antigop]

6. Do you know if France has a separate tax for health care? n/t