There have been 23 amendments voted on and tabled by a majority of the Senate, it is 12:36am and the Republicans have added another amendment. Who knows how many more....
Sen. Coburn's (little blue) poison pills
Republicans have made it known that they will stop at nothing to "kill the bill." That is, the sweeping health-care bill that is now law. Some are pursuing a repeal effort. Others are moving down a more crafty route. Take Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). He issued a list of nine amendments(they are below with links) to the reconciliation bill that are designed for maximum embarrassment. The one that has gotten the most attention is "No Erectile Dysfunction Drugs To Sex Offenders." If Democrats vote against the measure, they'll be portrayed as being in bed with child molesters and other perverts. If they vote for it and the measure gets approved, those "fixes" (the article is below the amendments) the House approved with fanfare last weekend would have to go back to the House for yet another vote. These amendments took a lot of time to craft. Would that the Republicans had expended as much energy coming up with real proposals during health-care negotiations as they did these poison pills.
'Fix-it' bill: Final fight on health care front
By John Fritze, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats vowed to start debate today on a series of changes to President Obama's landmark health care legislation, launching the final battle in the year-long effort to revamp the nation's health insurance system.
Work on the proposed "fix-it" bill, which eliminates special deals for individual states and increases subsidies to make insurance more affordable, was slated to get underway after Obama signed into law the broader health care bill narrowly approved by the House of Representatives on Sunday.
House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, have cheered the 219-212 vote on Obama's health care proposal. But, like the health care bill itself, the follow-up package of changes has prompted a partisan feud in the Senate that could tie up the measure for days.
As lawmakers gear up for the fight, attention has shifted to the Senate parliamentarian, who must decide whether certain provisions are in order.
"We feel confident," said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of Senate Budget Committee.
The changes, which passed the House 220-211, are being considered under reconciliation. That process prohibits filibusters, so Democrats can approve the legislation with 51 votes. The approach gained traction after Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., won a January election that left Democrats one seat shy of the 60 needed to stop filibusters with a vote.
Among the changes:
• The Medicare drug coverage gap known as the "doughnut hole" would be phased out.
• Subsidies to help low- and middle-income families buy insurance through marketplaces called exchanges would become more generous.
• Special deals for individual states, such as a provision to boost Medicaid funding for Nebraska, would be cut.
• Government fees paid to private banks to originate student loans would be eliminated. Instead, the U.S. Department of Education would administer student loans directly.
One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said Monday he will oppose the fixes. Nelson supported the broader health care bill in December but said he opposes the new student loan provisions.
Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats hope to finish work on the reconciliation bill by week's end.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona and other Republicans have promised to slow the process down through procedural objections. Meanwhile, the bill is open to amendments, and if any amendments are approved by the Senate, the House would have to cast another vote on the legislation.
Republicans are focusing on a rule that prohibits using reconciliation to change Social Security. The measure adjusts an excise tax on high-end insurance plans that the Congressional Budget Office says will change how much money goes into the Social Security trust fund.
White House adviser David Axelrod said Republican delay tactics could backfire: "I don't know how much of a stomach the American people have for dilatory tactics and parliamentary maneuvers."
After Speaker Pelosi strong-armed her health care takeover through the House on Sunday night, I began reaching out to folks all across the country to let them know that the RNC is focused on one thing: firing Nancy Pelosi. Check out some of my guest posts on other blogs, and be sure to read the comments left by fellow Americans concerned about their country under this Speaker’s leadership. Just imagine the outrage when President Obama signs this bill into law at 11:15 AM today.
As I said in my guest blog on BigGovernment.com: (article is below comments on this article)
[Speaker Pelosi] believes that she is no longer accountable to congressional rules, and national laws. Those are just guidelines that can be tossed away on a whim if determined they will prevent her from accomplishing her goals…
For the sweetheart deals and arm-twisting tactics; for this unconscionable dereliction of her duty; for this gleeful defiance of the Constitution; and for the utter contempt with which she has repeatedly treated the American people, Speaker Pelosi MUST be fired.
Mr Steele: So why not a simple piece of legislation, introduced by the Republicans in both houses entitled Let Americans Choose 2010. The bill would sunset the recently passed legislation on 12/31/10 unless a super-majority of voters approve the legislation. If health insurance and health care are declared rights not found in the constitution, then a voters should also have a "right" to vote on this legislation and a super-majority (not a simple majority) should approve it. Those opposed to such a bill would be targeted for the fall elections for failing to allow Americans a vote. If the bill passes and the President refuses to sign or vetoes it, he becomes a target.
Posted by SeverinHall on 2010-03-23T23:50:13.2
The American People need a plan...and a reason to vote for the Republican Party...just being against Pelosi is not a strategy for success. I just read a Fox News poll that says 16% of voters think that the Repubs can fix the economy. We should be spelling out a plan for Nov by explaining in detail our strategy for creating jobs, lowering taxes, lowering the defecit, decreasing and limiting the size of government (such as voting against pork projects), not just railing about the inept Democratic leadership. People are grasping at any sign of hope...The Repubs should be the ones to give it to them. We need a new contract with America. Something tangible and enforceable. To you "USADEFENDER" Mr. Boehner said it so poignantly in regard to this Bill which you obviously champion.."Shame on us. Shame on this body. Shame on each and every one of you who substitutes YOUR will and YOUR desires above those of your fellow Countrymen..." In a sense there is an "I got mine" mentality. I work hard for everything I have and don't want to see half of what I worked hard for go to some free loader collecting that which is wholly undeserved. To the anonymous poster above, you can respect and support the office without supporting the Man. GET A GRIP...AND A CLUE!!!
Posted by Polani Tribesman on 2010-03-23T17:27:46.857
Chairman Steele, why are you focused on Pelosi? If you think that all the American People want is revenge, or even just to be rid of the person who spearheaded this, you're wrong. The American People want good government. You are turning me off! I would like to read about what the Republicans plan to do instead. If we can bring about 'tort reform' that effectively eliminates suits for people who only got a bad break in life and their doctor was not guilty of genuine malpractice, the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If we can cap the medical malpractice awards at a reasonable level so that 'tort lawyers' cannot get rich by playing on the emotions of the members of the jury, the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If doctors are not held responsible for the 'success' of their treatment (for which only God is responsible), only for providng proper treatment, then they won't have to do exhaustive diagnostic testing just to minumize their exposure to tort suits and the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If we can provide for competition in medical insurance by regulation that allows people to buy insurance from any provider in our country the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If we can regulate the medical insurance industry such that the price of each plan is fixed so that large corporations and individuals pay the same price per person, the cost of medical insurance for individuals will be reduced. This will also be fair and justifiable because we are regulating access to life-saving treatment. One shouldn't have to be a member of some hugh group to get a good price on saving their life. The American People want to hear how you are going to roll back the socialist takeover of healthcare and provide better healthcare less expensively. There are solutions to all of the problems with healthcare, that do not require the abandonment of true democracy for socialism. The American People want to hear the details. How are you going to do it? When somebody, and I mean anybody, Republican or Democrat, stands up and says, "This is going to be wonderful, just wait and see!", it turns most of us off. That is INSINCERE! If it's going to be wonderful, explain it to us, make your case, and you'll get greater support than you ever thought possable. The RNC ahs been asking me for donations for a long time now. If you want donations, run some real, common sence people who are wise rather than cunning. Run some people who believe that the framers of our constitution had it right, and for the right reasons. Stop trying to take us down the tubes slower. Try to get us back up.
Posted by GB Frank on 2010-03-23T16:29:26.733
I thought we lived in a democracy where the will of the majority is the law of the land. How can something that is voted on my an elected majority be unconstitutional? What people are we talking about here, when we talk about the will of the people? Last I checked, no matter how much money you have, you still only get one vote. Now I hear my former party will seek to defy the law, drumming up some bizarre logic that discounts the existence and will of the majority.
This weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ensured that the 111th Congress will live in infamy. Instead of listening to the people she used every procedural trick at her disposal to pass her health care legislation. She must be stopped.
Over the last year, the American people have witnessed a Speaker who will stop at nothing to achieve her vision of a Leftist government. She believes that she is no longer accountable to congressional rules, and national laws. Those are just guidelines that can be tossed away on a whim if determined they will prevent her from accomplishing her goals. On Sunday, she cast them aside with reckless abandon and forced through her government takeover of health care.
Nancy Pelosi has no regard for public opinion. Even in a hostile electoral environment, she asked members of her caucus to fall on their swords so that she might add another achievement to her increasingly shameful legacy. Her actions are deceptive, dishonest, and simply unconstitutional, but she shows no remorse. To her, the ends justify the means.
Let there be no doubt: Nancy Pelosi’s sole priority in this entire health care drama has been authorizing a government seizure of the American health care industry and nationalizing a full one-sixth of our economy. She ignored the cold hard facts of the federal budget. Plainly put, you cannot add $1 trillion dollars to the budget and then claim that it’s revenue neutral, cut $500 billion from Medicare, and won’t affect recipients. The math simply doesn’t work. But Nancy Pelosi doesn’t seem to have any problem with fudging the numbers when it’s to her advantage.
Worse yet, Speaker Pelosi has claimed that she would preside over the most ethical and transparent Congress in history. She has repeatedly denied Americans their Constitutional right to know what Washington is doing in their name, because she knows that if they find out, they will hold her caucus accountable.
For the sweetheart deals and arm-twisting tactics; for this unconscionable dereliction of her duty; for this gleeful defiance of the Constitution; and for the utter contempt with which she has repeatedly treated the American people, Speaker Pelosi MUST be fired.
The time has come for Americans to speak out. If you believe that American government should be open, honest, and transparent; if you believe that individual Americans, not the federal government, are best equipped to make their own medical decisions; if you believe that the Constitution of the United States – not this radical leftist agenda – is still the ultimate authority in our land, I am asking for your help to fire Nancy Pelosi. I am asking you to pledge your support to punish her and every Democrat who joined her in this abomination and help Republicans regain the majority in the House.
The voice of the people was ignored on health care, but with your help we will make sure they hear it loud and clear when we remove Speaker Pelosi from her throne this November.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Extreme Tea Party sentiments have reach
The reaction to my last post on Tea Party America (article is below thus one)was predictable. There were three comments that caught my eye that highlight why President Obama's rallying cry to the spirit of America fall's on deaf ears among many in the Tea Party movement. More frightening, their deep mistrust of him is more widely shared than you'd imagine.
"His aspiration is to socialize the U.S., though he'd probably settle for remaking it in Europe's image in the short term," wrote stratman1. "That's why he doesn't resonate with many of us."
"Obama is a Marxist and he wants the US to be a Marxist state just like his real home Kenya is becoming. He is a Manchurian candidate," scribbled stephenlubinsbcglobalnet. "No-one knows where he was born, who his parents are, or anything else about him. But we do know he is a Marxist who is destroying this coutnry.[sic]"
"NoBama hates this country and everything for which it stands," noted PhanMan69. "He is ashamed and apologizes for the leadership that the US has provided the world. He does not believe that America is exceptional and is doing his best to grind what's left into the ground...No President of mine takes the oath of office and then shreds the Constitution that he swore to defend."
Vitriol is not wholly owned by the right. There are extremists on the left who have called former president George W. Bush a war criminal, a fascist and worse. But their thunder against the Republican president never had the edgy tinge that we're seeing from the extremes of the Tea Party movement. Their boisterous displays of anger during the health-care votes at the Capitol last weekend -- egged on by irresponsible lawmakers -- is a worrisome escalation.
John Avlon, one-time speechwriter to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a latter-day Paul Revere, has been warning one and all about the far-right extremists who are taking over the Republican Party and polluting political discourse. His latest piece for The Daily Beast, "Scary New GOP Poll," puts numbers behind the concern and shows how wide the mistrust of Obama is.
* 67 percent of Republicans (and 40 percent of Americans overall) believe that Obama is a socialist.
* 57 percent of Republicans (32 percent overall) believe that Obama is a Muslim
* 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president"
* 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did"
* 24 percent of Republicans (14 percent overall) say that Obama "may be the Antichrist."
That last data point would be hilarious were the implications not so scary. And rather than speak out against those who foment these corrosive views, "leaders" in the Republican Party are content to feed and ride the wave of discontent for short-term political gain. As David Frum wrote in his Waterloo blog posting on Sunday, by mobilizing supporters "with hysterical accusations and pseudo-information, overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead." This is too high a price to pay for a nation that desperately needs leadership from both sides of the aisle to solve problems that can no longer be ignored.
A message from President Obama to Tea Party America
It irks me to no end that there are some sinister folks out there who so mistrust President Obama that they openly -- and without shame -- wonder whether he is some Manchurian Candidate sent here to destroy the United States. That's why I found the following section of Obama's East Room oration particularly gratifying. He speaks to the true character of this nation in only the way a president can. "But today, we are affirming that essential truth -– a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself –- that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. (Applause.) We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what’s easy. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we got here.
We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right. Here, in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America."
Tea Partiers love this country. For far too many of them, it's a twisted, exclusionary kind of love. But it's love all the same. So, what part of what the president said does not resonate with them? I can't wait for the response.
Don’t Get Demoralized! Get Organized! Take Back the 20!
Today at 1:18pm
With the president signing this unwanted and “transformative” government takeover of our health care system today with promises impossible to keep, let’s not get discouraged. Don’t get demoralized. Get organized!
We’re going to reclaim the power of the people from those who disregarded the will of the people. We’re going to fire them and send them back to the private sector, which has been shrinking thanks to their destructive government-growing policies. Maybe when they join the millions of unemployed, they’ll understand why Americans wanted them to focus on job creation and an invigorated private sector. Come November, we’re going to print pink slips for members of Congress as fast as they’ve been printing money.
We’re paying particular attention to those House members who voted in favor of Obamacare and represent districts that Senator John McCain and I carried during the 2008 election. Three of these House members are retiring – from Arkansas’s 2nd district, Indiana’s 8th district, and Tennessee’s 6th district – but we’ll be working to make sure that those who replace them are Commonsense Conservatives. The others are running for re-election, and we’re going to hold them accountable for this disastrous Obamacare vote. They are: Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1), Harry E. Mitchell (AZ-5), Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8), John Salazar (CO-3), Betsy Markey (CO-4). Allen Boyd (FL-2), Suzanne M. Kosmas (FL-24), Baron P. Hill (IN-9), Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL), Charlie Wilson (OH-6), John Boccieri (OH-16), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3), Christopher Carney (PA-10), John M. Spratt, Jr. (SC-5), Tom Perriello (VA-5), Alan B. Mollohan (WV-1), and Nick J. Rahall II (WV-3).
We’ll aim for these races and many others. This is just the first salvo in a fight to elect people across the nation who will bring common sense to Washington. Please go to sarahpac.com and join me in the fight.
Take a gander at what Republicans and tea partiersa are saying and going to try and do. If what this health bill is suppose to do happens, do you really think the PEOPLE are going to let the Republicans try and take it away, I do not think so. They are just mad that the bill went threw. They said for days that the House did not have enough votes, that it will be the down fall of Pres. Obama. So they are going to do what ever they can to make this bill now a law unconstitutional. Just take a look at these videos.....
President Barack Obama's signature on the health insurance reform bill at the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
"On Behalf of My Mother"
Posted by Jesse Lee on March 23, 2010 at 01:33 PM EDT
This morning the President made it official: things are going to change quite a bit between Americans and their health insurance companies. The President signed health reform into law, with a package of fixes not far behind, and in the process created a future for the country in which Americans and small businesses are in control of their own health care, not the insurance industry.
Having expressed all due admiration for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Harry Reid, and those Members of Congress who showed the courage to stand up to an avalanche of misinformation and insurance industry attacks, the President explained what the signing was really about:
Today, I’m signing this reform bill into law on behalf of my mother, who argued with insurance companies even as she battled cancer in her final days.
I’m signing it for Ryan Smith, who’s here today. He runs a small business with five employees. He’s trying to do the right thing, paying half the cost of coverage for his workers. This bill will help him afford that coverage.
I’m signing it for 11-year-old Marcelas Owens, who’s also here. (Applause.) Marcelas lost his mom to an illness. And she didn’t have insurance and couldn’t afford the care that she needed. So in her memory he has told her story across America so that no other children have to go through what his family has experienced. (Applause.)
I’m signing it for Natoma Canfield. Natoma had to give up her health coverage after her rates were jacked up by more than 40 percent. She was terrified that an illness would mean she’d lose the house that her parents built, so she gave up her insurance. Now she’s lying in a hospital bed, as we speak, faced with just such an illness, praying that she can somehow afford to get well without insurance. Natoma’s family is here today because Natoma can’t be. And her sister Connie is here. Connie, stand up. (Applause.)
I’m signing this bill for all the leaders who took up this cause through the generations -- from Teddy Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt, from Harry Truman, to Lyndon Johnson, from Bill and Hillary Clinton, to one of the deans who’s been fighting this so long, John Dingell. (Applause.) To Senator Ted Kennedy. (Applause.) And it’s fitting that Ted’s widow, Vicki, is here -- it’s fitting that Teddy’s widow, Vicki, is here; and his niece Caroline; his son Patrick, whose vote helped make this reform a reality. (Applause.)
I remember seeing Ted walk through that door in a summit in this room a year ago -- one of his last public appearances. And it was hard for him to make it. But he was confident that we would do the right thing.
Our presence here today is remarkable and improbable. With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it’s been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing; to wonder if there are limits to what we, as a people, can still achieve. It’s easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about what’s possible in this country.
But today, we are affirming that essential truth -– a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself –- that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. (Applause.) We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what’s easy. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we got here.
We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right. Here, in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America.
And we have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. (Applause.) And it is an extraordinary achievement that has happened because of all of you and all the advocates all across the country.
So, thank you. Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you.
All right, I would now like to call up to stage some of the members of Congress who helped make this day possible, and some of the Americans who will benefit from these reforms. And we’re going to sign this bill.
President Barack Obama reaches for a pen as he signs the health insurance reform bill in the East Room of the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
UPDATE: The President spoke soon afterwards at the Department of Interior, where he reiterated many of the same points, but also took a more light-hearted tone towards critics of reform:
I said this once or twice, but it bears repeating: If you like your current insurance, you will keep your current insurance. No government takeover; nobody is changing what you’ve got if you’re happy with it. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. In fact, more people will keep their doctors because your coverage will be more secure and more stable than it was before I signed this legislation.
And now that this legislation is passed, you don’t have to take my word for it. You’ll be able to see it in your own lives. I heard one of the Republican leaders say this was going to be Armageddon. Well, two months from now, six months from now, you can check it out. We’ll look around –- (laughter) -- and we’ll see. (Applause.) You don’t have to take my word for it. (Applause.)
Health Care Bill Signing Ceremony
March 23,2010
President Obama spoke about the passage of the health care bill before signing it into law. Members of the audience included health care advocates, members of Congress, medical professionals, family members of Senator Ted Kennedy, and Americans who had written to the president about their challenges with health insurance.
By Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 7:09 p.m. Bookmark this story:
We go beyond the slogans and tell you what's really in the bill.
PolitiFact has checked hundreds of claims about health care reform and read the plans under consideration by Congress. As the Democrats move toward a final vote, we've selected 10 facts about the actual health care legislation that every voter should know. Agree with the measure or not, here's what it intends to do and where the big unknowns are. We've linked to our previous reporting on each issue throughout the story; click through for even more sources. 1. The plan is not a government takeover of health care like in Canada or Britain. The government will not take over hospitals or other privately run health care businesses. Doctors will not become government employees, like in Britain. And the U.S. government intends to help people buy insurance from private insurance companies, not pay all the bills like the single-payer system in Canada. The key parts of the current U.S. system -- employer-provided insurance, Medicare for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor -- would stay in place. The government would create health insurance exchanges for people who have to buy insurance on their own, so they could more easily compare plans and prices. 2. Insurance companies will be regulated more heavily. They will be told the minimum services they must cover, including preventive care. They will have to pay out a certain percentage of premiums for patient care. By 2014, when the exchanges open, insurers won't be able to deny customers for pre-existing conditions. 3. Everyone will have to have health insurance or pay a fine, a requirement known as the individual mandate. The government intends to cap premiums for people who make below a certain income. For people who buy insurance on the exchanges, a family of four making $88,000 would have a cap of 9.5 percent of their income. Lower incomes would have lower caps. The fine for not having insurance would be a minimum of $695 per person per year, with exemptions for financial hardship and other special cases. 4. Employers will not be required to buy insurance for their employees, but large employers may be subject to fines if they don't provide insurance. But Congress wanted to encourage employers, especially large employers, to offer insurance. So they created a fine for employers with more than 50 workers: If those employees buy insurance on the exchanges and qualify for a low-income credit from the government, then the employer would have to pay a fine. Fines are calculated based on number of employees; for large firms, the fines could be significant. 5. The vast majority of people will not see significant declines in premiums. When President Obama talks about premiums going down, he usually means they won't go up as much as they would otherwise. For the 4-out-of-5 who get their insurance through their employer, the savings would land in the 0 to 3 percent range by 2016, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO. People who buy insurance on their own, but who don't qualify for government subsidies, could actually see their premiums rise by as much as 10 to 13 percent, but that's largely because they'll be getting beefed-up policies that would pay for more basic services, especially preventive care. Low-income people who qualify for new credits to buy insurance would see the biggest drops. 6. The plan might or might not bend the curve on health spending. Critics say there aren't enough provisions to reduce waste or fraud, but Democrats say they're not being given enough credit for new cost-saving pilot programs that could be rapidly expanded. The most recent estimate of the plan, released Thursday by the CBO, said that it would spend $940 billion over 10 years. But new taxes, penalties and cost savings would offset that spending, according to the CBO, so that overall the plan pay for itself, dropping the deficit by slightly $138 billion over 10 years. Obama has said the plan will save more than $1 trillion in the second 10 years, but that estimate, according to the CBO, is highly speculative. 7. The government-run Medicare program will keep paying medical bills for seniors, but it will begin implementing cost controls on health care providers, mostly through penalties and incentives. The legislation would reduce payments for hospital-acquired infections or preventable hospital admissions. For Medicare Advantage, the federal government intends to reduce extra payments, taking away subsidies to private insurance companies. Insurers will likely cut benefits in order to not lose profits. The bill does not address the "doctor's fix," an expected proposal that Congress usually passes to prevent doctor's Medicare payments from severe cuts. 8. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program for the poor, will cover all of the poor, instead of just a few groups the way it currently does. Right now, to qualify for Medicaid, a person has to be poor and also disabled, elderly, pregnant or a child. Under the new plan, all poor adults would qualify. 9. The government won't pay for elective abortions. But under the Senate plan, people will be able to buy insurance that covers abortion on the new health insurance exchanges, as long as the insurance company pays for the services with patient premiums, not taxpayer subsidies. Medicaid has an exemption for cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother. 10. No one is proposing new benefits for illegal immigrants. Some House members had hoped that illegal immigrants would be able to buy insurance with their own money through the new exchanges, but that now appears unlikely.
It’s all done now, except for the Tuesday morning quarterbacking and the spin. But here is a pretty comprehenisve list of what you can expect immediately after the passage of health care reform as well as some other notable changes that will occur over time.
Changes happening immediately:
Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday
Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
Free preventative care for all
Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. These pools won’t be cheap, but they are still a lot better than being excluded. And there is expected to be some advantage due to the wider pool of the uninsured.
Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50 percent of what they pay for their employees’ health insurance.
The “doughnut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors. The government would offer a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries to help pay their prescription drug costs when they hit the “doughnut hole.” Next year, Medicare beneficiaries would see a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs to further close that gap.
All insurers will be required to post balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.
No more rescission's. Effective immediately, you can’t lose your insurance because you get sick.
Effective immediately would be a 10 percent tax on tanning salon services, which opponents say would lead to higher costs for indoor bronzing.
The following changes will occur over time. I have included the date of all implemented changes.
By 2014, all Americans must have health care coverage or pay a fine. Subsidies would be offered to help those making less than $44,000 or $88,000 for a family of four, afford insurance. Fines would be $95 in 2014, gradually rising to $695 by 2016, or up to 2.5 percent of income.
The most notable tax increase will occur in 2013, on individuals making more than $200,000, or $250,000 for couples. Taxes would be 0.9 percent on earned income above those amounts, and 2.9 percent on investment income (dividends, rents, royalties, etc.)
By 2014, no adults can be denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions.
Companies with more than 50 workers would be required, by Jan. 1, 2014, to provide health care for their employees or face a penalty of $2,000 per worker (exempting the first 30 workers.) Up to $40 billion in tax credits would be offered to help companies buy insurance for their workers.
For individuals: Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, those making less than $44,000 annually, or $88,000 for a family of four, would be offered subsidies to buy health care. The subsidies would be on a sliding scale up to 9.5 percent of income.
For small businesses: Beginning this year, companies would be offered tax credits of up to 35 percent of health premiums to buy insurance for their workers. Tax credits would rise up to 50 percent by 2014. Those businesses with fewer than 10 workers would receive a full credit to cover costs.
New taxes would be imposed, on Jan. 1, 2018, on high-value health insurance plans held by individuals — the so-called “Cadillac plans” often offered to union workers or executives. The tax would be 40 percent on the value of individual plans above $10,200 and family plans above $27,500 (slightly higher, at $11,850 and $30,950, for retirees or workers in high-risk professions.) Excludes dental and vision plans.
Pharmaceutical companies would face a $4.8 billion fee beginning in 2011; medical device manufacturers would be hit with a 2.9 percent fee in 2013; and insurance companies would begin to see a nearly $70 billion fee in 2014.
Government payments to the Medicare Advantage program would be frozen in 2011 and decline in subsequent years.
By Jan. 1, 2014, most states would establish new health care exchanges, where those without job-based insurance could purchase policies, much the way members of Congress now buy insurance from an array of suppliers.
Health Care Reform, now we know certain facts about when some of the bill takes effect. I believe that when the PEOPLE take a look and really understand what and when it takes effect, they will be forever thankful to the Dems. I believe That when the Republicans try to repeal this bill in Nov. That the People will rise up against them. Because everything that the Republicans said about the bill was a lie. I do not understand why they are so hell bent on taking away privileges that we deserve as Americans, and as far as having to buy health care, we have to buy car insurance to be able to drive, and we have to have drivers licenses' and if you have a house you have to have home owners insurance. What is the difference with health insurance for protection.... Wake Up PEOPLE.......
President Barack Obama reaches for a pen as he signs the health insurance reform bill in the East Room of the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) 
We go beyond the slogans and tell you what's really in the bill.