Health Savings Account-Health Savings Account Info

T D asked:


How is this going to win over those who currently question their support for Obama?

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In a fiery speech that had her conservative Colorado audience cheering, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann railed against the dangers of health care reform and other Democratic initiatives, warning the proposals “have the strength to destroy this country forever.”

“You’re either for us or against us on this issue,” she said after deriding U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, a Fort Collins Democrat, for “[sitting] on the fence” about health care proposals at recent town halls.

Bachmann earlier this month joined former U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, the Republican ousted from office last year by Markey, in a telephone town hall where she told abortion opponents the health care “battle will be won – on our knees in prayer and fasting.”

“Right now, we are looking at reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom,” she said. “And we may never be able to restore it if we don’t man up and take this one on.”

Rather than hand over the health care industry’s “18 percent” of the economy to control by the federal government, which Bachmann warned would create “a critical mass [where] you are no longer a free-market economy,” she offered her own set of proposals to fix the system:

• “Erase the boundaries around every single state when it comes to health care,” enabling consumers to purchase insurance across state lines;

• increase the use of health savings accounts and allow everyone to “take full deductibility of all medical expenses,” including insurance premiums;

• and throw in tort reform.

“Do a few other tweaks and you’re there,” Bachmann said. “Your whole crisis is gone.”

Bachmann closed by urging the audience at the nonpartisan group’s fundraiser to defeat Democrats at the ballot box.

“You can win these seats back,” she urged the audience. “Hey, I got elected in Franken country!”

Kristina

Saikka asked:


Health Care in France is Often Held Up as a Model the U.S. Might Follow Yet the French Have Their Own Problems that Show There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch — or a Free Doctor’s Visit

By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2009 4:20 PM PT

Call it the grass-is-greener syndrome. Advocates of national health care, acknowledging the flaws in ObamaCare yet despising the current U.S. system that has the best medicines, the best medical equipment and the shortest waiting lists, have turned their eyes lovingly to places like France.

As City Journal contributing editor Guy Sorman notes, the French would also love to have the low-cost, high-service system some Americans gush about. Unfortunately, they don’t. France’s system isn’t that cheap and is financed by high taxes on labor that have heavy economic consequences.

Sorman notes that a Frenchman making a monthly salary of 3,000 euros has 350 of them deducted for health insurance. Then the employer throws in an additional 1,200 euros. This raises the cost of labor to prohibitive levels and puts a brake on economic growth. This helps explain why French unemployment hovers around 10%.

France imposes an additional tax levy to cover the constant deficits that national health insurance runs.

The French Parliament raises this levy, which applies to all forms of income, every year. Altogether, Sorman writes, “25% of French national income goes toward what’s called Social Security, which includes health care and basic retirement pensions for all.”

Drugs developed in America at enormous expense do cost less in France, which decides what drugs are to be used and at what prices. American patients in effect subsidize the French, who take the same pills at half the price because American pharmaceutical companies don’t want to lose the French market.

French taxpayers fund a state health insurer, Assurance Maladie. Assurance Maladie has run in the red since 1989, and this year’s shortfall is expected to be 9.4 billion euros ($13.5 billion) and 15 billion euros in 2010, about 10% of its budget.

Regardless of the cost, does the French system produce better outcomes? Not always. Infant mortality rates are often cited as a reason socialized medicine and single-payer systems are better than what we have here. But according to Dr. Linda Halderman, a policy adviser in the California State Senate, these comparisons are bogus.

Official World Health Organization statistics show the U.S. lagging behind France in infant mortality rates — 6.7 per 1,000 live births vs. 3.8 for France. Halderman notes that in the U.S., any infant born that shows any sign of life for any length of time is considered a live birth. In France — in fact, in most of the European Union — any baby born before 26 weeks’ gestation is not considered alive and therefore doesn’t “count” in reported infant mortality rates.

France reimburses its doctors at a far lower rate than U.S. physicians would accept.

As David Gratzer, a physician and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, wrote in the summer 2007 issue of City Journal: “In France, the supply of doctors is so limited that during an August 2003 heat wave — when many doctors were on vacation and hospitals were stretched beyond capacity — 15,000 elderly citizens died.”

After the tragedy, the French parliament released a harshly worded report blaming the deaths on a complex health system, widespread failure among agencies and health services to coordinate efforts, and chronically insufficient care for the elderly.

It’s hard to imagine that happening here, where hospitals have enough air-conditioned beds and doctors that aren’t on vacation.

Fact is, most Americans like their health care. There are ways to provide expanded coverage at lower cost, such as pushing individually owned health savings accounts, malpractice reform and allowing insurance to be bought across state lines.

We needn’t be forced to sacrifice quality for cost. Nor do we need to look to the French for a better solution. They don’t have one.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=336178343967257

Barbara

T D asked:


How is this going to win over those who currently question their support for Obama?

———————————–
In a fiery speech that had her conservative Colorado audience cheering, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann railed against the dangers of health care reform and other Democratic initiatives, warning the proposals “have the strength to destroy this country forever.”

“You’re either for us or against us on this issue,” she said after deriding U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, a Fort Collins Democrat, for “[sitting] on the fence” about health care proposals at recent town halls.

Bachmann earlier this month joined former U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, the Republican ousted from office last year by Markey, in a telephone town hall where she told abortion opponents the health care “battle will be won – on our knees in prayer and fasting.”

“Right now, we are looking at reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom,” she said. “And we may never be able to restore it if we don’t man up and take this one on.”

Rather than hand over the health care industry’s “18 percent” of the economy to control by the federal government, which Bachmann warned would create “a critical mass [where] you are no longer a free-market economy,” she offered her own set of proposals to fix the system:

• “Erase the boundaries around every single state when it comes to health care,” enabling consumers to purchase insurance across state lines;

• increase the use of health savings accounts and allow everyone to “take full deductibility of all medical expenses,” including insurance premiums;

• and throw in tort reform.

“Do a few other tweaks and you’re there,” Bachmann said. “Your whole crisis is gone.”

Bachmann closed by urging the audience at the nonpartisan group’s fundraiser to defeat Democrats at the ballot box.

“You can win these seats back,” she urged the audience. “Hey, I got elected in Franken country!”

Margo Turnquist

lienot asked:


have a new car, buying a house, have taken a cruise, are going on vacation, belong to any social club, have one or more flat screen TV’s over 40 inches, are paying for their children’s college, have a savings account in excess of $100,000, work for a company that provides health insurance at a low cost but do not participate because they want the money for something else and hope that they get government health care insurance FREE.

Lori

I_Love_McRedneck asked:


Your company’s high deductible plan is a great solution to your problems – and it already exists! Your company just doesn’t tell you about it because it’s a FREE plan, that’s right – NO monthly premiums. you get the same discounts as people with a PPO plan, only you pay nothing. Your deductible is $2200 a year per person, family plans are an even better deal if you have 3 or more people participating because there’s a household cap. Traditional PPO requires a $2000 medical and $1000 prescription deductible – totally separate from each other, where the high deductible plan is combined.
Again NO monthly premiums, same benefits as PPO’s, same doctors, same choices. How do you pay for this if there’s no deductible? You can enroll in a government savings account – again, free of cost, tax-free even! You earn interest on the money you don’t use, and you can keep it for the rest of your life. You get a debit card so you have instant access to your money. You can save up to the deductible..
so there’s literally NOTHING coming out of your pocket.
Do we still have excuses for not having health insurance? I think FREE is pretty darn affordable. What do YOU think?
This plan is offered by EVERY company – it’s probably referred to as your high deductible plan. They HAVE to offer it to you, they just rarely ever explain it to anyone because then they can’t collect premiums from you.
Please, pass along this information to everyone you know. Don’t allow them to pay any more for insurance than they have to. Call an independent insurance agent and just ask them to explain this plan to you, and ask for their opinions. You can’t beat free!
I have roughly $90 taken out of my check before taxes (I get paid every 2 weeks) and it covers everything. I just pay the doctors from my debit card. The only downfall is if you have high expenses at the beginning of the year, you have to pay them out of pocket and reimburse yourself later OR pay the doc as funds are deposited into your account.
My deductible for the year has already been met, so every doctor visit & every prescription I have filled is completely FREE through the end of the year. I’ve NEVER met my deductible through the PPO plan I’d always joined, and it seemed like they always found some reason to deny my claims. This has not been an issue for me since I joined this high deductible plan.
In my case, I had surgery which ate up my entire deductible. Because I’m depositing the $2200 into my account evenly throughout the year, I just make payments to my doctor as the money is put into my account. It’s like any other credit/debit card in the fact that you can’t spend more than you have.
Doctors don’t charge interest for having a balance with them, and they don’t send you to a collection agency if you pay them regularly. Just something to think about.
Actually the deductible is $900 a year LESS than the traditional PPO – just an FYI

Carmine Poser

fragglerockqueen asked:


Obama: Mandate that parents MUST provide health insurance for their children and that all employers of a certain # of employees MUST provide health insurance for their workers.

McCain: Encourage competition amongst health insurance companies. Give individuals an additional $2500 tax break and families an additional $5000 tax break that they can choose to use for health insurance. Encourage health savings accounts.

My opinion: At first I thought “Whoa! We could sure use an extra 5 grand.” But then I started thinking more about it and in the end choose Obama’s plan as better. Thinking about the long-run, what if my child ended up with cancer or something? $5000 wouldn’t even come close to covering the treatments he would need. Then he would end up on a social program (like Medicaid) that sent us to clinic doctors/ hospitals that would put us on the bottom of the list (with bottom of the list treatment) since their bills would be adjusted and they’d receive less for the same services/ treatment as another child whose parents had full-coverage insurance.

Anyway. It just got me to thinking and I started wondering where others stood on the issue.
I didn’t leave anything out “conveniently” or otherwise. I am strictly voicing what was stated on CNN this morning. The did not mention anything about McCain taxing employers and I can not find any information about it online. If you have a resource, please provide it. I’d like all the facts.
Also, a hospital CAN send your account to collections even if you are making a “good faith” payment of whatever you can afford. 1) I have had it happen to me. 2) I was a financial advisor who watched it happen to others.
Per CNN, McCain’s plan does not REQUIRE an individual to use the money to purchase health insurance. The HOPE is there that they will use it to do such.

Ernesto Weinfurter

Mr Krinkle asked:


Here it is:
John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people’s needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will also have the option of receiving a direct refundable tax credit – effectively cash – of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.

John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.
Alana: thanks for your intellegent response you have been reported.
everybody:
I also believe we need the lawsuit problem adressed to bring down the cost of malpractice insurance.

Adrian

Far Left Centralist asked:


John McCain believes that insurance reforms should increase the variety and affordability of insurance coverage available to American families by fostering competition and innovation.

* Reform the tax code to eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health insurance, and provide all individuals with a $2,500 tax credit ($5,000 for families) to increase incentives for insurance coverage. Individuals owning innovative multi-year policies that cost less than the full credit can deposit remainder in expanded health savings accounts.
* Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines, to maximize their choices, and heighten competition for their business that will eliminate excess overhead, administrative, and excessive compensation costs from the system.
* Insurance should be innovative, moving from job to home, job to job, and providing multi-year coverage.
* Require any state receiving Medicaid to develop a financial “risk adjustment” bonus to high-cost and low-income families to supplement tax credits and Medicaid funds.
* Allow individuals to get insurance through any organization or association that they choose: employers, individual purchases, churches, professional association, and so forth. These policies will be available to small businesses and the self-employed, will be portable across all jobs, and will automatically bridge the time between retirement and Medicare eligibility. These plans would have to meet rigorous standards and certification.
Hillary Clintons:

* Affordable: Unlike the current health system where insurance premiums send people into bankruptcy, the plan provides tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care.

* Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can’t deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.

* Reliable: It’s portable. If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.
# Obama’s Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:

1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
2. Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
4. Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a privat
# ate health care plan.
# Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
# Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
# Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
# Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.

WHICH IDEA DO YOU PREFER???
Sorry “flawed’ and it is still clear that most if not all of you did not read all three passages.
China seems pretty happy.

Israel Mckinnies

Mnstr4jc asked:


Isn’t his $5000 for families to “afford” insurance going to be given to everybody? If you’re going to receive a tax refund credit, doesn’t that even work for those who don’t pay taxes? Even those who don’t work? Sounds like “welfare” to me since this is his definition. Found on his website:

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit – effectively cash – of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

Lisha Fahrni

hello asked:


John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people’s needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit – effectively cash – of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. (This sentence was referred to in a recent untruthful attack ad by Barack Obama. Click here to read the facts.) Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5-5cf2edb527cf.htm

Quyen Murtaugh