Health Care and the Insurance Companies

I've been saying it for a long time....the Insurance companies are not the bad guys. The White House is painting them as the bad guys, but they aren't. I want to know why no one is pointing this out in the health care bill:

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SEC. 1104. ADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLIFICATION.
`(j) Penalties-

`(1) PENALTY FEE-

`(A) IN GENERAL- Not later than April 1, 2014, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall assess a penalty fee (as determined under subparagraph (B)) against a health plan that has failed to meet the requirements under subsection (h) with respect to certification and documentation of compliance with--

`(i) the standards and associated operating rules described under paragraph (1) of such subsection; and

`(ii) a standard (as described under subsection (a)(1)(B)) and associated operating rules (as described under subsection (i)(5)) for any other financial and administrative transactions.

`(B) FEE AMOUNT- Subject to subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), the Secretary shall assess a penalty fee against a health plan in the amount of $1 per covered life until certification is complete. The penalty shall be assessed per person covered by the plan for which its data systems for major medical policies are not in compliance and shall be imposed against the health plan for each day that the plan is not in compliance with the requirements under subsection (h).

`(C) ADDITIONAL PENALTY FOR MISREPRESENTATION- A health plan that knowingly provides inaccurate or incomplete information in a statement of certification or documentation of compliance under subsection (h) shall be subject to a penalty fee that is double the amount that would otherwise be imposed under this subsection.
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Now, in case you didn't catch all of that legalese...that's $1 per day, per life covered. So if an insurance company has 1 million policies out, and they're out of compliance for just one day, that's $1 million a day...until they come into compliance. It doubles if they know they're out of compliance. That would be $2 Million. Straight into the coffers of health care. Now do you understand how President Obama is paying for health care? He is bilking the insurance companies. And when they all fold, we will have his precious single payer option....we will all have government run health care. Then there will be a monopoly on health care, and they can tell the doctors to pump sand, we'll pay you what we want to pay you, you make too much anyway. We think a mammogram is worth $19. We think an MRI is worth $50. Then all the doctors will quit and all the hospitals will go out of business.

You think this is scare tactics? I already told you, I have government insurance by being insured through the military. I shouldn't complain, because it will break me to have to go somewhere else. I'd be cutting off my nose to spite my face. But I have to be honest. My husband put in 20 years with the United States Navy to get this insurance, and we never questioned it before. I started looking at it. We always assumed that they were reimbursing the providers at least 80%....that's what the media was telling us....just like Medicare, right? I dug up a years' worth of bills. It's more like 28% over the past year. No wonder no one will take Tricare Prime in the fine state of Texas.

To continue with the health care bill:

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`(D) ANNUAL FEE INCREASE- The amount of the penalty fee imposed under this subsection shall be increased on an annual basis by the annual percentage increase in total national health care expenditures, as determined by the Secretary.

`(E) PENALTY LIMIT- A penalty fee assessed against a health plan under this subsection shall not exceed, on an annual basis--

`(i) an amount equal to $20 per covered life under such plan; or

`(ii) an amount equal to $40 per covered life under the plan if such plan has knowingly provided inaccurate or incomplete information (as described under subparagraph (C)).

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It will go up every year, that they don't comply, so they can't just say, well I have money to spare, I can hold out for a while. That would be $20 per life PER DAY. DO YOU STILL THINK THEY'RE NOT OUT TO PUT INSURANCE COMPANIES OUT OF BUSINESS?

And do you realize what part of their financial and administration transactions are, don't you? They want to deduct your fees automatically from your bank account. They want it going directly into the HHS account. They want the federal government having all your bank information. I don't want the federal government having my personal information any more than I want the census bureau coming to my door and getting my phone number. Tim Geithner can't do his own taxes, and he wants my bank account number? I don't think so. He wants my permission to do an electronic transfer? PERMISSION DENIED.

Lori Ann Smith
Currently living in a free America, and fighting to keep it that way.

Health Care Has Taken on a Personal Note

Well, health care has taken a personal turn. My parents, who have been Democrats all my life, and recently started correcting me and calling themselves Independent, are now firmly convinced there are death panels. I don't feel it my place to say who they voted for in the Presidential race, as that's confidential. I don't think my mom would give me permission to divulge that information to the nation, and I respect my elders. Besides, she'd kick my butt. And since I was raised not to strike my mother, I'd have to let her.

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer a while back. He's going to be 78 years old in March. They are refusing to do surgery. He's on Medicare. My mom is a breast cancer survivor of 11 years and a retired nurse. She is pressing the issue and wanting to know WHY they won't consider surgery. They used the excuse that with his health issues, it wouldn't be wise. Health issues? My dad is in great health, except for this pesky little new issue that cropped up, called prostate cancer. He's been in a study for the past 20 years or so, that they test his prostate levels every year. His level has been 3 every year. This year it jumped to 14.6. Ya think it might need to be explored? Well, then they tested it again, and got a 4. The doctor thought something might be suspicious and did biopsies and found cancer.

My mom is not one to sit on things, she pushed things. She finally got a sort of explanation. They finally said that there are little spots all over and they would have to take the whole thing out, and they don't recommend that. She brought up my dad's dad, who had his prostate removed. They explained that when you have a prostate removed for a "going" problem, they don't actually remove the whole thing, but the middle of it. In dad's case, they would actually have to remove the WHOLE thing. Mom persisted and did finally get an appointment to see someone else besides this idiot.

I told dad, and Dad agrees with me that it's because he's on Medicare. They don't want to eat what Medicare doesn't pay. They know that Medicare won't pay for the whole thing. They're not stupid. I was on the phone with my mother, and dad is yelling in the background, "There are death panels!" I wonder what he would say if he heard me typing that he sounds just like Sarah Palin?

So, President Obama, even the loyal Democrats are waking up. Your base of voters are crumbling around you. When are you going to open your eyes? When are you going to see? How do you expect to ADD to the rolls of Medicare/Medicaid and not add to the deficit? How do you expect to not bankrupt America? How do you expect the hospitals and insurance companies to not go bankrupt? And you write in a little clause that says no cost shifting? And you think we are going to believe you when you try to say the hospitals and insurance companies are evil? You are the one who is evil. You want everyone coming to you for insurance. What then? Then, when the United States government can't afford it, you have to raise taxes. We'll be like all the other socialist countries, with a 70% tax rate on the middle class. Is that 100% for the upper class? Is that what you want, America?

I can say I did my best, I informed. My parents are awake. I guess I woke up 2 people. Maybe I should be content in that. I'll still stand on the Ramparts and inform as I feel I must. I still feel as if I must warn the Nation. God didn't tell me that anyone would listen, just to talk. I still feel like Pink Floyd: Is there anybody OUT THERE?

Lori Ann Smith
I fight for freedom, though no may listen, until I'm hoarse from the shouting.