Universities Are Preparing for Back-to-the-Classroom Outbreaks of Swine Flu - NYTimes.com

Universities Are Preparing for Back-to-the-Classroom Outbreaks of Swine Flu - NYTimes.com

Comparison of the Health Care Reform Bill

	House (based on original proposal)	Senate HELP Committee	Senate Finance Committee
Cost	$1.04 trillion	$1.34 trillion	N/A
Net Added to Deficit After Subtracting New Revenue and Adjusting for Spending Cuts	$239 billion	$1.04 trillion	N/A
Number of Uninsured in 2019 (without reform, the projected number is 53 million people)	17 million	36 million	N/A
Government-Run Insurance	Yes. The bill passed by Energy and Commerce would tie rates of reimbursement to health care providers with hospitals and doctors instead of to Medicare.	Yes	No. Instead, the bill will likely create nonprofit, consumer-run insurance cooperatives.
Individual Mandate	Yes. Individuals must purchase insurance or pay a penalty based on income.	Yes. Individuals must purchase insurance or pay a penalty based on cost of insurance.	Will likely require individuals to purchase insurance or pay a penalty based on the average cost of insurance.
Employer Mandate	Yes. Employers must pay 65% of family premiums or pay a penalty based on payroll. Small businesses with less than $500,000 on payroll are exempt. Payrolls up to $750,000 have a reduced contribution.	Yes. Employers must pay 60% of family premiums or pay $750 for each employee who is not offered coverage.	No. Will likely include a free-rider provision that would require employers who currently offer coverage to reimburse the government for employees who switch to insurance purchased through an exchange.
Revenue Raisers	The original proposal imposed a surcharge on families with incomes above $350,000 and individuals with incomes above $280,000, but House leaders are considering limiting the surtax to singles who earn more than $500,000 and families who earn more than $1 million.	The Senate HELP Committee does not have authority over raising revenue.	Considering imposing an excise tax on insurance companies that sell policies in excess of $21,000 a year for family coverage.
Insurance Reforms	Yes. Bans rejection based on preexisting conditions.	Yes. Bans rejection based on preexisting conditions.	Will likely ban rejection based on preexisting conditions.
Medicaid Expansion	Yes. Medicaid expanded to cover households earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level.	Yes. Medicaid expanded to individuals earning up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level.	Will likely expand Medicaid to cover everyone earning under 133 percent of the federal poverty level.
Insurance Subsidies	Yes. Available to households earning up to 400 percent of the poverty level.	Yes. Available to households earning up to 400 percent of the poverty level.	Will likely be available to households earning up to 300 percent of the poverty level.

Ten principles of national health care legislation

The key principles of legislation include, among other things:

Keeping what works today, and increasing choice and competition. First, the bill will protect and improve consumers’ choices.

• If an individual likes their current plan, they will be able to keep it.

• For individuals who either aren’t currently covered, or want to enroll in a new health care plan, the proposal will establish a health care exchange where consumers can select from a menu of affordable, quality health care options: either a new public health insurance option or a plan offered by private insurers.

• This new marketplace will reduce costs, create competition that leads to better care for every American and keep private insurers honest. Patients and doctors will have control over decisions about their health care, instead of insurance companies.

Giving Americans peace of mind about their health coverage. Second, the legislation will ensure that Americans have portable, secure health care plans — so that they won’t lose care if their employer drops their plan or they lose their job.

• Every American who receives coverage through the exchange will have a plan that includes standardized, comprehensive and quality health care benefits.

• It will end increases in premiums or denials of care based on preexisting conditions, race or gender, and limited age rating (2:1).

• The proposal will also eliminate copayments for preventive care, cap out-of-pocket expenses and guarantee catastrophic coverage that protects every American from bankruptcy.

Improving quality of care for every American. Third, the legislation will ensure that Americans of all ages, from young children to retirees, have access to greater quality of care by focusing on prevention, wellness and strengthening programs that work.

• The proposal guarantees that every child in America will have health care coverage that includes dental and vision benefits.

• It will provide better preventive and wellness care. Every health care plan offered through the exchange will cover preventive care.

• By growing the health care workforce, the proposal will ensure that more doctors and nurses are available to provide quality care as more Americans get coverage.

• The proposal strengthens Medicare and Medicaid so that seniors, people with disabilities and low-income Americans receive better quality of care and see lower prescription drug costs and out-of-pocket expenses.

Ensuring shared responsibility. Fourth, the bill will ensure that individuals, employers and the federal government all share responsibility for a quality and affordable health care system.

• Employers who currently offer coverage will be able to continue offering coverage to workers. Employers who don’t currently offer coverage could choose to cover their workers or pay a penalty.

• All individuals would be required to get coverage, either through their employer or the exchange, or pay a penalty.

• The federal government will provide affordability credits, available on a sliding scale for low- and middle-income individuals and families, to make premiums affordable and reduce cost sharing.

Protecting consumers and reducing waste, fraud and abuse. Fifth, the legislation will put the interests of consumers first, protect them from any problems in getting and keeping health care coverage, and reduce waste, fraud and abuse.

• The proposal provides complete transparency in plans in the health exchange so that consumers have the clear, complete information needed to select the plan that best meets their needs.

• Additionally, it establishes Consumer Advocacy Offices as part of the exchange in order to protect consumers, answer questions and assist with any problems related to their plans.

• The proposal will identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse by simplifying paperwork and other administrative burdens. Patients, doctors, nurses, insurance companies, providers and employers will all encounter a streamlined, less confusing, more consumer-friendly system.

Home is so Sad - a Poem by Philip Larkin

Home is so sad. It stays as it was left,
Shaped in the comfort of the last to go
As if to win them back. Instead, bereft
Of anyone to please, it withers so,
Having no heart to put aside the theft.

And turn again to what it started as,
A joyous shot at how things ought to be,
Long fallen wide. You can see how it was:
Look at the pictures and the cutlery.
The music in the piano stool. That vase.

www.madashelldoctors.com

www.madashelldoctors.com

Participate in health care reform call-in with President Obama

President Obama has accepted Sojourners’ invitation to be on a call with you and other faith activists about what is really going on with health-care reform. The live call and webcast will take place August 19 at 5 p.m. EDT.

RSVP now to be part of this historic call, and receive the call-in number and Web site for the call.

Over the past few weeks, opponents of health-care reform have pulled out all the stops in an attempt to derail substantive debate and conversations. If you are tired of the mysterious ads and fear-mongering emails, then join us for a look at what health-care reform is really trying to accomplish.

The goal of the call is to connect, inform, and energize people of faith across the country who are concerned about health care, and who want to know more so they can be effective advocates in this debate.

Click here to RSVP now.

We’ll see our current system through the eyes of people across the country, have a chance to hear from White House policy staff, and then hear from the president. It is okay if you don’t know how you feel about plans for reform - get on the call to learn more.

Please share this message with your family, friends, neighbors, and fellow congregation members. Spread the news on your Facebook page and Twitter account.

We expect thousands of people on this call to hear President Obama, so it is important to register ahead of time.

The call with President Obama is part of “40 Days for Health Reform” - an effort led by faith groups across the country to ensure that Congress passes reform legislation that extends quality, affordable health care to every American family. As special interests distort, disrupt, and shut down dialogue across the country, it’s more urgent than ever for people of faith to raise their unique moral witness for health-care reform.

We need honest dialogue about quality, affordable health care for all people - just look at the experiences in your own life. Most of us are just one accident, one unexpected situation away from losing our health insurance. Our country can and should do better.

Join us Wednesday at 5 p.m. - RSVP now.

By joining the call, you are choosing to be a part of the solution - to join the discussion about what America really needs from health-care reform. We can’t let such an important opportunity to improve the lives of our families, churches, and communities be hijacked by fear-based rhetoric.