Obama Touts Health Care Help for the ‘Mom and Pop’ Small Businesses

I just hope this is actually true; that we may be able to give affordable insurance to those who need it. However, I lack TRUST! All of this has a price and sooner or later I, along with all other tax payers, will have to pay for this! I just don’t have much more to give and cannot afford it.

He knows absolutely NOTHING about small business. The only thing Obama knows about small businesses is how to put the squeeze on them via ACORN and Richard Daley and take something from them.
That’s it.

I don’t quite understand the plan as outlined by the administration. Sounds really complex to me. Hey, I am just a small business. What do I know? :)

No matter what healthcare is a choice not a right. As small business owners we have been told many times how we won’t bear the expense of these programs and also help is on the way, I have never seen any help from anyone. All I know is the cost of having a business keeps going up, my licensing has gone up, my taxes have gone up. Why should we believe anything the goverment has to say.

I don’t believe this one sided story. The devil is in the details.

I highly recommend this week’s “Bill Moyers Profile” on PBS. Dr. Marsha Angell spells out why we badly need reform but why this reform may be wrong: 1) it simply feeds into the same basic overpriced system. 2) Lobbyists for the insurance companies may get Congress to steer the worst cases only into a Public Plan. That way the insurance companies get rid of the costliest patients and can later point to the high cost of the public program (due to all those costly cases) and wrongly state: “See, a public plan doesn’t work.”
If we could go to a Canadian-style system, that would add about $100 per week into the paychecks of the average worker. We’d be out of the recession in no time! But that’s NOT what Obama and Congress are doing: Congress is too bought-and-sold by the Health Care Industry and the Insurance Companies.
She recommends that we slowly adopt a single-payer plan by starting with Medicare and gradually lower the age for Medicare: 65 to 55 t0 45, in steps over a decade or so to let the insurance companies adjust to being pushed back out of the health business they pushed their way into a generation ago.

What the opponents of dealing with the health care crisis, fail to understand is that it is a crisis. Unless we make changes now, this year, everyone’s cost of health care will double over the next ten years. For the kind of care that members of Congress (including Republicans-even though they wish you didn’t know) receive, a family of four would have to pay over a thousand dollars a month….in ten years it will be at least $2,000 a month (probably more) and how many families will be able to pay for that?

Have any of you who are for this healthcare bill they are trying to pass even read any of it? It is nothing but 1,000 plus pages of a shell, there are no specifics. The bill allows 18 months after its passage for the specifics of the plan to be generated. There is nothing which details the amount of coverage, do-pay, deductable, premiums, etc which one would expect to find in anything dealing with a healthcare proposal. There is nothing which details what payments will be allowed to healthcare providers or what providers would be participating in the plan. The only thing in there is fines if you don’t participate and additional taxes to hopefully fund this empty bill. Congress and Obama are trying to sell us the taxpayer a blank piece of paper which contains no details so that we can make an informed decision as to whether this is good or bad legislation. For something this expensive and important to the American people they should not pass any legislation until all of the details are known. Would you buy a house in a city you had never been to just because someone you didn’t know said it was a good house?, a car? Like normal Congress has the cart before the horse and without the details the taxpayers could be sold a bill of goods that will not do what many think it will do.

TheMick said “She recommends that we slowly adopt a single-payer plan by starting with Medicare and gradually lower the age for Medicare: 65 to 55 t0 45, in steps over a decade or so to let the insurance companies adjust to being pushed back out of the health business they pushed their way into a generation ago.”
Why would we want to do that when Medicare is the reason we are in this mess in the first place? Medicare is basically insolvent -and you want to add MILLIONS of people to it? How exactly would that work? Most people on Medicare have to purchase supplemental insurance for about the same price per month (or more) that families with employer based pay now. Do you even understand how Medicare works (or doesn’t work)?

Thank you, Sandcrab, you really nailed it! I do not want my representatives in Congress to simply pass this shell of a bill and worry about the details later, when it is too late for us to put the brakes on this monstrosity.
Speaking as a small business owner and as one of the “rich” who are targeted as the source of a lot of the money to pay for every one of these boondoggles the Democrats are proposing, I can say that there are health care reforms I would welcome and others that would be ruinous for small business. Pooling small businesses for insurance purposes is a wonderful idea, and is part of numerous plans I have seen or heard of from various Republicans and/or moderate Democrats. I’m with you on that one, Mr. President.
On the other hand, a public option would be a very bad move for our country to make. I’m sure the president is frustrated that people like me aren’t just nodding and saying, “Yep, sign me up because I can offload my employees’ health care to the government and forget about it.” But in the long run, it would ruin private insurance and force those of us who don’t want any part of government- run health insurance to be a part of it. And in addition, while the president would be very surprised to hear it, based on what he has been saying of late, there are still plenty of us out here whose first thought when a politician makes a proposal is, “What’s in it for me?”

My small business works mostly wtih small mom and pop businesses across the country. The HR3200 tax of 8% on payroll will devaste many of them. Our customers are small, hire mostly parttime highschool, college labor, and second job types to run their business. The increase in mimimum wage alone makes hiring high schools students for their first job somewhat prohibitive costs wise. The payroll tax and or penanlites should be reconsidered.
The payroll tax would devaste them. we also have customers and suppliers are are small business themselves and are taxed as pass through income to the individual level. The surtax that Pelosi is advocating will drain capital for growth for many of them. If they insist on a surtax or deduction phase outs, they shoudl exclude pass through small business incomes (Sch E) from their calucations.
This would do a lot to help the small businesses in this country who create jobs.

Kevin, the taxes and licensing cost increases of which you speak are state and local, are they not? Obama’s plan seeks to reduce your operating costs if you provide your employees with health care coverage. And, if you’re not making a “personal” killing with your business, it’s not going to cost you a thing.

All you republicans out there looking out for your inheritance need to help us fix health care. The system is setup to wipe out what the average person works for over an entire life in about 30 days if they don’t have insurance. Even on medicare the copay is 20%. Could you image having to pay 20% for a prosthetic limb that cost over 60 thousand dollars? That 12 thousand dollars! What if they have extended stays in nursing homes or hospitals? We have a chance to fix it. Contact you representatives and let’s fix this.

Mr. Danely, the dictionary defines disingenuous as not being straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness. So, how has the president been disingenuous?
All of what you say of Obama’s agenda with respect to increasing revenue to restore the economy and reduce deficit spending over time is well known. He is hiding nothing. As to the consequences of whatever actually gets accomplished, well, only time will tell. But I anticipate the nation, as a whole, and future generations will be better off for it.

When you get into the distribution and control of health care… and decide what services the government will pay for, you are talking socialism. The American system of health care is still the best system in the world. You don’t see rushing to Canada or to England, or elsewhere, to get medical treatment. You do see a lot of Mexican citizens coming here for free health care. There is free health care available to citizens who do not have health insurance. Emergency rooms cannot refuse to treat anyone just because they don’t have health insurance. Most hospitals have some sort of good Samaritan policy. There are free clinics everywhere.
The Obama health care plan requires r]preventative medicine. That means that many citizens will be forced to change their bad habits. However, Obama still has an addiction to tobacco. His new nominated surgeon general is quite obese…
What if Ted Kennedy was a recipient of own health care plan, and he had been diagnosed with his inoperable brain tumor, Obama practically said about older people like Kennedy, it will be a difference between having an expensive treatment plan versus a pain pill to help you die easier as a senior citizen.
And you know who is on the losing end. However, Kennedy and Obama are “privileged” to the best health care treatments, doctors and clinics, etc., our tax dollars can buy. However, they will always be exempt from the proposed government run health care plan being promoted.

Obama needs to turn this issue over to a BIPARTISAN commission to fix the problem, with one of the goals being : AS LITTLE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION AS POSSIBLE! One of the things that this administration just does not get is the fact that there is LITTLE FAITH IN THE GOVERNMENT DOING ANYTHING RIGHT — EXCEPT DEFENSE!
Everything the government touches costs an ‘arm and a leg’, and when it comes to health care, that is precisely what it might very well cost.
Obama has not leveled with the American people. It was clearly portrayed on July 22.
If he wants to reform health care — GET IT OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE, and NANCY PELOSI’s hands!
PS: Nancy Pelosi’s popularity is LOWER (34% – Gallup) than that of Palin’s (40%)!!
What does that tell you????

Health care or Health insurance is not a constitutional right. NO FREE RIDES. This health insurance plan is more of a welfare program than anything else. Private management and all contributing with copays is the only way this will not break the bank. We need it but not as a political tool. Medicare deducts my contribution so why not deduct the same from payroll, welfare, unemployment and any other entitlement subsidy payments. Nothing should be free. Enough already.

Please save me from President Obama’s so-called concern for the small business owner. Spouses of many small business owners work to provide health insurance for their families because rates are higher for smaller groups; however, when I inquired about extending my medical leave a few years ago, I was told by my (large) employer that I could have the additional time, but I’d have to pay the full cost of monthly premium – at the time, four years ago, a hefty $ 1400 for each month of additional leave.
The point being that all health insurance is too costly and nothing in the plans to date will bring the cost of insurance down. Meanwhile, if he’s so concerned about the small business owner, there’s lots he can do without resorting to a full scale reform of health care. Let’s see how firm his commitment to do something for us is.

1) Dismantle Medicare – the creation of this bureaucratic, bloated, ineffective program was the beginning of our healthcare problems – during the transition give seniors funds to upgrade their supplemental insurance.
2) Allow insurance companies to sell products across state lines (and across county lines within states)
3) Give incentives to pharmaceutical companies to charge other countries the same as what they charge us – why should we fund the research for the rest of the world?
4) Encourage the legal system to throw out frivolous lawsuits and juries to award appropriate amounts instead of the millions they do now (I would say ‘tort reform’, but that is still too much government intervention)
5) Allow small businesses to form healthcare consortiums (with 501(c)3 status) to purchase insurance at reduced rates.

What happened to the tax credit of up to 10K for health insurance. Oh, that was McCain’s idea. Why do those of us who pay our own way, pay our kids way, don’t sign up for all the govt. dole get some kind of credit. What’s wrong with a health insurance credit god knows the EITC crowd have milked the system dry why not some reward for those of us who don’t suck off the govt.

Since when does obama care about the plight of small business.

I agree with rightbehind, the system is set up to break us and get every dime of our money. So again the question is why does it cost so much. Are insurance companies and health providers in bed together to make $$ on both fronts? Is it the lawyers and malpractice (again insurance)? What’s the deal. obama needs to fearlessly tell us the truth.

Obama has lied about everything since taking office. Anybody who trusts him to overhaul health care is a fool.

Seems to me that the anti-republican statements are all about making sure we’re sidelined while a communist inspired system in installed against the will of the American People… What a travesty and shame our beautiful nation is being fed to the beast that is a socialist third-class model that was proven to be inferior long ago…

Re: “If President Obama was really so concerned about the small businesses he would eliminate the capital gains tax, make the Bush tax cuts permanent and add an additional 10% across-the-board tax cut.”
The Bush tax cust are part of what created this mess. Republicans wreck the economy every time they take office, and that has been true since Herbert Hoover. Your policies do not work! America’s decline began under Reagan!

Rightbehind, in case you don’t know what I’m talking about my husband was airlifted for a heart attack at age 32 after being laid off from his job in 1992 – no insurance. 8 years later I paid him off with no government handouts and no welfare – not to mention I didn’t file for bankruptcy. I guess it’s all about personal responsibility – something the President will never understand. He wants everyone to be dependent on the government – that way he can be in total control. After all – you all think he is the “Messiah”.

“He wants everyone to be dependent on the government – that way he can be in total control.”
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Sounds pretty paranoid.

SEEMS LIKE MY VOICE WAS A FIGMENT OF MY OWN IMAGINATION………SO HERE IS THE TRUE VOICE OF NORTH CAROLINA. WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRATIC STATE.

Jon:” all about making sure we’re sidelined while a communist inspired system in installed against the will of the American People… What a travesty and shame our beautiful nation is being fed to the beast that is a socialist third-class model that was proven to be inferior long ago…”
Over here in reality, EVERY OTHER FIRST WORLD NATION has government involvement in health care. They spend on average half as much per capita for health care and their life expectancy is equivalent or longer to ours.
Do you have any facts at all to support your rant, which absurdly implies that every first world nation in the world other than the US is Communist?

Jhw539:
A large percentage of small businesses file their income taxes as individual or married jointly. The following is an excerpt from an article entitled, “The Small Business Surtax: The Obama Democrats pick income redistribution over job creation and economic growth,” posted on The Wall Street Journal–Opinion Journal (online version), dated July 15, 2009:
“Every detail isn’t known, but late last week Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel disclosed that his draft bill would impose a ‘surtax’ on individuals with adjusted gross income of more than $280,000 a year. This would hit job creators especially hard because more than six of every 10 who earn that much are small business owners, operators or investors, according to a 2007 Treasury study. That study also found that almost half of the income taxed at this highest rate is small business income from the more than 500,000 sole proprietorships and subchapter S corporations whose owners pay the individual rate.”

Obama seems to like the big fatcats like Goldman Sachs alittle more that the small businesses.
Big corporations own him.
If he likes small business so much then why not lower their taxes? Get the hefty fines on small business out of Obamacare.
He can’t even tell a good lie anymore.

Obama stated that he was sorry that he “GAVE THE IMPRESSION” that the police dept was stupid. IMPRESSION?? BULL – THAT IS WHAT HE SAID AND THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND, THAT IS WHAT HE MEANT.

I’m party neutral. I’m an American before I am any party affiliate. It seems to me the Republican Party and several Democrats are content with getting nothing done. It’s interesting that the head of the finance committee, Max Baucus has received over $1.5 million dollars in donations from the healthcare industry, in the last two years.. All Sen. Grassly wants is to destroy Obamma. Neither side has our best interests at heart.

For goddness sake, our health care system is no where near the best in the world. Sure Shiks and other ultra wealthy people come to America for specific procedures. Why is that? In America, money buys you whatever you want. Pointing out certain examples of America’s medical system is rigging the game. Pointing only to the positives and ignoring the negatives proves somethings are being done better than in other places. Looking at our health care system as a whole shows how bad it really is.

Who is happy with their healthcare? Escalating prices, less coverage, higher deductables, higher co-pays, lost claim forms, being told what medications your plan will cover and which they won’t. Who is doing all the dictating now? You tell me. I say it
is CORPORATE AMERICA’S CEO’S, thats who.
I have two insurance policys. One policy my wife is the primary insured and the other I am the primary insured.
Certain medicines I take are not covered under her health plan. If I did not have two plans I would be paying an additional $1600 a month for drugs. Drugs which are sold to other countrys at lower prices than they are sold to U.S. citizens.
Why do you think medicare is in such bad shape. BIG CORPORATIONS,HOSPITALS, and DOCTORS, refused to negotiate with our government on price. Additionally medicare is the mother lode for adverse selection.

SHEEPLE, before you declare your thoughts on healthcare reform do some reading. I did. Whether you are for it or against it, understand it before you make a decision.
As of now there are only suggestions on what the final bill might look like.
That is why there are no specific details in the 1012 page offering. Only ways to pay for it. How can anyone vote against or for a bill, before they know what the bill contains?

Would Marines leave behind their hurt or dead brothers? Not on your life they would. Should we leave brother and sister Americans behind? Think about it SHEEPLE. It’s us aginst them. Them are the BIG CORPORATE CEO’S telling our politicians how and what to vote on.
SECREG_756

Obama said. “Low-income workers – folks who are more likely to be working at small businesses – will qualify for a subsidy to help them cover the costs.”… Just what does that mean? People will have to fill out a bunch of forms to “qualify” for subsidy so they can buy insurance?. Who is Obama’s healthcare Czar?

Hmmmmm. The Health Care Bill looks a bit different that what he’s saying…
Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll BR • Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll

Obama’s comments about small businesses hoping to hit it big like HP, Google or Apple is ridiculous. Most small businesses are in business because they want to remain small. Also, I do not know where he got the idea that people who work for small businesses are lower paid; some small businesses pay their employees better salaries than they could make out in the open market. He needs to get a little more review of his comments before he makes such outlandish statements. I know. I have worked for two small businesses and made more money than I could make with a giant corporation. My bosses had no intention of growing into something huge. He and she both liked small business and intended to keep their firms small. They paid good employees very well because they recognized their contribution to their success.

“small businesses hoping to hit it big like HP, Google or Apple is ridiculous. Most small businesses are in business because they want to remain small”
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yes, but because ‘most’ want to remain small certainly does not mean ‘some’ don’t want to aim as high as they can .
“some small businesses pay their employees better salaries than they could make out in the open market”
Small businesses ARE part of the open market . . perhaps you should review what you post before making “outlandish” statements as you accuse the President.

Obama couldn’t care less about small business otherwise he would have stopped that minimum wage increase. Now small business has no choice but to lay off more workers. Just the shot in the arm the economy needs.

SECREG756 said “How can anyone vote against or for a bill, before they know what the bill contains?” The same way they voted for the “stimulus” bill without knowing what it contained.

SECREG756 said, “Healthcare CEO’s make more money in three days than the majority of our citizens will make in an entire lifetime” Which ‘Healthcare CEO’s'? Hospital CEO’s? They sure don’t. The CEO of an imaging center? I highly doubt it. You need to be more specific, as there are many facets to healthcare and your broad brush of “ALL healthcare CEO’s” is an exageration.

“Now small business has no choice but to lay off more workers.”
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Not true.

jhw539 said “Over here in reality, EVERY OTHER FIRST WORLD NATION has government involvement in health care” And if those people in those countries jumped off a bridge, would you follow them? Just because they do it, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

bubbles . . .
“How fast was the TARP money released?”
As I understand it, the TARP money was aimed at a small number of targets.
The Recovery and Reinvestment funds are aimed at literally many thousands of targets, all of which have to be properly vetted and approved.

If the president wants to help small business, then do not tax our payroll and profits on our business.

All of a sudden obama cares about business? He doesn’t care about big business or small business he like govt. and all the control it affords him.

Between cap and trade and Dem’s healthcare bill small business is screwed. In fact all business is screwed. Does he have any idea how big this country is and how devastating it’s fall would be to the world.

danita said “Many small businesses will absorb the small increase in minimum wage with no problem whatsoever” In what world? Haven’t you read the articles that state that many small business are going to STOP hiring high school & college students because of the cost?

danita: It’s wrong to charge small businesses with higher taxes during a recession. What he should do is fire Geithner and stop giving our money to Wall St crooks.

bubbles . …
“danita: It’s wrong to charge small businesses with higher taxes during a recession.”
Again, you should familiarize yourself with the Recovery and Reinvestment plan – all kinds of tax breaks in there for small business

Bleah total lies. The last thing mom and pop need is a bunch more government crooks with their fingers in the pie. Less government means less crooked politicians just like less criminals means less crime.

By the way there is a typo in the article it says ‘mall businesses’ instead of ‘small’ businesses – fire your proofreader. See how easy a small mistake can become a big one?

How is forcing small businesses (or any business) to carry healthcare plans for their employees going to reduce their overhead? This makes no sense and is total double-speak. Whats it going to do to the consulting business. Do you think businesses will hire consultants if they have to pay their healthcare or will they just not hire consultants anymore? Think about it.

guesswhaturwrong . ..
“How is forcing small businesses (or any business) to carry healthcare plans for their employees going to reduce their overhead? This makes no sense and is total double-speak.
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Did you even read the article above?
“If a small business chooses not to provide coverage, its employees can purchase high-quality, affordable coverage through the insurance exchange on their own”

danita said “If a small business chooses not to provide coverage, its employees can purchase high-quality, affordable coverage through the insurance exchange on their own” You are leaving out the part where the business is going to be charged a tax to cover it – in effect, being forced to purchase the insurance.

danita: What if the people DONT want to buy it because they simply cant afford to pay for your healthcare plan (or even their own)? Then what? They get a fine? You are 100% ok with hundreds of offices full of government beaureaucrats popping up overnight to skim the trillions of dollars we are going to have to pay for in the long run? Why mess with business plans that are already working? Like I said its about these politicians wanting to get at the money. This will in turn create more corruption, bribes, cronyism etc. You cant prove otherwise.

signseeker17 said” And we now have 46.6 MILLION UNINSURED AMERICANS ” Not all of those people are Americans. And many don’t have insurance by choice. And if it only went up 6.6 million in 16 years, that means a greater PERCENTAGE of people are covered.

ellesbelles . ..
“danita – then I guess the article is wrong, because that is NOT what the bill says.”
You go right ahead and ‘guess’ whatever you want.

danita – I’m not really “guessing”- that was just a turn of phrase. The bill says small business will be taxed if they don’t provide insurance – period.

This article is short and poorly written. Its obviously democratice healthcare propganda. No article on ABCNEWS has yet to speak of the negative aspects of government healthcare like the failures and wasteful spending of medicare/medicaid, the beauracracy, corruption it could create, the waits in line and overcrowding it will create for the emergency rooms because people will go to the hospital more because they wont have to pay a bill, more doctors retiring or people not choosing to be doctors because of pay reductions, creating unemployment by placing the burden and cost on businesses, less choices when it comes to healthcare and hospitals, inflation and raised taxes one can see it will truly create a disaster and the democrats seemed determined to not study the negative aspects of their proposal including the people in healthcare insurance companies and drug companies they intend to slather with money coming back (after embezzling the money) with their hand out and saying they are broke and need more.

Danita- you never did answer my question… have you ever run a business?

danita – Oh – and the left never said anything bad about McCain? Or did you block that out? He was also called all sorts of names. But I guess that’s okay in your eyes. Personally, I couldn’t stand either one, but I never called them names – just as I didn’t call you any names.

Save . . . my backside, he’s ushering them to an early grave with rationing, inadequate services and nonsense like palliative care. But never fret, he’ll give them periodic “end of life” counseling. This administration is insane.

danita said “Is this your substitute for refuting my arguments? Nice try.
And where is the cut and paste from the act? We’re waiting.” Your so-called arguments don’t hold water and it is a question I asked a while ago that you NEVER answered. I’ll take it that the answer is “no”, meaning you really don’t have a clue what it takes to run a business. As for cutting & pasting – go read the bill yourself, as I also stated a while ago – but since you needed me to repeat it, I did.

Obama’s own doctor, Dr. David Scheiner, is against his health care plan.

Lets all have free healthcare – forget about the 100s of thousands of people & professional private healthcare providers & hospital workers who may find themselves unemployed when the government starts talking about ‘spending-cuts’ for the healthcare system like they do everything else including state and federal jobs. What the heck we dont need as many health insurance companies, doctors offices and hospitals or ambulance drivers & EMT’s. When you die we will just leave you on the road to rot or bleed to death. There’s a line at the emergency room take a number. Your hospital room & surgery or cancer treatment isnt available! Sorry! The government says you dont qualify if youre poor youre at the bottom of the list! Drug abuser? Sorry youre crossed off the list too. Criminal record? Nope sorry no kidney transplant for you but you can be a donor if you like. Welcome to Obama’s new proposed healthcare gattaca where only the rich and elite will get the best healthcare while the poor get the worst and the wait if any at all. Are you psychotic enough to believe these lying dems are about your best interest and pocketbook/wallet? Look at Wall Street for an example of what they think of how to treat the average American.

If you are one of the 10 or 11% of the citizens of the USA who will be unemployed by this Christmas how will you be getting healthcare or health benefits from your employer? You still wont have an employer!!!! Who is going to be left paying for the unemployed if the health benefits are simply given to everyone regardless of if they have a job? YOU thats right YOU a person with a job! They will take the MONEY out of your PAYCHECK to pay for SOMEONE ELSE! You get it now? The real issues of this country are not being addressed! Mexican drug cartels are making money hand over fist and so are the police and local governments who bust people for guess what illegal marijuana the multi-billion dollar bootleg prohibition black market of the USA that is not taxed. Imagine the real jobs it could create in the USA if it were?

The Repubs will have “a lot of splainin” to do if they keep trying to block Obama on health care reform. The longer the debate on health care goes on, the more educated the American people become on just how much they have been ripped off by the health insurance companies. And it is the health insurance companies that are paying the Repubs to stop reform so they can continue their legalized stealing!

After reading obamas comments on race these past few days i believe his[CRAZY OLD UNCLE]jerimiah has been whispering in his ear.

So totally obvious that Obama has NO IDEA what it is like to own a small business. In the first place, most don’t even offer employee health coverage, even for full time employees or the employers themselves. The cost of demanding that the businesses MUST pay for it no matter what will shut many down. Employees forced to pay for health care when with inflation they can barely eat on what they are making, much less pay their bills, will cause many to become homeless and go under – even IF their employers stay open. The whole idea of a start-up business is that everyone works together to become something – and government crucifies them at every turn with more taxes and more and more fees. HE WILL KILL SMALL BUSINESS – which I firmly believe is his whole plan. Government dependence and a few czars in charge of who eats, who lives, who dies.

Danita… Obama has proven by his actions to be worse than what you would deem to be “smear” descriptions. Sorry you can’t see through the fog, but…. In the very best case Mr. Obama is ill-suited to and inexperienced in running a business – any business. At worst, and this is the unfolding reality, he harbors a deep animosity for pre-Obama America. Open your eyes and ears!

Traveling today listening to taxpayer funded NPR “news” (OK, leftist opinion presented as “news”). Truly amazing how little substance vs the heaping helpings of leftist liberal spin re Obama-care. To balance things, they put on Daniel Schorr to distort the recent Obama/Gates police bashing thing. Got to be impressed by the number and depth of Obama sycophants in the news media. Somebody please remind me why NPR is taxpayer funded rather than by the Democrat party.

Simple question: If Obama-care is going to make health care so much more affordable, then why is it going to cost a trillion dollars or so?

Karen said “The Repubs will have “a lot of splainin” to do if they keep trying to block Obama on health care reform. ”
Do you understand that the Republicans CANNOT block the bill, if all the Democrats want to pass it? Fortunately, there are enough Democrats questioning this ill-conceived bill to save us for a little while. The government needs to stay OUT of healthcare.
I just love the provisions for preventive care (said in a sarcastic tone)… isn’t that what HMO’s were supposed to do? And guess what? People still don’t go to the doctors for preventive care.

He forgot to address those people who don’t want his brand of health care reform because the federal gov’t does not have the Constitutional authority to do so.

My Daughter is a Pulmonolgist and Critical care Specialist and the doctors will leave Medicine in droves. They have worked too hard to have a government commissioner tell them that they can’t do for the patient what they know is right. 97% of the doctors are against this bill. There is no way they will be slaves to Obama’s goons telling them what to do. The care will be rationed and they will say how much time the doctor can spend with you.Doctors have really been insulted with his remarks. My Daughter’s patients love her and she spends tons of time with them. She has saved many lifes and they will be told to die with Obama care.

The AMA has supported changing health care. AMA= the doctors lobbying group in Washington.
SECREG_756

3 out of 5 bankruptcies in this nation are caused by health care. Republicans if you want to protect your inheritance demand public health care. The health care system is set up to wipe out all that a person works for in an entire life in about 30 days if they don’t have insurance.

Our seniors will see their healthcare rationed, while illegal aliens will get free healthcare.
Thank you Democratic Party!!!!!!!! Hope you’re not counting on my vote in 2010 or 2012.

“I know many of you here today are single payer advocates and so am I … and those of us who are pushing for a public health insurance don’t disagree with this goal. This is not a principled fight. This is a fight about strategy for getting there and I believe we will.”
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL and ally of Obama) told a group of government-run health care supporters on April 18.

Okay, to be fair, the committee summary does say that businesses with payroll of less than 250,000 are exempted, and that payrolls of less than 400,000 are taxed (or whatever word you use to characterize it) on a sliding scale, with the 8 percent kicking in at 400,000. So tiny companies (like my own) would be exempt, but pretty small companies, in the great scheme of things, are going to be hit with an expense that will make it tough for them. And gee, if they are close to the line, why would they bother to expand to a higher payroll level and let the penalties kick in? So much for job creation.

what do “MALLS” have to do with this, except that certain mall owner/operators like Simon malls supported Obama with much money (alledgedly). To quote this article:
[Those mall businesses that insure their employees would receive a tax credit to help them pay for it."]
The point is that under Obama’s dream it is likely that small business (and mid-size businesses) would cease to exist. His likely ideal is Euro-style. Large corporations, stability, less upward/downward mobility, capital stabilization, and less oportunity but everyone “protected” in their class situation- enough to prevent discord or revolution. He is not a communist but an elistist. His mentors would be ashamed!

Okay, Odd behavior on the moderator’s part tonight. I posted a response to Danita’s challenge, quoting the relevant section of the summary of the bill from Waxman’s committee website. The posts disappeared into the ether and did not show up when I refreshed the page. So, I’ll try to just summarize what I said there– the bill summary says that all businesses must either provide coverage OR pay 8 percent of their payroll as a penalty/tax/whatever you want to call it.
To be fair, there is an exemption for companies with a payroll of less than 250,000 and a rolling scale of penalties for those with payroll of less than 400,000, with the 8 percent kicking in at 400,000. So you have to be pretty tiny (or cheap *G*) to be totally exempt from the requirement. And yes, my own small business has a small enough payroll to be exempt, but barely so and we only employ a few people– guess we pay them too well, huh?
Hope I can post the relevent section of the summary without getting bounced. Here goes:
Employer responsibility. The proposal builds on the employer‐sponsored coverage that exists today. Employers will have the option of providing health insurance coverage for their workers or contributing funds on their behalf. Employers that choose to contribute will pay an amount based on eight percent of their payroll. Employers that choose to offer coverage must meet minimum benefit and contribution requirements specified in the proposal.

Many small business, such as landscaping,home improvement, architect etc depend on the willingness of spending by the upper class people. If the tax is greatly increased on the upper class to fund the new health care reform, they will be less likely to spend money on small business. Furthermore, the cap and trade tax will cause increase in electric bill and commodity prices, which in turn bring up the cost on running small business.

You nailed it KMDay. This is what you get when experience isn’t a factor. I would have never imagined such an unproven, inexperienced person as POTUS.

someone on this blog is trying to make the case that the Democrats are blocking healthcare bill. What a frigging joke Democrats are. Not one Republican has supported the bill. Not one. And only three supported that pork fest of a non-Stimulus. The Democrats are a frigging joke.

Two percent of the population will never be able to pay for insurance for 98 percent of the population’s health coverage. Limiting needed procedures and cutting coverage for seniors and all baby boomers who are or will be seniors shortly is sad.

Look at the plans….Rationed health care…Boards that decide your fate…may even have ACORN members on them…..We will be paying to insure all the ILLEGALS…. Your Mom and Pop will be denied some care and left to wither away..DO not believe what they are telling you..please educate yourselves and demand to look at the clauses inserted into this bill.Obama is not telling you the truth about most of it… there are even provisions where they can go into your bank and checking accounts !!!!!!

Danita, once again you only tell part of the story. According to the 2006 IRS statistics, the top 1% of the nation’s wage earners (1,357,192 individuals reporting a positive AGI) accounted for 39.89% of the total federal income tax revenue. While the bottom FIFTY PERCENT of the nation’s wage earners (67,859,580 reporting a positive AGI) accounted for just 2.99% of the total federal income tax revenue.
Now then The Wall Street Journal, Opinion Journal, reported on Dec. 17, 2007 the following information:
In 1990 the richest 1% accounted for 14% of the total income and paid 25% of the federal income taxes;
In 2000 the richest 1% accounted for 21% of the total income and paid 37% of the federal income taxes;
In 2005 the richest 1% accounted for 21% of the total income and paid 39% of the federal income taxes.
SO under the last two years of the first Bush Administration and 8 years of the Clinton Administration the top 1% saw their percentage of the total income rise 7 percentage points; and their percentage of the total federal income taxes paid rose 12 percentage points. And under the second Bush Administration’s first 5 years the top 1% saw their percentage of the total income remain the same (in 2006 it rose 1 percentage point); while their percentage of the total federal income taxes paid ticked up 2 percentage points (in 2006 it rose 1 percentage point).

impeach all obama and hillary administration be for they take your right away both of them are criminals they are violating your rights what obama are doing to health is unexceptable to the people of this country

Reform and government takeover are two different things. Won’t somebody enlighten Mr. Obama?
Government-dictated insurance terms are nothing more than despotism.

Why is some idiot writing about global warming in his message? El Stupido, the article was about healthcare. And, you still are in denial about global warming..what a nitwit.

HEALTH CARE PLANS WILL FAIL:
I predict that likely regardless of the health care plan passed by democrats or republicans, because of America’s financial and political blindness, nothing significant will improve in health care quality or cost.
The only significant improvements in our health care system will come with a single payer, Canadian, or European like plan. The only exception in our for-profit system is when science and technology keep the individual out of the health care system for an additional day, week, month, or years, period.
Health care must become portable, at home test, and personal care except for catastrophic care. Even so, improvements in quality may continue to suffer until society’s for-profit basic health care is modified as an inalienable right in human nature.
Societies’ for-profit industries must EXCLUDE basic needs such as health care, or the human race will not survive the coming miracles of science and technology.
Now let’s just keep our eyes on the news and see who’s right.

danita: what you fail to understand is that those 1% are what is propping up the american economy and that they employ millions upon millions of people. Why should they be punished and if they are dont you think they will past the cost on to their customers and employees? Do you work for the rich or the poor? Who pays your paycheck?

John Edwards lives in a 28,000 square foot house and made the money to pay for it by suing docs. HC bill will tell docs how little time they can spend, care will be rationed, non-citizens will all be covered, they will directly access your checking accounts to pay for it, small businesses will have to turn over all records, Anyone who doesn’t comply will be taxed an extra 8%. All care will be approved first by a commissioner, most will be denied, hospitals won’t be able to expand.Midwives will deliver babies, abortions on demand and fully funded. People you better wake up and start fighting for your lives. All old folks will be advised on end your life protocol.

There’s more than an 18% difference. I retired from the nation’s 36th largest school system, representing the above average income county centered on Annapolis, Maryland. It has at least 20,000 people in it’s health plan, so BCBS and Aetna low balled the rates to get that business. And I’m sure teachers, in general, take better care of themselves than the average person, so perhaps that helps lower the teachers’ premiums. In any result, the total premium, of which the teacher employees or retirees pay 22%, is $465 for a single person double that for a married couple, and about triple that for a family. The policy has such low copays (and I pay zero for things like blood tests, colonoscopies, flu and pneumonia shots), great prescription plan, low max. yearly deductibles and no lifetime limits that my sister, a nurse, calls my plan “dreamland”. As best as I could estimate from an on-line BCBS worksheet, if I had to independently get such a plan I’d be paying at least $750/month per person. That’s 61% more than the total premium I now pay, counting both my employer and my contributions.