Baucus: Senate Health-Care Plan Unlikely to Cover All Americans

I am relieved to hear Senator Baucus is listening to what the majority of Americans especially those of us who work in the health care industry want. As a law abiding and tax paying citizen, I don't feel its my responsibility or my obligation to pay for illegal immigrants health care.

What a bunch of buffoons running the circus. First, why not delete all of the undocumented workers, i.e. ILLEGALS, from the 46 million? It is disingenuous to include people in that figure who never should be entitled to coverage in the first place. Second, how in the hell are you going to keep those people out of the emergency rooms? If you don't, you accomplish NOTHING. The cost-shifting from the cost of covering those people to those with insurance is a SIGNIFICANT factor driving up the cost of health insurance itself. The hospitals generate the same income (in theory) but the INSURED people are paying a disproportionate share. I'm thankful Sen. Baucus at least understands some of the insight on this problem. Too bad the vast majority of elected officials are otherwise clueless -- even to the point of claiming health care is a "right"? (OH really? Just where in the constitution is that "right" spelled out?)

Really! Who are the politicians kidding? We are already Federally mandated to death, so illegals can get free health and ER care. All it means is illegals and Americans without health care insurance and who don’t own anything can be treated for free. While the rest of us get higher health insurance premiums to cover that additional cost. Regular folks who uninsured and who need services WILL be turned away by ER's. The cost is already in the hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for education, health care and an overbooked prison system and a list of governmental benefits that most countries can't match. Trouble is now Illegal aliens cannot be held accountable for making up bogus social security numbers. Guess it just means spiraling taxes, if Sen. Reid, Pelosi and all the other anti-sovereignty, pro-illegal immigration legislators come through with another AMNESTY. We need to start another political party, like the British National party. Their Slogan says it all," British jobs for British Workers." Learn more at http://bnp.org.uk/ about this people's party that will remain undisclosed by the Liberal/Socialist media in the US. Even my very Conservative relatives in England have joined the BNP, because of the complete and irrational desire of the European politicians to demand English/British worker have no preference? We all want a better health system, preferably based on the single payer, that covers Doctor visits, surgery, teeth and eye care, without the nefarious impediment of premiums, co-pays--anything to fill the wealthiest coffers of the Insurance companies. But we certainly cannot afford Universal health care, if taxpayers have to add illegal aliens to the citizen and legal resident pool of a government medical care like all our politicians. The British Islands used to have a fabulous health care system, until the forced importation of cheap labor by the European Union.

Two of the posters explode in anger. Yes, ERs are different and uninsured illegals would get some care there. And yes, ERs would be forced to treat the worst injured. That's because there's EMTALA, which says emergency medical treatment is a must for people who show up at ERs in critical condition, in labor or in danger of killing themselves. It's designed to prevent ER turnaways (called patient dumping) because people didn't have insurance. That's the only relevant rule here, and it's not designed to protect illegal immigrants. it's meant to protect Americans without insurance. When all Americans have insurance, ERs 'll become less crowded because people will get regular appointed care and won't wait until problems become acute. Fact is Baucus and the other Senators and insurers and providers and all the others are going to cook up a vastly improved system over the idiotic wasteful system we have now. Right now we're a joke.

One way to cut down on the expense is to eliminate the provisions of the 14th amendment that encourages illegals to come to USA for the express purpose of giving birth. This part of the law no longer as any purpose.

I prefer a plan that feeds the hungry and treats the sick. All of them. Later on we can sort out who pays.

What a bunch of stinking racists there are on this forum. Denying children health care because they are "illegal" aliens, made so by US, disgusts me. Better the racist Americans represented here get sick and perish.

Health care should be a public good like sidewalks and parks -- public ones, that is. I'd invite the policy wonks who know so much about the costs of the "illegals" to boycott all the below-market-cost services they provide. That will show them. The elitist-racists who are worried about their tax dollars getting dirtied by touching "illegals" will still be free to purchase more exclusive care. Oops, well maybe only if they have any money leftover after paying full fare for the services they enjoy courtesy of the "illegals."

Let me see I pay out of my check almost $300.00 every two weeks not counting what my employer contributes, to cover my family and myself. Now we have people on here calling me racist because I feel that if you are ILLEGAL, that you should not be entitled to the services of a LEGAL citizen of this country. It matters not whether you are brown, purple, or green, if you are in this country as an ILLEGAL then, IMHO you should not be getting free medical care, your children should not be entitled to a free education, nor should they be citizens because you came here to have them. If you are ILLEGAL you get "nada".

If we get the ILLEGAL ALIENS out of this Country, we wouldn't have to worry about them getting free health care. It's time for ZERO TOLERENCE with these ILLEGAL ALIENS. Just who the H___L do they think they are entering this Country ILLEGALLY and demanding AMNESTY. Yes, who do they think they are? When we get rid of the ILLEGAL ALIENS, we get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!

If you would like to help pressure Congress to pass single payer health care for all Americans please join our voting bloc at: http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php

Oh please this promise from the Democrats isn't worth the paper it's printed on. All it will take is for a liberal Supreme Court to find a "human right" in the Constitution for illegals to be covered by the new healthcare system and they are in like Flynn, at a huge cost to American taxpayers. Just like in 1982 when the Supreme Court invented a "human right" in the Constitution to a "free" American-taxpayer-funded public school education for illegal immigrant children. After the 1982 ruling that mandated a "free" public school education for illegal immigrant children, the illegal immigrant population exploded BTW. Coincidence?

PS just as I always say when the bleeding hearts are demanding "free" college educations for illegals via the DREAM Act, if you are so upset at illegals being denied American-taxpayer-funded healthcare services, you are free to start up and donate to a private charity to cover this cost out of your own pocket. Don't advocate theft from law-abiding legal Americans to pay for your "moral superiority," as it's not either moral, nor superior.

California the Golden state, is fast becoming the poster child for an bankrupt third world State! An unholy alliance of Socialist Democrat politicians, Unions, and Illegal Aliens supporters are feasting at the trough of tax payers paid benefits while taxing & regulating business and the tax paying public into poverty. The pandering of Left Wing Democrat Politicians to their constituency of Illegal Aliens, open border supporters, and unions are driving business and citizens to other states & countries, while leaving the parasites & welfare leeches in an increasing bankrupt, dysfunctional state! For years California has ignored economics 101 and imported poverty, Criminals and uneducated Peons from Mexico, while exporting business and educated working tax payers. Like all Socialist & Marxist States the results have been an lowing of living standards & bankruptcy. Failure to abide by our Constitution against invasion & enforce our Immigration laws and constraints on wages and benefits for public employees will result in turning the Golden State into MexiCalif and the end of the California dream! The policies of Obama and Wash. DC Democrats are intent on following Calif. policies and are resulting in the same creeping socialist process across American. Amnesty & Citizenship as a reward for their invasion of the USA, will result in the rest of the USA turned into a Spanish speaking third world cesspool, modeled on Mexico and follow California into a polluted, over populated, Spanish speaking third world Nation of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, & Misery! This will result in a population depending on Welfare and the Democrat party, thus assuring the lock on power for the Socialist Democrat party of the United States of Mexico!

Heakthcare will not cover illegal immigrants there will not be any amnesty http://bit.ly/c6iVv The fight has just begun http://bit.ly/JZ56N

If you are uninsured and does not have insurance, you should check out the website http://UninsuredAmerica.blogspot.com - John Mayer, California

Sen. Grassley wants more info from Medtronic about its payments to an Army doctor, but this trend has been repeated across the industry. Healthcare reform can only come with full disclosure: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/6252#more-6252

It's so sad and true about chronic patients not being able to afford healthcare. I did some research online and stumble across a new search engine that finds generic prescriptions within your ZIP code. It's called Medtipster. I volunteer at a local community rec place and often hear stories from elders about skipping dosages and choosing grocery over medications. I started referring Medtipster to my friends and some of them have saved money and time from the website

As a medical executive in a large urban hospital, ED visits are extrememly expensive and guess who pays? Governmental plans do not cover the costs of the care, so they must be shifted to patients with private insurances. These people then pay more than they would have to under a more rational healthcare plan. I favor a new plan probably sponsored by the government which would provide basic, necessary medical care to everyone. Patients who wanted the latest and greatest joint implant should be permitted to pay extra for it, but the basic plan would cover evidence based appropriate care for the condition. People should have the option to continue with their current plans if they provide all of the "extras" that people would want. We must come to grips with the fact that no country in the world can provide all the technology that exists to everyone, so we have been rationing people and not just procedures. Most of the bloggers seem to concentrate on illegal aliens, but if these people are excluded, they will still flood our EDs and everyone will have to pay for them anyway, and pay more than if they had primary care doctors who could emphasize preventive care rather than waiting until conditions become critical. Illegal immigration is a separate problem that needs to be addressed, but not through healthcare.

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