So the GOP has issued their Pledge with America, the modern day equivalent of their Contract on America. Let's look at it: "By permanently stopping job-killing tax hikes, families will be able to keep more of their hard-earned money and small businesses will have the stability they need to invest in our economy and help grow our workforce." And by families and small businesses, are you referring... [more]
So the GOP has issued their Pledge with America, the modern day equivalent of their Contract on America. Let's look at it:
"By permanently stopping job-killing tax hikes, families will be able to keep more of their hard-earned money and small businesses will have the stability they need to invest in our economy and help grow our workforce."
And by families and small businesses, are you referring to millionaires and small businesses like Price Water House Coopers and Koch Industires?
"With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone and putting us on a path to balance the budget and pay down the debt."
How do you pay down the debt when you cut taxes for the rich? Heck, how do you pay down the debt when you cut taxes in the first place?
"We will launch a sustained effort to stem the relentless growth in government that has occurred over the past decade. By cutting Congress’ budget, imposing a net hiring freeze on non- security federal employees"
Why are "non-security" workers exempt? More security workers does not make us more safe. Quality is what counts, not quantity. THis is nothing more than a gift to the defense contractors.
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Response by The_President
over 15 years ago
Posts: 2412
Member since: Jun 2009
"We will enact real medical liability reform; allow Americans to purchase health coverage across state
lines; empower small businesses with greater purchasing power"
All of which the CBO found will amount to pennies in savings.
"Undeterred by dismal results, Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their job-killing policies. President Obama is proposing spending billions more on government “stimulus” projects. He also wants to raise taxes on roughly half of small business income in America. Raising taxes on anyone in a struggling economy – especially small businesses – is precisely the wrong thing to do."
There we go again with the small business nonsense.
"In addition to punishing businesses, these looming tax hikes will hurt every family in America"
And by every family in America, we mean every family in the top 2 income brackets in America.
"A single mom earning $36,000 per year could pay more than $1,100 more in taxes"
No Democrat has ever proposed raising taxes on such people.
Ignored comment.
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Response by Wbottom
over 15 years ago
Posts: 2142
Member since: May 2010
percentage of current deficit attributable to wars in iraq and afghanistan, and bush tax cuts: 38%
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Response by The_President
over 15 years ago
Posts: 2412
Member since: Jun 2009
"Expand Health Savings Accounts:Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are popular savings accounts that provide cost-effective health insurance to those who might otherwise go uninsured. We will
improve HSAs by making it easier for patients withhigh-deductible health plans to use them to
obtain access to quality care"
What a great idea. Encourage people to save money they don't have so that they can give it all to the insurance industry.
Ignored comment.
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Response by The_President
over 15 years ago
Posts: 2412
Member since: Jun 2009
Some consumer organizations, such as Consumers Union, and many medical organizations, such as the American Public Health Association, oppose HSAs because, in their opinion, they benefit only healthy, younger people and make the health care system more expensive for everyone else. According to Stanford economist Victor Fuchs, "The main effect of putting more of it on the consumer is to reduce the social redistributive element of insurance."[17]
Critics contend that low-income people who are more likely to be uninsured, do not earn enough to benefit from the tax-breaks offered by HSAs. These tax breaks are too modest—when compared to the actual cost of insurance—to persuade significant numbers to buy this coverage.[18] One industry study matched HSA account holders to the neighborhood income ("neighborhood" was defined as their census tract from the 2000 Census) and found that 3% of account holders lived in "low-income" neighborhoods (median incomes below $25,000 in 1999 dollars), 46% lived in lower-middle-income neighborhoods (median incomes between $25,000 and $50,000), 34% lived in middle-income neighborhoods (median incomes between $50,000 and $75,000), 12% lived in upper-income neighborhoods (median incomes between $75,000 and $100,000) and 5% lived in higher income neighborhoods (median incomes above $100,000).[19]
In testimony before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Health in 2006, advocacy group Commonwealth Fund said that all evidence to date shows that health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans worsen, rather than improve, the U.S. health system's problems.[20]
HSA funds that are not held in FDIC-insured savings accounts are subject to market risk, as is any investment. While the potential upside from investment gains can be viewed as a benefit, the subsequent downside and possibility of capital loss may make the HSA a poor option for some.[
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Response by somewhereelse
over 15 years ago
Posts: 7435
Member since: Oct 2009
> All of which the CBO found will amount to pennies in savings.
If you are claiming that tort reform is "pennies" then you are simply insane.
"What a great idea. Encourage people to save money they don't have so that they can give it all to the insurance industry. "
You have no idea what you are talking about. You save far more this route than with a low deductible plan. This approach is CHEAPER.
Jeez, please get at least a little informed.
Ignored comment.
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Response by The_President
over 15 years ago
Posts: 2412
Member since: Jun 2009
Tort Reform Unlikely to Cut Health Care Costs
Studies Show Malpractice Awards Are Not Big Driver of Skyrocketing Costs
“It’s really just a distraction,” said Tom Baker, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and author of “The Medical Malpractice Myth.” “If you were to eliminate medical malpractice liability, even forgetting the negative consequences that would have for safety, accountability, and responsiveness, maybe we’d be talking about 1.5 percent of health care costs. So we’re not talking about real money. It’s small relative to the out-of-control cost of health care.”
Annual jury awards and legal settlements involving doctors amounts to “a drop in the bucket” in a country that spends $2.3 trillion annually on health care, Amitabh Chandra, another Harvard University economist, recently told Bloomberg News. Chandra estimated the cost of jury awards at about $12 per person in the U.S., or about $3.6 billion. Insurer WellPoint Inc. has also said that liability awards are not what’s driving premiums.
And a 2004 report by the Congressional Budget Office said medical malpractice makes up only 2 percent of U.S. health spending. Even “significant reductions” would do little to curb health-care expenses, it concluded.
A study by Bloomberg also found that the proportion of medical malpractice verdicts among the top jury awards in the U.S. declined over the last 20 years. “Of the top 25 awards so far this year, only one was a malpractice case.” Moreover, at least 30 states now cap damages in medical lawsuits.
How does an HSA benefit someone who is unemployed or underemployed?
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Response by jason10006
over 15 years ago
Posts: 5257
Member since: Jan 2009
HSAs help people who pay taxes, and help most the people who pay the most taxes as they are tax DEDUCTIBLE, not part of a tax CREDIT scheme. Since we all know about half of americans don't pay federal income tax, this is a non-starter. in addition, since the GOP would allow discriminatory pricing by health insurance companies and non-coverage pre-exisiting conditions, etc., HSAs really only help the young and healthy. The very people who if they don't have insurance, won't buy it, and don't make enough money to really itemize anyway.
"We will enact real medical liability reform; allow Americans to purchase health coverage across state
lines; empower small businesses with greater purchasing power"
All of which the CBO found will amount to pennies in savings.
"Undeterred by dismal results, Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their job-killing policies. President Obama is proposing spending billions more on government “stimulus” projects. He also wants to raise taxes on roughly half of small business income in America. Raising taxes on anyone in a struggling economy – especially small businesses – is precisely the wrong thing to do."
There we go again with the small business nonsense.
"In addition to punishing businesses, these looming tax hikes will hurt every family in America"
And by every family in America, we mean every family in the top 2 income brackets in America.
"A single mom earning $36,000 per year could pay more than $1,100 more in taxes"
No Democrat has ever proposed raising taxes on such people.
percentage of current deficit attributable to wars in iraq and afghanistan, and bush tax cuts: 38%
"Expand Health Savings Accounts:Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are popular savings accounts that provide cost-effective health insurance to those who might otherwise go uninsured. We will
improve HSAs by making it easier for patients withhigh-deductible health plans to use them to
obtain access to quality care"
What a great idea. Encourage people to save money they don't have so that they can give it all to the insurance industry.
Some consumer organizations, such as Consumers Union, and many medical organizations, such as the American Public Health Association, oppose HSAs because, in their opinion, they benefit only healthy, younger people and make the health care system more expensive for everyone else. According to Stanford economist Victor Fuchs, "The main effect of putting more of it on the consumer is to reduce the social redistributive element of insurance."[17]
Critics contend that low-income people who are more likely to be uninsured, do not earn enough to benefit from the tax-breaks offered by HSAs. These tax breaks are too modest—when compared to the actual cost of insurance—to persuade significant numbers to buy this coverage.[18] One industry study matched HSA account holders to the neighborhood income ("neighborhood" was defined as their census tract from the 2000 Census) and found that 3% of account holders lived in "low-income" neighborhoods (median incomes below $25,000 in 1999 dollars), 46% lived in lower-middle-income neighborhoods (median incomes between $25,000 and $50,000), 34% lived in middle-income neighborhoods (median incomes between $50,000 and $75,000), 12% lived in upper-income neighborhoods (median incomes between $75,000 and $100,000) and 5% lived in higher income neighborhoods (median incomes above $100,000).[19]
In testimony before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Health in 2006, advocacy group Commonwealth Fund said that all evidence to date shows that health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans worsen, rather than improve, the U.S. health system's problems.[20]
HSA funds that are not held in FDIC-insured savings accounts are subject to market risk, as is any investment. While the potential upside from investment gains can be viewed as a benefit, the subsequent downside and possibility of capital loss may make the HSA a poor option for some.[
> All of which the CBO found will amount to pennies in savings.
If you are claiming that tort reform is "pennies" then you are simply insane.
"What a great idea. Encourage people to save money they don't have so that they can give it all to the insurance industry. "
You have no idea what you are talking about. You save far more this route than with a low deductible plan. This approach is CHEAPER.
Jeez, please get at least a little informed.
Tort Reform Unlikely to Cut Health Care Costs
Studies Show Malpractice Awards Are Not Big Driver of Skyrocketing Costs
“It’s really just a distraction,” said Tom Baker, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and author of “The Medical Malpractice Myth.” “If you were to eliminate medical malpractice liability, even forgetting the negative consequences that would have for safety, accountability, and responsiveness, maybe we’d be talking about 1.5 percent of health care costs. So we’re not talking about real money. It’s small relative to the out-of-control cost of health care.”
Annual jury awards and legal settlements involving doctors amounts to “a drop in the bucket” in a country that spends $2.3 trillion annually on health care, Amitabh Chandra, another Harvard University economist, recently told Bloomberg News. Chandra estimated the cost of jury awards at about $12 per person in the U.S., or about $3.6 billion. Insurer WellPoint Inc. has also said that liability awards are not what’s driving premiums.
And a 2004 report by the Congressional Budget Office said medical malpractice makes up only 2 percent of U.S. health spending. Even “significant reductions” would do little to curb health-care expenses, it concluded.
A study by Bloomberg also found that the proportion of medical malpractice verdicts among the top jury awards in the U.S. declined over the last 20 years. “Of the top 25 awards so far this year, only one was a malpractice case.” Moreover, at least 30 states now cap damages in medical lawsuits.
http://washingtonindependent.com/55535/tort-reform-unlikely-to-cut-health-care-costs
How does an HSA benefit someone who is unemployed or underemployed?
HSAs help people who pay taxes, and help most the people who pay the most taxes as they are tax DEDUCTIBLE, not part of a tax CREDIT scheme. Since we all know about half of americans don't pay federal income tax, this is a non-starter. in addition, since the GOP would allow discriminatory pricing by health insurance companies and non-coverage pre-exisiting conditions, etc., HSAs really only help the young and healthy. The very people who if they don't have insurance, won't buy it, and don't make enough money to really itemize anyway.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/jon-stewarts-takedown-of-gops-pledge-to-america-same-sht-we-heard-before-video.php?ref=fpb
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/opinion/24krugman.html?src=me&ref=homepage
Banana Republic, here we come
that's all to say about that latest GOP nonsense
The Tea party are a bit like Peronists. I could see Palin singing to the crowds on a balcony.