“Amerika in Mandate”

You're absolutely right on this, Zook. But you've been shouting from the rooftops in so many blogs that this regime wants to turn this country into a communist dictatorship. And, still, there's people on these blogs that refuse to listen. I guess they want to wait till they're in shackles before they'll admit it. History is repeating itself all over again.

the evil designs of men.

OK, everybody get's you don't like the healthcare law. What are your suggestions to fix the mess that is healthcare in the United States?

A big part of the healthcare problem is all the stupid a__ lawsuits and judgements against doctors and hospitals. This drives up their insurance rates, and guess who is going to wind up paying for it. Get rid of lawyers, judges and most insurance companies. Getting rid of them would also stop the McDonald's hot coffee type lawsuits.I know this won't happen but I also can say

" I HAVE A DREAM"

This whole issue of healthcare reform is far from new.

The three days of arguments beginning before the Supreme Court on Monday may mark a turning point in a century of debate over what role the government should play in helping all Americans afford medical care. A look at the issue through the years:

1912:

Former President Theodore Roosevelt champions national health insurance as he tries to ride his progressive Bull Moose Party back to the White House. It's an idea ahead of its time; health insurance is a rarity and medical fees are relatively low because doctors cannot do much for most patients. But medical breakthroughs are beginning to revolutionize hospitals and drive up costs. Roosevelt loses the race.

1929:

Baylor Hospital in Texas originates group health insurance. Dallas teachers pay 50 cents a month to cover up to 21 days of hospital care per year. The plan grows into Blue Cross.

1932:

After five years of work, doctors, economists and hospital administrators on the independent Committee on the Costs of Medical Care publish their report about the increasing costs of health care and the number of people going untreated. They say health care should be available to all.

1935:

Americans struggle to pay for medical care amid the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt favors creating national health insurance, but decides to push for Social Security first. He never gets the health program passed.

1942:

Roosevelt establishes wage and price controls as part of the nation's emergency response to World War II. Businesses can't attract workers with higher pay so instead they compete through added benefits, including health insurance, which unexpectedly grows into a workplace perk. Workplace plans get a boost the following year when the government says it won't tax employers' contributions to employee health insurance.

1945:

Saying medical care is a right of all Americans, President Harry Truman calls on Congress to create a national insurance program for those who pay voluntary fees. The American Medical Association denounces the idea as "socialized medicine." Truman tries for years but can't get it passed.

1960:

John F. Kennedy makes health care a major campaign issue but as president can't get a plan for the elderly through Congress.

1965:

Medicare for people age 65 and older and Medicaid for the poor signed into law. President Lyndon B. Johnson's legendary arm-twisting and a Congress dominated by his fellow Democrats succeeded in creating the kind of landmark health care programs that eluded his predecessors.

1971:

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., offers his proposal for a government-run plan to be financed through payroll taxes.

1974:

President Richard Nixon puts forth a plan to cover all Americans through private insurers. Employers would be required to cover their workers and federal subsidies would help others buy insurance. The Watergate scandal intervenes.

1976:

Jimmy Carter pushes a mandatory national health plan, but a deep economic recession helps push it aside.

1986:

Congress passes and President Ronald Reagan signs into law COBRA, a requirement that employers let former workers stay on the company health care plan for 18 months after leaving a job, with the worker bearing the cost.

1988:

Congress expands Medicare by adding a prescription drug benefit and catastrophic care coverage. It doesn't last long. Barraged by protests from older people upset about paying a tax to finance the additional coverage, Congress repeals the law the next year.

1992:

Helping the uninsured becomes a big issue of the Democratic primaries and spills over into the general election. Democrat Bill Clinton wants to require businesses to provide insurance to their employees, with the government helping everyone else; Republican President George H.W. Bush proposes tax breaks to make it easier to afford insurance.

1993:

Newly elected, Clinton puts first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in charge of developing what becomes a 1,300-page plan for universal coverage. It requires businesses to cover their workers and mandates that everyone have insurance. The plan meets strong Republican opposition, divides congressional Democrats and comes under a firestorm of lobbying from businesses and the health care industry. It never gets to a vote in the Democrat-led Senate.

2003:

President George W. Bush persuades Congress to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare in a major expansion of Johnson's "Great Society" program for seniors.

2008:

Hillary Rodham Clinton makes a sweeping health care plan, including a requirement that everyone have coverage, central to her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. She loses to Barack Obama, who promotes his own less comprehensive plan.

2009:

Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress spend an intense year ironing out a compromise that requires companies other than very small businesses to cover their workers, mandates that everyone have insurance or pay a fine, requires insurance companies to accept all comers, regardless of any pre-existing conditions, and assists people who can't afford insurance.

2010:

Congress passes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, designed to extend health care coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people. Obama signs it into law March 23.

**ObamaCare expands Medicaid (medical care for the poor) to everyone (under the Medicare age of 65) who has income less than 133% the federal poverty level. States must pay this enormous new burden, but federal government promises to reimburse costs of newly eligible patients under this program from 2014 to 2016.**

I have a question... Where is the federal government going to get this money? Aren't we already crazy in debt now?

KT, with an income of 36K for a family of 4, how do you suggest they obtain insurance coverage? Trips to the ER cost 3 times more than an office visit, and that estimate is conservative. The ER is being used more and more because that is the only alternative for some folks who need basic medical care. We all end up pay for this forced misuse of resources one way or the other. From a strictly economic standpoint, it is far cheaper to expand medicaid. There is no real free lunch. If you have private insurance, premiums go up to cover payments to ER's. If you are a private pay, rates go up to cover ER costs. One way or the other the bill has to be paid.

Mike, the only reason this "mandate" was included, was to spread the risk. The concept of single payer has been fought against for years by the for profit insurance companies. Single payer would really cut into their profits, since private insurance would be more or less a luxury instead of a necessity. Under single payer, you can also have private insurance that would afford you more luxury's than single payer. Shorter waits for appointments for non-emergency office visits, elective treatments, etc. This is a model that is being used by many countries, and for the most part it works well. Nothing is perfect. Living longer because of better medicine has driven up the cost of medical care and insurance. Stupid lawsuits have driven up the cost of medical care. There are many answers out there, but going back to the good old days isn't one of them. Back in the good old days, most guys our are were dead already.

Roy, as far as a family of 4 on a $36,000 a year income, I would suggest that they stop having kids!!! This is part of the problem. No one wants to accept responsibilty for their own actions. If you can't afford to take care of your kids, here's a crazy idea, don't have them!

Part of the healthcare act repeals the across state line stuff. KT, if a family of 4 were making 100K and lost their jobs, and now make only 36K, how does that fit in your equation? We need tort reform for sure.

In anticipation of ObamaCare going into effect, the insurance company that our employers used decided to get out of the healthcare business entirely. This was a big company.

As a result, we couldn't get coverage based on the small participation numbers. So I lost my healthcare benefits.

When people tell you how wonderful it is that insurance companies have to accept pre-existing conditions-Laugh at them.

Your premiums can cost more that your actually take home pay. And you are considered High Risk.

They keep sweeping aside the real problems and creating more.

I personally think that it is ridiculous that Insurance is holding us hostage financially.

Roy, hopefully that family of 4 that was bringing in 100k a year aren't living beyond their means and was able to save some money. People should learn to budget their finances to were they can put back 10% of their pay. Of course, if you have an expensive house, expensive cars, and other luxuries, you can't do that. This is were personal responsibility comes into play. I'm sorry about this family of 4 scenario but, if they would have been doing everything they should have been doing, and making that kind of money, they'd have a nice little nest egg to sit on.

BTW, my wife had to join the military and dodge mortar fire in Afcrapistan to get the kind of healthcare benifits that this fraud-in-chief is just wanting to give away. What a crock! Also, the Army's cut off age is 42. Hopefully this mom or dad that you talk about is under that age and can join the military rather than just sit on their butts and expect the government to take care of them.