Insurance Quotes & Advice

The so called “Blue Dog” faction, a fiscally conservative Democratic political group which holds eight key seats on the important Energy and Commerce Committee of the House are threatening to block the vote on the current healthcare reform bill unless they get some changes made.  They are at odds with their own Democratic leadership over sufficient cost controls and want to minimize the effect the bill will have on small businesses.

With Republicans balking at the inclusion of a publicly run insurance option and likely to vote en mass against it, the group of 52 Democrats that make up the Blue Dogs would be the swing votes that could possibly doom the President’s healthcare initiative.  It would be a major defeat for the President if his own party members broke ranks and sided with Republicans but that appears to be what will happen if their conditions are met.

Unlike their more Liberal brethren, they aren’t exactly thrilled with a public healthcare option either and would like more limits placed on the subsidies the currently uninsured would receive.  Unable to reach an agreement with Democratic leaders it was decided last week to wait until after the August recess to revisit the matter.

It’s hard to blame them, no one wants another Medicare situation down the road and without proper cost controls put in place that is exactly what could happen.  The current health bill is already expected to cost over a trillion dollars and added to what the government has already spent to try to save the financial system that’s a big burden being placed on future generations.

With the dismal state that healthcare is currently in, this is not something Congress can afford to be shortsighted about and it’s not a problem that can be solved by just throwing money at it.  Fundamental changes are needed in both the medical and health insurance industries to get cost under control because right now our citizens are not getting their money’s worth for what the government spends every year on healthcare.

President Obama’s healthcare reform proposal took a sharp blow this week as Democrats are considering dropping the plan for a government run insurance option.  The Senate entered the recess without a formal vote after Senate Majority leader Harry Reid reported last week that this would be the case.

Fiscal conservatives both Republican and Democrat are balking at the costs associated with a government run insurance program and the effects it would have on the private industry.  However without the plan, it may difficult to follow up on President Obama’s promise of finding a insurance solution for the estimated 50 million Americans who are currently uninsured.

That being said it would also probably be a mistake to follow in the footsteps of Massachusetts, the only state so far that has mandated universal health insurance coverage.  Putting in to effect an expensive plan and trying to control spending or find financing options later could backfire as it has for Massachusetts, the state quickly found that costs far outpaced their estimates and were forced to seek federal support.

Coming up with a comprehensive healthcare reform package is no easy task, as decades of neglect from the government over skyrocketing healthcare cost have led to the current situation.  Soaring Medicare costs and the impact from the recession now leaves the costly government run program less than nine years before insolvency and that time frame may fall even further.

It is probably for the best that Congress takes it’s time in this matter, as this will likely be the only chance they get to try to fix the problem that has been growing for many years now.  That they are also forced to come up with a solution during the worst recession since the Great Depression and when the government’s debt load has ballooned has only added to the already difficult task.

Plans are moving forward for President Obama’s ambitious National Healthcare reform. Although it’s early in his Presidency, if the reform passes, it could serve to define his legacy.

Despite attempts to seek bipartisan support, Republicans have been critical of the lack of input they have had during the drafting process.  There has also been some resistance from some of the more fiscally conservative Democrats, who are seeking concessions in return for their votes.

The $1 trillion price tag for the reform is also raising a lot of eyebrows.  Having already spent over a trillion dollars in the past year bailing out the financial system, the initial cost of the new program will enlarge the already bloated national debt further.

The major points of contention thus far are, the issue of a public insurance option and what changes need to be made to the Medicare program, which is expected to go insolvent in the next eight years.  Unless there are effective cost controls put in place, the whole endeavor is likely doomed to failure even if it passes.

This has been a problem that has been looming for a long time now and the government has been both unable and unwilling at times to make the necessary sacrifices to make any meaningful change.  For the amount of money the government spends annually on healthcare, it’s pretty ridiculous that there are over 50 million Americans who are uninsured and are unable to find affordable healthcare.

Clearly there need to be changes but acting just to act would be a disservice to the millions of uninsured as well as the millions of taxpayers who will left with the bill.  Hopefully they get it right the first time, because I don’t think they will get a second chance.