Rabid Liberal Rants » health care

Mother Jones – GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits

rabidliberal — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:06:24 +0000

Another example of how the far right wants the government out of people’s business, especially health care, except when it comes to…healthcare?

The proposed law, also known as H.R. 3, extends the reach of the Hyde Amendment—which bans federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake—into many parts of the federal tax code. In some cases, the law would forbid using tax benefits—like credits or deductions—to pay for abortions or health insurance that covers abortion. If an American who used such a benefit were to be audited, Barthold said, the burden of proof would lie with the taxpayer to provide documentation, for example, that her abortion fell under the rape/incest/life-of-the-mother exception, or that the health insurance she had purchased did not cover abortions.

‘SEC. 303. PROHIBITION ON TAX BENEFITS RELATING TO ABORTION.

‘For taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this section–

‘(1) no credit shall be allowed under the internal revenue laws with respect to amounts paid or incurred for an abortion or with respect to amounts paid or incurred for a health benefits plan (including premium assistance) that includes coverage of abortion,

‘(2) for purposes of determining any deduction for expenses paid for medical care of the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s spouse or dependents, amounts paid or incurred for an abortion or for a health benefits plan that includes coverage of abortion shall not be taken into account, and

‘(3) in the case of any tax-preferred trust or account the purpose of which is to pay medical expenses of the account beneficiary, any amount paid or distributed from such an account for an abortion shall be included in the gross income of such beneficiary.

Read the full story…GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits

WellPoint CEO defends rate hikes as pressure grows | Reuters

rabidliberal — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:55:46 +0000

As much as I don’t like the health insurance companies increasing rates, the one thing that the WellPoint CEO said, during the congressional hearings, that I agree with 100% is:

Unfortunately, the leading proposals being discussed in Washington don’t do enough to control costs” and that other industries “need to be called upon to reduce these costs.

There are no measures in any of the bills proposed that would control the rising costs of health care. Especially in the form of tort reform. Why is there no mention of tort reform? Because trial lawyers, those that benefit from frivolous lawsuits, are HUGE contributors to the Democratic party, giving close to 73% of the time to Dems (almost $179 Million, in 2008 alone).

Have provisions to control costs, then I’ll come on board. Until then, you’re all a bunch of posers.

WellPoint CEO defends rate hikes as pressure grows | Reuters.

In House, Many Spoke With One Voice – Lobbyists’ – NYTimes.com

rabidliberal — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:11:44 +0000

In House, Many Spoke With One Voice – Lobbyists’ – NYTimes.com.

Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.

E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans.

And we wonder why people are fed up with Congress.

Senate health care bill – insurance companies can kick you out if you get cancer and treatment costs too much: AMERICAblog

rabidliberal — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:07:18 +0000

AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth.

“A loophole in the Senate health care bill would let insurers place annual dollar limits on medical care for people struggling with costly illnesses such as cancer,” reports the AP. The Senate Finance Committee barred annual caps altogether. The merged Senate bill only erases “unreasonable” annual caps. What’s “unreasonable?” Hard to say.

Healthcare Debate

rabidliberal — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:41:49 +0000

Just read an article in The Week which describes the universal healthcare program in Massachusetts which sounds strongly similar to the program the Feds want to pass now. One of the main points of the article is that Massachusetts, when originally drafting and passing the plan, never took into account the rising costs of healthcare. Thus, when the recession hit, more people were out of work, more people applied for the state subsidies for insurance, and tapped out the insurance fund. The rising healthcare costs fueled a $9 Billion gap, which took away money from education, public safety, and other services.

Similarly, the government plan fails to address the rising costs of healthcare. No way are they going to discuss putting caps or limits on payouts if they want the healthcare industry on board with the plan.