Does ANYONE fully understand the new Health Care Bill?

[tripletdad]

NPR had a good breakdown of what was on the bill last week

check their website. I think everyone is still sorting through this out. The LA Times just had an article that stated there was nothing in the bill to control premiums from going up. BIG problem when insurers are forced to cover preexisting conditions.

Another funny thing they noticed was that congress wrote themselves out of the Federal Employee Benefits Package, so they are now in the same boat as us! I guess there is a God and he has a real funny sense of humor LOL

 

[Inaara]

I'm curious if anyone's been able to sort this out yet? As in, how, specifically, does it affect those of us who do not have insurance, but who are covered medically under federal programs such as SSDI, the VA, and other programs?

My siutation is that I am 100% disabled vet and have never needed to deal with civilian insurance (which is good because no one would touch me prior to the passage of this bill and next year, I believe, when the pre-exisitng conditions bit goes into effect) because all of my healthcare, including dental, is covered by the VA - even if I have to be transortd by ambulance to a civilian facility for emergency care, and soon will also be covered under SSDI/Medicare/Medicaid/whatever program that falls under, but I haven't got the foggiest idea how - or if - anything in this bill applies to me...and I've actually read the entire thing.

 

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

I'm curious if anyone's been able to sort this out yet? As in, how, specifically, does it affect those of us who do not have insurance, but who are covered medically under federal programs such as SSDI, the VA, and other programs?

My siutation is that I am 100% disabled vet and have never needed to deal with civilian insurance (which is good because no one would touch me prior to the passage of this bill and next year, I believe, when the pre-exisitng conditions bit goes into effect) because all of my healthcare, including dental, is covered by the VA - even if I have to be transortd by ambulance to a civilian facility for emergency care, and soon will also be covered under SSDI/Medicare/Medicaid/whatever program that falls under, but I haven't got the foggiest idea how - or if - anything in this bill applies to me...and I've actually read the entire thing.

I don't know if this from Kaiser Health News helps or not but here's what they say:

"The new health law will end TRICARE and force military families to buy different insurance."

"Not True."

"The future of TRICARE, the health care system for about 9.6 million active duty military and retirees, their families and survivors, was a hotly debated issue before the March 21 House vote on health overhaul legislation. Conservatives, Republican members of Congress and at least one prominent veterans group said the bills did not guarantee that TRICARE’s benefits would be considered "qualifying coverage" and thus meet the requirements for a health plan under the bill. They argued that military beneficiaries might have to leave the plan or pay penalties if TRICARE was not deemed to meet the new law’s standards.

Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., accused President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats of "betraying America’s veterans."

But the White House, Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, congressional Democratic leaders and other military associations say TRICARE meets all the law’s requirements and military personnel and their families can continue to get full benefits under the familiar military health plan. Even some opponents of the health reform bill agreed that TRICARE would not be jeopardized.

Some of the confusion appears to stem from the different approaches taken to TRICARE in the competing Senate- and House-passed reform bills. The Senate measure, which passed on Christmas Eve and was sent back to the House for a final vote, did not mention TRICARE by name, though the original House bill did.

Five House committee chairman issued a letter saying that TRICARE coverage "would satisfy the requirements" of the bill. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, also sent a letter to Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., reassuring him that TRICARE coverage meets "the minimum essential coverage definition."

The united defense brought a letter of apology from Tradewell. "I apologize for using too harsh a word…," he said. “But I did not apologize for our strong advocacy on the issue."

--Lexie Verdon http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/March/31/fears-health-reform-true-false.aspx

 

[Inaara]

Hopefully they lump me in under Tricare then. Technically, I'm not even part of that as far as I know since I don't have a Tricare card.