O'Malley's Subsidized Health Plan Goes Into Effect

[Lee]

In case you didn't know:

Phase one of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley’s so-called Heath Coverage Act goes into effect tomorrow when Maryland taxpayers will begin subsidizing the insurance premiums of small businesses and their employees.

Link to rest.

[chernmax]

This dude must be voted out of office!!! Typical tax and spend DemoRat!!!

[AndyMarquisLIVE (Premo)]

Originally Posted by chernmax

This dude must be voted out of office!!! Typical tax and spend DemoRat!!!

I like this idea actually. Of course I'd expect you righties to flame me over this, but it's not a bad idea. Small businesses and small businesses employees pay twice as much for health insurance than do big businesses and government agencies.

I mean, just because you pay $300 to provide healthcare to your family doesn't mean everyone else does. My parents - it's $900/month for only the two of them.

I'm not for free healthcare, but I am for reducing the cost of healthcare, and if there are government initiatives towards that - tax breaks for businesses that provide healthcare and tax breaks for healthcare agencies to help offset costs among other things - I'm for them. It's better than all around Universal Healthcare.

[awpitt (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Lee

In case you didn't know:

Phase one of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley’s so-called Heath Coverage Act goes into effect tomorrow when Maryland taxpayers will begin subsidizing the insurance premiums of small businesses and their employees.

Link to rest.

Whoever wrote that OpEd contradicted thereself by critisizing the tax payer subsidizing of premiums and saying it would be fairer to provide a deduction which would also have to rely on tax payer support.

The fact is that MOM's plan is not govt run health care. It's an effort to make PRIVATE insurance affordable for more people who WORK for small businesses.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by awpitt

Whoever wrote that OpEd contradicted thereself by critisizing the tax payer subsidizing of premiums and saying it would be fairer to provide a deduction which would also have to rely on tax payer support.

The fact is that MOM's plan is not govt run health care. It's an effort to make PRIVATE insurance affordable for more people who WORK for small businesses.

I pay for myself and my kids healthcare, why do I need to pay for others who work for small businesses? They get subsidized, I get taxed.

[awpitt (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Vince

I pay for myself and my kids healthcare, why do I need to pay for others who work for small businesses? They get subsidized, I get taxed.

I pay for health insurance for myself and my family as well. I'm not big on paying for others either; however, the reality is that we pay for others wether they go to the emergency room or a DRs office. Overall, it's cheaper for an office visit than an emergency room visit.

[chernmax]

Originally Posted by Vince

I pay for myself and my kids healthcare, why do I need to pay for others who work for small businesses? They get subsidized, I get taxed.

Subsidizes = votes

[RadioPatrol]

Originally Posted by AndyMarquisLIVE

I like this idea actually. Of course I'd expect you righties to flame me over this, but it's not a bad idea. Small businesses and small businesses employees pay twice as much for health insurance than do big businesses and government agencies.

Ahhh small pool paying in, cost more ....

Frankly though if Gov. really wanted to solve this issue they would allow Small Business to band together and buy insurance in groups, making those paying in, over all larger in #'s

by making it an entitlement MOM, buys more votes ....

States and Small Business Health Insurance: An Overview

Updated: June 23, 2008

Small businesses often pay more for employee health benefits because they don't have the buying power of big employers. As both workers and small employers feel the financial squeeze, fewer are able to afford to offer, or purchase, health insurance coverage.

Here is how USA Today summarized the issue in a page one story in April:

Small businesses are driven crazy by soaring employee health costs, an expense that surveys show has become the biggest headache and obstacle to growth. Now, a growing army of consultants and benefits experts are promoting new health plans and services aimed at owners desperate to rein in costs.
Insurance brokers customize plans for small firms. Insurers cut deals for owners launching on-the-job worker "wellness" programs. Professional employer organizations combine dozens of small firms into big employee groups for discounted rates. And Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) crafted by Congress are now part of small firms' arsenal.
Congress (in March 2006) moved closer than ever to passing health care legislation to let small companies band together across state lines for discounts. President Bush endorsed the legislation again last week. But it's been debated for years without passage. [USA Today, 4/19/06]

For state policymakers, there is more to the story. The percentage of the non elderly population (under age 65) with health insurance coverage declined in 2004 to a post-1994 low of 82.2 percent. However, it is the smallest of "small employers" that provide coverage least often - 72 percent of those with 10 to 24 employees, and only 47 percent of those with three to nine employees.

For policymakers seeking responses, some of the following resources may be of use. Note that fairly diverse strategies have been tried and proposed. These include:

* Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and High Deductible Health Plans.
* Consumer-driven health insurance strategies such as cost and quality transparency.
* Exemptions or exceptions from state mandates.
* Tax credits and tax deductions for insurance costs.
* State Health Purchasing Pools or Cooperatives.
* MEWAs (Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements) and AHPs (Association Health Plans).
* State High Risk Pools.
* Public-Private Partnerships, including subsidies.
* Universal health plans that emphasize small employer coverage.
* Small Group Insurance Reforms.

your correct luser, Righties want people to pay their way, not Obamanation / Hillarycare where Socialists want to TAX everyone to give away HC ....

[vegmom]

Originally Posted by awpitt

I pay for health insurance for myself and my family as well. I'm not big on paying for others either; however, the reality is that we pay for others wether they go to the emergency room or a DRs office. Overall, it's cheaper for an office visit than an emergency room visit.

If you make under $50,000 and have a small family a tax deduction does not amount to squat since you probably don't pay much in taxes to begin with.

I am wondering what the cost of this program vs unpaid ER visits amounts too? I would think that treating in a MDs office would not only be cheaper, but someone would be more likely to go when said problem is minor and much easier to treat vs. progessed so far they have to go the the ER with a much harder and $$$ to treat problem.

[Sweet 16]

Originally Posted by chernmax

This dude must be voted out of office!!! Typical tax and spend DemoRat!!!

I am still trying to figure out how he got in, especially with his track record as mayor of B'more. I can't believe people ignored that and actually wanted this guy to run our state!