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H.R. 676, The United States National Health Care Act or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act (15 comments ↓)
H.R. 676 would provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, improved health care delivery.
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Visitor Comments 
LEIGH
January 27, 2009, 1:52pm (report abuse)this is a very bad idea. i know it sounds great: make it so every one can have affordable health care insurace. but the reality is all those poeple (millions) who don't work, not because they can't work but because they are either too lazy, to arrogant or both to bother getting a job are going to be getting free health care while me and every other honest hard working American will have to foot the bill.
instead reduce the complexities and overhead of the insurance and hostpitals. that will reduce healthcare cost significantly. also if you make it so individual states can't make their own health care policies this reduces the complexity of the laws the health care providers have to deal with further reducing costs.
David Frank
February 25, 2009, 12:00am (report abuse)This is a wonderful idea and I have studied this issue for many years, in depth. It is an elegantly simple concept; All U.S. citizens, regardless of economic status, are given a Health I.D. Smart Card, which you show to your healthcare provider, and, voila, you access healthcare. There is no deductible or co-pay(or very nominal($5 or $10) There is no waiting for the provider's business office to verify your healthcare benefits. All U.S. citizens are covered, period! It's not Socialized Medicine. You can go to any qualified medical provider you wish. This healthcare program is paid with a 3.3% tax on employees gross income, a 8-10% tax on employer's, a 5% tax increase on the top 5% of the wealthiest Americans and other small taxes. No, a single publicly funded and privately managed universal healthcare law is the only system that will eliminate the uninsured and underinsuered, ie., HR 676, and will guarantee the highest level of medical care to the most number of Americans.
maryb449
April 21, 2009, 3:40pm (report abuse)At the very least, I think that the COBRA time period for those over age 62 could be extended. Now it is 18 months, with a 9-month subsidy for those who lost their jobs this year.
Gorebash3120
June 28, 2009, 4:09pm (report abuse)David Frank and everyone else who sees this as a good thing are supremely ignorant of very basic economic and social history. IF the cost per person of medical care is kept artificially low (lower than what the free market allows) MORE people will partake of it, resulting in shortages, mediocre to poor services, and even a reduction in the kinds of services. Think about it! And why would I want yet another tax placed on employers? Do you honestly think they'll simply take the charge and have it eat into their profit margins? NO! They will raise the price of their goods or services to compensate, as they always(and must) do to survive. You say you've studied this in depth? Well I have history on my side to denounce your so-called 'wonderful' idea. The Romans tried a form of universal health care, and it broke them. So did the USSR. It. Doesn't. Work. Period! Try studying something useful, like economics next time? Discover what those fancy concepts you're flinging around really mean.
Don - Texas
July 20, 2009, 10:06pm (report abuse)If this bill is so great, why are they abolishing all private insurance which might compete (Section 104 (a)). Where will all US residents get their health care when all for profit institutions are prohibited from provifing care (Section 103 (a) (1))? Why are the tax payers being forced to pay for health care of ILLEGAL aliens (Section 101 (A)? What are the 'other purposes' discussed in the bill introduction? If anyone believes that the miniscule taxes proposed will "stay" small and this bill will not bankrupt this country they should begin preparing for the coming revolution!
Debbie-Alabama
August 6, 2009, 8:55am (report abuse)I know of to many people to cheap to pay for ins, when they have the money. And people strung up on drugs,to care to work.Illegals that expect to get everything for nothing.There is medicaid already there.
Sherry McGee
August 7, 2009, 1:20pm (report abuse)Healthcare reform yes, but SOCIALISM, NO! Our founding fathers were brave men who put their lives on the line to frame our Constitution, desiring limited government and State's rights. The Supreme Court in the 20th Century granted unlimited power to our government to raise and expend funds for welfare programs under the "general welfare clause", even though it was AGAINST precedent, and against the intentions of our founding fathers (read the Federalist Papers). WE THE PEOPLE are to blame for electing people who continue to sell out to special interests, and do not vote to defend the U.S. Constitution, leading to this sense of entitlement and welfare state. This embarassing and UnAmerican!
macduff
August 7, 2009, 6:37pm (report abuse)read the bill at thomas.gov, search on h.r. 676
and remember you will pay less a lot less than you now pay for your health services with this bill. No paycheck deductions for insurance premiums, no copays, no deductibles, no limits, pays for Rx, all medical services, dental, long term care, vision, alcohol and drug abuse care, you name it its covered, it is inclusive and it is universal and it is a basic human right. The rest of the world has it or something like it, only we in the land of the free and the home of the brave must concern ourselves about the very real possiblity of becoming bankrupt should the medical bills get ahead of us. Look up the word Rescission in your Funk and Wagnals, oh, its not there, well its at this site http://www.slate.com/id/2223680/.
Good night and good luck
Macduff
Deanna McGowan
August 7, 2009, 6:55pm (report abuse)This bill is AWESOME! It will force the Pirates of the Medical Insurance Industry to stop profiting on health care in this GREAT county of ours. I am all for profit but on health care no way. I sure hope this passes someday -America NEEDS this Bill to be law!
STP Sun Pie
August 7, 2009, 9:01pm (report abuse)Neither this Congress nor this administration should be involved in the administration of our health care, PERIOD. They both have been egregiously dishonest with us. In fact, there is a documented history of misconduct and dishonesty in connection with both this Congress and the current Administration. Resoundingly, the answer is NO! to government involvement.
If both Congress and BO whitehouse so highly tout this plan, why don't both agree to cancel their current healthcare coverage, opting instead for this government plan? Tell me, too, why the American people would oppose by nearly 2:1 such a highly-touted plan if we saw that the plan was good for us? Come on, we citizens know what is good for us. We're not stupid.
Finally, why is BO and the govt resorting to "coercion" and undertaking thug-like enforecement efforts if the plan is so great and wonderful? They are trying to force a strongly-opposed plan down our throats!
The question is: who stands to benefit?
Terri
August 8, 2009, 1:26pm (report abuse)Gorebash3120, I couldn't agree more. This is going to bankrupt us for sure.
Kathy Hillview
August 13, 2009, 4:24pm (report abuse)The real way to save money on medical services is to completely eradicate medical insurance and let people pay for it themselves, increasing competition. Democrat Transaltion: People won't pay for what they can't afford, not so many patients, doctors and clinics will reduce prices to bring in patients.
samthor
August 14, 2009, 12:30pm (report abuse)half of personal bankruptcy filings are caused by medical bills. who pays for that?
medicare & C.h.i.p. programs are govt. run & tax payer funded. We are already paying. yet the health insurance and pharmacutical company make obscene profits.
Even with insurance, the system is far too expensive to use unless you ABSOLUTELY have no choice! There may be close to 50 million without health insurance, but there are a whole lot more that 50 million that can’t afford to get taken care of!
its time for a change.
MasterPan
October 19, 2009, 1:44am (report abuse)The wannabe rich, John Birchers, shills for the insurance industry, and those trying to apply micro economics to a macro economic picture are I think at heart afraid of mixing their healthcare with that of the poor.The true oligarchs and captains of industry KNOW that for the US to have a competitive domestic workforce some sort of universal health service provision must be made. Anyone that has lived abroad for any length of time in in Europe or the rest of the civilized world KNOWS by way of comparison that the commercial insurance industry involvement with the delivery of health care services is expensive and problematic.
Each community decides what to put into the public commons - taken on the whole, the most resilient economies with populations enjoying the highest quality of life (not JUST healthcare) are those with health services for ALL their citizens. Germany and France are just two examples of this. Lets study successes and failures there and move ahead as a society.
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The Single Payer Solution
Site visitor Blaine Whittle writes in to note that his petition on Change.org is “#5 with a bullet this week.” Congratulations, Blaine! The petition supports H.R. 676, the United States National Health Care Act or the Expanded and Improved...