Just got new health insurance RATES!!!

we just had company meeting about health insurance rates. They were too afraid to tell us how much it went up, just handed out pricing on our way out of meeting. 35%! increase!! Looked back at when I started 7 years ago, plan prices have gone up 350%. If we are lucky we get a 2% raise, which doesn't even cover inflation let alone health care costs or gas...

How much are we suppose to take? How much longer can we take it? I make just too much to qualify for any "social programs" and make too little to afford what my parents had (have). Wife is home with toddler because after taxes/gas/child care we would loose money if she got a job. I'm a broken man today. I will have to ramp up my part time job of scrapping and cut even more costs. Well that's my rant for today...

I'm in the same boat as you. My kids started school this year but even with gas prices there are not that many opportunities for jobs to break even.

The updated better plan has really helped people out, not. My brother who is an independent truck driver is also struggling with the "new" better government compliant plan.

I have health insurance from my 20 years of service in the Marines. I have no reason to complain but I will let you know my prescription co-pays are up between 3-5 times. Other costs have gone up and benefits continue to be taken away. This is how the retired military are being treated I know you guys are just political fodder for the clowns in charge.

I wish you the best of luck but you are being squeezed for political reasons(this is just my opinion). I see ANY solution that will fix these health insurance high costs. Mike

< Still shaking my head in disbelief >

I'm self employed and when the law was passed that everyone had to go buy insurance i checked out the cost. For my wife & myself it would be as much as our monthly mortgage.

That's just not gonna happen ........

The people making the laws have completely lost their minds.

The best way to bring healthcare costs back under control ? Outlaw insurance ! One way or another you ALWAYS pay so why not cut out the middleman ?

If folks had to pay out of pocket for the services they receive it would sort things out in a hurry. >:)

Elections have consequences.

What makes you think that without the new laws health care would have gone down at all?

http://www.motherjones.com/files/ima...ecd_growth.jpg

This chart is from way before the new insurance act, if anything more people into the system has made the skyrocketing costs slightly better not worse. Sure plans that covered much less were cheaper, but why pay for insurance if whatever you get is a pre existing condition and not covered at all?

Self employed people get a small fine if they don't have insurance (assuming you get a refund on your federal taxes), its not like you have a gun to your head.

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Originally Posted by unknownk

What makes you think that without the new laws health care would have gone down at all?

http://www.motherjones.com/files/ima...ecd_growth.jpg

This chart is from way before the new insurance act, if anything more people into the system has made the skyrocketing costs slightly better not worse. Sure plans that covered much less were cheaper, but why pay for insurance if whatever you get is a pre existing condition and not covered at all?

Self employed people get a small fine if they don't have insurance (assuming you get a refund on your federal taxes), its not like you have a gun to your head.

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But we were promised health care costs would go down. Now we can't even afford the health insurance we are "required" to buy. My wife (who was covering me) just had the insurance premium go from $250 a month to $550 a month. It was bad enough when I just had to worry about paying for health problems. Now I have to worry about paying a mortgage payment for insurance that does not pay for health problems... and I still cannot afford to pay for my health problems. He!!, if I had the $500/mo to pay for health insurance, I would be making payments on my student loans.

My wife right now has great health care.. but after 20+ years of working for "the man" she is itching to get out there and work for herself as I do. With that "leap" I have only just begun to delve into the "self employed healthcare arena" And from what I have seen so far it it ridiculous!
The only + is that as a self employed individual you are able to write off every cent of health care premiums.. but you still have to make that $300, $700, $900 or whatever astronomically crazy # you have to pay each month. Which never helps in the short term.

Just started my digging in. I want so very much for my wife to be able to make the leap to self-employment also.. but we will have to crunch the numbers and come up with a stellar plan to "pull trigger"

Having 2 little ones and not a substantial health plan is just a really dumb thing to do.

So I feel your pain my man.

I have a bachelors in Electrical Engineering and work as an Electrical Designer for a $30-40M company. I have a wife and son 1 newer car 1 older car and a 3 bedroom ranch. Wife just finished her RN degree and between us we have $60,000 in student loans. I have to do eWaste, scrap wire from work and try to sell reconditioned computers to make ends meet. Luckily I enjoy it and its a part time job that I can mostly do from home.

House went up for sale last week and we are moving into her grandparents basement apartment. I don't ask for pity, I sure can spend money; but I budget down to the penny and keep the wife from spending like I know she wants too... and its not enough. I heard a lot about the working poor and finally realized that my family falls into that category. Once my wife gets rolling as a nurse things will improve but for now we are getting squeezed hard! This website and all your mostly friendly advice probably saved us from claiming bankruptcy. Thanks SMF family, hang tough

Jiffy-
I hear you man. Both my wife and I have degrees. We wiped out our college loan debt, we own both our cars, we live very modestly. No $60K truck for me.. No BMW for her. We own a 3 bedroom older home that I have put 10 years of "sweat equity" into.. and we still run tight from time to time with things. It is tough to make a living sometimes.. don't want to get on the "we're being taxed to death" but geesh.. trying to survive sometimes is hard! I bill 45-50 hours a week, my wife works full time.

The kiddos do small activities like cheer, my son and I attend free lego club nights. Our "splurge" is going to a dinner out or a movie at a theater. When we go- sometimes we don't even buy the candy, popcorn and soda. And we work our arses off. Keep on keeping on man.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jiffy117

we just had company meeting about health insurance rates. They were too afraid to tell us how much it went up, just handed out pricing on our way out of meeting. 35%! increase!! Looked back at when I started 7 years ago, plan prices have gone up 350%. If we are lucky we get a 2% raise, which doesn't even cover inflation let alone health care costs or gas...

How much are we suppose to take? How much longer can we take it? I make just too much to qualify for any "social programs" and make too little to afford what my parents had (have). Wife is home with toddler because after taxes/gas/child care we would loose money if she got a job. I'm a broken man today. I will have to ramp up my part time job of scrapping and cut even more costs. Well that's my rant for today...

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Is there any part of your computer or scrap projects you wife can do a little bit of during the day? maybe find leads for you to check out, or take something apart.

While your talking about Obamacare check out what the originator of it was quoted as telling someone. Something about the American people are stupid. This is from A fact check site.

Quote:

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“This bill was written in a tortured way to make sure CBO did not score the mandate as taxes,” Gruber tells the audience with a smile. “If CBO scores the mandate as taxes, the bill dies.” … “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage,” says the MIT economist who helped write Obamacare. “And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass.”

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WaPo fact check: Yes, Gruber got $400,000 for ObamaCare work « Hot Air

I;m in the same boat. I like our coverage. I thought we could keep it. But, nope. Our plan is being discontinued. We'll end up paying about 35% more, for a lesser plan.

I work until 11PM at night, and start at 6:30. I haven't taken a day off in... have I ever taken one off for leisure? The politicians that did this will get theirs someday. But, that doesn't help in the meantime. My truck is approaching 30 years old. I can't afford much of anything, so I'll be keeping her for life apparently. I sacrifice everywhere else, too. I'm debt free, and that's worth it.

Instead of giving my money to a bunch of fat ******** who lay on their couch all day, why can't we do something? Give them good kick in the rear, and help support small businesses. We're the ones keeping the country going.

< /Rant>

What are you all worried about??? As soon as the lame duck in office uses his "executive right" and gives 5 million illegal immigrants permanent residency, there will be 5 million more "citizens" paying into the health care system so all the rates should go down. C'mon people things are getting better, just trust in your "elected" leaders.

Btw anyone know how his trip to China went? Funny how he comes back from there and he has all these ideas on how to make things right. anyone see the "Manchurian Candidate" ???? If you haven't you really should!!!!!

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Originally Posted by jiffy117

I have a bachelors in Electrical Engineering and work as an Electrical Designer for a $30-40M company. I have a wife and son 1 newer car 1 older car and a 3 bedroom ranch. Wife just finished her RN degree and between us we have $60,000 in student loans. I have to do eWaste, scrap wire from work and try to sell reconditioned computers to make ends meet. Luckily I enjoy it and its a part time job that I can mostly do from home.

House went up for sale last week and we are moving into her grandparents basement apartment. I don't ask for pity, I sure can spend money; but I budget down to the penny and keep the wife from spending like I know she wants too... and its not enough. I heard a lot about the working poor and finally realized that my family falls into that category. Once my wife gets rolling as a nurse things will improve but for now we are getting squeezed hard! This website and all your mostly friendly advice probably saved us from claiming bankruptcy. Thanks SMF family, hang tough

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I feel your pain. I highly reccomend you give this guy a try. He has free pod casts so you can make a judgement without ANY cost or obligation. If you believe this forum can help you then believe this guy can help you deal with your fincial problems. Best of luck, Mike

http://www.daveramsey.com/specials/w...Fe7m7AodF3wAkw

I'm ashamed to admit it but this mess started here in Maine. It began with the Dirigo health plan back in the early 2000's. Remember thinking to myself that this state sponsored "universal health plan " would be insolvent in no time. It limped along for awhile and then collapsed. In it's present incarnation it's the medicaid program for the poor.

From there it traveled south down into Massachusetts and New York. I haven't followed it closely but i guess it's been mandatory to have health insurance in those states for awhile now. ( Well before Obamacare came out. )

Those, left of center in congress, have had a single payer system on their agenda since at least the Clinton years. When they finally got a majority again they tried to push it through but were stopped dead in their tracks by the congressional budget office. The CBO advised them that there wasn't anywhere near enough in the federal budget to make it work.

They had to save face politically so they pulled a complete cop out and just told everyone to go buy it. ( Much like the Swiss system.)

Ta-Da ! Just like magick you now have universal healthcare in Amerika !

You can't really put this on the president because Romney (R) would have supported it had he been elected. He was sitting as governor in Mass. when the state requirement to purchase insurance was pushed through.

It's still an unworkable idea. It's destined to fail because there isn't enough money to make it work.

I wish they would have taken an object lesson from how it worked out here in Maine all those many years ago. It would save us all a lot of heartache.

As for the fine -or- tax for being uninsured ? It's just a small one in 2015 but it's scheduled to increase every year thereafter till it's equivalent to what you would be paying for health insurance.

Yep ... there's a gun to your head. If you fail to pay your *ahem* tax they will seize your property & maybe even put you in jail.

All because there's no money in YOUR budget for health insurance.

Wait till this gets rolling. The public is going to be furious with the government.

The real issues is insurance companies want to make lots of money, private hospitals want to make lots of money. Health care in the US just lines a few mega corporations pockets while giving the minimum in actual healthcare. Every other country has free (as in everyone pays taxes) healthcare, and they make sure you visit the local doctors for checkups to get at minor issue before it gets major. Here we put bandaids on issues with costly drugs so you can keep doing your unhealthy things until you end up in emergency and then they can pile on the costs. The vast majority of those costs come in the last 6 months of your life giving you treatments that just prolong the agony and cost tons.

We are born to make a few people money any way they can get it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

While your talking about Obamacare check out what the originator of it was quoted as telling someone. Something about the American people are stupid. This is from A fact check site.

WaPo fact check: Yes, Gruber got $400,000 for ObamaCare work « Hot Air

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He was also paid by a handful of states $400-$500k to consult on setting their state exchanges.

Our premium for a family of 5 is more then our mortgage...we have had the same HMO for over 20 years and were happy with it, but our plan was yanked last year and now we have to pay premium + copay + deductible where as before the copay covered everything.

For what we pay now we were able to cover our family and 100% of 6 employees, back in the 90's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G790p0LcgbI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7IlKhqJPH8

Four years was not enough, we had to go for eight????????

The reason that health care costs have not gone down, is that people do not realize that they are eligible for subsidies though the ACA. Over 60 percent of Americans are eligible. Yes, the new plans are more costly, but chances are that you can actually pay less if you just apply for the subsidies. "Back in the 90's" was a long time ago, everything was cheaper then because it was 20 years ago. Do your homework, and you will save money.

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Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

The reason that health care costs have not gone down, is that people do not realize that they are eligible for subsidies though the ACA. Over 60 percent of Americans are eligible. Yes, the new plans are more costly, but chances are that you can actually pay less if you just apply for the subsidies. "Back in the 90's" was a long time ago, everything was cheaper then because it was 20 years ago. Do your homework, and you will save money.

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Subsidy=welfare in my book. I would qualify for a subsidy the way my accountant does my taxes. I refuse to take welfare.
A subsidy is other people (taxpayers) paying for YOUR healthcare.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

The reason that health care costs have not gone down, is that people do not realize that they are eligible for subsidies though the ACA. Over 60 percent of Americans are eligible. Yes, the new plans are more costly, but chances are that you can actually pay less if you just apply for the subsidies. "Back in the 90's" was a long time ago, everything was cheaper then because it was 20 years ago. Do your homework, and you will save money.

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There in lies the problem!!!!! Why does there have to be subsidys to pay for healthcare???? Now there will be more people dependant on gov't to help them pay for something the gov't wants them to have. Is it me or does this not make any sense?????? This administration WANTS us to be totally dependant on big gov't to the point where our basic freedoms will start to disappear.

Vote against us, ok well maybe we don't send you a check to pay your hospital bill, sell your car to pay for it. Oh listen that rally you were at supporting the other guy, well we need back your kids seizure meds we just sent you. Your church has been closed down so now you must go to this one.

This is the path we are heading down people, the more dependant we become the more rights we will lose!!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pjost

Subsidy=welfare in my book. I would qualify for a subsidy the way my account does my taxes. I refuse to take welfare.
A subsidy is other people (taxpayers) paying for YOUR healthcare.

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Oh give me a break. Few people care about school subsidies (state and federal), heck all the red states take in more tax dollars then they pay but nobody cries about that either. Call it welfare and people are stigmatized, call it by another name and its your god given right, same ****.

Theres a few things I cannot understand about the US of A.
Healthcares the first one.....
And probably the second one too.

You can have private health insurance in NZ, but all it does is get you a little furthur up the que, and some operations the hospital system wouldn't give you, along with some treatments.

This rat won't even get on that ship, she's sinking at the dock.:)

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Originally Posted by eesakiwi

Theres a few things I cannot understand about the US of A.
Healthcares the first one.....
And probably the second one too.

You can have private health insurance in NZ, but all it does is get you a little furthur up the que, and some operations the hospital system wouldn't give you, along with some treatments.

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I know ... it's hard to understand. You can't compare the two nations because they're so different from one another.

For all intents and purposes we are the global police force right now. We have the most advanced military in the world. Our presence tends to keep other aggressive nations in check. It's because of this that other nations who really don't have the means to defend themselves can live in peace. That frees them up to devote a large portion of their national budget to healthcare.

Have you ever felt that the Chinese might be eyeballing you ?

Before this law started its first baby steps into being fully implemented, my health insurance was $70/mo. I paid for everything that I needed, and that was fine. This was just what you would call a "catastrophic" plan...kind of like life insurance. But, when the law started being implemented, it started going up quickly, and then my plan disappeared and I had to go to covered california to get new insurance. My premium is now $254/mo, and is the same plan except the deductible is higher.

The way I see it, I'm now paying for a couple other people's insurance. The same way that some of the taxes I pay pay for other people's food, housing, etc. I'm never happy with it, but that's just the way it is. Deal with it the best you can and keep on keeping on. For those who have the lowest health insurance with high deductibles, look into starting a HSA. If you can get it to your deductible level, it gives you peace of mind, and there are tax benefits in creating the account.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pjost

Subsidy=welfare in my book. I would qualify for a subsidy the way my account does my taxes. I refuse to take welfare.
A subsidy is other people (taxpayers) paying for YOUR healthcare.

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Well said

Obamacrap = redistribution of wealth and another stab at controlling our lives, plain and simple. A better subsidized plan could have been implemented strictly for low income and pre-existing conditions, without touching existing plans. There was absolutely no reason for the feds to put the regulations they did on the health insurance companies as a result of Obamacrap. The existing premiums could have been reduced by portability (crossing state lines) and by tort reform (Limits on awards. ambulance chasers opposed this, and they are a big blue party contributor. There is no reason to give someone $200M. That is why the malpractice insurance is so high, which drives up doctors costs). This is just step one towards an attempt at "universal healthcare", which the MAJORITY of Americans do not want, just as a MAJORITY of Americans do not want Obamacrap. But this administration could care less, they do what they want. Obama said premiums would go down, yeah right. Obama said you want to keep your plan, you can keep it, yeah right. To me one of the worst parts about it was Pelosi, who said "We need to pass it so we can see what is in it". How many of you would sign a contract to purchase a new car without looking at the car or reviewing the contract? Basically the same thing. JMHO

I make a $1M a year and my insurance rate doubled; whats the weather going to be in South Beach this weekend?
I make $50k a year and my insurance rate doubled; I guess we can live without cable and internet for a while... It will be OK honey... we will get through this.
I don't work and now I can get insurance cheap or opt out and pay a small fee; what time does Bingo start tonight?

Quick choose two of these people you would trade places with. Redistributing the wealth perhaps, but its from the middle down. The gap between rich/poor & rich/middle is becoming so great that our voices will soon be unheard for anything. Yesterday was a splash of cold water to the face, I'm awake and aware now, hoping its not too late to fight back!

Even if you disregard the moral issue of taking subsidies, the Supreme Court is likely to declare many of them unconstitutional. From a financial-only standpoint, you can't bank on using something that may disappear.

The whole 3rd party paying system needs to be burned to the ground and started over by letting actual market forces of supply and demand take effect. Look at Lasek surgery. Most med insurance won't cover it so its actually been a provider-consumer market and the pirces have come donw considerably since it first came out. After college, I worked for one of the local hospitals when I couldn't find a job with my degree. It had started a system but was still a smaller regional place. Now its a multi-billion dollar affair that has no one overseeing it except a board of a "foundation" (yeah, that's open for public inspection!!). The state pols are in these guys pockets because a lot of out of staters come in for med services and then the famailies go shopping (my state lives by sales tax, the more spenders the better).

My advice is to find a catastrophic plan and then see if there is any at all independent health care providers who take cash only in your area. Not that common but there is a theme rising of some med folks sick of the s*** of being "employed" by the "non-coprorate" corporations and have ditched taking insurance. That's where it needs to begin again. Screw the gov and the third parties. Power to the people!!!

8 years of Hope and change. Ain't it grand. Please sir can I have some more. By the way, the others aren't any better.

get off the grid,. plant a garden, learn to can food. Don't come to my place.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pjost

Subsidy=welfare in my book. I would qualify for a subsidy the way my accountant does my taxes. I refuse to take welfare.
A subsidy is other people (taxpayers) paying for YOUR healthcare.

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Well ... they change the names of things sometimes. I guess that's to get you to think about it differently or maybe redefine a certain thing's role ? It's a political trick. For example: It used to be that the police were the police. It said so right on the car. Then ... somewhere along the line they became the department of publik safety. Humm .... must be that they're now supposed to make you feel safe ? ;)

It's the same with welfare. With a name like welfare you think of it as being charity. Now they call it one of the "entitlement" programs.

The idea with that in our polite & civil society is that as a citizen you have the basic human right to expect certain services from the government provided you meet certain criteria. Charity has nothing to do with it. You're now entitled !

I run a carpentry business and make enough to get by on but not much more. Most of my customers are wealthy folk from away that can well afford a second home here in Maine on the shore front. They tend to be over 65 years old and have a net worth between two and 20 million dollars. They migrate here in the spring and leave in the fall. During the winter months they generally travel to warm & sunny places like the Caribbean. It's not a bad life. With access to the finest medical care many live well into their 80's.

What i can't figure out is why i'm working outdoors in the dead of winter to pay for their government provided health insurance when i can't afford to provide it for myself. :-/

I guess they're entitled and i'm not.

It must be that our law makers are *ahem* ...... mentally challenged ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scrappah

Well ... they change the names of things sometimes. I guess that's to get you to think about it differently or maybe redefine a certain thing's role ? It's a political trick. For example: It used to be that the police were the police. It said so right on the car. Then ... somewhere along the line they became the department of publik safety. Humm .... must be that they're now supposed to make you feel safe ? ;)

It's the same with welfare. With a name like welfare you think of it as being charity. Now they call it one of the "entitlement" programs.

The idea with that in our polite & civil society is that as a citizen you have the basic human right to expect certain services from the government provided you meet certain criteria. Charity has nothing to do with it. You're now entitled !

I run a carpentry business and make enough to get by on but not much more. Most of my customers are wealthy folk from away that can well afford a second home here in Maine on the shore front. They tend to be over 65 years old and have a net worth between two and 20 million dollars. They migrate here in the spring and leave in the fall. During the winter months they generally travel to warm & sunny places like the Caribbean. It's not a bad life. With access to the finest medical care many live well into their 80's.

What i can't figure out is why i'm working outdoors in the dead of winter to pay for their government provided health insurance when i can't afford to provide it for myself. :-/

I guess they're entitled and i'm not.

It must be that our law makers are *ahem* ...... mentally challenged ?

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I agree with your meaning but not the semantics, before "LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY , WE HAD PEACE OFFICERS.

The elitists and their Toadies ,The Laim stream Talking heads, we had welfare, They made it entitlements, which lumps it in with SS and veterans benefits. The difference is simple. when you pay fpr something in cash ,trade, or service you are entitled to it. for 56 years I payed into a savings fund. that fund promised me 2 things or entitled me to those two things intrest on my money and a paid full coverage health insurance for life. it was called social security, medicaid/medicare and a comfortable retirement. they stole all the money every cent, so now I am lumped into the group with those who didn't pay their fare share. Welfare IS NOT an entitlement, it is a forced charity that you and I are forced pay for. I also fought a war for this government that had nothing to do with protecting America. for that I was promised much, most of which I never got and never will. I believe in charity for those willing to help them selves. A hand up not ,a hand out. Am I entitled, you bet your A**. Is that Momma Boo Boo wana be, with her skinny A**ed crack addict boy friend entitled, NO, don't put me in the same catigory .

NOTE: Had the Social security system kept it's promise the average fund for each person would be over $ 890000, at age 62.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by olddude

I agree with your meaning but not the semantics, before "LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY , WE HAD PEACE OFFICERS.

The elitists and their Toadies ,The Laim stream Talking heads, we had welfare, They made it entitlements, which lumps it in with SS and veterans benefits. The difference is simple. when you pay fpr something in cash ,trade, or service you are entitled to it. for 56 years I payed into a savings fund. that fund promised me 2 things or entitled me to those two things intrest on my money and a paid full coverage health insurance for life. it was called social security, medicaid/medicare and a comfortable retirement. they stole all the money every cent, so now I am lumped into the group with those who didn't pay their fare share. Welfare IS NOT an entitlement, it is a forced charity that you and I are forced pay for. I also fought a war for this government that had nothing to do with protecting America. for that I was promised much, most of which I never got and never will. I believe in charity for those willing to help them selves. A hand up not ,a hand out. Am I entitled, you bet your A**. Is that Momma Boo Boo wana be, with her skinny A**ed crack addict boy friend entitled, NO, don't put me in the same catigory .

NOTE: Had the Social security system kept it's promise the average fund for each person would be over $ 890000, at age 62.

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Peace officer ............Waaaay cool ! :)

I'm not so sure about Social Security. As i understand it:

It was created around the time of the New Deal. That would have been back during my grandfather's day. Life was pretty hard back then. The standard work day was ten hours and you generally worked six days a week. Average life expectancy wasn't much more that 68 years.

Once you get up in your sixties it's pretty hard to do that. Social Security was only intended to be a supplemental income so that the older hands could scale back to part time work. You went on it at 65 and odds were that you would only be drawing for three or four years before you died. ~ It was a feasible plan. ~

It was never intended to be something you could live on and health insurance was never a part of the deal.

Anyway .... that all went southbound during the Nixon Administration. Up until then, the monies paid into the system went directly to the Social Security Administration. During his administration they started sending all the pension money to the U.S. Treasury. The Treasury issues IOU's to SSA and money owed became part of our national debt.

In a nutshell ... they broke the deal and robbed the pension fund. The Social Security Administration ceased to be. All of it's obligations were assumed by the government.

Now they're entitlements.

< scratches head > I dunno .... how could you ever judge who is worthy and who is not ?

I think of my mother in law and in all honesty she is probably one of the most worthless people i've ever met. Never worked a day in her life. Was a complete failure as a wife & mother to her children. Never contributed anything and always took from the system like a parasite.

Here she is 70 years old and in the nursing home. With reasonable care it's likely she will live at least another ten years.

I could support a family of four on what it's costing the state to keep her in there every year.

By most any account she doesn't deserve anything but this isn't about her and whether she's worthy or not. This is about us and the kind of people we are. You shouldn't leave your people behind ? It's the morally right thing to do ?

"If you like your Health Plan you can Keep You Plan."....Not

"If you like your country you can keep your country, no matter how many laws you broke to get here." Heavy sigh...

The sooner people realize that insurance companies are businesses and therefore have a #1 goal of making money (and NOT helping you), the sooner we can actually deal with the core problem. Trying to subdue a pirhana is only going to make it make the most of every opportunity it gets to get a good bite in, and that's exactly what insurance companies are doing now. They're always going to lobby and find a way around the intention of the law, and that's no lawmaker's fault. The longer the attention is misplaced on Obama or whomever else seems like a good scapegoat, the more time insurance companies have to figure out how to both follow the law and rape your wallet in the mean time.