Horse Health Insurance
Horse Health Insurance
Clock Ticking For Health Insurance Plan Reform Bill
Experts claim that Democrats in the Senate have approximately 48 hours to get the ball rolling on healthcare reform for it to pass by the end of the year. Majority Leader Harry Reid’s goal is for the bill, which seeks to provide most Americans with a health insurance plan, to be passed by Christmas. The rush is due to several factors; among them is the myriad amendments pending in the Senate, which all must be voted on for inclusion in the final bill. Many of these amendments are controversial, including the ban on federal subsidies for any health insurance plan covering abortion proposed by Ben Nelson, and the coalition of liberal and moderate Democrats’ Medicare buy-in alternative for those between the ages of 55 to 64.
Another new amendment was recently introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan. Dorgan’s amendment would allow health insurance plans and patients to import prescription drugs from countries with lower prices, such as Canada. Unlike the United States, these nations have price controls keeping the cost of medications low. The Dorgan proposal will lessen the burden on millions of Americans forced to spend several hundred or even thousands of dollars annually on essential medications. Unusually for health care legislation, the drug importation amendment has strong bi-partisan support. Co-sponsors include Olympia Snowe, the Republican Senator who has expressed limited support for healthcare reform in the past.
The progress of seemingly popular legislation with appeal to the general public has been slower than expected. Although the idea has been floated by senators in the past (most notably a pre-presidency Barack Obama), drug company lobbyists are standing in its way. Earlier this year, the Obama administration struck a deal with the pharmaceutical firms: they pay $80 billion in extra taxes and agree to lower the prices on some popular medications while reducing its public opposition to reform; in exchange, the government allegedly agreed to avoid further regulation of the industry in the bill. Negotiation is important, but that particular deal appears somewhat unseemly. What is even worse is that those negotiations have become increasingly pointless–the heavily opposed public option looks to be dead in the Senate water, and the Medicare buy-in may not be too far behind.
Healthcare reform is also being held back by many Democratic senators waiting for a report from the Congressional Budget Office. Their analysis is supposed to be released this week, and will focus on the cost impacts of various alternatives proposed by the “Gang of 10″ moderate and liberal party members. Several so-called “Blue Dogs” have expressed concern over the increased debt that may result from reform legislation, at least in the short run. A favorable report will speed the legislative process along by convincing independent Joe Lieberman to come on board. Lieberman has said that although he wants healthcare reform to pass as soon as possible, he will most likely oppose any provision allowing middle-aged individuals to pay premiums into the Medicare health insurance plan, citing the program’s well-known problems with solvency.
Once the Senate manages to come to an agreement, more needs to be done in the 10 days before its self-imposed deadlines. The bill then returns to committees in the House of Representatives as well as the Senate for Congress to meld both bills together into a single piece of legislation that will be signed by President Obama at the start of the new year. This will be difficult to say the least, as the House’s version contains both a public option health insurance plan and stricter regulations against using the proposed health insurance subsidies to buy a plan with abortion coverage; the current Senate version has neither. At least a few days for congressional wrangling and horse-trading prior to the holiday break need to be factored into the timeline.
Many, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are understandably skeptical of this push. The Republican believes that the Democratic party is being presumptuous in its attempt to jam through politically unpopular legislation during a period when fewer Americans are taking notice of national politics. Party leaders have admitted that part of their motivation for passing this domestic priority so rapidly is to finish the long-running debate prior to the contentious 2010 mid-term elections. Finishing up healthcare reform would also free the Senate to focus on other important issues, including the unemployment rate and the war in Afganistan. There is also the issue of fading momentum to deal with; both parties are becoming weary of the health insurance plan discussion. It’s down to the wire; we will see if Harry Reid’s compromise plan succeeds.
About the Author
Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find a health insurance plan right now while waiting for a public option, if it ever gets passed. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.
career in Sales? I am considering changing careers, and got some wonderful advise and suggestions.?
Now I am specifically asking about sales. A woman in late 50’s, do not like working in a store or waitressing, but thinking sales. Selling health insurance, cars, jewelry, real estate or matches what works best? What has a good return and how hard is it to get into this type of work. I have a high school degree, extensive computer experience, love riding Horses, motor cycles and sewing. Any suggestions from you guys about what worked for you?
You are brave to change careers at the age you are now.
There is too much discrimination in any job where you meet
the public. Companies want younger people to call on
customers, clients and in general, to represent their company.
I experienced it, and my friends have experienced it also.
Many companies encourage retirement early, or demote, or
anything they can think of to give you a back seat position.
As for health insurance, that’s pretty much a mans field.
And there are some companies that observe tactics barely
within the law. Taking advantage of seniors with faulty mem-
ories not remembering if they had made their payments al-
ready, for one. My husband was left in the lurch once while thinking he still worked for a company focusing on health insurance.The owner took the money and cleared out. What a shock that was. And the Christmas season was upon us. That put us into a fast spiral downhill fast. Leaving us with a bad outcome. He worked at another insurance place, and sold ‘term’ insurance. And he barely ecked out a living.
He sold cars for several years as a middle aged man, and
there was one woman who was in sales. She did alright, but
she had a certain look about her, that garnered her sales.
That is generally a mans vocation, and the guys are back
stabbers. Generally they get only minimum wage when cars
aren’t selling well. Like this time of the year, through February.
Real estate is bad most everywhere now. Many states had
over building going on, and now homes are being auctioned
off, because they can’t be sold. More is owed in payments,
than what they can now get for them. I’ve read this on line
in news commentary, as well as seeing this subject discussed on the TV news. So real estate and car sales are
fields to avoid for the present. That is, unless you live in
North Carolina, where I’ve read that is booming right now.
People are moving there for cheaper real estate. That’s how
it was here in the northwest not too many years ago. And
builders over built homes and condos’ and apartments.
Now many are sitting vacant. And construction workers are
out of work this Christmas season. I know of three different
men who’re in this position. One started driving a medical
shuttle car to pick up just enough to live on. Sales won’t
be picking up til probably March. Just from my husband
working a lifetime in retail sales, I know this to be true.
I have a friend, who just quit to retire from telephone sales
for a leading manufacturer of in home exercise equipment.
She was one of their top sellers. And she makes enough
in her SS to live comfortably. And that’s what it’s all about.
Making enough while working to ensure a decent monthly
check with SS later. So few of us don’t. As for jewelry sales,
that would be working for independant stores, and without
past experience, those jobs would start you at the bottom
most probably. Since jewelry is a luxury and not a necessity,
it would be ‘feast of famine’ in that line. So your best bet, is
looking into a job that requires extensive computer experience and then hope you aren’t ‘over qualified’. You
might try property management. Working in the office of
a rental property community. Our daughter did that line of
work for a few years to learn more computer programs.
It might involve showing vacant apartments also. She
worked for two different properties and excelled enough
to become a property manager. So she got a free apt.
and only had to pay for utilities. And she got a decent salary
each month. But she was very young then. And dressed
well for greeting the public. It’s definately about image, when
you represent companies these days.
You might very well be stuck in the line you’ve been working
for awhile. Retail sales will be nil for the next two months at
least. So you have to consider that.
Only you know what you’d be the most comfortable doing.
And then see what those jobs pay. Real estate, by the way,
requires you go to real estate school. Then you have to pay
to get your license and have to pass the test to get one.
In car or any type of sales, you have to be a good ‘closer’.
Someone who can cinch a sale, by persuasive means and
a great personality usually. Here again tho, they want people
with experience in that field. And they want a certain age
bracket. When my husband thought about working in car
sales again before he retired, he applied at two locations
and each manager indicated they were interested in young
men in their 20’s or 30’s who were ‘eager beavers’. And
my husband was in his late 50’s then. It didn’t matter that he
had alot of car sales experience or that he’d even been in
management. Young ages, make you more hireable.
So I wish you luck and success in finding what you are
looking for in the new year.
The Real Goal of the Public Plan Option – Squeezing Out Private & Employer-Based Health Insurance