Long Islanders have a good reason to celebrate: the Supreme Court of the United States has upheld the most important aspects of the Affordable Care Act(ACA).
While the language of the Court's opinion can be a little tough to get through (see scotusblog.com for more information), the victory is that the majority of the justices decided that the government could compel all Americans to buy insurance by 2014. Their main point of contention was that rather an "individual mandate" to buy insurance, the court is interpreting this as a tax, which they agree is within the power of the Congress to draft.
Back in March, LIPC led a group of Long Islanders in wishing a "Happy Birthday" to ACA on its second anniversary, even handing out cake to college students who are recieving some of the first benefits of the law. We knew that it was going to be a struggle to preserve affordable health care, but with todays decision, everyone's hard work has paid off.
Just a few years before ACA was passed, researchers at Adelphi University's School of Nursing found that over 16% of Long Islanders had no health insurance whatsoever. These are regular folks like yourself, but who don't have the money to buy expensive individual insurance, and fall through the cracks of Medicaid. These are the people that the Supreme Court has supported today, giving them hope that they won't have to choose between bankruptcy and healthcare. But this isn't just a Long Island victory; it's a victory across the state.
The decision is a victory for the 150,000 young adults in New York who now can get coverage by staying on their parent’s plans due to the so called “under 26 provision.” Young adults will be protected as they go to graduate school, struggle with unemployment after college or struggle to make ends meet with a job that doesn’t provide health coverage. Many more will benefit in the future.
It’s a victory for the millions of New Yorkers who won’t have to have second thoughts about going to the doctor to get services like blood pressure testing and cholesterol screening, because the law prohibits consumers from being charged for preventive services. It’s a victory for millions of New Yorkers who will no longer have to worry about economic ruin if they get serious conditions like cancer because the law stops insurance companies from establishing so called “lifetime limits” on how much their health insurer will pay for their disease or illness.
And, it’s a victory for all New Yorkers, because New York can move forward with its plans to create a health insurance exchange – a Costco’s or Sam’s Club for health insurance. The exchange will provide quality health coverage to well over a million individuals: allowing individuals to save over two-thirds of their health premiums. And the exchange will help you pick out the health insurance plan that meets your needs, and protect you against insurance company bureaucrats that seek to deny you care just because it’s good for their bottom line.
The battle isn't over yet, though, and Long Islanders who are interested in finding new ways to support the Affordable Care Act should contact us at the Long Island Progressive Coalition, at administration@lipc.org or 516.541.1006.
Social security is bankrupt. Need I remind you that last summer the President was threatening all Social security recipients with the loss of social security checks due to the lack of a passed budget. There is no Social Security trust fund. The government borrowed all the funds. There is more money coming out of ss then going in. We can't fund social security as presently constituted. Add the new healthcare tax, who will pay for all this. Social security is doing more than it was ever intended to do, great causes but we can't afford it. You still think this is a successful program? Social security was a Good idea but the govt can't run anything efficiently. That is the inherent problem you can't rely on the govt if you do you are doomed for failure.
Your leaving out the Middle Easterns and Asians that also cross the boarders although in smaller numbers , but probably with different motives.
It's so ominous that there has been strong bipartisan support for it's repeal.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/06/511984/96-year-old-latino-former-arizona-governor-detained-by-border-patrol-in-100-degree-heat/?mobile=nc But then again the rest of the world does exactly that about Americans. We're all assumed to be ignorant, selfish and whole lot of other things....which nonsence I object to strongly, have spent years doing so. But then if a lot of Americans do same about foreigners I guess it's fair enough to lump us all in together and make assumptions like this, I can't help thinking, reading some of the posts here about those foreigner immigrants. Fair enough, right?!
How about making a commitment to having the best education system in the world, so we can become a better educated workforce, create more engineering jobs, rebuild our manufacturing industry. Which all leads to when you have a job, you can buy healthcare and you don't need a gov't tax to force you into it. You should have the right to choose, and you would if you had a job.
Why am I not surprised with this "earth is flat" approach to everything?
Lido Resident gave additional information that I neither disputed or distorted. My initial point, and to me the most critical point is, this new bureaucracy fundamentally changes the dynamic with decisions affecting Medicare policy and coverage. I even highlighted, referencing MedPac, how your elected officials were directly responsible for changes in the program, and now they're not. Members of both parties are uncomfortable with this part of the law. Given the current political climate, that should tell us all something Where, specifically have I been incorrect on what the Advisory Board can and cannot do?
BTW, it is interesting that illegals are considered "freeloaders" but at the same time "are taking our jobs." A recent study showed that illegals with fake SS numbers are paying into a system they will never take from. The same goes for medicare. Employers are deducting from paychecks and sending it to the IRS. The numbers are staggering. SSA reports $189Billion during the 90's. This decade it's about $7billion/year to social security and $1.5Billion in medicare deductions.
As for what I'm mistaken about I'd like to hear it.
Now even without insurance they will do their best to treat and comfort the symptoms you are having at the time of your arrival.
Private insurers are REQUIRED by state law to spend AT LEAST 80-85% of premium income (82% in New York) on health care. Absent the mandate to spend 80-85%, left to their own devices they would spend far less. Where does the 15-20% of premium income go? Claims Administration -- to deny claims and deter spending of premiums on health care. Executve salaries -- healthcare CEOs are making in the tens of million cash salaries (along with Cadillac health care benefits) and a multiple of that in deferred compensation. Absent the state mandates to spend 80-85% of subscriber premiums on subscriber healthcare, claims denial would be even more aggressive and CEOs would stuff even more in their own fat cat pockets.