Posted on 12/26/2006 5:11:15 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
You guys all pay my premiums for me, will ya?
Living in Massachusetts and being self employed for the last 20 years,I lost my insurance a few years ago when my wife working for a high tech company down-sized and she lost her job and our health insurance went with it.We looked into insurance through the Chamber of Commerce and other avenues but found no matter how you cut it to get "real" health insurance for the both of us cost about a thousand bucks a month,so we lived without it. I've recently been contacted by the State on how this new system is supposed to work and if I'm understanding correctly it's supposed to be pro-rated according to annual earnings of the people being covered. I've got no problem paying for health insurance providing it's within reason but only time will tell if this thing plays out the way it's being advertised !!!
I'm getting to the point where I'm seriously thinking of just getting a "Catastrophic" policy for us, and then letting the chips fall where they may.
My in-laws farmed and only had those types of policies through the years, then paid for whatever the TWELVE kids needed along the way...or more often than not, they stitched them up themselves, LOL!
Insurance is insanely expensive because everyone uses it for every little thing these days.
The problem is catastrophic insurance isn't cheap either and there's too damn much "fine" print on what they DON'T cover. Believe me, my wife and I know about getting along with physical problems however there comes a point in a persons life where an opportunity to get financial help with things like prescriptions would be greatly appreciated !!!
I actually have no problem with this. This is perfect. States should be the "laboratories" of the US.
The only way socialized healthcare will get through is if they manage to foist it on us all at once. If they do it one state at a time, when the time comes to spread it everywhere people will see rationing and waitlists in other states and they will FLIP OUT.
I recently found that out. Hubby is a retired firefighter and through our group plan I pay $370 per mnth for medical insurance for just myself. Dental is separte and $31 per mnth for hubby and me.
The almost same exact plan through Blue Cross California is $170 per mnth. They turned me down due to a pre-existing condition. 2 other insurance co's turned me down as well so I am stuck with insurance that costs me $400 per mnth.
But I dam sure don't want universal health care and I am sick of paying for everyone elses healthcare too.
It is a perennial problem you may have noticed. Our Medicare was passed in the 60's and only recently modernized. And there is also that sacred FISA law written before computers or cell phones.
Competition is what forces companies to stay up to date, not Congress.
Maine: Tax hikes eyed to pay for health care program
(excerpts) AUGUSTA - A special task force suggests raising several state taxes to help pay for and expand the state’s DirigoChoice health insurance program.
In addition, the task force said that virtually all large and small Maine employers should be required to offer coverage to their workers or contribute to a public health care fund.
Nonessentials such as cigarettes, snacks, sodas, beer and wine are on the list of items that might be taxed higher to raise some $87 million a year, more than enough to cover the cost of running the Dirigo Health Agency and providing the income-based subsidies that make the insurance coverage more affordable.
Now look at this from just a year ago:
State $75M in the black
Friday, July 15, 2005 - Bangor Daily News
AUGUSTA - Although the Baldacci administration has coped with economic challenges over the last two years, the governor was pleased to announce Thursday the state had ended the fiscal year with a significant surplus.
Before any deductions that are triggered automatically by legislative budget policies, Maine ended the fiscal year on June 30 with a $75.2 million surplus. Gov. John E. Baldacci said in a prepared statement that the surplus resulted from the collection of $29.2 million in revenues that exceeded budget estimates. Another $15 million was returned to the state as the result of the governor's executive order that restricted departmental spending and encouraged savings. About $27.1 million is money allocated to state agencies in fiscal year 2005 that was not spent and is being carried forward. Finally, $3.9 million was retrieved from various departmental accounts, according to the governor.
"When I came into office, I had distinct goals: grow good paying jobs with benefits, invest in Maine's future, provide affordable health care and protect our natural resources," Baldacci said. "Jobs are growing, income is growing and the tax burden is falling. We have lived within a spending cap and continued critical investments that are building a foundation for the future of Maine. Our economic plan is working. I released preliminary numbers several weeks ago, and today, the numbers are even more promising."
Earlier this year, Baldacci was forced to rewrite part of his budget to eliminate a controversial $450 million borrowing plan. The state's bond rating was also downgraded in May by all of the major Wall Street bond houses. In light of those setbacks, Rebecca Wyke, the governor's chief of finance, said surplus was a pleasant development that exceeded the administration's expectations, which initially were closer to $30 million overall.
"We're always a little on the conservative side to make sure we can end the year in the black," she said. "Since December, this is the fourth time revenues really came in above where we thought they would be. It is good news and it reflects what we kind of thought was going to happen all along which was a steady recovery and steady revenue increases."
The breakdown of appropriations for the $75.2 million is as follows:
. $27.1 million for various state expenses in fiscal year 2006.
. $7.1 million for the Baxter Compensation Fund.
. $6.5 to General Fund Operating Capital.
. $13.1 million to the Budget Stabilization Fund.
. $13.1 million to the Retirement Allowance Fund;
. $1.0 million to the Loan Insurance Reserve Fund.
. $349,000 to the Governor's Contingent Account.
. $315,000 to microenterprise.
After all commitments have been satisfied, the state has a net unappropriated surplus to be carried forward into fiscal year 2006 of approximately $6.6 million.
Although Baldacci said the surplus indicates "Maine is on a positive economic track," state Republican leaders took a different view. Maine State GOP Chairman Randy Bumps said that "even with the rosy picture the governor tries to paint, our government has hundreds of millions in the [budget's] structural gap, which amounts to deficit spending."
The structural gap is the difference between anticipated expenses and projected revenues in the next two year budget cycle.
"[Baldacci] furthers the 'smoke and mirrors' approach to budgeting and bookkeeping that is common in this administration," Bumps said in a prepared statement. "The governor is claiming there is a surplus to the tune of $29 million left over, when the truth of the matter is that any amount of surplus that the governor is claiming to have acquired is directly attributable to the over $500 million in new taxes and assorted fees that he has imposed on the backs of Maine taxpayers."
Maine doesn't???!!! The Governor brought in over 1,200 Somali's living in Lewiston, Maine. Last I heard, only 45 of them were working. The rest are sucking off of our welfare system.
Maine is the second poorest state in the Union, right behind Tennessee. I'd say we have a problem.....
"If they do it one state at a time, when the time comes to spread it everywhere people will see rationing and waitlists in other states and they will FLIP OUT."
That's not a bad way to look at it. However, I don't want Wisconsin to be the first 'Lab Rat in the Cage,' so to speak. Our CongressLesbian Tammy Baldwin (D) has been trying to make it so for years now; fortunately she's so inept (ranks way at the bottom of productive CongressCritters; it's always a battle for last place, LOL!) that it hasn't gone anywhere yet.
However, we now have a 'Rat Governor again (first time in 32 years) and we lost the Wisconsin State Senate, so we only hold a slim majority in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Push IS going to come to shove in the coming years.
My predictions? There will be some major gun-grabbing, more funding for the Culture of Death and their embryonic stem cell research and then some form of Universal Health Care for Wisconsin. I pray I'm wrong!
Sorry I had no idea. I always thought of Maine as a bastion of White People and had forgotten completely that it had been invaded with Samalians. How the hell did the folks in maine allow that to happen. Its like importing welfare recipients.
I guess the DemocRATS needed the votes and wanted to maintain power over this state. It's a real mess. And the state re-elects Baldacci this last election. I just can't believe it!
How many years before the indictments start to come down?
The problem is that people(poor mostly) won't pay for health care. The only way for the doctors to get paid is for the state to take the money at gunpoint and siphon it back to the doctors and hospitals. People won't pay for health care because it is too expensive. It's too expensive because the lawyers see it as a cash cow.
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