[lbo-talk] Federal employees plan? was AP: White House appears ready to drop 'public option'

[Max B. Sawicky]

Of course I'd prefer single-payer or some kind of VA or Medicare for all,
but that's not what's on the table.  I said access to something similar
to the FEP (which I am also in, and which yes does not cover all
expenses when an insured is very sick, as in my case as well).
And I have what I imagine is pretty good coverage (BCBS
standard option).  At any rate, I thought it was the most gold-plated
of plans, and I still have gotten reamed with out-of-pocket costs,
and there is no end in sight.

There is also the considerable time it takes to manage the blizzard
of paperwork.

For someone who has no choice or very little, something like the FEP would
be a hell of a lot better.  It's true there is no sliding scale on premiums 
based
on salary.

By the way, all out of pocket $$$ plus the premiums you pay with after-tax 
dollars
are deductible, if you are able to itemize deductions.

I do agree that at the end of the day, as I pointed out in my post, that
those with low pay can't easily afford health insurance, even if it is group
coverage, even with subsidies, because work doesn't pay.

Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:00 PM
Subject: [lbo-talk] Federal employees plan? was AP: White House appears 
ready to drop 'public option'

Ok,since Max brought it up and because I am a Federal employee, I will
take this opportunity to address some of these misconceptions about
the great options that Federal employees have.

First, its almost exactly like what any other employee of a private
sector company has.  Your employer pays part of the premium to a
private insurance company, and part comes out of your salary.

Now the difference is that I can choose from about 20-30 different
plans from about 40 different private corporations.  I think probably
from any health insurance company that operates in Arizona in my case.

 They of course all vary on what the gov. and the employee pays, what
the plans cover, and what the yearly deductibles and copays are etc..
And let me tell you, CHOICE SUCKS!

I chose what I could afford, and I am still getting clobbered with
bills all year to take care of my sickly spouse.  All I want is
something that charges me little and covers the essential health
needs.  And doesn't pay executive's million dollar salaries and
another guy's stock dividends. Single payer!

And there is absolutely no equality built in to the Federal employee
insurance system.  If a person is management level, GS-12+ then they
can choose the gold plated plan of their choice, and a nice chunk of
change comes out of their salary.  Likewise a GS-4-5 can choose the
same plan and an equally large chunk of change will be deducted from
their much smaller check.

So I am sure those Congressmen/women and Senators who make make 100
thou. plus a year can choose the best  insurance in the world and
their deduction doesn't hurt a bit.  Not so much for the lesser
Federal employee like yours truly.

There is a young woman who cleans the facilities where I work.  She is
disabled and has many health problems, and she works full time, and
she also works at the local Walmart to make ends meet.  I'm guessing
she opts for the best insurance she can choose from because she needs
it, and I am betting it takes out a significant amount out of her take
home pay.

So no, there is not from each according to his ability, to each
according to his need for Federal employees.

Oh, and FYI, there are significant numbers of Federal employees who
work for the Forest Service, Nat. Park Service, BLM etc. who work as
seasonals and are not provided health insurance. All those wild-land
fire fighters who fight fires protecting the private property of the
wealthy who have vacation homes next to public lands, I am betting at
least 90% of them are seasonals who are not provided health insurance
from the Federal govt..

So really, giving people the options that Federal employees have,
while better than nothing, still is an undue burden on low wage
workers and doesn't necessarily help our overall circumstances of
gross inequality in this country.  And what about the unemployed?  And
the blood sucking health insurance corp. parasites will still get rich
off the system.

Single payer, the best and only solution that American's can't pull
their heads out of their assess to demand.

Sheldon


>
> The sticky part absent any public option (and does anybody know what a
> "coop" would look like?) is coverage for those with low wages. Since many
> workers make low wages, it is hard to shoehorn in a mandate on the firm.
> You need big subsidies, relative to the worker's wage level. The other 
> sticky
> wicket is very small firms who will escape the mandate, and the impact 
> that
> might have on firms just above the cutoff -- downsize and contract out to 
> get
> under the ceiling.
>
> I'm also hearing of provisions to gouge "savings" out of Medicare and 
> Medicaid
> that could entail benefit cuts which will affect those currently
> covered, all for
> the sake of bogus 'fiscal responsibility' reasons.
>
> Once the exchange is set up, it's possible that pressure to control 
> subsidies
> and premiums in general will lead to the addition of a public option, as 
> well as
> efforts to jawbone medical providers to keep prices from increasing as 
> much.
>
> Getting a near-universal system is a necessary prelude for raising the 
> ratio
> of good care to expenses. No matter what happens this fall, this will not
> be over.
>
>

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