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Home Sale August 22-25 in Schuylkill County, Pa

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What’s Really In Your Health Care Bill?

By Deanna Blanchard

Let’s face it … very few of us are going to sit down and wade through the 1,107 Link here pages of legal mumbo-jumbo that make up the health care bill.

Your Congressman probably hasn’t even read it.

Fortunately, an unnamed person has been going through the bill with a fine-toothed comb and posting his findings on Twitter.

Here are just a few of the provisions he discovered that could limit or even endanger your right to the healthcare you need …

1) Your freedom to choose your own health insurance plan
will go up in smoke.

When HR 3022 goes into effect in 2013, you will not be allowed to enroll in a private health care plan (p. 16, section 102, lines 3-26). Instead, you’ll be forced to go with the public option, whether you like it or not.

Of course, if you already have a private plan, you can keep it - until your employer decides to switch you to the cheaper public plan, that is. However, if you are one of the few who manage to hang onto their private plans, you will not be allowed to change any of its terms or conditions. And you will still be under government control.

The government will establish a Health Insurance Exchange to bring private health insurance plans under its jurisdiction (p. 72, Section 201, lines 8-14) - so it can dictate the benefits that can be made available under those plans (p. 84 -85, Section 203).

But that’s not all …

• If you’re Medicaid-eligible, you will automatically be enrolled in Medicaid - whether you want it or not (p. 102, section 205, lines 12-18). However, your physician’s services to you will be limited by the government (p. 239, section 1121, lines 14-24).
• The enrollment of people with special needs will be restricted - leaving people in serious need of medical coverage out in the cold (p. 354, section 1177).
• The government is granting itself the authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMSs, etc. - forcing people into the public option plan (p. 341, section 1162, lines 3-9).

Click here for the full bill

2) Don’t want health insurance? Be prepared to pay the price …

If you do not have health insurance that meets the government’s standards, you will be taxed 2.5% of your income (p. 167, section 401, lines 18-23).

But if you’re a nonresident alien, congratulations - you’re exempt from this tax (p. 170, section 401, lines 1-3).

3) Are you an illegal alien who wants health insurance? You’re in luck.

The health care bill prohibits discrimination in health care (p. 50-51, Section 152). So whether you’re in America legally or not, you’re entitled to enroll in the health care plan.

4) The government will determine if you get the health care you need.

Under the health care bill, the government will define the annual limitations to your health services (p. 29, Section 122, lines 4-16).

And it will establish a Health Benefits Advisory Committee to decide what treatments/benefits you get (p. 30, section 123).

The government will also determine how much time and effort the doctor will be allowed to take with you (p. 253, section 1122, lines 10-18).

In other words, it’s going to determine how much cost and effort you’re worth.

5) You will no longer get to decide how you’ll live out the end your life.

All people enrolled in Medicare will have a mandatory counseling session with an Advance Care Planning Consultant every five years to manage your last few years on this earth (p. 424-425, section 1233).

If your health changes - for example, you’re diagnosed with a disease or some other chronic condition - you’ll be required to have more frequent meetings (p. 428, section 1233, lines 17-25).

During these sessions, you’ll receive instruction and consultation concerning living wills and durable powers of attorney (p. 425, section 1233, lines 7-9).

You’ll also be given an approved list of resources to help guide you to the end of your life (p. 425, section 1233, lines 12-23).

But you get more than just well-meaning advice …

The government will also get a say on how your life ends (p. 427-428, section 1233) - and the advance care consultation may even include an order for end of life plans (p. 429, section 1233, lines 1-3).

And - in the biggest step toward euthanasia our Country has ever made - the government will decide what level of treatment you are entitled to at the end of your life (p. 430, section 1233, lines 4-17).

Click here for the full bill

6) Your right to privacy will be revoked.

As part of its health care reform, the government is granting itself real-time access to your finances (p. 58, section 163).

It’ll dip into your bank accounts for electronic funds transfers (p. 59, Section 163) and have access to all your financial and personal records so it can make decisions regarding your care (p. 195, section 421).

7) Doctors and hospitals will take a hit.

Under the new health care bill, the government will have the authority to tell doctors what they can earn (p. 127, section 225, lines 1-16). Doctors will be paid the same fee across the board for providing specific services, no matter what their specialty (p. 241, section 1121, lines 6-8).

The government will also penalize doctors with a pay reduction for treating a patient during initial admission (to a hospital) that results in readmission (p. 298: section 1151, lines 9-11).

And - although it’s totally unrelated to the provision of health care services - the government will limit how much ownership or investment interest doctors can have in a hospital or medical facility (p. 317, section 1156, lines 13-20).

Unfortunately, hospitals won’t fare much better.

The government will penalize hospitals for what they deem to be preventable readmissions by reducing payments due to them (p. 280, section 1151).

Hospitals will also not be allowed to expand. The number of hospital rooms, procedure rooms and beds must remain the same as when the bill goes into effect (p. 317-318, section 1156, lines 21-25).

Hospitals can apply for exception, but community input is required (p. 321, section 1156, lines 2-13).

Plus, cancer hospitals will get special attention…

The government will analyze their costs to make sure they don’t exceed the costs incurred by other hospitals furnishing the same services (p. 272, section 1145). This could lead to cost cutting by the cancer hospitals, which could affect quality and amount of treatment patients receive.

Don’t think your employers are off the hook …

The government will require employers to automatically enroll all employees into the public option plan (p. 145, section 312, lines 15-17). An employee will be given a brief window of time to opt-out of automatic enrollment if they can prove that they are covered by another plan. (p. 148).

If a business does not provide the public option, they’ll have to pay the penalty …

• Any employer with a payroll of $400,000 or more will have to pay an 8% tax on all payroll (p. 149, section 313, 16-24).
• Businesses with payroll between $251,000 and $400,000 will be penalized with a 2 - 6% tax on all payroll (p. 150, section 313, lines 9-13).

9) Not even your marriage or mental health are safe
from government meddling.

Thanks to the health care bill, the government will be able to …

• Be involved in your marriage and family. All therapies in those areas will be covered - and overseen - by the government’s health plan (p. 489, section 1308).
• Decide what’s best for your mental health. As part of this new bill, the government will define, create and ration all mental health services (p. 494-498, section 1308).

10) The government protects its position as a monopoly.

The government has included a special provision in the health care bill to prevent companies for suing it for price-fixing. It made certain that no judicial review of prices will ever be allowed (p. 124, section 223, lines 24-25).

In the meantime … call your representatives and the White House. E-mail them. Send faxes and letters. Drive them nuts.

Pelosi is trying to push through this bill by the end of July - despite the fact that 84% of Americans are against it.

The only way to stop this national disaster is to make our voices heard.

Until next time …

Power to the People!

For more about politics click here.

Being a Type 1 insulin-dependent person since 1983, I was interested in why they were, or I guess in this case, NOT addressing this issue. My initial reaction was that she was probably just a Type 2 diabetic and the newspaper was just overreacting.

Quite the contrary…According to the article, she has been taking insulin injections daily since she was 8 years old.

Now, I guess the reason I am bringing this up is that insulin injections is not the best way to regulate your blood sugar and minimize diabetes complications. The insulin pump has been around for 25+ years, and is considered by far the BEST method to control diabetes for those of us who need an ‘outside’ source of insulin. I can personally testify to its effectiveness.

Here is the question: Why hasn’t our proposed Supreme Court Justice not availed herself of the latest technology to stay healthy?

What kind of other decisions can we expect from her?

Please comment and let me know what you think about this “hidden issue”.

If there ever was a moment in time when you could make a huge difference for your family’s future, THIS IS IT!

14 days ago, “The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009″ (HR 2454) squeaked through the U.S. House of Representatives with a tiny seven-vote majority - and by doing so, it took a giant step towards becoming the law of the land.

This “Cap and Tax” bill is pure poison for entrepreneurs like us and our families.

By levying huge taxes and fines on every kilowatt-hour of electricity and gallon of gasoline we buy, it will put thousands of struggling small businesses OUT of business.

The explosion in unemployment we’ve seen so far in this recession will pale by comparison to what Cap and Tax will do if it becomes law.

Worse: It will push millions of working families to the brink of bankruptcy and beyond.

HR 2454 could also be the straw that breaks our entire economy’s back - and NOT just because it will kill small businesses, intensify the recession and reducing federal tax revenues, either.

With Obama’s budget deficits already pushing $2 trillion for 2009, this bill authorizes massive NEW spending without limit — blank check provisions that extend as far out as the year 2025 and beyond!

The great news is, we still have time to stop this terrible law before it bankrupts us.

Right now, a similar law is about to be considered by the Senate. But because the House’s Cap and Tax bill barely squeaked through, the Senate version is likely to have an even tougher time.

Changing just one or two Senators’ minds about this disaster-in-the-making could save you, me and all of us from punitive, sky-high energy taxes and fees for the rest of our natural lives!

Put simply, this is YOUR opportunity to get heard and make a difference — but time is short. Congress is infamous for passing controversial bills like this one — supposedly without even reading them — in the middle of the night.

Here’s what you need to do now to protect yourself, your business or career and your family’s financial future:

FIRST, click this link to visit NewsBlarg.com and sign our petition demanding that the U.S. Senate stop this insanity NOW. (You’ll need to sign in or create a free account first.) We’re ready to print and deliver these petitions to the Senate in the most impactful way possible: By burying the Senate in a blizzard of hard copies of this petition containing tens of thousands of signatures.

SECOND, click this link to go to the NewsBlarg.com home page. Find the blue box at the top of the third column with the illustration of the Capitol. Click the link that says “Click here to e-mail your senator.”

Just follow the simple instructions to send an e-mail to BOTH of your state’s senators demanding that they “VOTE NO ON CAP AND TRADE.”

AND THIRD, FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR “CONTACTS” LIST RIGHT AWAY! Urge them to help us stop this deadly bill before it’s too late.

If we take a stand now, we can stop this train wreck before it’s too late. Otherwise, we’ll have nobody to blame but ourselves when it breaks us.

For our children’s futures,

Clayton Makepeace
Publisher
NewsBlarg.com

I just got finished reading a post from the marketing and copywriting guru, Clayton Makepeace. Typically on his site he shares advice and guidance on those areas, of which he is extremely successful at.

Occasionally, not often, he goes off on a political rant. Mostly it is to give an example of how to get people excited or motivated [about your product or idea]. Partly I think is frustration with the management of the greatest country in the world - ours.

In his post The State Of The Union June 15, 2009 he isn’t just ranting, but he is offering a solution. A way for us to take back control of OUR country.

I suggest you read this post now and then check out the new website he has created … with tons of info and articles … a place to sign or create petitions … simplified ways to directly influence your elected officials … or just to share your feelings about things that concern you most … and all for free!!!

We should give Clayton a patriot award for investing his time and money to make this available to all of us in the “quiet” majority.

Check it out now!! Get involved!! Let us once again be able to say “I Am Proud To Be An American”!!

There is, and has been, so much negative news in the last year … more than the usual “bad news IS the news” routine. Oil prices, stock market, failing banks, companies closing, bailouts, job losses, on and on and on.

While facts are facts and can’t be changed, the perception of them is in our own control … our control, yours and mine. Now, I’m not pollyanna, and I don’t own a pair of rose-colored glasses, but I do believe we have more control of what happens to us than we are led to believe by those in charge and the media.

Countless studies and examples have proven that what we expect to happen affects what actually happens.

One example is the school teacher who is told her new class are trouble makers and are ‘C’ students at best. So she treats them accordingly and lo and behold D’s and C’s are what they get. Compare this to the teacher who refuses to believe her students are ‘bad’, doesn’t write them off, expects good work from them, and gets it.

Is the economy in bad shape? To a degree I guess. I am too young to personally remember the Great Depression, but we are no where close to that. The majority of the people have jobs. Most companies are still making profits [at least those with good business plans]. Overall, there are more pluses than minuses. And it appears to be getting better.

We could speed up this ‘recovery’ if we all would expect or look for growth or positive changes in our and our nation’s situation. Instead of wallowing in the rhetoric of “the sky is falling”. It is so much easier to complain about something than to do something.

Our nation was built by hard-working adventurers and explorers … people who risked it all to have a better life. They were always excited … anxiously looking forward … for what was around the next bend. Those same genes from our forefathers are in each one of us!!

My personal motto for a long time has been “Prepare For The Worst, But Expect The Best”. Feel free to try it on for yourself.

I would like to hear your comments.

… Until the next acorn drops, keep looking up …

The Oak Tree

2) Take your financial temperature.

As soon as you realize that it’s going to be tough to keep up with your payments sit down to create a budget. Find a way to cut back on non-essentials or delay any purchases that are not critical. Saving your home is usually going to be one of your top priorities.

Look at your loan documents to see how much your payments might increase in the future. You should also come up with a realistic value of your home. One way to estimate this is to ask a realtor how you should price your home if you needed to sell it within the next 30 days. You can also have a realtor do a comparative market analysis, however be aware that the value they give you might be higher than the price that will give you a quick sale. Call several investors to see what they might offer. You can expect low price offers, and you may also find a investor who may be able to “pay what you owe” if you are willing to allow them to make your payments for a period of time prior to officially buying the home.

Can you stay or must you go?  Sit down with the family and look at your options. It may be much better to sell the house now, or at least attempt to deal with the problem rather than waiting. Most people who put off dealing with an issue like this end up in foreclosure.

3) Do something now.

Seriously consider selling the house even if you have to accept less or maybe wait for a few years to get all of your money out. If you have at least 6 months before the foreclosure sale you’ll want to use a realtor. Don’t list the home for more than three months in case you need to change agents. If you have less time then talk to several investors and pick the one that feels right to you.

Look at refinancing, but only move ahead with this option if it lowers your payments. Be aware that some loan brokers may promise you a loan but then not be able to deliver when it’s time to close on the new loan. The biggest risk for you at this point is wasting time waiting for a loan that may not come through.

Contact us today if you have any questions or need our help.
Click the link “Sell Your House” above or call us at 570-668-3357.

…Until the next “acorn” drops…Keep looking up…

1) Talk to your lender today.

The biggest misconception that homeowners have is that the lender is not approachable. If you are behind in your payments, then you need to be in contact with your lender. Make sure that you talk to the loss mitigation department rather than the collections department. The reason for this is that the collections department will have just one answer for you - “Pay now”.

If you are unable to get to the loss mitigation department, or if you want some help with the process, sometimes a local realtor or real estate investor may be willing to help out since they know that you might need them later to assist with a possible sale of your home.

Here are three ways the lender might be willing to help you:

Accept a “Workout ” solution with you

This is where the lender gives you a temporary waiver of your payment, a lower payment for a short period of time, or perhaps adds the past due amount to the loan balance. It is critical to the lender that you have the ability to make all of the payments according to the new terms that the lender agrees to. Be prepared to prove this to the lender with paycheck stubs and other background information.

Accept a Deed in lieu of foreclosure

To do this you would sign a document that gives your lender complete ownership of your home. You typically won’t get any money from this and you will have to of course move out of the home. The advantage of doing this is that a “Deed in lieu” won’t look as bad on your credit report as a foreclosure will.

Accept a Short Sale

A short sale is where the lender agrees to accept an amount that is less than the total amount due so that you are able to sell the house. Don’t expect to get any money from the sale. In addition you may be responsible for paying taxes on the amount that the lender does not receive. A realtor or real estate investor may be willing to help you with a short sale because they may be able to profit from doing so.

See “3 Ways To Stop Foreclosure Now Part 2″ for steps 2 & 3….

Contact us today if you have any questions or need our help.
Click the link “Sell Your House” above or call us at 570-668-3357.

…Until the next “acorn” drops…Keep looking up…