Actually I believe it should have (employes) insurance for a year anyway, And at thier rates for that year. I was laid off this summer and it was no fauly of mine (Company went into Chaper 7, yes an airline) And i lost my coverage almost immediately, its really a double kick to employess.

Wow First!

Wow @Charles T. - Idiot!

Great! I think this is a great thing! When it really comes down to it though the government is never going to legislate greed, and I beleive that one of the biggest problems in healthcare is that doctors and hospitals make too much money and take advantage of the fact that people have no choice when it comes to health. Take a look at one of your bills next time you go to the hospital. It is rediculous

Of course part of the problem is also the greed from those that sue and drive costs up by thier rediculous settlements.

I am getting sick of my employer having to pay over $1,200 a month for my insurance plus I pay another $250.00 plus I put another $1200 a year in my FSA account..Doctors have a sweet deal! Too Sweet, and if they dont get things in order we will be forced to socialized medicine.

Ok Mr. Moore @Mj - Did you just watch his silly movie?

You are forgetting that whenever the government gets involved, they make a mess of everything. You think HMO's are bad? Just wait till a Beuacrat decieds whether or not you are ill enough to get that cat scan you need, or have even condsidered all the people who go to ER's when they don't need to (say for a cough) then they can't pay, but Federal Laws they have to be "treated" then their cost is past on to you who is dumb enough to get a job and be responsible. Not to mention the fact that Homeless people, crack addicts and criminals clog our system with even more waste.
Profit is necessary so that people can get paid and reinvest in equpiment.

What happens when Rouge Doctors quit the Biz and open a Private practice that takes Cash Only?
THe super rich will get the best care and the rest of will be stuck with Government run 3rd world doctor garbage, and going to the DOC office will be worse than Going to the DMV.

Good Luck Mr. Moore

So then, @Mj - You are so right! Health care is just one of those lousy things that nobody wants (but'cha hafta anyway to keep on living to see the next football game or concert or movie (at sometimes more than $100 per event) or to see that your stock portfolio is or (is not) maturing - because those poor struggling actors and sports heroes and CEOs need your hard earned money to survive.

Those darned doctors should be the ones to sacrifice for the common good - I say force those doctors to volunteer to make less than $60,000 so we don't have to go to Socialism.

I mean, just because Madonna owns hardly more than a dozen modest $2M homes, why should doctors deserve to live in a luxurious $750k mansion on a rolling 0.5 acre of land - I mean, they don't do anything but gag you with a tongue blade and make you say ahhhhhhh or stick their fingers in your nether regions to make you scream and call it some fancy name like "a prostate exam" or "a papanicolaou smear". That's annoying and certainly not deserving of your hard-earned cash. Ugh.

Oops, am I being too sarcstic?

Insurance Companies The problem isn't the doctors but the insurance companies who require them to see about 50 - 100 patients per day. I've only lived in Utah for only 2 years and am having a hard time finding a doctor that doesn't make me feel I'm next in the Wendy's line.

Health insurance companies have an INHERENT conflict of interest Health insurance companies and their unchecked power, are the reasons our health care system is a disaster for the poor and middle class.

The fact that the TRILLION Bush wasted in "eye rack" could have paid for health care for AMERICANS for half a decade is besides the point.

Health insurance companies have an inherent conflict of interest because they are PROFIT motivated and not HEALTH motivated. You might say that good health for it's customers ensures good profit, but as we've all seen, it does NOT work out that way. Not even close.

The bottom line is that health insurance needs to be EITHER handled by non profit organizations OR medicaid needs to be expanded to cover all of the poor and lower middle class. This is simply the God's honest truth. As long as our skyrocketing premiums go to CEOs so they can buy another yacht, and to shareholders, we're going to continue to see most of the poor and half the middle class in the ranks of the UNINSURED.

I realllllllly want my health care ran just like Social Security, Public Edumacation, The Postal Service, IRS and the other well ran shining beacons of government success.

Yeah right @The Other Side - We should just let a company like AIG handle it instead.

Maybe There are certainly problems with insurance companies, but the real greed and problem starts with the doctors and hospital.

I think the problem with insurance is that the pateints do not recognize the obsurd charges becuase they do not have to pay the bills. Its like having your employer pay 90% of your grocery bill and then you only pay 10%. You would never feel the need to protest the $20.00 loaf of bread if you never had to pay for it.

Another problem is that the doctors often own radiology failities and labs. They then make millions of dollars sending everyone they can round up to get these services. Major abuse!

The average salary... @Mj - ...of a family practice physician is about $150,000/yr. Pediatricians make even less than that. I know some electricians who make close to that - should we limit their salaries too? Is that why houses cost so much?

They're talking about raising the minimum wage, but of course that won't raise the cost of eating a burger at Wendy's. Maybe that is the answer - we'll all be healthier and we won't need any cash-grabbing doctors. It's not our fault that we're so unhealthy.

Even better, It's a conspiracy - not only do they make you get an x-ray (at their own facilities), they're behind the tremendous success of SUGAR, burgers, unsafe sex and any other unhealthy lifestyle practices that lead to diabetes and heart disease. By the way, doctors also own all the monster truck rallies, bike motocross events, parachuting and deep sea diving companies and anything else that seems dangerous enough to cause an injury so that you have to go in and see them. Darn doctors...riffin...snarfin... *%$^greedy mothers...

You do realize @Mj - that the only one who is paying full price for the $20 loaf of bread are the ones without insurance, right? And even then it's only the uninsured with assests, if you don't have assests they will work with you a lot to get at least a portion rather than have you default completely.

The ones with insurance only pay $3. It's called usual, customary, and reasonable rates, and group discounts. Look at your insurance statement next time; the what the hospital bills, what the insurance says they should have been billed, and what the insurance company ultimately pays are 3 completely different things.

Part of the problem is the uninsured, like it or not you end up paying for it. Just like the local convinience store has to take into account how much money they lose to shoplifters and adjust their prices accordingly, hospitals need some way to pay for EMTLA and uninsured patients.

The problem is @Mj - that doctors can't really win. If they run the tests they are called greedy. If they don't run the tests and there is really something wrong with an individual they are looking at a lawsuit-which directly affects our medical costs. I agree that there are abuses and there needs to be some sort of regulation to sort those abuses out. But before you start calling greed you might want to ask yourself if you would rather have tests done and find out that you have cancer when it is easily treated. Or would you rather have your doctor do what is perceived as the ungreedy thing to do and you die? There are a lot of contributing factors. Not just greed.

Patients need to take responsibility for their health care decisions as well. I have seizures and I have no problem telling my doctor that I don't want another EEG because they always come back normal. I believe they are being caution, but I ultimately make the decision. So if something does go wrong and I have refused the test, it is on me. Patients have a huge responsibility, as do doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies. There is plenty of blame to go around.

Now they find "religion" Now that Obama is poised to win, the democrats will have large majorities in Congress, NOW the insurers roll out an affordable plan for laid off people! Seems like a convenient time to "find religion".

Good because COBRA is the stupidest program ever. I have never met anyone who opted to get it after being laid off, fired, whatever.

The reality is... Health insurance is expensive because of the increased cost of technology and higher rates of diseases like diabetes. Another other contributing factor is people who don't have any health insurance who are going to emergancy rooms, receiving care, and not paying for it. Just look to Cal to see how these people are destroying their health care system. No matter which way you look at, between medicaid/medicare, health insurance premiums, and the no/under-insured we all pay for it any way.

As long as, Netcare requires ZERO, ZILCH in subsidies from the Government i am fine with it. For some reason i smell a skunk and the insurance companies are more interested in the loot aka "honorable tax payer money" more than they are interested in insuring everyone.

Keep your eyes open on this one guys i smell a skunk as bad as the $700 billion bail out.

thats nice... but what about those who CAN afford it...but can't get it...because no insurance company wants to insure us?

balloo, @balloo - I would suggest consulting Federal laws. They can't turn you down because of a pre-existing condition as long as you have doctor documentation if this is your case to why you can't get insurance.

Where to sign up? Does anyone know who to contact to sign up? Cobra is killing me.