Posted by Charles_Ca on 4/17/06 1:16pm
Msg #113990

Health Plan voet in Senate FYI

I just got this from the National Assocaition of Realtors and thought it worthy of discussion.

NAR Call For Action: U.S. Senate to Vote on Small Business Health Insurance - Tell Your Senators to Support It!

The full Senate will soon take up S.1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act. This bill, planned for a floor vote in early May, will allow you and other independent business persons to acquire affordable health insurance coverage. The time to act is now! Your U.S. Senators need to hear from you.

S.1955 cleared its first Senate hurdle March 15, 2006 when REALTORS helped push the bill through a favorable vote in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. But, a more formidable hurdle looms because a full Senate floor vote is expected to be difficult. We can’t let up now. REALTORS must intensify their efforts and urge their Senators to vote YES for S.1955.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 4/17/06 1:17pm
Msg #113993

By the way that is supposed to be vote n/m

Reply by Becca_FL on 4/17/06 1:48pm
Msg #114007

Thank you, Charles...

I just emailed my US Senator. Now, if every active board member would do the same it might make a difference.

Reply by John_NorCal on 4/17/06 9:04pm
Msg #114065

Thanks Charles. My question is how would this be funded? Is it just something that is mandated to insurance companies to provide, etc.
I'm all for affordable coverage, I just don't want to see another cash cow for insurance companies.
Another thing that I feel would help all taxpayers is some reform in the IRS code, specifically medical deductions. I think it's ludicrous that there is a floor of 7.5% of adjusted gross income before a person gets any benefit at all for medical expenses. After doing a slew of tax returns this season, I saw so many people who could use some financial relief.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 4/17/06 9:47pm
Msg #114078

Re: Health Plan vote in Senate FYI, I agree

To me the greatest travesty foisted on the American people was the tax reform act of 1986 by none other than the great communicator. That act has caused more havoc than the Russians. It made real estate investment passive by definitnion. The act eliminated tax credits for research causing industry to stop reserach and let the Japanese, Chinese and the Indians to pass us in technology, under Reagan we had the base closures which caused huge areas to become economic wastelands and it did nothing to reform the graduated income tax which is a travesty in intself. Don't get me started.

Anyway I understand that this new bill will set up a program to allow small business access to the same programs that major businesses use to get group health. I believe that it forces insurace companies to put small businesses into group categories. I know that CAR has been talking about setting up a special group and I suspect that this will make it happen.