american freedom insurance

1977 National Women's Conference Plan of Action success?

The plan of action adopted at the 1977 National Women’s Conference featured 26 resolutions, or planks, on the following topics:

By a topic by topic breakdown how successful have each of these been?

Arts and humanities: Women should have equal opportunities in federal posts and equal access to arts grants.

Battered women: A national clearinghouse must be created to support local organizations helping battered women and working to prevent domestic violence.

Business: More government contracts to women-owned businesses, which numbered less than one percent in 1977.

Child abuse: More prevention, treatment and protective services.

Child care: Care must be low cost and high quality.

Credit: The Equal Credit Opportunity Act must be enforced to make sure that women are no longer denied credit on the basis of gender.

Disabled women: Equal access to education, training, employment and child custody rights.

Education: More women in leadership positions and in textbooks. Title IX must be enforced.

Elective and appointive office: More representation of women.

Employment: More job opportunities and less discrimination.

Equal Rights Amendment: The ERA must be ratified.

Health: Health insurance benefits must include family planning and other concerns relevant to women.

Homemakers: Must be covered under Social Security and have greater economic security, especially in the event of divorce or the death of a spouse.

Insurance: Eliminate practices that deny women coverage on the basis of gender.

International affairs: Increase the number of women in the departments of state and defense, aid women in developing nations and promote nuclear disarmament.

Media: More women in media jobs, especially in leadership positions.

Minority women: Eliminate discrimination, support affirmative action, guarantee tribal rights and prevent deportation of mothers of American-born children.

Offenders: Improve health services and educational and vocational training.

Older women: Help older women live with dignity.

Rape: Expand the definition of rape to include married men who abuse their wives and reduce legal burdens on victims.

Reproductive freedom: Support Roe v. Wade, promote family planning and allow Medicaid payments for abortion.

Rural women: Create a federal rural education policy and expand ownership rights for farm wives.

Sexual preference: Implement legislation to eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual preference and repeal state laws restricting private sexual behavior between consenting adults.

Statistics: Federal agencies should collect and analyze data in ways that assess the impact on women.

Women, welfare and poverty: Improve social security and retirement systems, raise minimum wage, provide child care and focus on welfare and poverty as major women’s issues.

Continuing committee of the conference: Create a committee to follow up on recommendations and take steps to convene a Second National Women’s Conference.

Some of it has been achieved. Discrimination in lending has mostly disappeared, the federal government does a lot of gender based analysis, there are laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and Title IX is generally enforced.

But a lot of things haven't happened.

-The ERA wasn't passed.
-There are many health plans that cover Viagra (!) but not birth control. Which is frankly, ridiculous since childbirth costs insurance a fortune, but companies have learned they can force women to pay for it.
-Women pay more for health insurance.
-Child care is very expensive in the US and gets less government funding than it does in other Western countries.
-Homemakers do not get social security.
-Rape is rarely prosecuted and even when offenders are convicted, they generally serve less time than small scale drug dealers.
-Roe v Wade has been severely curtailed in the last 30 years.

Do you think if we had a fourth generation American Hispanic as our president he would?

he/she be sympathetic to all Mexico citizens? Do you think he/she would give illegal aliens more and more freedoms?

I would think he/she really couldn't identify with Mexico's citizens, but do you think he/she would attempt to strictly because of race? It's a hypothetical, but was just curious of your opinions.

I have many third generation Hispanic friends and, besides their skin color, you would never know they were Hispanic. One sounds like a surfer when he talks. None of them can speak fluent spanish. And they don't like illegals b/c many have had auto accidents caused by illegals, and they never have insurance. They just don't identify with them at all.
I'm an independent. I voted for Bill, then Gore, Dubya, Hillary in the primaries, then McCain for prez. So I'm all over the place. I just know I really don't care for Obama or his policies.

i'm a first generation, and i don't sound "mexican" at all

Catholics, have you read the message: To American Catholics?

1. Obama is undecided on whether life begins at conception – Saddleback Church Forum Aug 16th, 2008. Obama voted against born alive protections for abortion survivors four times, and voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion in the Illinois state senate

SOURCES: http://www.bornalivetruth.org
Audacity of Hope written by Barack Obama

2. Obama has pledged to Planned Parenthood to sign The Freedom of Choice Act, a law which would cancel every state, federal, and local regulation of abortion, no matter how modest or reasonable. It would even abolish all state restrictions on government funding for abortions. Catholics that pay income tax will be paying an abortionist to perform an abortion. It would also abolish state laws that protect Catholic doctors and nurses from losing their jobs if they refuse to participate in abortions. It would abolish requirements for parental notification and informed consent for mothers who consider the procedure. – Obama speech to Planned Parenthood, July 17, 2007
He is endorsed by pro-Abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood and has a 100% NARAL voting record. –

SOURCES: http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/campaigns/barack-obama-endorsement-111.htm

http://www.naral.org/elections/statements/obama.html

3. Obama would repeal the Mexico City policy, which bars federal funding for international nongovernmental organizations involved in abortion-related services and would pit the US against the Vatican on the international fight against abortion.

SOURCE: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080719_6257.php

4. He strongly supports the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion rights and says he will oppose any constitutional measure to overturn it. –

SOURCE: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080719_6257.php

5. Obama has pledged to choose Justices with a Pro Abortion agenda and he voted against Roberts and Alito.

SOURCE: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080719_6257.php

6. Obama voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions and prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion.

SOURCE: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080719_6257.php

7. Obama supports the destruction of embryos for experimentation and voted to expand research to more embryonic stem cell lines.

SOURCE: http://obama.senate.gov/press/070411-obama_renews_su/

8. He voted yes on $100M to fund contraceptives for teens and sponsored bill providing contraceptives for low-income women.

SOURCE: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080719_6257.php

9. Voted no on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP a program that gives funds to states in order to provide health insurance to families with children.

SOURCE: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/15942

10. He opposed the federal marriage amendment in 2006 and also favors repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which gives a state the right not to recognize same-sex marriages performed in another state.

SOURCE: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080719_6257.php

They’re only EMBRYOS not people!! If development of anti-aging treatments and cures for cancers get delayed because of you fucking IDIOTS, I’m going to be SERIOUSLY PISSED!!!

*bottoms up*
____

americans who are unemployed, have no health insurance, who make 30k or less?

cann't you see that socialism is a good thing. we've been brainwashed by the media and our education system to fear socialism. it's not us poor and oppressed that have anything to fear from socialism. it's the rich who have something to fear, that they will no longer be allowed to rape the workers, that they could no longer charge whatever price they feel like for our necessities such as gasoline and medicine, that they could no longer get as rich as they want at the expence of everyone else ! how bad do things have to get before you realize that capitalism is not in your best interest? the media always talks about how bad things are in cuba, and we're supposed to blame socialism. the fact is that the rest of latin america is capitalist and if you compare cuba to the rest of latin america, cubans (except for the rich cubans) have it the best. they hjave the highest lfe expectancy in latin america, by far the lowest rate of malnutrition, it's the only latin american country where the common people hace access to health care and education, capitalism has had plenty of opportunity to fix these problems but they haven't ! that's because the rich don't give a damn ! when will you realize that. the rich don't even care if you die from lack of health care, as long as they make their money. so why do the poor folks of america stand up for the rights of the rich, with their free enterprize and private property. it doesn't benefit you ! it oppresses you ! are you happy working 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet? wouldn't you rather spend the time with your family? wouldn't you like the freedom of knowing that even if you lost your job, you and your family wouldn't just starve to death, or go homeless? wake up american workers! up until now you've had it pretty good compared to the rest of the world. but all that's about to change ! this is the day of the WTO , NAFTA, the IMF, etc… the american worker is no longer needed! the capitalists have no reason to try to keep you happy anymore! the hammer is about to come down on you. and if you try to stop it you will be labled as a terrorist and prosecuted under the patriot act.
budleit; look it up for yourself. the stats are undeniable ! compared to the rest of latin america, cubans have the highest life expectancy! cuba is the only latin american country where malnutrition is not an issue ! its the only country where everyone has access to health care ! cuba is the onlly latin american country where everyone has access to an education! cuba produces more doctors per capita than any other nation ! cuba is the best!

Oh innocence……

coragryph the lawyer said no one is above the law coragryph explain how Quarter Ton of Marijuana Equals Free?

coragryph explain how when you said no one is above the law yet your claim has some problems.Please explain why those laws can be broken without worry of punishment,fines,jail time.
Just when you thought our government couldn’t sink any lower in the dereliction of their duty to protect this nation and uphold our laws, you get an e-mail from a reader with a link to this…
If you’re caught with two pounds of pot that you plan to sell, plan on going to jail for up to seven years.

With 500 pounds, you can kiss your completely freedom goodbye.

But head down to Southern Arizona, near the border, do the exact same thing, and in many cases you get off scott-free.

No prosecution, no penalty, no prison…in fact – not even a slap on the hand.

County prosecutors say it’s enormously frustrating and for the drug cartels, enormously profitable.

But this sweet deal only applies if you’re illegal and smuggling 500-pounds or less.

And therein lies one of our country’s dirty little secrets: Mexican drug runners getting a free pass back to Mexico if they’re caught with less than a quarter-ton of pot.

Cochise County attorney Ed Rheinheimer spells it out. “If a seizure is made of an amount less than 500 pounds, the case doesn’t get prosecuted.”

You read that right.

Drug runners doing business without punishment.

But don’t blame the county attorneys.

Remember: These are federal cases and should be federally prosecuted.

But guess what?

They don’t get prosecuted by the feds and now, they don’t get prosecuted by guys like Ed Rheinheimer, either.

“Since 2003 we stopped prosecuting federal referrals because of a lack of resources.” [snip]

And while these “weight limits” are unfamiliar to most Americans – drug cartels know them well and plan accordingly.

Sergeant Terry Parish warehouses the seizures. We walked through store rooms holding marijuana from floor to ceiling.

Lisa Fletcher: “How many of these guys do you think are aware of this sort of unspoken rule that if you’ve got less than 500 pounds, you’re probably not going to get prosecuted?”

“I think probably more of them are aware of it than individual officers are. Their intelligence is very good, it’s what they do for a living.”

And they do it every night…all along Arizona’s border.

War on drugs? Don’t make me laugh. This a full frontal assault on the American citizen and our society. Think I’m wrong? Well, consider this, it seems George Orwell’s famous quote, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” has never been more accurate than it is in America today.

Is it any wonder Americans are outraged over the current illegal immigration situation? While our government winks and nods at Mexico, we’ve watched as illegal immigrants are afforded more and more rights in our society than American citizens – American citizens who happen to get stuck with the bill to pay for all of this generosity and are hauled off to prison if we dare to think of breaking any of the laws that illegal aliens receive a free pass for breaking.

Our rewards for being Americans and legal American citizens are higher taxes, higher crime rates, lower wages, higher insurance premiums and on and on while illegal aliens are rewarded for their crimes against our borders and our society with:

Free health care – U.S. taxpayers pay the medical bills for illegal aliens yet the cost of most American’s monthly health insurance premium for even a small family has now exceeded their monthly mortgage payment and if we fail to pay for our insurance and need medical care, our home will have to be sold to cover the costs.

The right to be above the law – Illegal aliens can hide in ’sanctuary cities’ that say, “we care more about the rights of criminal aliens than the rights of our own citizens” yet American criminals are not afforded a place to hide, in fact, they are hunted down.

In-state tuition – Senators Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, and other members of our Congress are proud sponsors of the illegal dream yet American children have to pay more for their college tuition than their illegal counterparts as some states have already implemented in-state tuition for illegal aliens in direct violation of our federal law.

Day laborer centers – American taxpayers fund illegal day laborer centers yet there are no ‘gathering places’ being built for unemployed American workers.

No ID necessary – “The stigma and humiliation of constantly proving lawful status is unacceptable”, says the ACLU yet Americans are expected to show 2 forms of verifiable ID to obtain a driver’s license.

Fair share of Katrina disaster aid – Hillary Clinton – defender of the illegal alien, made sure that illegal aliens got their ‘fair share’ of the Katrina disaster aid paid for courtesy the American taxpayer.

Using our courts to see that crime pays – 2 illegal immigrants won an Arizona ranch in court. Do you think an American trespasser could get that lucky in court?

Turning our sense of right and wrong on its head – The Minuteman Project and other anti-illegal immigration groups are targeted as bands of racists and even called ‘vigilantes’ by our President and ‘bigots’ by a member of the U.S. Senate. Americans who are trying to help the border patrol, because of our government’s total disregard for the citizens of this nation, are rewarded by being vilified by the very officials failing to live up to the office they occupy. In this topsy-turvy world, criminals are now accepted as the victim and law-abiding citizens are handed the bill and openly accused of racism if they disagree. Or arrested if they dare to protest.

Our Border Patrol agents languish in prisons while known drug smugglers are given immunity.

And now, American citizens can expect to face prison time for small amounts of marijuana while illegal aliens can possess a quarter of a ton – and bring it across an international border – with absolutely no ramifications?

Orwell was right, “Some animals (and people) ARE more equal than others”.

coragryph, tell me why are these people above the law when you clearly said nobody was or is above the law. How do you explain this?Looks like they are above the law, even though you said this does not happen, you know cause you are a lawyer. How do you explain these guys being above the law?

Only Bush is "above" the law — because he has manipulated to system to get complete immunity.

Other people can EVADE the law — mainly because they have enough money or connections to abuse the system.

Sometimes it's a matter of corruption, as you point out. Sometimes, we simply choose not to allocate enough resources to prosecute all the lawbreakers, as you point out.

My statement that "nobody is above the law" reflects the way the laws are written, and the ideal that should follow under a system where we are ruled by laws. Sadly, we often fall short of that ideal.

I'm a US citizen, been one all my life. It took me 8 months to renew my passport, and two full days at the DMV to get my driver's license transferred between states — all because I have moved more than the "expected" number of times (all inside the US). So, I know all about the problems of having to prove my legal status over and over again.

Yes, the system is broken. It's not right, and it's not good — but sadly it's reality.

ABORTION what do you think about the Freedom of Choice Act and Obama saying he will sign it?

I think this is sick and sad.

What is the Practical Impact of FOCA?

In elevating abortion to a fundamental right, FOCA poses an undeniable and irreparable danger to common-sense laws supported by a majority of Americans. Among the more than 550 federal and state laws that FOCA would nullify are:

*

Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003
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Hyde Amendment (restricting taxpayer funding of abortions)
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Restrictions on abortions performed at military hospitals
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Restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion for federal employees
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Informed consent laws
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Waiting periods
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Parental consent and notification laws
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Health and safety regulations for abortion clinics
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Requirements that licensed physicians perform abortions
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“Delayed enforcement” laws (banning abortion when Roe v. Wade is overturned and/or the authority to restrict abortion is returned to the states)
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Bans on partial-birth abortion
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Bans on abortion after viability. FOCA’s apparent attempt to limit post-viability abortions is illusory. Under FOCA, post-viability abortions are expressly permitted to protect the woman’s “health.” Within the context of abortion, “health” has been interpreted so broadly that FOCA would not actually proscribe any abortion before or after viability.
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Limits on public funding for elective abortions (thus, making American taxpayers fund a procedure that many find morally objectionable)
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Limits on the use of public facilities (such has public hospitals and medical schools at state universities) for abortions
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State and federal legal protections for individual healthcare providers who decline to participate in abortions
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Legal protections for Catholic and other religiously-affiliated hospitals who, while providing care to millions of poor and uninsured Americans, refuse to allow abortions within their facilities

Notably, pro-abortion groups do not deny FOCA’s draconian impact. For example, Planned Parenthood has explained, "FOCA will supercede anti-choice laws that restrict the right to choose, including laws that prohibit the public funding of abortions for poor women or counseling and referrals for abortions. Additionally, FOCA will prohibit onerous restrictions on a woman's right to choose, such as mandated delays and targeted and medically unnecessary regulations."
Sign the Fight FOCA Petition

http://www.fightfoca.com/

Still Proud To Be A Republican thanks.
Do you think what Partial Birth Abortion is?
They take the baby out side of your body than they kill it with a nife in it's head.
Do you know what Partial Birth Abortion is?
How is a knife in a baby's head your body?
Beeing for this bill will hurt the mom because non-licensed physicians will do abortions.
free country is right so stop taking the life of the baby.So you do not think the baby is free to live his life?
mind your business stop taking my taxes to kill babies.

mind your business we live in a free country

How can you identify democrats and socialists by what they say and do?

They are universally against CHOICE, in schools, they do not care where your kid goes to school but your dollars will stay in the government schools.

They always talk for all Americans, ie All Americans want this or that

All polls are 100% accurate until they disagree with their world view

The first amendment only applies to the media of their choice, Fox news is biased

Freedom of speech only applies to them; pc speech

Racists are always others, never them; Sharpton, Jackson etal

Discrimination is against our rights unless they want it; tax code and reverse discrimination

Everything is a world crisis that must have a government solution; global warming, healthcare insurance

Cannot win elections on a level playing field; 527s were for them now against them

You are too stupid to your decisions and the government must do it for you; public schools, second amendment

The rights of the constitution are collective, or individual; depends on which one and what day it is.
Bush is always wrong and at fault

Bush lied, Clinton did not

You only join the military if you are not smart enough to avoid it

People should spend their money first on toys and then the government will provide for the necessities; healthcare insurance

The fifth amendment only applies to them, not others; monica Goodling

Republican Presidents are held to a higher standard; US attorney firings

That is from 5 minutes of thinking, they were so obvious, please feel free to add to the list, and watch for a socialist poster copy the format…….they can do nothing original

When they discuss a topic it is "I feel" and not "I think"

All Christians = Are as evil as Radical Muslims

Cheney is evil for "profiting" from Iraq through Haliburton, but Feinstein is "good" for profiting from Iraq through severeal companies her husband owns.

"Seperation of Church and State" is in the Constitution, oh wait "its not" "no". But Jefferson said it in a letter you know the "Wall of Seperation" Did you know that Jefferson invited a minister to hold CHURCH SERVICES in the CAPITOL ROTUNDA! "but but but but but" lib's head explodes

Why is Romney not taking heat from his Republican rivals for mandating health care in Mass.?

Romney has been ridiculing all the rivals that threaten him for the nomination. Since he thinks political attacks are fair game, why aren't they calling him out for his anti-freedom, anti-individual-rights stance of forcing people in his state to buy health insurance? Isn't that anti-American and anti-capitalism? In this county isn't our freedom to make choices about out own well-being the most important principle of our founders? Why has he escaped from this criticism?

Giuliani already called him up on that. Romney is truly a hypocrite for pretending to be a fiscal conservative.

A Sleeping Country Freedom of speech?

Whats all your opions We as americans i feel are letting the government slowly tear our country apart we are so far in dept Rights are being stripped away to benefit big corp our taxes are outrageous price gulgin going on everywhere elderly so broke and without insurance yet well spend billions of dollars overseas without a blink of a eye workers out of work so on and so on why as a people do we not stand up and say enough is enough This country was built on dreams and ideals from all low middle and high class so why is it now only the high class benifits . I onse was told by a very rich man the reasons they get alot of tax breaks is because without them our country couldnt make it what about all the small shops that hire people dont they make a difference Anyway i would like to here from all sides of this issue remember people its our freedom of speach so write what you want not what people want you to say im completly open to all answers never know i may see things differently after reading all your answers or i may feel more strongly about being steped on HAPPY ANSWERING
Mckensie thanks for your onput but im not confussed Ive worked my whole life starting with a paper route all the way up to my own bussness which i lost everything due to a gentlemen that had a suspended license driving for a company in a large dump truck that should have never been on the road and rear ended me . i have had surgery and now unable towork im just thankfull im alive and i now have time to sit and see rights being taken away examples nicatine testing cleveland hospitals its everyones right what they do at home as long as its not illeagal insurances pushed this. seatbelts wheres my right to decide wheather to wear it or not i could go on all day but i wont also even though i cant work no more i dont get ssi i was turned down my case against the comp has never even made it to court since 2003 due to ins using the 3 ddd denie defend delay what a country i have a young child and we lost everything due to someones ingnorence and all i ever here is about their rights .

I think you are confused about the rights and freedoms I and the democrats who actually fought for them really meant.

Big government has freedoms, too. Taxing them because they are successful is not freedom. It is theft. It isn’t kindness and love for the less fortunate, it’s socialism.

Our government isn’t doing this: Political bigotry is, and it originates with us. When we hate half the country, when we tell only half the story, when we don’t love each other, our government reflects that, because THAT’S what sells. That’s what we buy. That’s what we vote for.

Big business moves, the more you tax them. They leave. Our standard of living goes down.

Socialism kills prosperity. It has demonstrated that in every country it has grown in, but it is SO easy.

I mean, what people can resist the idea that they all get a free ride?

It is easier now than in ANY time in our history to create a new business, to make the American Dream come true, but a segment of the population wants FREE profits, without work. They want, not the American Dream, but the socialist dream.

Not on my watch. America makes possible the freedoms I love.

Russia and China never did.

A patriot first, democrat second.

Keep speaking up, every one. That’s another freedom that has blossomed! Thank the ORIGINAL democrats that will rise again once the Socialist Party of America stops using our party as it’s platform (look at Wikipedia: Socialist Party of America: Split for proof of this. It’s public record. You’re being used).

What’s at the heart of the SCHIP debate.?

What’s at the heart of the SCHIP debate.

Congress faces a critical question this week: Will U.S. health care be government-run, or will Americans be given the freedom to obtain their insurance plans and medical care from private firms? The next U.S. president will likely answer this question, but the resolution to the current debate about SCHIP — the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a state and federal government partnership for insuring poor children — that is roiling Washington, D.C., will preview the answer.

Although health care is a crucial issue for the electorate; traditionally, presidential candidates have avoided any but the blandest generalities. Health care is the third rail of politics. Its complexity, size, and multiple, committed stakeholders scare away most would-be saviors.

Yet, the underlying debate is simple: It is all about who will manage and control the health-care sector that comprises one-seventh of our economy. Will individual Americans have the freedom to make their own choices? Or, will we trust government bureaucrats, lawyers, and politicians to make those decisions for them? Our future health-care system will be shaped by how we answer these simple questions.

Let’s be clear: The SCHIP battle is not about whether to insure poor children. The debate is about how to insure them: Via the government or private insurers? This debate has not only pitted Democrats against Republicans but has also sundered the Republican coalition. Some Democrats wanted SCHIP expanded by $50 billion dollars so that even families earning about $81,000 a year who have eligible children were included. (The 2005 U.S. median household income was $46,000.) A resolution with the Republicans who hold minority leadership roles led to a compromise, costing only $35 billion, which allowed coverage for those earning up to $60,000.

A fundamental problem with this compromise is that the same amount of coverage for children within SCHIP costs $1,000 more per child than under private insurance. A group of forward-thinking Republicans led by U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R., N.C.) and others has an entirely different idea of how to provide insurance: they want to cash out eligible people and enable them to use this money to buy health insurance from private insurers in a tax-protected way. Count the president in too. He has pledged to veto legislation that permits expansion of the present program.

None of the combatants’ are supported by an unblemished array of evidence. The Democrats support the expansion of SCHIP by lauding the universal coverage and substantially lower costs of single-payer, government-run systems, like the U.K.’s and Canada’s. Yes; but costs are controlled by rationing health care to the sick. More than 20,000 Brits would not have died from cancer in the U.S. Onerous waiting lists have caused illegal, for-profit health-service centers to proliferate in Canada. These rogue establishments are so well-accepted that the head of one became the president of the Canadian Medical Association. Nor do single-payer systems achieve equality of access or health status — the powerful, assertive, litigious, and connected go to the head of the line.

In the U.S., the government-controlled Medicaid program has achieved its low costs per person by stringent limits on provider prices. As many as 40 percent of doctors refuse to see Medicaid enrollees, leading to reduced health care quality. Physicians who accept Medicaid often shift their un-reimbursed costs to the privately insured. A system totally paid by the government would shut down this escape hatch, exacerbating the current shortage of primary care doctors.

But the group of Republicans who support private insurance acknowledge that they cannot laud health insurance as a model industry. The massive bureaucracies patients all-too-often encounter when they attempt to obtain the medical services they paid for are not merely frustrating, they sometimes kill. Free-market Republicans claim that the problem with the U.S. insurance firms arises from their lack of accountability. Agents, such as governments and employers, use our money to buy health plans. The agents’ incentives — simplicity and cost control — are not well aligned with our needs for responsiveness.

Senators Richard Burr (R., N.C.), Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) and others want to refigure the tax code so that we could buy health insurance with tax-sheltered money, a right currently reserved solely for our employers. If we purchased our own health insurance with tax-protected funds, we could keep these arrogant behemoths in check, just as we do in the other sectors of the American economy. The Swiss universal-coverage, consumer-driven system requires people, not employers or governments, to buy health insurance. (The poor primarily receive funds to purchase insurance just like everybody else.) This consumer control enables the Swiss to enjoy an excellent quality of care without the social inequality of single-payer countries at costs that are a third lower than ours.

SCHIP is not merely a debate about yet another mystifying government program. It is all about free-market principles versus government mandates. Giving taxpayers the freedom to choose and buy their own health care would unleash powerful market forces that have been subdued by third-party bureaucracies for the last 60 years. In every area of our economy, market forces have transformed rare, costly products and services like cars and computers into common products and services. We can make health care cheaper, better, and more widely available, if Congress can muster the vision and courage to act.

That is the longest question ever…lol

The debate is about :

1. whos responsibility is it to provide for an individual?
(personal accountability)

2. Who is poor? (who is deserving/who is undeserving)

3. Who is a child? (>18,>24…what is it?)

Why does Congress continue to want to tweek things that are not broken?