Obama's Health Care Plan

[phil]

Unless I'm sadly mistaken, the I fund didn't begin until 2001, unless you had money in it before. Tell me your secret, please. So let's redo the math, shall we?

 

[James48843]

TSP Returns / indices since TSP started... from 1988 thru current (Sep 3)

.............................G Fund.....F Fund.....C Fund....S Fund......I Fund
1988 - SEP 2009 ... 261.90%....348.06%....533.25%...602.22%....185.72%
.

Perhaps that is a bad time frame to make comparisons from-.

The I fund was not started until 2001. And it is heavily weighted in Japan, which had a real fluke with it's stock market in the late 1980's and 1990's.

If you run the EAFE back all the way into 1969, when it started- you would see it was up thousands of percent since then.

http://www.msci.com/licensing/eafe_factsheet.pdf



It is up a healthy amount since 2001 - when it became a TSP index.

Just like Arnold says.......

the I fund will soon say...."I'll be baaaaack."

 

[Bullitt]

Re: Long term fund stragegies

Is there some consensus here that the I fund will tank if WE pass some universal healthcare plan?

A quick examination of all the assets in the I fund shows us that not one, not two, but almost EVERY country where the I fund has assets has universal health care, and many have had it for over 30 years.

Where is this coming from?

You're splitting hairs if you're worried about ObamaCare tanking the I fund. Europa has bigger worries than what's going on in the health industry. ie: banking solvency, over-leveraged, lending, the Euro.

What is your definition of long term?

 

[tsptalk]

Let's just stick to economics in TSP. A review of the I fund shows us that just about EVERY country where the I fund has assets has universal health care, many having it for over 30 years. Why does the rest of the developed world seem to get away with tremendous economic growth coupled with universal healthcare?

Maybe they know something that we don't. Are they just a lot smarter than we are?

TSP Returns / indices since TSP started... from 1988 thru current (Sep 3)

.............................G Fund.....F Fund.....C Fund....S Fund......I Fund
1988 - SEP 2009 ... 261.90%....348.06%....533.25%...602.22%....185.72%
.

 

[phil]

Let's just stick to economics in TSP. A review of the I fund shows us that just about EVERY country where the I fund has assets has universal health care, many having it for over 30 years. Why does the rest of the developed world seem to get away with tremendous economic growth coupled with universal healthcare?

Maybe they know something that we don't. Are they just a lot smarter than we are?

 

[phil]

Is there some consensus here that the I fund will tank if WE pass some universal healthcare plan?

A quick examination of all the assets in the I fund shows us that not one, not two, but almost EVERY country where the I fund has assets has universal health care, and many have had it for over 30 years.

Where is this coming from?

 

[ekatteng]

The way I will fix health care... 1. allows pharmacies to import their drugs from England, Germany, France, Japan etc... qualified and certified overseas pharmacepticals. This will put to compete our pharmaceptical industry global wide and will low the drugs cost. 2. penalized by denying federal support to all medical schools that rejects qualify students. Currently 3000 qualified medical students are being rejected every year by universities due to space. Many more doctors amoung the population will lower the cost of doctor visits. medical doctors will be visiting at your home for small fees. 3. Open military hospitals and clinics to all civil service employees and all citizens under 21 years or full time students under 25 years old.

 

[Buster]

Don't know if anyone caught Obama's slick way with words during his Health Care sales speech last night..But in one comment that was glaring, he made it sound as if Generic drugs are a new concept within his Health reform plan...Just saying that he is glossing over some things in some ways..

 

[nnuut]

Electronic Medical care?

Health care's future may already exist

Insurers are testing a concept called 'medical home' that could transform how health care is delivered.

By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com senior writer
July 23, 2009: 12:13 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's time for your 2015 annual physical.
But your family doctor already knows all your vital readings from the self-tests you administered.
If she sees any problems, she'll send your electronic records to a specialist and coordinate the way you're treated. And the two of them will send periodic e-mail reminders of what you need to do to stay healthy.
This health care concept, called "patient-centered medical homes," could improve the overall quality of care, and save consumers time and money. But skeptics maintain that the financial savings aspect still has to be proven.
The model is already being tested in 44 states -- with such big health insurers as UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Medicaid taking part -- and utilizes key components of President Obama's reform effort
In medical homes, the family physician is like a personal health coach, responsible for managing all aspects of the patient's health care needs, explained Paul Keckley, executive director of Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a unit of consulting firm Deloitte LLP.
The doctor also leads a team of coaches -- including nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and other medical professionals -- with the aim of providing a more "holistic" approach to health care.
Round-the-clock access, electronic health records, use of e-mail and phone communication, patient feedback, fee for service and fee for performance are all central to this concept.
The concept is about meaningfully changing the daily habits in a "population of chronic diseases," Keckley said, and "to do that you have to coach people and constantly manage and track their care through text message reminders, counselors and support groups."
Eventually, a healthier population would reduce the number of medical procedures and costly hospital admissions, potentially lowering consumers' insurance premiums.
Interest grows: Enthusiasm about medical homes is picking up, but only gradually. [more]
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/23/new...medical_home/index.htm?postversion=2009072312

 

[nnuut]

About allowing every person in the USA to join the FEHB Plan. Let's see Uncle Sam pays about $900 a month toward my FEHBs. Let's say 210 MILLION citizens would like to sign up, how much is that beside the amount that we pay? $1.89 \11 a year. That's lots of zeros behind $1.89. NO WAY!! The only way they can do it is to cut benefits and raise costs. IMHO

 

[alevin]

I like that idea up to a point, VL. I went w/o insurance for 4 years in my 20's. Tell someone living on minimum wage at age 22-23 they have to buy health insurance, yeah right. I worked with a guy couple years older than me, He slid a motorcycle under a semi couple years earlier, no health insurance, big medical bills for orthopedic repairs. He was back in one piece and paying off bills. single, no dependents, probably little other debt.

We lived in the desert in employer-provided tents and food provided by our employer too, no housing or utility costs (employer provided generator and tent for food storage, propane for cooking, lighting by truck battery-don't run it down, go to bed early) those 5 months either).

I was able to save most of salary for the winter months when I was laid off, looking for another job. would have had to draw unemployment if had been paying for health insurance, as it was, I landed parttime job and paid my bills through the winter, never ever did draw unemployment. tradeoffs everywhere you look. No easy solutions.

 

[Viva_La_Migra]

For me:

Tort reform? Yes.

Federal plan available for sale to everyone? Yes.

Federal negotiations for drugs? Yes.

Federal standard for use of electronic records? Yes.

Federal standards for rating hospital success and performance? Yes.

Mandate that every person must have some kind of health care insurance in place? No! This is still America! A free people should be able to choose whether or not they have insurance. If one chooses not to have an insurance plan, then hospitals are only required to provide basic life saving services in emergency situations. Got the flu, but don't have insurance, don't come here! Wait it out and take over the counter medications to relieve symptoms. Car accident? We'll stitch you up, make sure you aren't going to die, then send you home ASAP with a HUGE medical bill!

We'll see how it shakes out. It's still early. But I believe there will be some kind of plan passed.

I like the idea of allowing all U.S. citizens and legal permanent resident aliens to buy into the FEHB plan. More participants SHOULD mean lower premiums. I just don't trust the government to properly and effectively negotiate premiums for the masses when the insurance companies are allowed to lobby Congress. It won't work. Congress will allow campaign contributions to cloud their judgment and make US pay more! The health care lobby is a powerful lobbying group now, imagine if they were getting money from everyone in the United States! Too much power for one segment of the population!

In addition to a reasonable insurance policy that the people can, but are not required to purchase, why not allow people to save more money tax free in medical savings accounts and allow them to carry those accounts over year after year if the money is not used? This way one could save up money for emergency medical expenses that, statistically speaking, is bound to come up at some point in everyone's lives. As a disincentive to non medical withdrawals, tax such withdrawals at 50-60%.

My thoughts are not a perfect solution to the problem, but I like that better than government run health care.

 

[Frixxxx]

I don't know....hmmmm...Open season in Federal service will have the following choices:

Check one of the following:
Yes

Sounds easy to me, I don't know about you....can I have another glass of Kool-aid....cherry flavored:suspicious:

 

[nnuut]

I turned Obama off this evening - I don't even want to listen to that GD fool.

Ya know that reminds me of my wife, she was a big Bill Clinton fan as were many women, she thought he was a GREAT SPEAKER, which he is. I warned her not to listen to how he speaks but analyze what he is saying, because politicians speak around the subject and most of the time don't commit to anything or answer a direct question. One word used in the rhetoric can change the meaning of the whole speech, I did not have SEX with that woman!! Now she just loves the God given talent that our President has on the podium and I reminded her of our friend Bill. Pay attention to what isn't said and you may be ahead of the game.

 

[nnuut]

Forgive me if I have this all wrong but isn't the Obama plan about health INSURANCE?

Shouldn't the title of this thread be Obama's Health INSURANCE Plan?

What does the plan do to improve or reduce the cost of health care?

NOTHING!!!:notrust:

 

[James48843]

For me:

Tort reform? Yes.

Federal plan available for sale to everyone? Yes.

Federal negotiations for drugs? Yes.

Federal standard for use of electronic records? Yes.

Federal standards for rating hospital success and performance? Yes.

Mandate that every person must have some kind of health care insurance in place? Yes.

We'll see how it shakes out. It's still early. But I believe there will be some kind of plan passed.

 

[Birchtree]

I turned Obama off this evening - I don't even want to listen to that GD fool.

 

[Birchtree]

Anyone who is below the poverty line can get free health care from their local public health department. Yes my friends, it is true. All they have to do is show up and they will be seen and followed by competent health care professionals. All Obama has to do is pump dollars into the public health departments which are state entities. The logistics are already in place.

 

[KevinD]

Forgive me if I have this all wrong but isn't the Obama plan about health INSURANCE?

Shouldn't the title of this thread be Obama's Health INSURANCE Plan?

What does the plan do to improve or reduce the cost of health care?

 

[James48843]

TARP is pretty darn TORT to me.