Reply #43: No, hers talks about 'expanded Medicare', and means-testing.

[RaleighNCDUer]

His plan allowed ANYBODY to go with the government plan. Hers reserved the government plan for those who meet certain economic criteria, in effect expanding and formalizing a two-tier 'have and have nots' system. As the 'have nots' all belong to the government system, but the prices are guaged by what the prevailing rates are in the private sector, the government rates will continue to rise with the inflated costs of the private sector. There will be NO control over costs.

I have decent, cheap, state-furnished (state employee BC/BS) insurance. When I had an emergency appendectomy two years ago it cost me $4000. That was with the state paying 80%. Why did it cost so much? Because the hospital still charged the $1 each tylenol to the insurance. Being part of the state plan does NOT bring down costs. It just forces the state to pay the private insurance rates.

Hillary's plan is a giveaway to the insurance companies. Just as the prescription plan bill was a couple years ago. "Sure, it's not perfect, but we can get SOMETHING done now and fix it later."

"Later" never comes.