Story Created:
Mar 19, 2010 at 10:08 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Mar 19, 2010 at 10:08 PM CDT
PADUCAH, KY- Democrats with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a district by district study of the potential impact of the vote. The report uses census and health information from Medicare and Medicaid to show how many families and small businesses the reform bill could affect.
In Kentucky, the proposed health care bill could improve coverage for 369,000 people that already have coverage and offer insurance for nearly 70,000 more. It may be great news for some, but not all lawmakers are sold on the plan.
Recent reports of how the health care bill could help Kentucky's first district sound like good news for Kathy Swift. She resigned from Fulton County school district and moved to Trigg County and is still looking for work.
"It's been terrible," said Swift. "I've been trying for nearly two years to find a job any job much less one with insurance is hard to do," she added.
Swift is one of more than 69,000 uninsured Kentuckians the report says could benefit from proposed health care reform. She has pre-existing heart, skin, and back issues that insurance won't cover. The report studies they impacts of health care reform legislation for all 435 congressional districts.
The report says legislation will make health care affordable, guarantee coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and reduce the federal deficit by more than 100 billion dollars over the next decade. But not all lawmakers are sold on the idea.
"It's going to hit the 1st district hard because a lot of money for medicare cuts will cut medicare advantage," said State Representative Ed Whitfield. "We have more than 13 thousand on medicare advantage in the first district." he adds.
Sen. Ed Whitfield says those cuts come with 570 billion dollars in tax increases. Congressman John Shimkus of Illinois' 19th district says he disagrees with what he calls parliamentary ploys Democrats are using to pass legislation. Kathy Swift knows there are hurdles still ahead but she hopes a vote on health care puts her one step closer to having health care.
President Obama has said this would be the last big push for health care reform. Republicans like Senator Whitfield say that doesn't have to be the case. Whitfield said he and other republicans would be willing to start at the drawing board if health care does not pass this weekend.
You can find more information about the Energy and Commerce Committee report, including proposed benefits by district by looking under "I saw it on 6."
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D said on Monday, Mar 22 at 7:49 PM
Insurance companies are in business to make money, when they can no longer make money, they will go out of business.
39785656Switz said on Monday, Mar 22 at 5:49 AM
And we thought UHC was bad insurance.. Look out now with Obamacare..
39725683Kilgore Trout said on Sunday, Mar 21 at 3:22 PM
I'm ideologically oppposed to government-mandated healthcare. If I need healthcare, I'll continue to wait until I end up in the Emergency Room and let someone else pay my bill, thank you very much.
39699452anonymous said on Saturday, Mar 20 at 6:40 PM
Bad old federal government. Trying to control those wonderful insurance and drug companies and their huge annual increases. They created a wonderful system that benefits everyone except those who don't have any and can't afford to keep what they had.
39667338remember said on Saturday, Mar 20 at 4:28 PM
Not sure how other people were raised, but I was taught that a person that was able to work got a job and paid his or her bills which includes buying insurance, this is what I,ve done for 44 years, worked and paid my bills, paid for my children going to school and paid for my insurance..Many people think they are too good to work nights or afternoons at places that provide insurance..
39663713Jay said on Saturday, Mar 20 at 12:23 PM
In tough economic times, we really need our incompetent federal gubment to step in and increase the handouts! Way to go socialists!
39655163Judy T said on Saturday, Mar 20 at 8:02 AM
I thought Kentucky passed a law years ago covering pre-existing conditions. Didn't many of the insurance companies leave Kentucky because of this and the ones left raised our rates?
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