Hilary Rosen reveals some hard facts about Consequences of Republicans 8 years in Office

As reported by CNN political strategist and former chief executive of the Recording Industry Associates of America, Hilary Rosen reveals some hard facts about what the 8 years in office by the Republican party has done to the U.S.
  As she stated " Ed Rollins can pooh-pooh the fact that Democrats have been in control for two years -- but it took eight years to get us into this mess. And we have been crawling out of the hole ever since."
" The fact is that this White House and the Democrats in Congress have been focusing on jobs. To focus on jobs, you have to fix the economy first, which the Democrats did. And as important, Democrats have tried to focus on those who have been hurt from eight years of neglect. What does that mean?"

"It means 16 different tax breaks and supports for small business owners, who were neglected by the Republicans for eight years," Rosen states.

"It means making student loans more affordable by cutting middleman subsidies, which had been growing for eight years," Rosen states.

"It took eight years to get us into this mess. And we have been crawling out of the hole ever since," Rosen states.

"It means passing a patient's bill of rights to control insurance costs, which have been growing for eight years. It means investing in solar and electric cars and alternative energy, which has been neglected for eight years.Then, it means curtailing deceptive banking practices, which have been getting worse and screwing consumers for eight years.And it means providing tax breaks for middle-class Americans, who have been squeezed for eight years." Rosen states.

In 2010, corporate profits will be as high as they have been since 1997. We will see whether the cash that industry is sitting on will be used to invest and grow and create jobs here at home or whether it will pay bonuses to senior executives while shipping jobs overseas.

The following is more of an excert of Hilary Rosen....

"If Republicans are in charge, they will choose the latter, because they will suffer no consequences for their actions. If Democrats are in charge, they will likely choose the former. We know that because that is what they said they would do at the start of the Obama administration. "

"This administration didn't demonetize business. There are countless examples of the White House partnering with business to promote investments that will grow this country's workforce and restore economic health. They came to the table. But once Republicans started offering businesses the actual store if they helped them get back in power, business pulled back from that table."

"The timing was not a coincidence. In fact, Rep. John Boehner said it best on the day the Financial Regulatory Reform billl was on the Senate floor. "The Republicans are the only ones standing between you and reform." But they had to get in power. "

"Now, Wall Street and the big banks are sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in cash, waiting to see if the Republicans will help them line their pockets instead of lending that money into the system to invest in the economy and grow jobs."

The opinions in this commentary are those of Hilary Rosen and the editor of  Obama in the White House blog.

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How the Health Care Bill Could Affect You

Now that health care reform is finally done, what is actually going to happen and when?

To start, Americans will now see some immediate changes. But other changes, including mandated coverage for all U.S. residents, wouldn't take effect until several years later.

The following information have been reported on CNN by Danielle Dellorto, Ed Hornick and Alan Silverleib.

What would happen right away.

1) NO MORE ANNUAL OR LIFETIME CAPS - If you by a policy, a health care company will not be able to place a lifetime -- or annual -- cap on how much it will cover. This would be especially important for those diagnosed with serious illnesses, such as cancer, who face steep medical bills.

2) HELP FOR THE UNINSURED WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS - There would be $5 billion set aside to provide temporary coverage to uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions. The money would help those people until the new health care exchanges are put into effect in 2014.

3) COVERAGE FOR OLDER CHILDREN - Insurers would be required to provide coverage options for non-dependent children up to age 26. This would help recent graduates as well as young adults who are between jobs and uninsured.

4) DRUG DISCOUNT FOR SENIORS - Americans who fall into the Medicare Part D Drug Benefit coverage gap, also known as the "doughnut hole," would receive $250 to help pay for prescriptions. The coverage gap would be expected to narrow in 2011 as drug manufacturers discount brand-name drugs by 50 percent, and it would be expected to close in 2020 as all drugs are discounted by 75 percent.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN 2014

1) HEALTH INSURANCES EXCHANGES - Health insurance exchanges would be created to make it easier for small businesses, the self-employed and the unemployed to pool resources and buy less expensive coverage.

Once the exchanges open, insurers will no longer be able to turn away people with pre-existing conditions or change them more.

2) MANDATED COVERAGE - Individuals would be required to buy coverage in 2014 or face a fine of $95 or 1 percent of income, whichever is greater. This fine would increase in 2015 to $325 or 2 percent of income, and in 2016 it would rise to $695 or 2.5 percent of income.

The Plan, however, includes a hardship exemption for poorer Americans, and subsidies would be provided to families of four making up to $88,000 annually, or 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

3) MEDICAID EXPANSION - Medicaid would be expanded to include more Americans, including childless adults living near poverty.

4) TAX BREAK FOR FAMILIES - Tax credits would be provided to families to help offset the costs of health care premiums. The amount of tax credits would be bases on annual household income.
 
What does the overhaul in health care affect premiums on health insurance?
 
1) If you acquire your insurnace through your job, your premiums will stay the same.
 
2) If you buy insurance on your own and make over 88K or more, your insurance costs will go up.
 
3) If you make less than $88,000 or less, and you buy it on your own, your premiums will go down.
 
4) Community health centers will be created and at least 20 million more people will be able to see a doctor right away, a far cry that presently exists where people have to wait up to a week to see a doctor. 
 
By 2014, you will be required to buy health insurance or take a penalty.

 By 2014, 95 percent of the people in America will have health insurance.

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