can’t the taxes be collected from some other source than employers based on number of employees? employer based insurance doesn’t make sense to me as industrial policy (especially for manufacturing jobs).

what am i missing?

There is no solution except a single payer solution. The system is gamed, rigged, loaded, fixed, bought and indeed, paid for. There is no way to combine the RICO aspects of insurance companies price fixing to a health care system designed for non profit coverage of everyone. Walmart comes out for health care was on another site recently. Can you imagine the scam that would be?

As long as the small businesses are given subsidies and or tax credits, or exempted due to their GNP, it might work out okay. My small business friends want to be able to provide health insurance but have not been able to afford to do so. Large businesses should experience economic relief from a reasonable mandate with price controls on premiums.

Again, with single payer all of this speculation about who suffers, who pays more, who pays a penalty would be not necessary. It could be paid for from income taxes or as a consumption (VAT) tax as a part of sales tax. We are a miserable and unhealthy people compared to other ‘developed’ nations. There’s reasons for that.

Goldman…Goldman. Now where have I heard that name before? ;)

Why or why do we keep tying health care to employment? What about those of use who freelance or work for ourselves? Are we small businesses? Get the employer out of the healthcare equation!

What do you believe causes a reduction in costs? More jobs? No way any health care reform should increase jobs, or it will be a failure.

One of the problems with the heath care system is the number people employed in “medical billing”. Approximately six for every doctor.

To cut health care costs require a massive decrease in Health care employment.

Most stupid report from a University, ever.

Yea, no kidding. I am a freelancer, also. Sucks. We get to pay for our health care and pay double for social security.

Single payer would result in the loss of many jobs in the health insurance vulture industry. Since all of these positions add zero value to healthcare they should be eliminated. Let these workers do something productive with their lives.

166,000 jobs is “massive job loss” for these rethug propagandists? A borderline recessionary 1% annual GDP growth rates equals about 2.4 million new jobs, assuming that growth is equitably distributed and the mean and median aren’t too divergent. 166,000 jobs is the equivalent of a mere two weeks of jobs growth in that pathetic scenario (or about two weeks of job losses in the Bush recession of 2009). In a healthy economy (one growing a real terms at 2.5-3.5%), 166,000 jobs is the change within a 3-5 day interval.

Rethugs just lie. They lie with other people’s numbers if they can find numbers to lie with, otherwise they just make ‘em up. When they’re too lazy to make up numbers, they just lie by invoking the names of their gods instead and say that their gods won’t let them use numbers to talk about revealed truths. But they always lie.

I’m a small business (bakery) owner in Tempe, AZ. Seasonally, I have anywhere from 15 to 30 employees. We die in the AZ summer and make it up during the holidays. We hire interns from the culinary school to make up the temporary labor and give the students excellent experience.

I live for the day when I can offer health insurance to my employees. With this bubble and burst economy, having to offer health care would put me out of business. I try to pay good wages so at the very least they can buy basic plan. most employees have it through their spouses job.

It kills me that I can’t provide it and I’m fighting for the public option.

Hopefully the public option and other reforms will gradually change the industry, so that those who have done paperwork will be replaced by doctors & nurses and all the support people who contribute to the health industry. Utilizing resources better will be cheaper per individual ‘patient’ and cheaper for the country while providing as much or more service.

There is absolutely nothing simple about a reform this big.

Universal Health Care is : Instead of the government getting in the insurer business it should just expand the business it is already in . Health Care Provider . Like the facilities the members of Congress have access to . With a VA type clinic and hospital system there would not be a need for any insurance programs . Including Medicare . All Americans could be treated at the same facilities and the VA could be renamed something else to indicate all American health care . Imagine what this would do to the cost to individuals . No more insane increases , double billing , co-pay , and many other items the AMA attaches to charges . Since before or during the reign of WJC seniors that receive a Social Security check have a Medicare tax deduction before the senior gets the check . Every year the amount of the deduction increases and so does the tax on workers wages . If the R.R. tax cuts were cancelled as he cancelled the funding on the health care programs that were in place when he became President this could be paid for and if that was not enough cancel the GWB tax cuts or let them expire . If we only had a Patriotic Congress .