American Citizens Expats Beware

[Mr Lee]

Once again ACA is asking that members and supporters email, fax and/or write their Senators in support of a change in legislative language used in the bill "Americas Health Future Act of 2009." The U.S. Senate Finance Committee passed the $829 billion America's Healthy Future Act this week, voting to send the bill to the Senate floor for a full debate however, the bill still contains language which would cause great hardship on American citizens living outside the US. The wording would leave Americans overseas exposed to paying an excise tax regardless of whether they carry health insurance via overseas health providers. Link to the complete info

[tropicalwaste]

Welcome to the UK getting caught up in the same crap we have to do in the UK. I think its more to doing to silent the masses than anything else. Nobody ever asks why political change is never forced in the UK. Truth is its because the majority who are the out of work, the poor and the uneducated get life on a silver platter paid for by the workers and the workers are to busy working to complain aswell.. Looks like the good old U.S.A. is taking a leaf out of the same book.

[Mik]

Any national health care bill is not intended to help the citizens. It's purpose to empower the government to steal more of your money and to have more control over your life. If this bovine excrement of a bill passes then the people will be worse off with rationed health care that costs more. Proponents try to compare national health care to auto insurance that states require. How lame! The states handle auto licensing and insurance because the Constitution does not empower the federal government in that area. Neither does the Constitution empower the federal government to create any national health care system. Also, auto insurance is only required if you drive on a public road. Some states allow self-insurance as an alternative to buying an auto insurance policy. But ObamaCare would penalize those who do not purchase an approved health care plan with a hefty tax (a fine) of thousands of dollars. No appeal, no due process, no more Constitution.The government of a "free" nation should never require it's people to buy something. The Statue of Liberty will become the Statue of Tyranny. Is anyone getting pissed off yet?

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[Mr Lee]

Any national health care bill is not intended to help the citizens. It's purpose to empower the government to steal more of your money and to have more control over your life. If this bovine excrement of a bill passes then the people will be worse off with rationed health care that costs more. Proponents try to compare national health care to auto insurance that states require. How lame! The states handle auto licensing and insurance because the Constitution does not empower the federal government in that area. Neither does the Constitution empower the federal government to create any national health care system. Also, auto insurance is only required if you drive on a public road. Some states allow self-insurance as an alternative to buying an auto insurance policy. But ObamaCare would penalize those who do not purchase an approved health care plan with a hefty tax (a fine) of thousands of dollars. No appeal, no due process, no more Constitution.The government of a "free" nation should never require it's people to buy something. The Statue of Liberty will become the Statue of Tyranny. Is anyone getting pissed off yet?.

If only that would work but it seems everyone in government is deaf and blind to what the people want and I do not think that will change anytime soon.

[Mr Lee]

You want to see something even worse.

[Mik]

Lord Monckton :thumbsup: Has Anyone Read the Copenhagen Agreement? U.N. plans for a new 'government' are scary.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574500580285679074.htmlThe one thing wrong with Obamacarehttp://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/16748Democrats Fiddle Healthcare while the Economy Burnshttp://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/16759

[Gold Heart]

I understand the original post was to ensure our legislators understand the impact of proposed health care legislation on those living abroad. I share the concern and the nature of Corporate imposed rules add an additional complexity for me -- and maybe others.We absolutely need to do what we can to ensure the our representatives are aware of the impact on those living abroad. Has anyone written to their congressman and received a response? I will try to write mine to see if I get a response.I thought that we were to avoid political views in our discussions and clearly calling this legislation, Obamacare is a direct offensive label created by political oponents to the president and this legislation. This legislation came from congress. In fact it does not differ much from legislation posed with support from many presidents back to Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, through Clinton. With the signicant percentage of the US GNP devoted to health care and the impact it has on the economy -- it is a key part of our economic recovery and future. In addition people are suffering and dying as a result of not having health insurance. I'm troubled by this as a human being.There is significant precedent in required Federal pay for services including: Social Security and Medicare and the target of all taxes e.g. National Parks. Most people are very satisifed with these programs.I must point out that this is not just a government issue. The Health insurance industry and Corporations are worse to me. They in fact make similar decisions on requirements and have rules that impact us / me ... and there are no representatives to write for help with them. As a former employee you have zero leverage.Specifically, My ex company abandoned fixed retiree health benefits along with pensions. Funding for retiree health care was redirected to health care / health care savings accounts. My ex-company requires that my savings amount, $50K, that I accumulated for retirement can ONLY be used to purchase health insurance from the company plans --- leaving me with nothing of any value while I live here. These company plans also run $1200 - $2500 / month!! In addition, this company requires that I maintain continuous coverage, otherwise, I lose the total amount. I have until February to figure out what I am going to do. I don't want to throw away 50K and have to figure out whether they will accept a foreign insurance plan as continuous coverage.Another company that I retired from has the same Health savings account. However, they allow the funds to be used for any purpose -- buying insurance of my choosing, or paying for a doctor.I'd be interested in hearing what others are doing to provide health insurance for them selves and their families and how any one is dealing with the restrictions.My intent was to be factual and seek information on what others may be doing for health insurance to leverage US resources, corporate, medicare, etc. which cannot be used here. I do hope the US does something to reform health care for its citizens. It is behind most of the civilized world.Ron AKA Gold Heart.

Lord Monckton Has Anyone Read the Copenhagen Agreement? U.N. plans for a new 'government' are scary.http://online.wsj.co...0285679074.htmlThe one thing wrong with Obamacarehttp://canadafreepre...p/article/16748Democrats Fiddle Healthcare while the Economy Burnshttp://canadafreepre...p/article/16759

[Mr Lee]

Gold Heart, if you read the rules up at the top of this particular section then you will see.This forum is not moderated except for the normal spam control.Members who post in this forum acknowledge that some subjects may offend other members.The board administrators are not responsible for the content of this forum and any views expressed by members.This forum is open on a trial basics only,if members can not behave then the administrators will delete it. While politics are usually not allowed on this forum, this section is a little more lenient and people are allowed to express their view on subjects, just as long as they do not insult or attack other members. Right now the situation in the US is kind of controversial and while some support what the current President is trying to do, it does seem he is losing support by the majority of Americans and that the majority of American, myself included, think that he is going about it the wrong way. While I would love to see universal health care given to all who have worked, or citizens and legal aliens that are proven to be disabled, the US has not been able to control all the stealing that is now going on within the Medicare system and many other government run programs, so IMO a government run health care program will just end up to be one more cash cow for criminals to steal from, and besides that, as far as I know no other country has a successful free health care system without taxing their people to death. While I fully understand that there are some people like yourself who seem to be caught in the middle, the majority of people who will most likely benefit from such a system will not be those of us who worked our whole lives to get to where we are, and taking from those who worked their whole lives or are now working to give to those who refuse to work seems unjust to me and many other people. One thing I know for sure, all politicians seem to lie and both Clinton and Obama said they would not take from social security or the elderly and Clinton taxed social security, so in effect has taken from those who worked for what they are getting and most who get SS are elderly and Obama seems to be heading down the same path by taking from Medicare and not giving a COLA to those who depend on their SS to survive and now this unfair penalty seems to be just one more way to rip off those who worked to give to those who refused to. Also as I am sure you are aware, there is also the issue of illegal aliens getting free care and no system set up to make sure they do not, and that really has not been properly addressed by the current administration or any recent previous administrations, so until that situation is addressed properly and the illegal people are all made to go home and file the legal way to get into the US, I feel that anything the current administration does will be met with rejection by those of us who are not staunch Democratic supporters. Mind you, I vote for whoever will do the best for the country and not by party and I would like to see all parties done away with and everyone to just be known by their title and be made to work together for what the people want and not what they want, but that is but a dream and will probably never happen in today's world. So in winding up this rather long post of mine, you as a member are also entitled to your opinions and views :SugarwareZ-034: and I am just answering you as to why most posts would be allowed in this section as long as no one attacks other member.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Mr. Lee

[TheMason]

My intent was to be factual and seek information on what others may be doing for health insurance to leverage US resources, corporate, medicare, etc. which cannot be used here. I do hope the US does something to reform health care for its citizens. It is behind most of the civilized world.Ron AKA Gold Heart.

Personally, I'd like to see the US adopt a pay as you go system like here in the Philippines. If people had to pay for their own care, they would be more judicious in which care they really needed, and they would make better health/lifestyle choices. Once the number of patient's declines, doctors and hospitals would have to compete for patient's and prices would naturally decline. Yes, some people will die because they don't get health care and it may not seem fair, but what in life is fair? I don't see a right to health care enumerated in the Constitution, Bible, or anything else we use to guide our daily lives.My plan for medical insurance in the Philippines is a pile of cash sitting in the bank. You can sign up for PhilHealth if you want to but keeping cash on hand is better insurance in my opinion. I'm 42 so don't have pension or Medicare options that others might have. The loss of certain govt./pension benefits is one of the costs of making the decision to become an expat though. In my case, I'll be returning to the US in the spring time and live there for the next 3-7 years while my wife gets her US citizenship. I planned on going back to my old company to work, primarily for the benefits, but they offer one of the 'Cadillac' plans that is targeted for new taxes in the health reform bills. I really doubt that plan will still be offered under the new legislation. If it is offered, it will cost me a hell of a lot more than the $30 per month I was paying for it when I worked there previously.Change you can believe in! Edited December 3, 2009 by TheMason

[Mik]

I agree with TheMason. Pay as you go was basically how it was done in the US before the 1930s or so. Some people did have a limited insurance plan for catostrophic health care. But ordinary health care was affordable just like it is here in most of the Philippines. Modern comprehensive insurance plans that cover everything plus government regulations (and paperwork) have sent health costs soaring. Collectivism doesn't work.The government should not force people to buy insurance (or anything else). It's just another government scam to seize more of your assets (your property) and exert more control over your private life. People have a right to life, liberty and property and the right to be left alone by their government.Did anyone read George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four? He could have named it 2014 or 2024 but dystopia is coming for sure..