Comments on: The Senate Passed Its Sweeping Healthcare Bill. Just How LGBT-Friendly Is It?

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:02:56 +0000

It is time for the Democrats to put up or shut up on equality issues, and time for the gay community to sit out the 2010 elections for any candidate that does not push and succeed in getting pro-equality legislation passed NOW in January 2010, not some later date. We’ve been waiting 40 frickin’ years for equality. Patience is up. Dems control Congress and the White House – time to pay the piper and fulfill equal protection under law to prove this country still functions.

By: Attmay

Attmay — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:22:57 +0000

@16 Keith Kimmel:

The idea of insurance, compulsory or otherwise, is bullshit. Someone else paying for what you should be paying for out of pocket while you ask no questions about what it costs, and what treatments and examinations are necessary; what a racket!

U.S. Out Of My Doctor’s Office!

By: Keith Kimmel

Keith Kimmel — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:37:26 +0000

Thanks for posting, Queerty. I have been so buried with work lately and issues, this one has been one that I have neglected, sadly. I wish I would have dived into the details some more and found the time to rally against this.

@ No. 3 · Jon B – Shut up, already. This is an issue I want to hear about, and quite honestly, I am tired of having the FUCKING DEMOCRATS try to keep the truth about this bill out of the ears of the people. How could you support this legislation? Its disgusting. Its an assult on our democracy. The idea of compulsary insurance is bullshit, got it?

By: McShane

McShane — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:20:04 +0000

No. 12 · InExile : You’re so right! Interestingly, as soon as the Senate bill passed, Private Insurace Company stocks zoomed up from appox $5 ea. to $30. I.e. Without a public option the whole thing is a bluff. Obama is lying about promising that kind of bill.

By: Brian NJ

Brian NJ — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:06:12 +0000

Why would the democrats lift a single finger to protect gay families as part of the bill? They know that not enough gays will complain, as many accept the democratic party order of priorities as their own. I do not.

Wait until the notices go out to America that they have to purchase an expensive product from a private corporation or get fined by the government. Then the democrats will wish they had saved for a political rainy day by helping gay vets and families. But by that time, the LGBT community will have become so disaffected that they won’t go to polls to bail out the party.

By: Fitz

Fitz — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:12:30 +0000

I don’t think that this bill has a chance in the house.. so this is really spitting in the wind. I am not worried about it not specifically addressing LGBT issues.. Though I do think my cohorts should strive for a LGBT doctor, if they can. Rumor has it that there are one or two health issues which hit us harder.

By: InExile

InExile — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:46:04 +0000

This is not reform, this is a health care bill being passed so Barack Obama can say he passed one. A big giveaway to the drug and insurance lobby, you know the people Obama said should not have a say in our government.

By: Robert, NYC

Robert, NYC — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:06:48 +0000

This is hardly a historic bill and its a far cry from universal health care, something Obama campaigned on. I don’t like it one bit. We still remain the last western society without any universal coverage. If this bill is finalized, between 18-23 million will NOT be covered, most of whom will not be old enough to qualify for Medicare. This is nothing more than expansion of the health insurance industry with one or two prohibitions. They will circumvent the pre-existing condition inclusion by jacking up their rates to force buyers to drop coverage. The bill stinks. The pharmaceutical industry gets to keeps its price gouging tradition in tact now that importation of cheaper drugs form Canada and elsewhere is off the table. I don’t see any reform in that, in fact in none of it. Women will have to buy additional insurance to get abortion coverage and everyone will be fined as much as $750 for failing to obtain coverage, in some cases some may not be able to afford the premiums. This is health care reform? NOT!

By: Lady Ga-Gasp

Lady Ga-Gasp — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:30:35 +0000

So in other words, the congress just passed a law that doesn’t offer what most big companies already offer — the ability for registered gay dp’s to share a policy. What a drag.

By: Mark_Your_Words

Mark_Your_Words — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:29:15 +0000

And, while we’re at it, let’s do something about the two main causes of healthcare costs: obesity and smoking. BOTH are preventable and simply the result of laziness and/or bad behavior.

Almost 40% of ALL healthcare costs are attributable to these two behaviors. We should create a Smokers Trust by charging a tax of $10 per pack of cigarettes and a Fat Trust with a income tax surcharge based on body fat percentage. People won’t stop these two destructive behaviors until it costs them real money.

By: Mark_Your_Words

Mark_Your_Words — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:24:30 +0000

Insurance companies get a guaranteed market and they can shift the highest risks to the government.

The problem in America was not “insurance” – they already take 25% of every healthcare dollar, the problem was healthcare. Unless you deal with the 25% (more now) going to insurance companies, you have done NOTHING about healthcare costs.

Only insurance companies should be celebrating this legislation. Hopefully it is killed soon.

By: Charles Merrill

Charles Merrill — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:02:40 +0000

Josh is right. The stock in Insurance Companies is soaring on Wall Street. They will be getting billions from the government to insure everyone, our tax money. And who pays taxes but get none of the benefits that hetero’s get? LGBT’s, yet we are lucky if they allow us in the hospital room to see our same sex loved one. This is why I haven’t paid income taxes since 2004. Not in prison yet. The government knows they do us wrong.

By: FakeName

FakeName — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:14:40 +0000

Yes Wellpoint, there is a Santa Claus.

Oh, so close, but you should have gone with “Humana” to keep the same three-syllable pattern as the original.

By: YellowRanger

YellowRanger — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:08:26 +0000

Yes Wellpoint, there is a Santa Claus.

By: FakeName

FakeName — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:37:47 +0000

just because it doesn’t specifically address LGBT issues is no reason to criticize it in the slightest.

Why not? If there are specific LGBT issues which should be addressed by a health bill and they aren’t, why should the bill be immune to criticism on that basis?

By: Jon B

Jon B — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:26:33 +0000

This is the kinda shit that always makes me want to stop reading this website. If you want to comment on this bill, there are a million ways to disect it and discuss it. However, asking where the issues that deal with LGBT people are, and getting upset that there are none is the exact same thing as the republicans shouting about how the bill allowed abortions when it didn’t even address the issue of abortions. Not everything is about you! This is about the whole country!

I’m not even for what was just passed, I think the liberal democrats should kill it, and they should start over again, but just because it doesn’t specifically address LGBT issues is no reason to criticize it in the slightest. Do gays not have preexisting medical conditions? Since we aren’t covered by our partners plans, doesn’t cheaper insurance help us out just as much if not more than it helps straight people?

STFU already Queerty. Be reasonable.

By: Attmay

Attmay — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:47:33 +0000

This is fascism, plain and simple.

I am calling for everyone who voted “YEA” on this to be thrown in prison.

By: FakeName

FakeName — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:38:39 +0000

There are not 60 Democrats in the Senate. There are 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans and two independents who caucus with the Democrats.

By: Josh NYC

Josh NYC — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:56:45 +0000

This in an InsuranceCare Bill. The insurance companies can shift coverage to the government for people 55 and over (the time most need health care). Everyone MUST buy insurance or pay a penalty – donut makers would love a similar law. There is no other industry that has the government requiring that we all must purchase.

The Bill is useless for us – costs go up and coverage come down. We lose, insurance companies win.

I don’t the the House is going to kill the deal.