dagblog - Comments for "Cadillacs All Around"

I'm with you on Ezekial

CVille Dem — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 21:15:53 +0000

I'm with you on Ezekial Emmanuel. I had a podcast of him a few years ago (he was advising Obama early on). He was pushing vouchers to replace all health insurance, including MEDICARE. He's not dumb, and anyone listening who didn't understand the ramifications of such a disastrous policy might have thought his plan was just what the country needed. He was sure that it was the answer to health care for everyone. I am so glad his ~~dream~~ nightmare didn't come to fruition.

You're talking about

ocean-kat — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 00:57:09 +0000

In reply to This may be true but spa

You're talking about legitimate physical therapy. But many elite cadillac plans subsidize ordinary massages for other wise healthy individuals. I've had massages and I think they are great but I don't think the government can afford to subsidize them.

PS: I'd love to get a weekly massage. It would be great to have a health care plan that paid for it. We'd all be healthier if everyone got a weekly massage. Back in the 80's when I could afford it it cost me about $50. Let's assume the price hasn't gone up the last 30 years. If everybody got a massage a week it would only cost the government 875 billion dollars a year.

Cadillac plans aren't just

ocean-kat — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:43:10 +0000

In reply to I don't have a problem with a

Cadillac plans aren't just subsidies for eye care. By far the largest cost when buying glasses is the frame. They're subsidies for people making a fashion statement.

I don't agree that the government should subsidize things like gym memberships. There's a limited amount of government money and much more important ways to spend it. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

I don't have a problem with a

Michael Maiello — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:26:54 +0000

In reply to Cadillac plans for the elite

I don't have a problem with a subsidy for eyecare for middle class workers. Nor do I have a problem subsidizing plans that allow for longer physical therapy treatments or therapeutic massages or that subsidize gym memberships. Health is important. The Cadillac plan tax basically targets the few plans out there that are doing right by the people they cover.

This may be true but spa

HSG — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:26:00 +0000

In reply to Cadillac plans for the elite

This may be true but spa visits for hydrotherapy for folks with serious back problems may be medically indicated and ultimately cheaper than medication. Likewise, massage is considered a legitimate medical procedure. In the aftermath of a serious bicycle accident and ultimately surgery I received prescriptions from a highly regarded pain doctor (M.D.) for massage treatment and was told that hydrotherapy would be appropriate if my bulging disks were in my lower back. Since they are in my neck, hydrotherapy would have been nearly impossible. To be honest, I don't think the massage treatments did much good and neither, frankly, did the surgery.

Cadillac plans for the elite

ocean-kat — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:16:50 +0000

In reply to Cadillacs All Around

Cadillac plans for the elite amount to tax free subsidies for massages and spa visits. For what used to be high paying union jobs they were tax free subsidies for things like glasses. There's a limit to what tax subsidies the government can afford to give to rich or well off middle class workers. I support the cadillac tax.

I'm with you on this Michael.

HSG — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 17:09:00 +0000

In reply to Cadillacs All Around

I'm with you on this Michael. I would add that universal government-provided healthcare (medicare for all) would be the best way to ensure fairness across-the-board. It would also free American corporations from a weighty anchor which impedes their ability to compete with foreign companies that don't have to pay for employees' healthcare out of operating expenses.