WASHINGTON – Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than ,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines will raise around billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about ,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals.

In a revamped health care system envisioned by lawmakers, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face penalties.

Called "shared responsibility payments," the fines would be set at least at half the cost of basic medical coverage, according to the legislation. The goal is to nudge people to sign up for coverage when they are healthy, not wait until they get sick.

In 2008, employer-provided coverage averaged ,680 a year for a family plan, and ,704 for individual coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey. Senate aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the cost of the federal plan would be lower but declined to provide specifics.

The legislation would exempt certain hardship cases from fines. The fines would be collected through the income tax system.

The new proposals were released as Congress neared the end of a weeklong July 4 break, with lawmakers expected to quickly take up health care legislation when they return to Washington. With deepening divisions along partisan and ideological lines, the complex legislation faces an uncertain future.

Obama wants a bill this year that would provide coverage to the nearly 50 million Americans who lack it and reduce medical costs.

In a statement, Obama welcomed the legislation, saying it "reflects many of the principles I’ve laid out, such as reforms that will prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and the concept of insurance exchanges where individuals can find affordable coverage if they lose their jobs, move or get sick."

The Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions bill also calls for a government-run insurance option to compete with private plans as well as a 0-per-worker annual fee on larger companies that do not offer coverage to employees.

Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said in a letter to colleagues that their revised plan would cost dramatically less than an earlier, incomplete proposal, and help show the way toward coverage for 97 percent of all Americans.

In a conference call with reporters, Dodd said the revised bill had brought "historic reform of health care" closer. He said the bill’s public option will bring coverage and benefit decisions driven "not by what generates the biggest profits, but by what works best for American families."

The Congressional Budget Office, in an analysis released Thursday evening, put the net cost of the proposal at 7 billion over 10 years, down from trillion two weeks ago. Coverage expansions worth 5 billion would be partly offset by savings of billion, the estimate said.

However, the total cost of legislation will rise considerably once provisions are added to subsidize health insurance for the poor through Medicaid. Those additions, needed to ensure coverage for nearly all U.S. residents, are being handled by a separate panel, the Senate Finance Committee. Bipartisan talks on the Finance panel aim to hold the overall price tag to trillion.

The Health Committee could complete its portion of the bill as soon as next week, and the presence of a government health insurance option virtually assures a party-line vote.

In the Senate, the Finance Committee version of the bill is unlikely to include a government-run insurance option. Bipartisan negotiations are centered on a proposal for a nonprofit insurance cooperative as a competitor to private companies.

Three committees are collaborating in the House on legislation expected to come to a vote by the end of July. That measure is certain to include a government-run insurance option.

At their heart, all the bills would require insurance companies to sell coverage to any applicant, without charging higher premiums for pre-existing medical conditions. The poor and some middle-class families would qualify for government subsidies to help with the cost of coverage. The government’s costs would be covered by a combination of higher taxes and cuts in projected Medicare and Medicaid spe

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

I do not have any insurance for myself or my family, and heres why. Since I am self employed it will cost me 0 per month to cover my family. If by chance a member of my family needs a doctor then I pay for the services right then. I have a tear in my abdominal muscle just above my belly. Now here’s my complaint. I went to the Dr. and he said it will cost me 00. just for him but since i’m uninsured he will do it for 0. Since i’m uninsured I had to contact each person myself to set things up. The hospital told me it will cost me ,000. to rent a hospital room, nurse and the tools the Dr. will need, but since i’m uninsured they will rent me everything for ,000. Then the same for the anesthesiologist, 00 but he’ll cut it to 00. for his service. Now this ,500 surgery will cost me ,000 out of my pocket. Now if they could do it for less then half since i’m uninsured, why couldn’t it be that price to begin with? Then insurance would be affordable.

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Your company is an established retailer who wishes to have a presence on the WWW as well as be able to market & sell products. You are a member of a search committee taskd with recruiting a full time employee who will be responsible for ensuring the security your network, your database, as well as the security associated with your website including transactions.

Mr. John Draper has submitted his application for the position.

Would you recommend to hire him? Why or Why not?

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YAHOO ACCOUNT VERIFICATION ALERT !!! (KMM69467VL055834KM)

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These tips could help to protect you:

1.Shred sensitive information. Shred financial statements, offers of loans and credit cards, catalogue account details or anything else that could be used to impersonate you before binning them. Thieves go through rubbish to see if there is anything useful – a practice known as bin raiding.

2.Check your statements carefully. Go through your credit card and bank statements every month. Unexpected entries can be the first indication that somebody is stealing your money.

3.Learn to love your credit report. Your credit report is such an effective tool in the fight against ID fraud that the government recommends regular checks to protect yourself. It gives you a snapshot of your borrowings and repayment record, so you can easily spot unfamiliar accounts and suspicious balances. You can see your Experian credit report online with a free trial of CreditExpert, the UK’s leading online credit monitoring and ID fraud protection service.

4.Limit your social networking. It’s tempting to include basic information such as your full name and date of birth in your profile, then add interesting details such as your pets’ or children’s names and nicknames. Don’t – these are the kind of detail that you probably use for passwords and PINs, so leave them out. Your cyber-friends might be fraudsters looking for enough data to steal your ID.

5.Don’t risk important documents. Don’t carry your passport, driving licence or even credit cards unless you know you’ll need them and never write down your PINs and passwords. If your bag or wallet is stolen, you could be handing the thieves your identity as well as your cash.

6.Report thefts. Always tell the police, your bank, credit card issuers and anybody else who might be affected if you suffer a theft. That way, your loss is on the record and organisations who might be approached by the thieves will be forewarned.

7.Keep an eye on your post. If mail goes missing, tell the Post Office immediately – someone may be intercepting it, especially if you live in a building with a communal hall where mail is delivered. Be especially careful when you move house and use the Royal Mail’s Redirection Service to forward your post to your new address for at least a year.

8.Register to vote at your current address. Lenders use the electoral roll to check that you live where you say you do. If you’re not registered, a criminal could register you at another address. When you move home, always deregister at your old address and re-register at the new one. That way, the people who move into your previous home can’t offer apparent proof that they are you.

9.Don’t respond to cold calls and e-mails. Never reply to e-mails and cold-callers asking for details such as PINs, passwords and account numbers – and don’t fill in your details on any unfamiliar e-mail or website. Telephone the organisation that is allegedly behind the approach, using the number in the phone book or in previous correspondence – and warn them what is happening.

10.Keep on checking your credit report. You need to check your credit report regularly, because ID thieves could target you at any time. CreditExpert sends out weekly alerts by e-mail or text to warn you if there has been any significant change to your credit report, so you can log on immediately and see whether you are being impersonated. Always respond to these alerts – they give invaluable peace of mind.

Yahoo Security Warning
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"Yahoo Alert!!" <snip3r_28@yahoo.com>
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Dear Valued Member,

YAHOO ACCOUNT VERIFICATION ALERT !!! (KMM69467VL055834KM)

Yahoo Mail has discovered series of illegal attempts on your Yahoo Account from bad Ip Location and will shut your account as it has been flagged as a spam account. You are the thus immediately required to Secure Your Online Access by Manually Filling The Form Below by clicking on the reply-to button on your page, Filling Correct Information Carefully and Sending to Yahoo Alert Center:

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Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his or her account before few hours of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.
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sooo wat do i do?? is this spam or 4real? do i reply? will i lose my account for some reason??