Yeaaah/Booooo the Health care Bill has passed… Now what?

While the ink on bill H.R. 3962, “the Affordable Health Care for America Act” has yet to completely dry and the fact that there may still be some changes (due to rants, raves, agreements and disagreements), many questions are evident for employers (small and large) and the average person. So in thinking about this, I decided to do a search of current information that lists the potential impact this bill may have on both the employee and the employer. Enjoy and as I find more I will add to the list.

Read the House bill (PDF)

You might also want to check out FactCheck.org just to review anything and everything on the political claims to separate the crap from the gravy.
Employer Resources:
Connecticut Employment Law Blog – What Passage of the Health Care Bill Means for Employers
NY Times, What Obama’s New Health Care Plan Means for Small Businesses

Employee Resources:
Washington Post, What the health bill means for you

Entrepreneur Resources:
What the New Health Bill Means For Entrepreneurs

General Perspectives (Publica, etc.):
What Health Care Reform Means For: Small Businesses
CNN – Health Care Bill Would Force Employers to Provide Coverage or Pay a Fee (while this is a CNN news article, I found it on SHRM’s site under the listed title)

If you happen to come across good resources that will help employers and employees understand the outcomes of the bill – please feel free to send them to so they can be posted.

Doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or what economic status you fall under; the Health care argument is a topic that none of us can ignore. Today, a historic vote is about to take place. Will it end with this vote? Does any piece of legislation ever end with one vote, of course not!

One Argument For

No one is an expert. Guess what, if you are a person, politician…a republican, democrat, independent or even Regina M. Benjamin… you are not an expert on Health care. You may have more practice and information than others but you are not an expert. I say this because the basics of health care in this country, the business of it, and the policies that are amended change. This machine continues to evolve. Your opinion and fact, while true at the moment, could be obsolete within 6 months.

The Problem with Health Care & Politics:

One Argument Against

The fundamental problem with politics is that people are behind it. We as humans have differences in philosophy, understanding and information. Those factors are then framed within a silo of our own opinions. We then use those opinions to argue, push or influence what we believe to be right.

“The belief that there is only one truth, and that oneself
is in possession of it, is the root of all evil in the world”

The thing about an opinion is that everyone has one, which is why politicians in the house, the senate, congress and the executive branch will not be able to come up with one plan, one approach, one bill that will solve everything. Should that stop us from gaining progress to fix the system?

The Problem with Business & Politics:

The fundamentals of business do not at all coincide with the thoughts and approaches of “Health Care (caring for a person) & Politics.” The politics of business is to make the business money. Yes we hope that a business will have what we all believe are morals. We hope that the business will do what is in the best interest of the customers, employees, clients and patients. However we must not ignore that if the business behind the machine that is providing Health care does not make money then they can no longer provide care.

Cost versus Consequences: The estimated cost to either fix or overhaul the system is close to 1 trillion dollars. I am not an expert but I believe that if any decision is to be made, then you first have to know the facts that are presented (most recent versions I found):

Health care Bill (Summary) and Health care Bill (Full Version)

While the cost to take care of things now may be large, how much will it be if we don’t? In August of last year CBS News had a report of How Much Health Care Reform will cost. Here is one Doctor’s opinion of why Health care Reform Needs to Pass Now. Whether you agree with it or not, don’t just have an opinion (they are a nickel a dozen) have an opinion based off valid information (yeah, that’s easy huh).

Synopsis – Take a stance:

I have referenced to many aspects of the argument. The thing that matters to me the most is that we, our representatives (whether you agree that they represent you or not) and business take a stance. No more waiting, no more political maneuvering. Any politician that is fearful of losing their job based on a vote, probably should have never had the job in the first place. Regardless, do what you feel is best. Not for politics, not for your employer, but what you feel deep down in your gut should be done.

What are your heartfelt opinions? Have you even given any thought to it?

Stay informed – more thoughts on the topic:

“Healthcare – US Bureau of Labor Statistics”

“HR Bloggers Silence on Health Care Reform” by Krista Ogburn Francis

“Death, Health care, and the employer albatross” by Mark Stelzner

“The Vote on Healthcare and the Future of Work” by Sharlyn Lauby

“Lessons from Health Care: The Semantics of Power” by Jason Seiden

“Healthcare Reform Blog” by Alan Katz

“The Healthcare Blog”

Not saying that you should, but in this economy…

Dating Humor:
How To Seduce Your Boss

You ever have a subordinate that is unproductive? Show them this:

Self- Esteem & Confidence:
How To Stop Being Lazy

It is hard enough to remember a few, but all the employees. Hear are some ways to remember peoples names!

Communication Skills:
How To Remember People’s Names

About a month ago I joined FourSquare.com. Seeing so many updates on Twitter from people I’m connected to telling where they are, great places to eat, etc etc. At first, like anything else it was kind of creepy. Allowing people to not only see what you are doing but also show the exact location to which they were doing it…

But after the curiosity began to kill me, I finally broke down and joined. I am now currently testing out the features and really just trying to experiment with the multiple uses it may have both personally and professionally. I added current folks I am connected to and as the adoption rate increases within my network, I am getting requests from others: colleagues, friends and strangers a like.

The stranger request are more and more… and stranger and stranger. This weekend I actually received a funny request.

Lucifer, the devil, the arc angel of hell itself requested me as a friend.

First thing I thought was “Satan has been more places than I have been!” The second thought, “He’s from Ohio?” and the final thought was that it was so hilarious that I had to tweet it out!

Of course I did not approve the request but it got me thinking.  A few years back everyone was so scared of internet piracy and privacy. We all had concerns about how much information is too much to put out there. Fast forward to now, some of the same worries exist yet they do not exist in to the extreme as they have in the past (fair to say?). So I think that even though we are more comfortable with putting a lot out there, we should still be mindful of the frequency of how and what is put out for all to see, hear and know.

4 Reasons Satan is already your Friend:

1. Permissions/Security Settings: If you don’t have permissions set within your digital footprint (online social accounts) he has been watching for a long time.
2. Spaminators: Spam is easy to do and create. Many people don’t realize that they have been victims. With so many dummy accounts that look real, many people often don’t realize when they automatically accept request or when they may have been hacked. Ever see people with over 10,000 friends, followers, etc. Well I guarantee they have some angels from hell paying attention!
3. Colleagues: Your boss, co-workers, and company may be cool, but do you really want them having so much access to you? Not everyone is the devil but many people can have ill-intentions.
4. Big Brother: Whether you add or delete a request, clean up your profile, or edit your settings… someone is always watching. Be mindful of what type of persona you want to project. If you want to get crazy, keep it on Myspace. New networks are for grown-ups!

There are plenty more but this is all I needed to cover. So watch your back and be mindful of your online presence!

What do you think about all this? Have you been a victim? Any advice or thoughts you have on anything listed?