Off topic stuff...Obamacare

[AZKen]

So I says to myself, Ken, I says...I says don't get in this pepsi trap. Because you're on Medicare and don't worry about it and don't pay anything when you get sick. I will never be on Obamacare. But in deference to my kids and grand kids, who don't want to join 6066 to discuss this, I must say. Anyone who says there is little effect or it's working and helping lots of people needs to realize what has happened. Millions had no insurance but got medical treatment somewhere before ACA. None of them complained. Obamacare was a way to get votes, "a chicken in every pot" thing. Really the American thing to do. Now those people who got free health care before are getting it now. The community activists, Like our Pres used to be, took their laptops around to all the poor neighborhoods and signed them up for Medicaid. I say Medicaid boys. A bunch of other people who somehow got into the government ACA system signed up and got subsidies, I say subsidies boys. And millions signed up with no subsidies. Now the Medicaid people ain't complaining, people in Government who can keep their insurance ain't complaining, Old folks ain't complaining and people start thinking it's a cool deal. Everybody is insured, we did it.
We just ignore the millions who are trying to tell us that they now can not afford insurance at all or they don't go to the doctor when they are sick and just spread what they have to the Medicaid folks who can go to the doctor. These people just suffer at work. They can't stay home because companies have reduced the work week and the sick time. So they are sick at both of their jobs. They have enormous deductibles and co pays and don't go to the hospital. So when I go, the Government pays, when the medicaid'ers go, the Government pays, when the subsidy people go, the Government pays some. Who is the Government? Why it's the people with two jobs. This is the shell game as pointed out.
Tell your adult kids that what others are doing is: Outside of ACA, insurance co. will write a one year policy for a single young person for a very low premium ($200/mo) and if you don't abuse it you can re-up, all the while paying the $100 penalty.

[snazzypig]

Obama repeatedly and knowingly lied when he said "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."
He could just as well have said, If you like your freedom, you can keep your freedom.

I believe that this is not truly about improving our health care, rather its about government control over our lives with the resulting loss of our personal freedom.

[AZKen]

BTW: Don't ever say Medicare is an entitlement unless you mean I am entitled to it...and not say it as welfare. I paid a lot of money into it (forced payment) and I am still paying an insurance premium every month into it and buying a supplement. The bureaucrats call Medicare an entitlement program and lump it in with Medicaid and all the other welfare programs people get who NEVER paid a dime. They subtly try to convey that we are a drag on the economy, we are living off of Uncle Sam. Trying to brainwash the unknowing that we are on welfare and draining the fund. Guess who drained the fund. I paid into it for 40 years. Ever hear of FICA?
Is this off topic? Can you be off topic in an off topic post? Is this post about GMC's? G-overnment M-edical C-are ? I gotta FetchMeABeer.

[tommr]

I will have to check with my accountant when I do taxes. I had insurance thru the end of june so technically I wasn't uninsured this year. 88% of the 7 mil on the exchanges are getting a subsidy or qualifying for Medicaid. that was the purpose of the exchanges. virtually everybody in the private healthcare market that buys their own insurance is paying more--or they are opting for higher deductibles and/or higher copays and narrower provider networks to keep the premium down or at least control it to the upside. many companies have and will convert full timers to 29 hours. a lot of employers/unions are absorbing increases where they can and/or are doing the higher deductible/higher copay angle and passing somewhat higher premiums to the employees or union members. my sister-in-law works for Amtrak and their new plan is a $5k deductible. they held a rally for the employees in her building to roll out the new plan and the guy from DC almost got skinned alive. people were flipping out. in year 2018 the Cadillac tax goes into effect where many plans will be taxed as income and at a 40% rate. the lower end of those health plans are nowhere near what anyone would consider a Cadillac plan. employers and individuals will be forced to up deductibles and copays to avoid the Cadillac tax. I believe this will rock local, state govts as well as private companies and unions. promises have been made to retirees and current employees. the money has to come from somewhere. look for lots of creative ways to raise tax revenues. you can argue that something had to be done but this was never a good idea unless you were a politician. there are no legislative fixes for this and upending the entire healthcare system to qualify 7 mil for subsidies never made sense to me. repubs will nibble away in places where there may be agreement but they know the dems will blame the failure on them if they try to go big. this law is so filled with perverse incentives, dictates, mandates, penalties, etc that tinkering with it creates unknowable problems. plus theres almost no chance the president will sign anything. supreme court will probably uphold that the intent of the law was to provide subsidies to state and federal enrollees in the exchange. if you are on the exchange and live in a state that did not set up an exchange you will probably do ok in the supreme court decision. in my opinion the dems were drunk on power and thought securing this law would guarantee them majorities everywhere into perpetuity. the opposite is probably true. and im not a fan of either party. also the 26 year old will pay very little on the exchange. theres no reason not to sign up when enrollment comes back around next fall. sorry, way long here.

[BillT]

I'm a little late to the party and didn't read every post, word by word, but will say that, those w/o insurance anyway, now have to pay a penalty for just being born.

That is Unconstitutional.

Personally, my insurance and my wife's insurance has been affected a little bit (more money, higher deductibles), but I have some friends as well as many acquaintances that are having to now pay a "mortgage" payment, instead of a reasonable health care payment.

Bill

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Sounds like a lot of people are in the same boat as me. I just heard the Repubs are offering up a proposal that would cancel the requirement (the penalty) and still offer the credits to poor. Some key points that sounded good

"It also allows insurers to sell plans across state lines and caps the amount of monetary damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice litigation."

It provides for targeted tax credits to individuals and families up to 300 percent above the poverty line to encourage people to buy plans in the market place.



Ok, 300% is probably high, but it beats "Buy overpriced insurance or die, you working class SCUM!".

Anyways, if this passes I'll vote for the next Repub president and I don't care if he dresses up as a klan member on the weekends and marches in the national Eat A Baby Every Day parade. I'm so done with the ACA I'd vote for anyone or any thing that kills it.



Die, you bastard law. Die like you killed my soul.

[tommr]

There are no free market reforms that will fix this or make it better. And Harry Reid will hold the line with the Ds on a veto proof majority. Some Ds will join in because it may be reelect time but he will never allow enough for a veto proof majority. Anything the Rs get to the president will be DOA. The Rs also know even if they could get a veto proof majority the effort is not going to fix anything. They will be accused of being the ones that made it fail. We are all prisoners here. Some of just don't know it yet. Remember these subsidized plans are going up in cost as well. Even though the exchange plan is subsidized the cost of those plans are going up the same way the private plans are. This is cost shifting the burden to tax payers--many of whom are reeling from their own private plan increases. Ditto for businesses, state and local govt and unions. States that accepted the 3 year Medicaid expansion $ will be needing to find the $ for Y4 which is coming up fast. And the Medicaid enrolleee #s have ballooned(no offence meant to Medicaid enrollees) Economics is pure logic. This will bust at some point and it will be very ugly. There are no legislative fixes and Single Payer type socialized medicine will never be sellable by Ds as the remedy. In my view there is nothing to indicate Ds will be winning much for a long time. They pulled this stinking fish into the boat all by themselves and will be remembered as such for a long time. Healthcare is a very personal thing to people. All of this was knowable and predictable. Just my 2 cents. Tom