Obamacare does not exempt you from math:

[golfgal]

Checking a specialized forum for my condition...another user from Norway reports having some pretty concerning issues, first reported 12/12, took a month to get into see the dr for the initial evaluation, which was inconclusive, back and forth through the year and she is STILL on a waiting list to get further testing. Seriously, this is what universal "care" does for you. The symptoms she is having were ones I was told to call the dr immediately and would likely result in a second surgery. No thanks...

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Wardendresden

But Robyn, you consistently speak of controlling costs. Controlling costs will involve controlling costs of drugs also. In some cases not accepting them if they are priced too high...

'Socialized' or Not, We Can Learn from the VA | RAND

Now if your main concern is that you just don't want to rub shoulders with all those poor, disadvantaged folks, then keeping your high cost health care in glorified surroundings is important to you.

But it has NOTHING to do with controlling costs.

If, as a Viet Vet, I could get accepted into the VA system, I'd go in a heartbeat. But with massive numbers of injured returning from the longest idiotic war we've ever fought (thank God we got those Weapons of Mass Destruction), and very little budgetary help by a Congress that praises our "heroes," the VA has found it necessary to begin limiting its services which used to be wide open to any veteran. But, fortunately, I did not receive a service related injury or wound, and even on social security my income will remain above what the VA will now accept.

I'm not sure where you get a lot of this. I am mostly interested in a combination of controlling my family medical costs as much as I can - while getting the best possible health care. It's a juggling act to be sure. Especially since my husband has MS. And because excellent PCPs who will accept new Medicare patients are hard to come by (at least where I live). But I've juggled for a long time - and will continue to juggle.

As for other people's personal health care costs - I don't think they should necessarily come down. What I am saying is - for some people (perhaps a lot of people) - they will in probability be forced down as a result of government rationing/restricting access/etc. The only thing a sane somewhat financially healthy person can do when facing this reality is to save money. So when the day comes that the health care system you're a part of says you can't have X, Y or Z - or you can have it - but 6 months down the road (when you need it now) - you have some chance of paying for it yourself.

Note that this doesn't necessarily mean that people will wind up paying less for the health care system (as some people are finding out now as they shop for 2014 policies). It's just that the landscape in terms of who gets what and who pays for what is changing.

With regard to your personal situation - if you like the VA system - and you can't access the facility where you live (for whatever reason) - you should consider moving to a place with a good VA system you can use when your wife retires from her work. E.g., to the best of my knowledge - our VA facilities here are pretty good (they were overhauled/modernized at some point with the help of a prominent "retired" local physician). My father had no problems in terms of using the local facility when he first moved here (and he's far from low income). IOW - it might be a good fit for you (and we do in fact have a fair number of vets who retire in this area in part because of the VA facilities). Now I can't say all of this is 100% accurate today with regard to our local facility (I don't follow the situation day by day) - but you get my point. I'm all about people trying to solve their personal problems first if they can. Even if it means moving (we would have left Florida had the state high risk pool shut its doors before we went on Medicare - proposals to close it were floated perhaps every 2-3 years - but - luckily - never got off the ground).

IOW - the days of living in a "set it and forget it" world are long past. Robyn

[Wardendresden]

Michael Hudson a former Wall Street financial analyst and now a respected economics professor at the University of Missouri says the entire debt crisis is manufactured with the Tea Party playing "bad cop" and Obama playing "good cop."

At stake? Medicare and social security (3 min & about 11 min mark). Who gains? The oligarchy at the top. In this video he calls Obama a "Wall Street Democrat" which we used to call Republicans.


Michael Hudson: GOP Cries Wolf on Debt Ceiling In Order To Impose Radical Pro-Rich Agenda - YouTube

[modhatter]

Originally Posted by Wardendresden

Michael Hudson a former Wall Street financial analyst and now a respected economics professor at the University of Missouri says the entire debt crisis is manufactured with the Tea Party playing "bad cop" and Obama playing "good cop."

At stake? Medicare and social security (3 min & about 11 min mark). Who gains? The oligarchy at the top. In this video he calls Obama a "Wall Street Democrat" which we used to call Republicans.


Michael Hudson: GOP Cries Wolf on Debt Ceiling In Order To Impose Radical Pro-Rich Agenda - YouTube

Watched the video. Believe to a degree in what he says, but not to the extreme he takes it. I do believe Obama, as is pretty much everyone in Washington under control of Wall Street. They are the money people in this country who are calling the shots, and have a leg and arm inside the Capital at all times.
No one crosses them, without severe consequences. Watch Client 9 on Netflix if you have it. It's about the rise and fall of Elliot Spitzer, who went after wall street.

I sincerely hope and think he is wrong concerning eliminating social security as we know it now. There are vast numbers of people who would not have anything in old age without a forced and guaranteed plan such as social security. I know they are going to tamper with it and make adjustments to both. How far they will go is the question. Social security is a much easier fix and does not require changing the whole system. I know wall street wants this money. But I hope he's wrong.