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You seem to believe that only a government program or five can provide health care... that private sector solutions haven't a prayer.
Is there some reason for that?
I didn't necessarily say that. I did ask what the Republican's plan is to help provide health care for the millions of people without it. Are they willing to keep the provision where kids can stay on their parents plan longer? How about not allowing health care companies deny plans for pre-existing conditions? These are all people benefitting from this law who Republicans are ready to throw back into the uninsured pile
If this part of the bill is not struck down by the court and the mandate is the Republicans will move for full repeal, the strange part is the Democrats will have no choice but support repeal unless they want to send the HC system into chaos. Both of those provisions hinge on the mandate, they cannot exist without it.
this will never happen. I've been waiting for 4 years for Republicans to offer their alternative. All I hear is repeal, repeal, repeal...with no offer to substitute, fix, or provide coverage to those benefiting from the health care law. I hear more of 'it's your own damn fault you don't have coverage' than what to do about millions of people trying to get coverage who are being denied every day.
They think it is affordable. Haven't you heard that it was only been going up since Obamacare.
They think it is affordable. Haven't you heard that it was only been going up since Obamacare.
Everyone realizes that there is and has been an issue with HC expenses, you'd have to live under a rock to think otherwise and that is exactly the point. Obamacare does very little to attack those costs, it's adds a lot benefits but doesn't do anything to address the costs.
I didn't necessarily say that. I did ask what the Republican's plan is to help provide health care for the millions of people without it.
As I thought, you are seeking solutions only from government. No wonder you are so unhappy with every solution you find.
Quote:
How about not allowing health care companies deny plans for pre-existing conditions?
Some people seem to have a very strange view of what insurance companies do. They point to the problem of people who have a pre-existing condition, trying to sign up for new insurance, only to find the insurance companies won't pay for the the treatment for that pre-existing condition.
Of course they won't. That's not what insurance companies do. Whoever said they did?
Insurance is a gambling game where you bet on what will happen in the future. You "bet" that you will get sick or injured, and the company "bets" that you won't. If you get sick or injured, the company pays you the stipulated amount (paying for a portion of your medical treatment etc.), and if you don't, you pay them (premiums). The purpose is to shield you from the "shock" of suddenly and unexpectedly getting hit with huge medical bills... which is why you agreed to the contract.
A pre-existing condition cannot be insured against. It's like betting on the outcome of a horse race that's already been run - there is no "chance" involved, and no "unexpectedness" to the outcome (any more).
Insurance companies are in the business of selling security - the assurance that you won't be suddenly bankrupted by huge medical bills, rehab bills etc. in the future. They do it by insuring huge numbers of people and getting them to each pay relatively small amounts (their premiums) each. They and their clients all know that most of them will never incur the huge medical bills they are worried about. But since no one knows which few people WILL incur them, they are all happy to pay the premiums, for the knowledge they won't have to pay the huge amounts if they turn out to be the unlucky ones.
Insurance companies sell safety from FUTURE possible disasters. And that's all they sell. Asking them to cover pre-existing conditions, is like asking a submarine designer to design a supersonic jet - it's got nothing to do with his business or his area of expertise, and he never volunteered to design jets in the first place, for good reason.
If you want to set up some kind of universal pool to pay for pre-existing conditions, fine, go ahead. But why drag insurance companies into it? It's got nothing to do with their areas of expertise, and they never volunteered to do it in the first place - for good reason.
this will never happen. I've been waiting for 4 years for Republicans to offer their alternative. All I hear is repeal, repeal, repeal...with no offer to substitute, fix, or provide coverage to those benefiting from the health care law. I hear more of 'it's your own damn fault you don't have coverage' than what to do about millions of people trying to get coverage who are being denied every day.
Personally, I think the fed gov't should stay the hell out of PRIVATE health care. Period!
Republicans don't have an alternative plan. Even if they had one, they wouldn't bring it out until after this
election. Would be no political advantage for them to do so.
Federal Spending on healthcare, 2000: $467 billion
Federal Spending on healthcare, 2010: $821 billion
Change: +$354 billion
Federal Revenue, 2000: $2.56T
Federal Revenue, 2010: $2.13T
Change: -430 billion
That is a $780 billion turnaround. There is no incentive for a republican to do something about reducing health care costs, and no incentive to increase federal revenues. In fact, higher spending costs and lower revenues, hence greater deficits, are the perfect recipes for their continued push for: Starve the beast. The more they can argue "deficits", the more incentives they have towards their political agenda.
As I thought, you are seeking solutions only from government. No wonder you are so unhappy with every solution you find.
Some people seem to have a very strange view of what insurance companies do. They point to the problem of people who have a pre-existing condition, trying to sign up for new insurance, only to find the insurance companies won't pay for the the treatment for that pre-existing condition.
Of course they won't. That's not what insurance companies do. Whoever said they did?
Insurance is a gambling game where you bet on what will happen in the future. You "bet" that you will get sick or injured, and the company "bets" that you won't. If you get sick or injured, the company pays you the stipulated amount (paying for a portion of your medical treatment etc.), and if you don't, you pay them (premiums). The purpose is to shield you from the "shock" of suddenly and unexpectedly getting hit with huge medical bills... which is why you agreed to the contract.
A pre-existing condition cannot be insured against. It's like betting on the outcome of a horse race that's already been run - there is no "chance" involved, and no "unexpectedness" to the outcome (any more).
Insurance companies are in the business of selling security - the assurance that you won't be suddenly bankrupted by huge medical bills, rehab bills etc. in the future. They do it by insuring huge numbers of people and getting them to each pay relatively small amounts (their premiums) each. They and their clients all know that most of them will never incur the huge medical bills they are worried about. But since no one knows which few people WILL incur them, they are all happy to pay the premiums, for the knowledge they won't have to pay the huge amounts if they turn out to be the unlucky ones.
Insurance companies sell safety from FUTURE possible disasters. And that's all they sell. Asking them to cover pre-existing conditions, is like asking a submarine designer to design a supersonic jet - it's got nothing to do with his business or his area of expertise, and he never volunteered to design jets in the first place, for good reason.
If you want to set up some kind of universal pool to pay for pre-existing conditions, fine, go ahead. But why drag insurance companies into it? It's got nothing to do with their areas of expertise, and they never volunteered to do it in the first place - for good reason.
Who would you suggest could set these pools up - the government? And if not the government, what should happen to people with existing medical conditions - bankruptcy?
this will never happen. I've been waiting for 4 years for Republicans to offer their alternative. All I hear is repeal, repeal, repeal...with no offer to substitute, fix, or provide coverage to those benefiting from the health care law. I hear more of 'it's your own damn fault you don't have coverage' than what to do about millions of people trying to get coverage who are being denied every day.
Then you haven't been listening. Several plan were discussed, the primary one being allowing insurance companies to cross state lines, and offer insurance in multiple states, Increased competition, drives down prices.
It's too bad that your listening with your ears covered, or you would have heard that plan and several other items discussed.
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