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The reason for the mandate is actuarial. Like any insurance pool, it needs to be large enough to pencil out. I'm sure this was a huge issue as the ACA was developed, I doubt it surprises anyone that this is the biggest problem people have with it.
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Originally Posted by southbel
I know because the core design of the law was bad, not to mention all of the wholly unnecessary components added to it. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Where is the Tea Party-Republican solution? There isnt any is there?...nothing absolutely nothing. The Coburn-Burr-Hatch plan had taxes and penalties just as the ACA. If you drop out or dont get insurance you get penalized when you try to get back in. Other than that its a lot like Obamacare...complete with subsidies. Republican subsidies good...Obama subsidies bad...very bad.
Republicans would surely have created and passed their own reforms if Obamacare wasn't the health care rod and if they didn't have to deal with Harry Reid obstructing all their bills. Heck, there was a Republican plan some were trying to push as early as 2007 (source). Not that I (or the Tea Party) like it too much, but it's very likely that sans-Obamacare some version of health care reform would have happened.
Despite all that, it was in fact the Ds and Obama who did the heavy lifting and got something done.
Remember Bush's second term, and the strength he had in Congress? Coulda, woulda, shoulda doesn't count now.
Health care affordability has been an issue for about two decades. At any time in those two decades, Rs could have defined the issues and gotten in front of it. But - they didn't.
Very sad for America and you choose to give your rights away and buy a forced plan? What wrong with you?
Nothing wrong with me, but if anything is wrong in the future, I now have health insurance to cover it. And no, I'm not getting a handout. I am self-employed and pay plenty of taxes, and now I'm also paying for my own health insurance.
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Yeah, but the reality is that Republican opposition to the ACA has always been steeped in the idea that it will be too popular to repeal once all the provisions are in place and in full use.
That nightmare is slowly coming true for Repubs. Not that there was ever any chance of repeal.
Sure, it's going to be a nightmare. And we're going to regret not repealing this when the government makes prices skyrocket after they eliminate all the insurance companies. You think you're getting a good deal now, but in the end, everybody loses.
Sure, it's going to be a nightmare. And we're going to regret not repealing this when the government makes prices skyrocket after they eliminate all the insurance companies. You think you're getting a good deal now, but in the end, everybody loses.
You obviously missed all of the double digit price increases year after year for the last couple decades.
Yay free market systems.....
Seriously the healthcare system was broken before, this is a bandaid on a foot amputation. We need single payer. "Free market systems" on something like this was a complete disaster.
You obviously missed all of the double digit price increases year after year for the last couple decades.
Yep. I was getting increases every six months when I was last in the market 10 years ago, until I was finally priced out completely.
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Originally Posted by greywar
Seriously the healthcare system was broken before, this is a bandaid on a foot amputation. We need single payer. "Free market systems" on something like this was a complete disaster.
Nothing wrong with me, but if anything is wrong in the future, I now have health insurance to cover it. And no, I'm not getting a handout. I am self-employed and pay plenty of taxes, and now I'm also paying for my own health insurance.
Well, that depends.
If you are getting a subsidy, you are. If you were a poor underwriting risk before, you are effectively getting one from people whose rates shot up as yours went down (or you were able to buy on the individual market at all). If your rates stayed about the same or went up, then you're not getting a handout and may in fact be subsidizing other people. Depending on your location, you also may or may not be a beneficiary of insurer under-pricing and have a policy that the insurer is taking a loss on this year.
It's not so simple as "And no, I'm not getting a handout," because that may or may not be the case depending on your personal circumstances. I'm not saying you did necessarily, but just because you're paying taxes and premiums doesn't mean you aren't either.
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Originally Posted by jacqueg
Despite all that, it was in fact the Ds and Obama who did the heavy lifting and got something done.
Remember Bush's second term, and the strength he had in Congress? Coulda, woulda, shoulda doesn't count now.
Health care affordability has been an issue for about two decades. At any time in those two decades, Rs could have defined the issues and gotten in front of it. But - they didn't.
"Change" - whether as a slogan or in the form of a policy, is only a good thing if it is better than the status quo. If you make a change that is worse than things were before, you can't blame the other party for not going out and doing something productive before you went out and did something harmful. Making things worse than they were before is all on the Democrats who passed the ACA without a single Republican vote.
Probably combined with the Medicaids and Medicare. Basically a means tested, with copays and deductibles, Medicare for all who want and need it.
But we need to always keep our private options open for those with the desire and the means.
My daughter also has a rare condition that no private plan would cover. Now she has good coverage with recent HC reforms. So we need to keep our options open. Public and private.
It's very easy to argue for a means tested public universal option when you expect to be getting the good rather than footing the bill. Not so easy to get swing voting members of the middle class to do so when the bill comes in. Look at what's going on in Vermont right now. Super liberal state in terms of both the electorate and the elected officials, lower per capita healthcare costs than the country as a whole, and they're not exactly having an easy time figuring out how to pay for the part of their UHC bill not covered by the feds, and the whole thing could very well still unravel over the issue.
It's very easy to argue for a means tested public universal option when you expect to be getting the good rather than footing the bill. Not so easy to get swing voting members of the middle class to do so when the bill comes in. Look at what's going on in Vermont right now. Super liberal state in terms of both the electorate and the elected officials, lower per capita healthcare costs than the country as a whole, and they're not exactly having an easy time figuring out how to pay for the part of their UHC bill not covered by the feds, and the whole thing could very well still unravel over the issue.
I have often said and still believe that states cannot cover the HC costs of their people. It takes the power and size of the Feds, of course along with some new money creation along the way.
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And no, I'm not getting a handout. I am self-employed and pay plenty of taxes, and now I'm also paying for my own health insurance.