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The original "Obamacare" state, Massachusetts while still facing healthcare costs slightly above national rate, still manages to do more for residents of that state than others.
Wealthy northeast and west coast states likely could do some sort of program similar to Massachusetts. It is the poorer mid-west and southern states already facing problems even paying for the limited Medicaid they provide that would face issues.
Poor states simply do not have the tax base/revenue sources to make a state run healthcare plan work. Worse these same states pride themselves on being "low tax" or whatever which means or has meant historically they don't do big social welfare schemes well, if at all.
And please don't forget that Mass. the state doesn't pay for its own Medicare patients. Although they do offer a state based supplement.
This could be a real killer. Hillary was to push lowering the Medicare age, and that would have taken huge loads off of older Americans and also off of the private insurance plans.
The GOP is going to need a lot of support with Trumpcare but it won't come from the hospitals:
Quote:
“We ask Congress to protect our patients, and find ways to maintain coverage for as many Americans as possible,” Richard Pollack, president of the association, wrote in a letter to House Republicans. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Congress and the Administration on [Affordable Care Act] reform, but we cannot support The American Health Care Act in its current form.”
The American Hospital Association cites two major problems: First, the legislation has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office — so there’s no official estimate for how many people will lose (or gain) health insurance as a result of the bill. Second, the bill cuts back on programs, particularly the Medicaid expansion and tax credits for health insurance, that make health care affordable and accessible to millions of people.
Will be interesting to see how His Orangeness plays this whole thing out; especially given his near manic desire to be "loved" and most importantly re-elected.
As things stand now this GOP plan will harm poor, working and middle class whites, along with the elderly. It will also not bring much relief to the poor/rust belt states that were crucial to DT winning WH.
But then again poor whites have long voted against their own interests so if they don't care what happens to them, why should anyone else? If that attitude holds in polling, then DT might well get onboard this train.
We have to wait first for Bannon's opinions, before we hear the inverted sound bytes for the Trumpest to Twit!
This could be a real killer. Hillary was to push lowering the Medicare age, and that would have taken huge loads off of older Americans and also off of the private insurance plans.
Lowering the age for Medicare eligibility would be one huge step in the right direction.
It could be managed by only allowing those who have already met the paid in qualifying quarters by a certain percentage. This and or allowing only coverage for individuals based up work record. This rather than having a litany of non-working spouses current or former tag onto same benefits.
Lowering the age to say 55 means many young Boomers would be covered; that demographic would include women who do not need spousal coverage because their work records alone suffice.
Lowering the age for Medicare eligibility would be one huge step in the right direction.
It could be managed by only allowing those who have already met the paid in qualifying quarters by a certain percentage. This and or allowing only coverage for individuals based up work record. This rather than having a litany of non-working spouses current or former tag onto same benefits.
Lowering the age to say 55 means many young Boomers would be covered; that demographic would include women who do not need spousal coverage because their work records alone suffice.
The above would all depend on numbers, the CBO, politics, and especially how much deficit spending we the people want to enjoy. Most likely there will be more deficit spending for each patient even at the lower age of 55.
The above would all depend on numbers, the CBO, politics, and especially how much deficit spending we the people want to enjoy. Most likely there will be more deficit spending for each patient even at the lower age of 55.
Well if you tightened up Medicare to cut some of the fraud, waste and abuse, that would help things.
Some 60 billion dollars annually (about ten percent) of total Medicare spending is waste and fraud. Get that number down and plow back into the program.
Another *HUGE* savings would be the most logical, but yet resisted by GOP and others; force Medicare to develop a formulary and negotiate for lowest pharmaceutical and other prices, same as private healthcare.
I like the bill too. My kid gets cheaper insurance. Plus I think this is foremost to repeal Obamacare, phase 1, and then they will work on other issues. I know they have to release this by the end of March so the insurance companies can decide whether they stay in the individual market.
I'm hopping eventually small business gets to buy from the small business group plan, maybe Costco will offer it. I would also like them to give credit for staying with the same company and the longer you stay, the more credit you get. Kind of like AAA for car insurance.
Right now the number of insured might go down but I have my doubt that the previous number if insured people means people get to use their insurance either. It's mostly high deductible catastrophe insurance plan. Yet the government can still claims so many more millions insured.
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