California determined to save Obamacare program. Proposals may include a state mandate in California requiring... (Modesto: middle-class, 2013)

[k81689]

California determined to save Obamacare program. Some residents and employers just want a better deal on insurance.

California determined to save Obamacare program. Some residents and employers just want a better deal on insurance. | The Modesto Bee

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As long as federal subsidies stay intact, the higher premiums won’t impact the 9 million people with federally subsidized premiums in the United States, but 6 million others are not eligible for assistance to shelter them from rate increases that could cause them to drop insurance. According to a recent study by Covered California, many of them are middle-class people, with a median income of $75,000 a year, who have struggled with insurance costs since Obamacare enrollment began in fall 2013.

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Proposals may include a state mandate in California requiring individuals and families to have insurance coverage. Other potential legislation could try to assist the 6.8 percent of California residents who are still not insured.
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[NoMoreSnowForMe]

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Okay.

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[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

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Okay.

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That was unnecessary. I found the article interesting. Rates are punishingly high for those just over the limit for assistance. Not to mention the high deductibles.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

I found the article interesting.

It is not an article. It is an opinion piece. And, as with all opinion pieces, it isn't about facts.

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

Rates are punishingly high for those just over the limit for assistance. Not to mention the high deductibles.

Health insurance is expensive precisely because the underlying health care -- the thing insured -- is expensive.

Across the country, in aggregate and on average, we consume north of $10,000 per person per year in health care products and services (ignoring OTC). THEREFORE, as surely as night follows day, any insurance plan to pay for health care products and services MUST be priced at an average of north of $10,000 per person per year PLUS administrative costs PLUS profit.

If you pay less than that, someone is subsidizing you.

The only way out is to find a way to reduce the consumption of health care products and services. If we can reduce it to, say, $8,000 per person per year on average, then the price of insurance can drop.

Unfortunately, nothing in pre-Obamacare, or in Obamacare, or in any proposed fix to Obamacare, or in any proposed replacement for Obamacare addresses the underlying issue that health care costs too damn much.

[k81689]

Personally, I believe CA mandate or even CA one payer is a good thing. Let every states experiment whatever they desire. People can vote with their feet.

This is just like Detroit city and California and many other states/cities experiment with High Tax experiments. People will decide they want to vote with their feet or not.

[mod cut]

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by k81689

Personally, I believe CA mandate or even CA one payer is a good thing. Let every states experiment whatever they desire. People can vote with their feet.

It might have good effects. It might not.

But here is what it will not do: it will not drive down the cost of healthcare.

[Erratikmind]

Originally Posted by k81689

Personally, I believe CA mandate or even CA one payer is a good thing. Let every states experiment whatever they desire. People can vote with their feet.

This is just like Detroit city and California and many other states/cities experiment with High Tax experiments. People will decide they want to vote with their feet or not.

[mod cut]

Perhaps, some will actually start to vote their displeasure.

[Rakin]

To help it out, Every Politician in CA should be required to sign up for an Obamacare Policy and pay for it of of their own pocket.

They might find out it's a very expensive POS HMO Policy that does not let you keep your own doctor.

[TheFlats]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

Health insurance is expensive precisely because the underlying health care -- the thing insured -- is expensive.

Across the country, in aggregate and on average, we consume north of $10,000 per person per year in health care products and services (ignoring OTC). THEREFORE, as surely as night follows day, any insurance plan to pay for health care products and services MUST be priced at an average of north of $10,000 per person per year PLUS administrative costs PLUS profit.

If you pay less than that, someone is subsidizing you.

The only way out is to find a way to reduce the consumption of health care products and services. If we can reduce it to, say, $8,000 per person per year on average, then the price of insurance can drop.

Unfortunately, nothing in pre-Obamacare, or in Obamacare, or in any proposed fix to Obamacare, or in any proposed replacement for Obamacare addresses the underlying issue that health care costs too damn much.

Death Panels! Us young people cost quite a bit less than average. Older folks cost more and we don't deal with end of life care nearly as well as we could. Rural areas have higher health costs because the delivery of care is much harder than in the cities.

So unless we have universal health care to smooth out the costs (like medicare and federally subsidized rural health clinics) then we end up with the elderly and the rural populations paying much more than others.

By the way, many things in the ACA were designed to directly address the issue of underlying health care costs. Would be nice if the mods could limit duplicate threads because I'm sure we've talked about this in the one of a dozen healthcare threads that pop up on this forum (in between the dozen transportation threads and dozen prop 13 threads and dozen immigration threads, and dozen 'California sucks am I right?!' threads, etc.).

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by TheFlats

By the way, many things in the ACA were designed to directly address the issue of underlying health care costs.

You're right. Seems that the efforts to dismantle the ACA may prevent it from addressing the huge subject of cost.

I'm sure we've talked about this in the one of a dozen healthcare threads that pop up on this forum

You've got that right. Some of the health care/insurance threads have been moved to the Politics forum, though.