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This is the perfect example of where we need govt to step in and provide subsidies, care and treatment for a vulnerable group. Taking over the entire medical insurance industry so you can parcel it out to lobbies and cronies is an unethical power grab
When did ( federal) government take over the entire medical insurance industry?
Each insurer currently and under ACA, be licensed by their state and follow the laws of their politically appointed state insurance commission. No two states have the same insurance laws. ACA has leveled the playing field somewhat in terms of maximum out of pocket, annual and lifetime caps , the inclusion of emergency treatment and 10 essential care items.
I think this is where I draw the line. As I reach the end of my 5th decade of life, I have been blessed with almost perfect health. I don't really deserve it. I drink and eat too much and exercise too little. But for the grace of God, I could be destitute from cancer of some other disease. I am healthy and pay into the pool each month, and I am thankful. I know others who have been struck down. I don't want those people to be financially devastated even as they are dealing with a horrible setback physically. I am glad to pay into a larger pool, so that if any of us get sticken, we can just get treated and try to pull our lives back together (assuming recovery is possible).
In my brother's case, he is now in the prime of life, and I would hate to think he (or anyone else like him) would have to go through the rest of his life uninsured and vulnerable to financial calamity from illness. This is a big friggin' deal for me. So, even though ObamaCare has its flaws (and we all know that more will emerge in the coming months), it addresses a huge hole in our system and will substantially improve the health and financial security of millions of Americans. It is a tax, but a morally defensible one, IMO.
I have not yet seen a single GOP alternative (other than ObamaCare, which is essentially a GOP idea) which would provide security for the vulnerable.
Last edited by Fiddlehead; 09-25-2013 at 04:52 PM..
Tort reform might reduce costs(lots of studies say it wouldn't) but not enough to where a cancer survivor would get insured.
The buy across state lines argument is just a bunch of nonsense though. There is absolutely nothing preventing an insurance company from Texas getting licensed in California and doing business.
Increase competition reduces prices. Plus when many people to to the dr they have no idea what it actually costs. This allows hospitals/dr to jack up the costs and the insurance company just pays then jacks up the rates. If people compared the price of services like everywhere else in life hospitals/dr would have to be competitive and reduce rates.
Most folk are not in a position to shop for a hospital like they shop for a vacation.
An outpatient surgery can turn into an O/N stay. An O/N stay can turn into 5 days if complications/infections present. The variables are endless.
Most healthcare policies provide for PPO. Not all hospitals are covered by all insurer's PPO.
Believe it or not, but GOP proposed a solution in the 1990s which was a counter proposal to Clinton HC plan. It has all main components of Obamacare in it, including the insurance mandates, and insurance exchanges. Basically it was Obamacare, under a different name. It was a Universal Health Care Plan "Basic Reforms to Expand Access to Health Insurance Coverage and to Ensure Universal Coverage".
If you read it, you will see where the ideas for Obamacare came from. They came from the GOP. As a matter of fact it was so similar people today would not be able to tell them apart.
I think this is where I draw the line. As I reach the end of my 5th decade of life, I have been blessed with almost perfect health. I don't really deserve it. I drink and eat too much and exercise too little. But for the grace of God, I could be destitute from cancer of some other disease. I am healthy and pay into the pool each month. I know others who have been struck down. I don't want those people to be financially devastated even as they are dealing with a horrible setback physically. I am glad to pay into a larger pool, so that if any of us get sticken, we can just get treated and try to pull our lives back together (assuming recovery is possible).
In my brother's case, he is now in the prime of life, and I would hate to think he (or anyone else like him) would have to go through the rest of his life uninsured and vulnerable to financial calamity from illness. This is a big friggin' deal for me. So, even though ObamaCare has its flaws (and we all know that more will emerge in the coming months), it addresses a huge hole in our system and will substantially improve the health and financial security of millions of Americans. It is a tax, but a morally defensible one, IMO.
I have not yet seen a single GOP alternative (other than ObamaCare, which is essentially a GOP idea) which would provide security for the vulnerable.
I agree with you. I was just addressing the GOP alternative for cancer survivors who can't get health insurance is to depend on charity, family, and friends.
They have no plan that can help. They have not proposed a plan that could help.
I have not yet seen a single GOP alternative (other than ObamaCare, which is essentially a GOP idea) which would provide security for the vulnerable.
It's been 3.5 years since ACA became law.
If 1/10 th of the time, energy and money had been invested into improving ACA, instead of spreading misinformation to the masses who generally do not understand insurance, imagine the outcome.
It's been 3.5 years since ACA became law.
If 1/10 th of the time, energy and money had been invested into improving ACA, instead of spreading misinformation to the masses who generally do not understand insurance, imagine the outcome.
If it had been sold to us based on the truth, not wishful thinking and fictious numbers, it would never have passed.
We are just beginning to see what is in the law, and what it is really going to cost.
If it had been sold to us based on the truth, not wishful thinking and fictious numbers, it would never have passed.
We are just beginning to see what is in the law, and what it is really going to cost.
remember, ACA is a republican plan. It's the Romney plan. It's the plan that the Heritage Foundation proposed back in the 90's to counter Clinton's more progressive plan.
It's on you, if you've been bamboozled by politics. Don't feel bad. A lot of people (myself included) get bamboozled by politics.
If it had been sold to us based on the truth, not wishful thinking and fictious numbers, it would never have passed.
We are just beginning to see what is in the law, and what it is really going to cost.
Here's the thing. Yes, it will cost something. No doubt about it. But the benefits for our general well-being as a country are worth it. I think focusing on the nickels and dimes of it unestimates its profound importance. We could well be discussing the costs of having a military, or an interstate highway system, or the internet, or the national parks. All those involved some investment upfront and recurring costs, but they yield (arguably) a net positive for our society as a whole. The benefit of providing health care to those who cannot get it cannot be done for free, but is a moral imperative, IMO.
I think the big showdown in the 1990s was because the insurance lobby used all its power to kill single payer. But the bottomline is that social justice and decency have to trump profit in issues of the general welfare of the citizenry. Our current system serves industry, but does not do a good job for people like my brother.
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