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Here's a suggestion to get younger people in. Have a certain fraction of insurance premiums offset student debt. For example, if the insurance premium is $100 and the student loan payment is $100, $50 of the insurance premium could be credited to the monthly student loan payment.
I wonder how the ACA would be doing now if there was a public option to compete with those high prices. The insurance companies, who fought against the public option because of the competition, are now gouging members. The best and fastest way to put an end to this is to open up the public option to compete with rip-off insurance companies.
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the most obvious solution for this dilemma is to bring back the ‘public option’. Back in 2009, the Democrats needed Joe Lieberman’s vote to get reform passed, and insurers knew it. Shortly before the Senate was set to vote on the bill, Lieberman said he would vote for the bill only if the public option was stripped out. They justifiably called him an ‘Insurance Puppet’, but the insurance industry got its way.
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In other words, the insurance companies have us by the balls. If they pull out of the exchanges, there is no alternative. Putting in the Public Option would fill that gap.
What is this "major medical" ( traditional ) provider you speak of? How do these plans differ from ACA plans?
"Major Medical" was the term for "catastrophic care" insurance in the "old days" (aka pre-o-care). You could get insurance that would prevent bankruptcy for major issues (cancer treatment, major trauma, etc) for $150 a month or so. It didn't cover routine maintenance, d*ck meds, birth control or every hypochondriacs Dr. visit for a runny nose. Instead, it covered the things that, you know, you need INSURANCE for. It's like car insurance. You get a payout if your car is totaled. Not to pay for oil changes.
We need to bring that back (basically get ride of O-care) and open up health savings accounts to everyone. I was fortunate enough to have one through a high-deduction plan at one point-still paying my HC needs with it 5 years later.
I wonder how the ACA would be doing now if there was a public option to compete with those high prices. The insurance companies, who fought against the public option because of the competition, is now gouging members. The best and fastest way to put an end to this is to open up the public option to compete with rip-off insurance companies.
I'm not convinced it's gouging. Under the ACA insurers profits are limited to 20%. While there is likely some fudging going on, it seems just as likely that they are losing their shirts because not enough young/healthy people are signing up relative to the sickly. The incentives/penalties are simply not high enough to induce the more profitable sectors to participate. To fix it, you need to increase subisidies, fines or both as well as force competition with a public option.
Republicans dont represent you, they represent the donor class. Are you a member of the big money donor class? The billionaire class laugh at people who vote for their puppets. If you want representation, vote for people who are not beholden to anyone but the people. Dont vote for puppets who laugh in your face. You might as well give your money straight to the billionaires instead of voting for their puppets. Dont complain when your representative serve the interests of his and hers financial overlords.
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Originally Posted by Roadking2003
Democrats dont represent you, they represent the donor class. Are you a member of the big money donor class? The billionaire class (Like George Soros and Mark Zuckerberg) laugh at people who vote for their puppets. If you want representation, vote for people who are not beholden to anyone but the people. Dont vote for puppets who laugh in your face. You might as well give your money straight to the billionaires instead of voting for their puppets. Dont complain when your representative serve the interests of his and hers financial overlords.
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $3,395,880,031
Insurance $2,348,468,087
Electric Utilities $2,129,376,100
Business Associations $1,946,673,849
Electronics Mfg & Equip $1,940,503,766
Oil & Gas $1,847,575,425
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing $1,511,994,820
Education $1,476,888,715
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $1,402,882,774
Securities & Investment $1,364,724,723
Telecom Services $1,359,889,792
Real Estate $1,297,024,077
Civil Servants/Public Officials $1,291,039,268
Health Professionals $1,273,221,571
Air Transport $1,208,381,154
Misc Issues $978,631,308
Defense Aerospace $959,070,142
Automotive $953,066,874
Health Services/HMOs $944,142,669
TV/Movies/Music $914,287,763
Take a look at the politicians of all stripes that went heavy in Big Pharma and Big Insurance stocks after Obamacare passed. Also look at the politicians that were paid off by by these same entities. There is no partisan divide when it comes to profiting of it.
I'm not convinced it's gouging. Under the ACA insurers profits are limited to 20%. While there is likely some fudging going on, it seems just as likely that they are losing their shirts because not enough young/healthy people are signing up relative to the sickly. The incentives/penalties are simply not high enough to induce the more profitable sectors to participate. To fix it, you need to increase subisidies, fines or both as well as force competition with a public option.
Then those same insurance companies should have no problem with a public option, right?
"Major Medical" was the term for "catastrophic care" insurance in the "old days" (aka pre-o-care). You could get insurance that would prevent bankruptcy for major issues (cancer treatment, major trauma, etc) for $150 a month or so. It didn't cover routine maintenance, d*ck meds, birth control or every hypochondriacs Dr. visit for a runny nose. Instead, it covered the things that, you know, you need INSURANCE for. It's like car insurance. You get a payout if your car is totaled. Not to pay for oil changes.
We need to bring that back (basically get ride of O-care) and open up health savings accounts to everyone. I was fortunate enough to have one through a high-deduction plan at one point-still paying my HC needs with it 5 years later.
What dollar amount would you consider "catastrophic?"
Then those same insurance companies should have no problem with a public option, right?
Only if the healthy people do not go on it. If all applicants with a significant medical history were forced onto the public option, the insurers would embrace it. Insurers are in this to make money. If you put up enough obstacles to that, they get out of the business and that probably ought to be the long term goal.
I don't know the solution, but we have a pretty unhealthy population. Obesity needs to be punished financially. I believe people should be able to decide what to put in their bodies but obesity has gotten out of control.
Maybe make Medicare premiums tied to how healthy one is, that'll get the boomers moving. Same with Medicaid.
Maybe make Medicare premiums tied to how healthy one is
Why stop there? We should just haul our elderly out to the woods and leave them to die, right? They use up an inordinate amount of our health care capacity. Smokers, fatties, the elderly, sickly babies and housewives with Coca Cola habits should be sacrificed for the good of the healthy people in our society.
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