Why the US Makes No Progress with Accessible, Affordable Health Care

[zugor]

Originally Posted by NY_refugee87

It was affordable before ACA....
No deductible to be met.

I've never met anyone who had NO deductible.

Premiums weren't killer...

Really?

Many different insurance companies and policies to choose from.

Unless, of course, they could deny you coverage for the most minor issue from ages ago. I know that from personal experience, I tried to find something else but not doable at all.

Was optional to have... Not mandatory. Not a fine or taxable offense if you chose not to have it...

If you own a home with a mortgage the lender understandably requires you to have insurance. Do you know anyone who paid off their mortgage and chose to drop insurance?

So why can't it go back to that?

Perhaps you were a one in a million person who had the coverage you say you had but that was most definitely not the case for the vast majority of people.

Before the ACA I had insurance that I was able to carry over from my employer when I retired in 2004. My monthly premiums started around $700 a month with a deductible & out of pocket were either $13,000 or 17,000 - I can't recall at this point. By 2014 my monthly premiums had risen to $1,535 per month, which was more than my mortgage payment.

In 2014 I was able to chose another insurance provider under the ACA. My premiums dropped to $930.00 and my deductibles dropped to about $6,000.

Now on Medicare I pay about $110.00 for Part B (or is it A?) which is deducted from my SS each month. I also opted to have the premium for my drug coverage taken out too. It is about $45.00 and my co-pays are about $60.00 a month for a couple of generic, routine meds. In addition I pay $145.00 a month for my Medigap Plan F via BCBS. I don't know how much I paid in through payroll deductions over the course of my working years.

I readily admit that the ACA has plenty of flaws, which is why we need to go to a Medicare for all policy. It would not be "FREE" healthcare coverage but it would be so much more affordable for a far greater number of people. We could start by lowering the age to 60, then a few years later to 55 - until we have everyone covered.

[whogo]

Originally Posted by zugor

I readily admit that the ACA has plenty of flaws, which is why we need to go to a Medicare for all policy. It would not be "FREE" healthcare coverage but it would be so much more affordable for a far greater number of people. We could start by lowering the age to 60, then a few years later to 55 - until we have everyone covered.

We are not even funding Medicare 50% currently. I do not see how expanding Medicare will do anything to reduce premiums of the majority of Americans who have insurance through their employers.

It does sound like a bonanza for corporations. I suspect when and if single payer arrives the wealthy and the poor will benefit at the expense of the middle class.

[Hoonose]

Originally Posted by whogo

We are not even funding Medicare 50% currently. I do not see how expanding Medicare will do anything to reduce premiums of the majority of Americans who have insurance through their employers.

It does sound like a bonanza for corporations. I suspect when and if single payer arrives the wealthy and the poor will benefit at the expense of the middle class.

Medicare premiums are forced to be cheaper by central controls and deficit spending. One huge reason there are so few on Medicare complaining. So premiums would be more affordable for most, but maybe not cheaper than your current employer subsidized.

One very major point of this discussion in the first place is to advance our middle class. If Obamacare failed it is because it did not do enough of that. But besides all that, we take care of our poor, and you can always bet that our rich will do well. Though few get rich off of Medicare, and more off of private and free enterprise.