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This buried factoid in an otherwise "best presidents do nothing about everything" (my words) stupid Wall Street Journal opinion piece, shocked me.
Is everyone bugging out on both sides over 2% of all Americans? What am I missing? I'm not even getting the political advantage of doing anything...which is what the opinion writer says, too.
The President says he needs the healthcare savings to make the tax cut bigger.
All I know is tax cuts impact a lot more people and the only reason that I can see the Republican House jerking around regarding tax cuts is because maybe they have something that makes them believe they'll have a bigger advantage if they do tax cuts in 2018.
Percents make it seem smaller. In real numbers, over 12 million PEOPLE are enrolled in individual Obamacare policies. The majority of them are lower to middle income working people and self employeds who do not have employer provided coverage. There are additional millions of people living below or moderately above the poverty level who are on Medicaid plans in 35 or so states. Health coverage is a life or death issue for many of these people and their families. Taking away their healthcare and financial security to give a debt inflating tax cut to billionaires is wrong. What are you missing? Maybe a moral compass.
Thanks to those 2% who subsidize my low premiums in a major employers healthcare. My insurance before getting married was through a small local business.
Even before the ACA, my employer was frantic about the double digit increases year over year.
One time during the enrollment period, I asked the insurance rep why we couldn't be rated and insured with the couple of businesses next door(make a larger group), who she indicated were her next stops. That's what prompted my question.
She really couldn't answer the question. Response was basically, that's just the way it works.
Percents make it seem smaller. In real numbers, over 12 million PEOPLE are enrolled in individual Obamacare policies. The majority of them are lower to middle income working people and self employeds who do not have employer provided coverage. There are additional millions of people living below or moderately above the poverty level who are on Medicaid plans in 35 or so states. Health coverage is a life or death issue for many of these people and their families. Taking away their healthcare and financial security to give a debt inflating tax cut to billionaires is wrong. What are you missing? Maybe a moral compass.
The GOP embraces the Ebenezer Scrooge school of thought when it comes to healthcare--let those who have no access to health insurance and those who are poor die quickly and decrease the surplus population. And that pretty much sums up the Republican's ideas on healthcare.
The GOP embraces the Ebenezer Scrooge school of thought when it comes to healthcare--let those who have no access to health insurance and those who are poor die quickly and decrease the surplus population. And that pretty much sums up the Republican's ideas on healthcare.
Yup. And I will be honest...I struggle with the fact that I may have to pay more so that a lower income family might have basic health care...or someone who wasn't able to get it before and needs it can get it.
I'm honest, part of me is kind of resentful -- I would pay more for them to have. And then I feel guilty for being selfish.
But then I realize -- there has to be a better way. Insurance companies and health care corporations enjoy phenomenal profits. I don't deny them profits...but being the biggest industry in the USA - meh - -maybe it shouldn't be.
There has to be a better solution. I don't have it but I didn't tell everyone I could fix it either....I figure if you stand in front of thousands of people (and yeah I mean Obama too) and say I got this -- you should have it.
It is clear the Republicans don't have the answer either. They are going to pander to their base and give the money back to the rich (yes I know last election it wasn't the rich that helped Trump win -- but that unemployed, low income voter makes up a very small percentage of the Republican base....and they are the swing voters -- they may swing back again). I don't know any Republicans that are struggling financially - most I know are very wealthy. I know that's partly because of my socio-economic exposure -- not that I'm wealthy but I'm not low income either.....and those people -- yes -- they want to pay less and let those that don't have slip quietly back into oblivion. They never had to think about it before and don't want to. They want to believe that if you can't provide health insurance for your family it is because you aren't working hard enough.
The political advantage to doing something is those who have marketplace plans (which is anyone w/o an employer plan or medicare/medicaid) are being devastated with high rates and crippling deductibles which have to be met before the plan pays for anything other than basic office visits to a primary care physician will hopefully be able to afford their healthcare.
A good price for a silver plan is $500+/month (closer to $600/mo) for a single person and that carries a $6,500 deductible and a max out of pocket of $12K to $13K. The same plan for a family costs between $1,200 and $1,400/month with a $6,500 deductible PER person covered by the plan. These are the basic rates (in my area) for folks who do not qualify for Obamacare subsidies. These rates and deductibles are destroying people's income. They are damned if they have it and don't need it, damned if they have it and need to use it, and fined (I was quoted $795 by one person for this past year's taxes) if they don't have the insurance.
The idea of a single person paying $7K in premiums and still be liable for $6,500 in deductibles BEFORE insurance pays for just about anything is just punishing people. For a family those premiums become $16K. How can an average family afford that insanity?
Even my employer sponsored (my employer was self insured with what was known as Cadillac insurance) plan was required to raise rates and deductibles by nearly double on the rates and triple on the deductibles. It was either do that or pay $2,900/per person in FINES to the government. My employer employs 2,500 people. It would have been financial suicide to not follow the demands of Obamacare and opt to pay the fines instead.
Something needs to be done. I am fortunate enough to have a lot of savings plus several huge retirement accounts I can draw from because I learned at a young age to always pay myself first, so when I retired, even though I am too young for medicare, I can still easily afford a family plan for me and my wife even though I don't like wasting my money that way. Mind you my situation is far from the norm. I can't imagine what someone with $40K-$60K annual family income does because I cannot see how they could afford insurance when most people I know, typically because they don't understand finances and the power of compound interest or are unwilling to make the sacrifices people like me made, so they basically live paycheck to paycheck. Anyone in that sinking boat is screwed as far as I can tell, and that is the majority of people.
Other than getting government mandates out and allowing insurance companies to compete across State lines which enables a free market to work, I have no suggestions on how to fix this politician created dilemma. I do believe something MUST be done because Americans cannot continue to be bled dry like this. If it is, it will undoubtedly sink this once great nation.
But that's just MY opinion.
Last edited by KS_Referee; 04-26-2017 at 08:41 AM..
Haven't all of us on employer plans benefited from things like not being excluded for pre existing conditions, no lifetime limits, coverage for adult children, free annual checkups and preventive care, etc?
Haven't all of us on employer plans benefited from things like not being excluded for pre existing conditions, no lifetime limits, coverage for adult children, free annual checkups and preventive care, etc?
Actually no. Many employers did not have those exceptions. Many employers who weren't self insured purchased group plans and even those typically had maximum lifetime limits and certain preexisting things not covered as those policies were simply regular coverage policies with group discounts.
Years and years ago, when I worked for the State, we had Blue Cross. That policy had a maximum lifetime limit of $2 million. That is just one example and that was a plan offered to State employees.
This buried factoid in an otherwise "best presidents do nothing about everything" (my words) stupid Wall Street Journal opinion piece, shocked me.
Is everyone bugging out on both sides over 2% of all Americans? What am I missing? I'm not even getting the political advantage of doing anything...which is what the opinion writer says, too.
The President says he needs the healthcare savings to make the tax cut bigger.
All I know is tax cuts impact a lot more people and the only reason that I can see the Republican House jerking around regarding tax cuts is because maybe they have something that makes them believe they'll have a bigger advantage if they do tax cuts in 2018.
The GOP embraces the Ebenezer Scrooge school of thought when it comes to healthcare--let those who have no access to health insurance and those who are poor die quickly and decrease the surplus population. And that pretty much sums up the Republican's ideas on healthcare.
While the Dems take the Grasshopper and the Ants approach. Cake for everyone... rates will go down, keep your plan, keep your doctor, we'll all party like it's 1999! Someone else is covering you! Yay!!!
Now your Dr. Feelgood program is imploding and drowning millions, and the left who passed the monstrosity are already blaming the right when they had no part in it.
WTF is wrong with liberals? They made these massive sweeping problems and take no responsibility for their actions... oh wait, yea that's SNAFU. Is it any wonder they have the least power in 70 years?
I give credit to the posters in here like JAMS. So committed to going down with the ship.
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One thing I have noticed is the stark difference between the obstructionism of the two sides. The left are almost giddy at the prospect of the US failing under Trump. It's sad.
Last edited by steven_h; 04-26-2017 at 08:50 AM..
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