On the upside...there may be a replacement plan for Obamacare

[vi edit]

Wait - killing Medicare would be fun and productive? <evil grin> I keed, I keed.

I'd like to see the Dems enact single payer in one or a few willing blue states and the Pubbies enact whatever replacement they eventually envision in one or a few willing red states. Give them each five years and then see where we're at. No more "one size fits all" or "this will be great, but only if everybody has to do it." Instead of no competition or competition between insurance companies, let's see some competition of ideas and see what works best. And hopefully, the states to embrace the new plans will be the ones for whom Obamacare isn't working well.

That's actually a very fun idea. It's just very hard to pick it on a state by state level. I would guess that Colorado would be able to get away with a self funded universal plan OK. It's one of the healthiest states in the US and does not have the undocumented worker issue like a place like AZ, Texas or CA would have with non-residents using services that were not paid for. MN stands a good chance at it as well.

It gets pretty ugly on the Republican side too. They tend to have some of the worst health populations in the country. Kentucky, Alabama, WV, Mississippi, Georgia. All pretty rough on the health scale. Utah would be one of their better choices and not that far off from Colorado in health. Also Mormons don't drink or do a lot of unhealthy things that a lot of the southern states do so at it's baseline, they are at some of the lowest risk and would be one of the cheapest populations to insure. If they chose Kentucky or Alabama, good luck funding all those obesity and heart health related issues.

 

[Thump553]

I'd rather that President Trump starts with a clean slate. Repeal Obamacare and then figure out where we go from there. The idea that you need to patch/repair/fix/rerig such a stinking pile of legislative offal is pretty repugnant.

Great idea-those of us who aren't covered by employer or government provided insurance will just have to wait another 40-50 years or go back into the private market, pay triple rates and have preexisting conditions excluded.

That's a giant FU to millions of voters. The average GOP congress critter will have no problem with that, I'm hoping Trump will.

 

[highland145]

Great idea-those of us who aren't covered by employer or government provided insurance will just have to wait another 40-50 years or go back into the private market, pay triple rates and have preexisting conditions excluded.

That's a giant FU to millions of voters. The average GOP congress critter will have no problem with that, I'm hoping Trump will.

I agree with most of that but the Dems didn't mind giving me the screw that started this fiasco.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Being serious the repeal call is simply to satisfy their base. They won't repeal it day one, they'll vote early on to repeal and then they'll set a future day like 5 years for it to be effective.

 

[highland145]

BC/BS is the only provider left in S.C. so I'm not sure what a repeal ill do anyway.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm in MA, we've have MassHealth since Mitt Romney was our governor ~2004. Don't have healthcare? you pay a fine during tax season.

The dirty little secret with MA Healthcare and MassHealth is, most doctors you go to do NOT "take MassHealth".

Good luck with that plan...

 

[Jhhnn]

Here's the guy pivotal to figuring it all out-

But he also belongs to a small, fringe, ultra-conservative and conspiracy-laden group called the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). Among other things, this group decries evidence-based medicine, Medicare, and Medicaid, plus it has peddled discredited, dangerous notions including that vaccines cause autism.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016...rly-brawls-over-tom-price-trumps-health-pick/

It's the God-like Physicians' Club. What could go wrong?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Great idea-those of us who aren't covered by employer or government provided insurance will just have to wait another 40-50 years or go back into the private market, pay triple rates and have preexisting conditions excluded.

That's a giant FU to millions of voters. The average GOP congress critter will have no problem with that, I'm hoping Trump will.

When Hillary Clinton was first working toward affordable care as First Lady, I thought to myself "Sounds like a good idea." Then I saw how some in the public were enraged that a First Lady would tackle a policy issue as a matter of personal initiative.

When the Act was passed under Obama and a legislature of the Sane, I thought to myself "Great. It'll probably cost me something, but it's a good idea." I was actually a fence-sitter on some of these things, inclined to nod assent to them for being reasonable. If I thought gay marriage was a queer idea, I couldn't see how it would destroy civilization.

Then, my brother was offered a position as a banquet chef at a prestigious hotel. He was diagnosed with a serious and debilitating form of arthritis, and told that he couldn't work anymore. An insensitive lout I know who had retired from the State Voc Rehab agency, insisted "He should get back to work! They can train him in some clerical position using a computer!" Mentioning my brother's condition to my T-Party car-mechanic, he suggested "Tell him to try riding a bicycle. That will cure him."

He has other problems due to the ravages of age which require medical attention.

My brother was buoyed up by the Affordable Care Act. His medications are covered; his physician visits occur without long delays.

Do you think that someone with Trump's lifetime advantages or the sentiments of his cabinet appointments will "make Affordable Care great again?"

I'll sell you a casino in Atlantic City if you think there's hope of that.

I already told my former friend from the state agency to go F*** himself. I'm contemplating a change of car-mechanics, with an exit episode featuring a muscular but verbal slap in the face.

Or I can simply wait until he reveals his actual November decision. If he's wise, he'll keep his mouth shut.

 

[highland145]

Bwahahaha...Billy.

 

[Meghan54]

I'd rather that President Trump starts with a clean slate. Repeal Obamacare and then figure out where we go from there. The idea that you need to patch/repair/fix/rerig such a stinking pile of legislative offal is pretty repugnant.

What do you mean--figure out where we go from here? Why doesn't the Republican party in Congress have a plan ready to roll out on Day One of Trump's presidency? After all, they've had 6 years crying about how Obamacare is horrid, the devil, and needs to be replaced. One would logically think a group that's been trying to "repeal and replace" Obamacare would have used the past 6 years, during which they've been adamant about it being "repealed and replaced," to have actually a thought-out plan ready to implement after all that time.

Or, guess they don't and their replace notion is all bullcrap.

 

[Jhhnn]

What do you mean--figure out where we go from here? Why doesn't the Republican party in Congress have a plan ready to roll out on Day One of Trump's presidency? After all, they've had 6 years crying about how Obamacare is horrid, the devil, and needs to be replaced. One would logically think a group that's been trying to "repeal and replace" Obamacare would have used the past 6 years, during which they've been adamant about it being "repealed and replaced," to have actually a thought-out plan ready to implement after all that time.

Or, guess they don't and their replace notion is all bullcrap.

They do have a plan, the same plan they have for everything. You know how PPACA is an acronym? They have a different one, that's all. It's FYGM.

 

[theeedude]

Do you guys think Republican induced health system crisis will kill off enough of the Republican base to help tip the scales in 2020? Just trying to find a silver lining in this cloud

 

[Sunburn74]

I think republicans generally dying off will kill off the base. They are older, fatter, and generally sicker than democrats and if the ACA is repealed without any backup, it'll only speed up the process.

 

[werepossum]

That's actually a very fun idea. It's just very hard to pick it on a state by state level. I would guess that Colorado would be able to get away with a self funded universal plan OK. It's one of the healthiest states in the US and does not have the undocumented worker issue like a place like AZ, Texas or CA would have with non-residents using services that were not paid for. MN stands a good chance at it as well.

It gets pretty ugly on the Republican side too. They tend to have some of the worst health populations in the country. Kentucky, Alabama, WV, Mississippi, Georgia. All pretty rough on the health scale. Utah would be one of their better choices and not that far off from Colorado in health. Also Mormons don't drink or do a lot of unhealthy things that a lot of the southern states do so at it's baseline, they are at some of the lowest risk and would be one of the cheapest populations to insure. If they chose Kentucky or Alabama, good luck funding all those obesity and heart health related issues.

Obviously the solution is to combine Colorado with, say, Mississippi. Hooked on meth? We'll give you some weed instead - after twenty minutes on the treadmill.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I'd like to see the Dems enact single payer in one or a few willing blue states and the Pubbies enact whatever replacement they eventually envision in one or a few willing red states. Give them each five years and then see where we're at. No more "one size fits all" or "this will be great, but only if everybody has to do it."

Would this plan also restrict migration between states? During that five year experiment, would people be forbidden from moving into or out of the states at issue to prevent problems of "moral hazard" from asserting themselves?

The problem is that all the sick people in the nation could move to those few willing blue states with health people who don't want to pay the taxes fleeing them, resulting in demographics that are wildly different from those of the nation. To make this experiment work no one could be allowed in or out of those states.

That's why all we can really do is compare our health care system to those of other nations that have socialized medicine. Unfortunately, what you propose is simply impractical, at least not without migration and travel restrictions.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I'll be surprised if the Republicans are dumb enough to actually repeal Obamacare without having their own cosmetically different but similar plan in place. By repealing Obamacare without replacing it with a similar plan they would be taking ownership of the nation's health care disaster (even if they replace it with a similar system). Why saddle yourself with that?

 

[Sunburn74]

If they had a plan, they would talk about a plan. 17 candidates in the primary. Not one had something even resembled a concrete strategy.

 

[vi edit]

If they had a plan, they would talk about a plan. 17 candidates in the primary. Not one had something even resembled a concrete strategy.

Kill Obamacare was enough of a strategy for you?

 

[shortylickens]

Obama is smart. In a way that gets him elected and makes people like him. Not in a way that actually solves real world problems or accomplishes anything useful. Thats why we got stuck with the Affordable Care Act, which is neither affordable nor provides ANY care to anyone. We still have the exact same number of doctors and hospitals we had before. Only now they have twice as many customers which (for people who actually paid attention during economics) means quality drops considerably and prices rise ridiculously.
I applied for insurance last month. Just like the previous year, my premiums costs 5 times what they used to and I dont expect to get any real medical attention, again just like last year.

Trump is not going to solve the problem either. Mostly because he's stupid but also because he doesnt give a damn about anyone besides other rich white hetero males. His only real skill is conning people into investing in his garbage so he doesnt risk anything personally. As president, that scam simply will not function. And the guy is too lazy & self-centered to learn new skills.

 

[werepossum]

Would this plan also restrict migration between states? During that five year experiment, would people be forbidden from moving into or out of the states at issue to prevent problems of "moral hazard" from asserting themselves?

The problem is that all the sick people in the nation could move to those few willing blue states with health people who don't want to pay the taxes fleeing them, resulting in demographics that are wildly different from those of the nation. To make this experiment work no one could be allowed in or out of those states.

That's why all we can really do is compare our health care system to those of other nations that have socialized medicine. Unfortunately, what you propose is simply impractical, at least not without migration and travel restrictions.

Kind of how all the sick people in the nation moved to Massachusetts for Romney care? Oh, wait . . .

 

[brycejones]

The GOP plan will give everyone a 10% tax break to buy a "mercy hammer" to keep in the home. When the pain gets to great your family members can just brain you with it. Who needs fancy hospitals and doctors? Those intellectuals just think they are superior because of their 8+ years of education.

 

[Sunburn74]

Obama is smart. In a way that gets him elected and makes people like him. Not in a way that actually solves real world problems or accomplishes anything useful. Thats why we got stuck with the Affordable Care Act, which is neither affordable nor provides ANY care to anyone. We still have the exact same number of doctors and hospitals we had before. Only now they have twice as many customers which (for people who actually paid attention during economics) means quality drops considerably and prices rise ridiculously.
I applied for insurance last month. Just like the previous year, my premiums costs 5 times what they used to and I dont expect to get any real medical attention, again just like last year.

Trump is not going to solve the problem either. Mostly because he's stupid but also because he doesnt give a damn about anyone besides other rich white hetero males. His only real skill is conning people into investing in his garbage so he doesnt risk anything personally. As president, that scam simply will not function. And the guy is too lazy & self-centered to learn new skills.

The ACA is a patch towards universal healthcare. It works for some. Fails for others. Overall most physician societies are for it because physicians believe it or not in general are very socially and ethically minded.

I'm sorry your premiums went up but premiums in both the ACA market and private markets in general are rising to match the cost of healthcare which overall is rising. There are components in the ACA designed to address healthcare costs bit honestly they don't seem to be working that well.

I have zero hope for the GOP and trump to address this issue. Essentially they have been in a position to do so for years and refused. Even the ACA itself is mostly derived from the heritage foundation a GOP think-tank. However as it was proposed by a Democrat it was obstructed and weakened by party politics and desires to avoid increasing taxes on the rich and corporations and special interest groups.