|
|
Post by Professor Peabody on Aug 19, 2013 13:47:43 GMT
There is little wonder why Max Baucaus called Obama Care, a bill he helped write a " Train Wreck". 41 out of 82 deadlines missed. Like it or not (ready or not) it's rolling out Jan 1, 2014. Imagine someone like my ex wife currently paying $400 a month on her companies health plan, getting a $20 co-pay for everything except, ER $50 and Hospitalization $100 Everything else is covered. There isn't a plan in the California exchanges that comes close even with the subsidies.  The Platinum Plan doesn't come close. According to the rate calculator at her income level approx $41,000 her estimated monthly premium would be $586 a month without subsidy for the SILVER PLAN. Now look up at the chart above at coverage for the silver plan. With the Government $260 subsidy it would be $326 a month. The coverages are no where near what she was getting through the huge group of her company sponsored plan. How happy is she going to be when for $74 a month less she get that much less for the money? Now multiply her by up to 65 Million others in her place and you can envision the "train wreck" Max Baucus (D) spoke of. Most companies Health Plan's open enrollment is on the way in October or November, just 2 to 3 months away. Obama Care's full roll out is 4 month's out, right now we can only wait and see just how ready for full operation it really is. My SIL is a Nurse back East. She tells me where she works, they still haven't worked out the bugs of their own internal system, let alone interconnecting with everyone else. Things are about to get very interesting. |
|
|
|
Post by ShivaTD on Aug 19, 2013 14:05:40 GMT
Not too surprising as many of the mandated deadlines were very ambitious to begin with. The government is much slower at doing anything when compared to the private sector and often over-estimates it's own ability to accomplish things.
I'm sure it didn't help that Republicans at both the federal and state level also stonewalled implementation as opposed to trying to facilitate it. House Republicans have been especially bad at this as they've done everything possible to derail "Obamacare" which is a bad idea because "single-payer" health care is sitting in the wings to replace "Obamacare" if it fails.
|
|
|
|
Post by Professor Peabody on Aug 19, 2013 15:04:50 GMT
When the Democrats lose the Senate and more seats in the House over Obama Care's train wreck implementation, single payer another Democrat big health care idea will be as distant a memory as the Democrat majority.
|
|
|
|
Post by JP5 on Aug 19, 2013 16:28:51 GMT
They keep telling us that Obama care is law.....and yet they keep breaking it daily. Remember, they already planned in the original bill for parts of this to go in to effect AFTER the 2012 elections. Now, these "unpopular" parts are being moved back until after the next election!! And as you said.....ILLEGALLY. He's president; NOT a legislator; and he's rewriting the bill as he sees fit politically. Does he really think the American people are that stupid??? Well, he just continues to provide Republicans TONS of ammunition to unseat them in 2014 and take the Senate and get more power in the House. People are NOT stupid. People have heard enough of his lies already.....like the one "If you like your healthcare coverage, you'll be able to keep it." They are now seeing for themselves first hand what Obamacare is going to mean to them personally....and they do not like it. It's not only harming them personally, it's harming our economy by causing people to lose full time jobs to part time jobs and because companies are deciding to opt out totally. ALL these things the Republicans tried to tell this administration would happen.....but they would not listen.
|
|
|
|
Post by Professor Peabody on Aug 19, 2013 21:06:11 GMT
Republican party will have a bigger advantage when Obama Care causes up to 65 million of working middle class with good company sponsored health care plans to be tossed into the crappy plans of the exchanges. This won't be something that they just hear about on the news, it's coming right into their lives, like it or not. |
|
|
|
Post by JP5 on Aug 20, 2013 7:52:00 GMT
Republican party will have a bigger advantage when Obama Care causes up to 65 million of working middle class with good company sponsored health care plans to be tossed into the crappy plans of the exchanges. This won't be something that they just hear about on the news, it's coming right into their lives, like it or not. |
|
|
|
Post by Professor Peabody on Aug 20, 2013 9:48:45 GMT
There are up to 65 million working middle class with good company sponsored health care plans to be tossed into the crappy plans of the exchanges. While it may have been a noble idea for the poor to not to have their self esteem damaged by having to wait in long lines at the Federally Funded Health Centers, they've done it at the expense of the working middle class. It's doesn't bode well for them in 2014 and 2016.
|
|
|
|
Post by ShivaTD on Aug 20, 2013 10:19:24 GMT
There are up to 65 million working middle class with good company sponsored health care plans to be tossed into the crappy plans of the exchanges. While it may have been a noble idea for the poor to not to have their self esteem damaged by having to wait in long lines at the Federally Funded Health Centers, they've done it at the expense of the working middle class. It's doesn't bode well for them in 2014 and 2016.
There is also this delusional belief that Republicans are going to gain more control in Congress when they're actually losing more and more support from the American People. Remember that the only reason that Republicans control the House of Representatives today is because of gerrymandering of Congressional districts. Democrats received more popular votes for House seats than Republicans in 2012 and, all things being equal, should have gained control of the House.
We're also seeing the Republican Party doubling-down on the same political agenda that resulted in them losing the presidency in 2012. The GOP sent out a questionnaire after the 2012 elections to find out what changes they needed to make to gain the support of the American People and then completely ignored the advice given. Republicans have disenfranchised the African-American community completely and continue to increase the disenfranchisement of Latinos that are generally "conservative" but the Republican anti-immigration agenda has driven Hispanics away in droves. About 75% of Latino voters picked Obama over Romney in 2012. Republicans continue attacks on Women related to Abortion Rights with unconstitutional laws at the state level and that is driving more women away from the Republican Party. The Republican Party continues to oppose equality in marriage based upon their religious definition of marriage while most Americans support equality in marriage and this is driving independent voters away from supporting the Republicans. Republicans are waging a war on the poor trying to cut of vital assistance that puts food on the table and provides a roof over the head of millions of American working class people. Without the support of African-Americans, Hispanics, women, independent voters and those in poverty the Republican Party is losing relevance on politics today.
The American People see Congress as being next to worthless today because of gridlock and generally cite Republican Party obstructionism as the cause. Congress is "broken" and Americans are blaming the Republicans. That is not a winning election strategy IMHO.
The Republicans have been warned about all of this but arrogantly continue to stick to their guns with an agenda that Americans are opposing more and more daily. That is truly sad because none of us want to see Democrats rising to complete power in the United States as that will surely lead to a single-payer health care system eventually. I would suggest that Republicans change course and start caring about the American People as a whole instead of catering to their small minority of radical right-wing extremists.
|
|
|
|
Post by JP5 on Aug 20, 2013 21:59:08 GMT
We have every intention of helping ya out there Shiva on your desire to NOT see a single-payer system. To start with, some of us hope to defund Obamacare this fall......based on the fact that it is 'not ready for prime time' obviously....and until this administration gets its act together and stops playing party politics and acting illegally (as in continuing to put unpopular parts off until after elections), then it should NOT be funded.
|
|
|
|
Post by ShivaTD on Aug 20, 2013 22:49:27 GMT
We have every intention of helping ya out there Shiva on your desire to NOT see a single-payer system. To start with, some of us hope to defund Obamacare this fall......based on the fact that it is 'not ready for prime time' obviously....and until this administration gets its act together and stops playing party politics and acting illegally (as in continuing to put unpopular parts off until after elections), then it should NOT be funded.
Of course the President is just the Chief Executive Officer of the United States and not a god that can produce miracles. The obstructionism of the "Red" States to set up the insurance exchanges as well as the lack of support by Republicans in Congress have been major obstacles to implementation. They seem to have an agenda of "delay and kill" related to the ACA and that is a bad strategy because it will result in a single-payer system. We barely avoided a single-payer system in 2009 and I doubt we can dodge that bullet twice.
We all need to accept the fact that a majority of Americans support coverage for children on their parents insurance to age 26 and that raised the prices of private and group health insurance. We have to accept the fact that the majority of Americans support the inclusion of those with pre-existing conditions and that raised the cost of private insurance (group insurance always covered pre-existing conditions). Finally we have to accept the fact that the majority of Americans support the "employer mandate" to provide insurance to their employees.
These are the three key components of "Obamacare" that we're going to have to accept.
If I was a Republican I'd focus on a few things.
First I'd look at changing the mandates for personal insurance so that it would include a "Major Medical/HSA" option. Please note that the HSA must be mandatory for the Major Medical policy to function properly. IMO this is the best medical protection for those that are young from a financial perspective.
Next I'd focus on revoking the anti-trust exemption for the pharmaceutical companies so they can't engage in price fixing that they're currently engaged in.
Next I'd focus on allowing the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and Mexico where the exact same prescription drugs made by the same pharmaceutical companies sell for a fraction of the cost.
I'd also address the "part time" employee syndrome (i.e. the possibility of employers using part time help as oppose to full time help to avoid the insurance mandate) by requiring employers to contribute to an government run insurance pool for part time employees. I believe that $1/hr would be a reasonable amount and then the part-time employee could file for compensation from the government to help them pay for their private insurance.
I'd also look at tort reform that doesn't financially harm the victim of medical malpractice. Personally I'd suggest caps on the attorney fees because currently this is paid for as a percentage of the individual's compensation for pain and suffering and comes out of the victim's pocket. Perhaps the attorney fees could be completely separate from the award to the victim and set by the court at the end of the case. Something to think about anyway. Simply capping the pain and suffering is not a good idea and that's all I've heard Republicans endorse. I say "screw the attorneys" (not literally) and not the victims but that's just me.
I'd suggest that the Congressional Republicans in the House create ad hoc bi-partisan committee (equal number of "R's" and "D's" with an "I" chair) to address the implementation problems and come up with solutions that resolved those problems and then support the recommendations of the committee.
But that is just my take on it and I'm sure there are other problems that can be addressed as well.
Cutting funding is simply playing into the hands of the supporters of the single-payer system that would replace "Obamacare" and that doesn't seem like a very wise move to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Professor Peabody on Aug 22, 2013 22:12:32 GMT
There are up to 65 million working middle class with good company sponsored health care plans to be tossed into the crappy plans of the exchanges. While it may have been a noble idea for the poor to not to have their self esteem damaged by having to wait in long lines at the Federally Funded Health Centers, they've done it at the expense of the working middle class. It's doesn't bode well for them in 2014 and 2016.
"overwhelmingly the private employers are not going to dump their private group insurance.
Link to some proof if you have it.
|
|
|
|
Post by JP5 on Aug 22, 2013 23:22:04 GMT
Companies are not going to stand by and be FORCED by this administration to make business decisions they know are NOT good for them. Does Obama really think he's Hitler; a dictator?
Heck, the Teamsters want out of Obamacare. The Congress, including those who wrote it have already been granted an exemption from it by Obama. And one of the main Democrats to support it and who wrote it.....Senator Max Baucus said its a "massive train wreck." For God's sakes man....this is NOT about Republicans.
|
|
|
|
Post by ShivaTD on Aug 23, 2013 9:05:46 GMT
The "open enrollment" relates to companies that haven't previously offered health insurance to their employees and not to companies that already have health insurance for their employees. Corporations like Boeing, Lockheed, and Microsoft are basically unaffected by the employer insurance mandate and have no reason to even be concerned with it.
|
|
|
|
Post by JP5 on Aug 24, 2013 3:46:52 GMT
UPS just announced it will no longer cover spouses in their healthcare plans. Guess they will have to go on Obamacare now. Can't blame UPS.
Also, cities and states are....or will be passing off their unfunded city and state employee healthcare plans.....to Obamacare; or rather federal taxpayers to pay for it. Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel is doing just that. Just in time too....as he had a HUGE problem with the city's UNFUNDED benefits plan they were not going to be able to pay for. Don't you just love having to pay Chicago's bills.....
|
|
|
|
Post by JP5 on Aug 24, 2013 4:10:21 GMT
|
|
