Obama Care in Trouble

JackRT

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The Affordable Care Act is in deep trouble and may be repealed by the new Republican dominated Congress. The reason for the "deep trouble" seems to lie directly with the old Republican Congress.

To entice insurers into the market, the ACA also offered well-established methods to reduce risk. For example, it built in protections for insurers who enrolled especially sick people. It also provided backup payments for very high-cost cases and protected against big losses and limited big gains in the first three years.

But when the time came to pay up for risk reduction in the Obamacare exchanges, Congress reneged and paid only 12% of what was owed to the insurers. So, on top of the fact that the companies had to bear the risk of unknown costs and utilization in the startup years, which turned out to be higher than they expected, insurers had to absorb legislative uncertainty of whether the rules would be rewritten.

It is no wonder that this year they have dramatically increased premiums, averaging 20%, to compensate for the extra risk they didn’t factor into the original lower rates. In contrast, underlying health costs are rising at about 5%.

The two quotes above are extracted from an article written by a former health insurance CEO. The full article is found at:

I’m a former health insurance CEO and this is what Obamacare repeal will do

Even though the ACA was essentially a copy of a Republican plan, it seems to me that the GOP Congress acted to ensure that it would fail. Why? To spite President Obama. They have been blocking or stalling almost everything that the President has attempted over the past eight years. What a total waste of time and effort! From the same source:

Like the dog that finally caught the car it had been chasing and doesn’t know what to do, what comes next for the administration and Congress isn't clear. But we shouldn’t fool ourselves to think it will be easy or painless. Otherwise, it may be that the great experiment trying to establish a viable market for individual insurance — ironically long a conservative objective — will end in the chaos of what came before.
 

brinny

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The Affordable Care Act is in deep trouble and may be repealed by the new Republican dominated Congress. The reason for the "deep trouble" seems to lie directly with the old Republican Congress.





The two quotes above are extracted from an article written by a former health insurance CEO. The full article is found at:

I’m a former health insurance CEO and this is what Obamacare repeal will do

Even though the ACA was essentially a copy of a Republican plan, it seems to me that the GOP Congress acted to ensure that it would fail. Why? To spite President Obama. They have been blocking or stalling almost everything that the President has attempted over the past eight years. What a total waste of time and effort! From the same source:

A former health insurance CEO, eh?

On another note, in reading this, Canada came to mind.

Do you know how Canada's health insurance care is faring?
 
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JackRT

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Do you know how Canada's health insurance care is faring?

At the patient level it is doing well overall. However it is not without its problems. Wait times is one area of concern. Shortage of doctors and nurses is another.

In my entire adult life I have never paid a cent to a doctor or a hospital. I have had seven operations, three extended hospital stays and numerous tests and procedures. Personally, I have not experienced any unwarranted delays.
 
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brinny

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At the patient level it is doing well overall. However it is not without its problems. Wait times is one area of concern. Shortage of doctors and nurses is another.

In my entire adult life I have never paid a cent to a doctor or a hospital. I have had seven operations, three extended hospital stays and numerous tests and procedures. Personally, I have not experienced any unwarranted delays.

I found this interesting.

Perhaps it was just a bad day or few days:

 
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dogs4thewin

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  • Haha
Reactions: brinny
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dogs4thewin

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LOL!

Apparently Canada agrees with you.

:D
Well, there are only so many resources, so you have to the United States at least right now does more self-rationing as opposed to forced rationing.
 
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JackRT

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The "rationing" as it was called has a medical term --- it is called "triage". This ensures that the people who need the care get the care regardless of wealth or status.

Several years ago a friend was vacationing in Florida. He likes to cycle but he took a bad fall and had his wife drive him to a hospital ER. He was there a couple of hours and recieved prompt and professional care. They gave him an x-ray, a tetanus shot, a half dozen stitches and cleaned up his road rash. The bill was $1800.00 !!! They returned to Canada and he went in to his own doctor to have the stitches removed. The doctor commented that if an uninsured American recieved the identical treatment in a Canadian hospital ER he would have been charged less than $200.00
 
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The "rationing" as it was called has a medical term --- it is called "triage". This ensures that the people who need the care get the care regardless of wealth or status.

Several years ago a friend was vacationing in Florida. He likes to cycle but he took a bad fall and had his wife drive him to a hospital ER. He was there a couple of hours and recieved prompt and professional care. They gave him an x-ray, a tetanus shot, a half dozen stitches and cleaned up his road rash. The bill was $1800.00 !!! They returned to Canada and he went in to his own doctor to have the stitches removed. The doctor commented that if an uninsured American recieved the identical treatment in a Canadian hospital ER he would have been charged less than $200.00
but the fact is that if I have money I can get better care. Either because I go somewhere else OR because I pay more for better service for example additional issuance.
 
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JackRT

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but the fact is that if I have money I can get better care. Either because I go somewhere else OR because I pay more for better service for example additional issuance.

If you are unhappy with a wait time then you can go elsewhere to get exactly the same care. It is true that some services are not paid for under medicare --- dental services and prescription drugs are the main ones. Those can be handled through a supplementary insurance plan. However, whether or not you are paying directly or through an insurance plan, the dentist or pharmacist will give you the exact same service --- not better service.

CAN WE NOW RETURN TO THE TOPIC OF THE O.P.
 
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dogs4thewin

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If you are unhappy with a wait time then you can go elsewhere to get exactly the same care. It is true that some services are not paid for under medicare --- dental services and prescription drugs are the main ones. Those can be handled through a supplementary insurance plan. However, whether or not you are paying directly or through an insurance plan, the dentist or pharmacist will give you the exact same service --- not better service.

CAN WE NOW RETURN TO THE TOPIC OF THE O.P.
Wait, I thought this WAS the topic. Are we not discussing Obamacare?
 
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SummerMadness

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Wait, I thought this WAS the topic. Are we not discussing Obamacare?
Obamacare is not the Canadian healthcare system, it's not even close.

I think the big problem with the American healthcare system, besides a for-profit healthcare system that provides less care for more money when compared to other countries, is the shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas. I have a sibling that works as a locum physician, which cost hospitals more due to the itinerant status. The only way to attract doctors to those hospitals is higher pay; however, those doctors don't live in those areas either. When discussing healthcare in other countries, rationed, shortages, etc., those issues are also seen in the United States, we just pretend the issue doesn't exist because we want to pretend that American healthcare is the best in the world when it is clearly not.
 
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JackRT

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Wait, I thought this WAS the topic. Are we not discussing Obamacare?

That was my intent on starting this thread but if you review the posts it was sidetracked onto Canadian Medicare.
 
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Obamacare is not the Canadian healthcare system, it's not even close.

I think the big problem with the American healthcare system, besides a for-profit healthcare system that provides less care for more money when compared to other countries, is the shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas. I have a sibling that works as a locum physician, which cost hospitals more due to the itinerant status. The only way to attract doctors to those hospitals is higher pay; however, those doctors don't live in those areas either. When discussing healthcare in other countries, rationed, shortages, etc., those issues are also seen in the United States, we just pretend the issue doesn't exist because we want to pretend that American healthcare is the best in the world when it is clearly not.
Well, it depends we DO have some of the best care IF you can afford it. Why else would people COME here for treatment which cost money anyway just to travel even BEFORE you get treatment.
 
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Obamacare is not the Canadian healthcare system, it's not even close.

I think the big problem with the American healthcare system, besides a for-profit healthcare system that provides less care for more money when compared to other countries, is the shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas. I have a sibling that works as a locum physician, which cost hospitals more due to the itinerant status. The only way to attract doctors to those hospitals is higher pay; however, those doctors don't live in those areas either. When discussing healthcare in other countries, rationed, shortages, etc., those issues are also seen in the United States, we just pretend the issue doesn't exist because we want to pretend that American healthcare is the best in the world when it is clearly not.
A lot of rationing in the United States is done by the PEOPLE. That is to say people deciding which treatments they do and do not want. Of course there IS some based on other factors particularly as it relates to issues like transplants, but much of it is adults stating I do not want this treatment it could be money it could be other factors.
 
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SummerMadness

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A lot of rationing in the United States is done by the PEOPLE. That is to say people deciding which treatments they do and do not want. Of course there IS some based on other factors particularly as it relates to issues like transplants, but much of it is adults stating I do not want this treatment it could be money it could be other factors.
There is rationing by the insurance companies in the form of not covering certain treatments. The idea that people should pay more money to receive adequate care is unconscionable; being poor should not preclude you from medical care. For some reason that seems un-Christian (you know, that guy that like to heal the poor).
 
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There is rationing by the insurance companies in the form of not covering certain treatments. The idea that people should pay more money to receive adequate care is unconscionable; being poor should not preclude you from medical care. For some reason that seems un-Christian (you know, that guy that like to heal the poor).
ALL the insurance companties say is that they will not PAY for it not that you may not get the treatment. I am not seeing anyone, but suppose I was in a serious relationship. Suppose the man proposed to me and that we were planning a wedding that is 1000s of dollars. Say my mother told me I will only pay 2k towards your wedding. Now, I am a grown woman in my mid 20s. Is she telling me I could NOT have a fancy wedding no all she is saying is that she will only put 2k towards its cost. If an insurance company says they will not cover you they are not telling an adult that he or she may not seek whatever treatment he or she darn well wants to, but that they will not pay for certain treatments.
 
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