I thought that, overall, premiums have been following the same curve if not slightly lower, but on the exchanges specifically that insurer costs were higher than anticipated.

 

I thought that, overall, premiums have been following the same curve if not slightly lower, but on the exchanges specifically that insurer costs were higher than anticipated.

This year, they're basically sitting where they were projected to be when the ACA passed, after a couple years cheaper than projected. So, couple years cheaper than expected then get back to where expected - overall it cost less than projected and there was 1 big price spike to get up close to trend. So the whole program and insurance expenditures have been cheaper than expected. It would take another year with jumps like this year to put it as more expensive than predicted.

http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016...obamacare-trump

 

Thought this was a pretty interesting read about why people who benefit from the ACA voted for Trump...

http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016...obamacare-trump

 

Thought this was a pretty interesting read about why people who benefit from the ACA voted for Drumpf...

 

 

An excerpt...

 

“I guess I thought that, you know, he would not do this, he would not take health insurance away knowing it would affect so many peoples lives,” says Debbie Mills, an Obamacare enrollee who supported Drumpf. “I mean, what are you to do then if you cannot pay for insurance?”

 

Oh well Debbie. Don't feel sorry for you now.

Similar story last year with Bevin in Kentucky. He explicitly promised to demolish the state exchanges that enjoyed wide support, and then his voters were shocked when he stated doing it.

The hubris in that article.

Many expressed frustration that Obamacare plans cost way too much, that premiums and deductibles had spiraled out of control. And part of their anger was wrapped up in the idea that other people were getting even better, even cheaper benefits — and those other people did not deserve the help

 

This really sums up the typical opposition to social programs from white people who benefit from them in general.

 

And hopefully I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that even after Republicans destroy many of the things they depend upon, they're still going to keep voting for them. It's like those surveys in 2012 where most people simply didn't accept that Paul Ryan's plans were what they were-it's like Republicans have figured out that if your proposals are just explicitly absurd and harmful, people won't take you at your word and will elect you anyway.

Edited December 13, 20169 yr by StrangeSox

The Republican vision for healthcare

 

Instead, Huizenga says more responsibility needs to shift to the shoulders of patients to reduce costs. One way to do that is having them pay a bigger share of their medical expenses by increasing their insurance deductibles and incentivizing them to use HSAs, health savings accounts, to sock away pre-tax money to pay medical bills.

 

"At some point or another we have to be responsible or have a part of the responsibility of what is going on," Huizenga said. "Way too often, people pull out their insurance card and they say 'I don't know the difference or cost between an X-ray or an MRI or CT Scan.' I might make a little different decision if I did know (what) some of those costs were and those costs came back to me."

 

The father of five offered a personal example of how this shift might play out. He says his youngest son fell and injured his arm. Not sure if it was sprained or broken, he and his wife decided to wait until the next morning to take the 10-year-old to the doctor's office, instead of going to the emergency room that night. The arm was broken.

That last paragraph is pretty f***ed up.

And that, to him, is somehow an example of how our healthcare system should work.

 

These people are going to be happy when tens of millions of people lose coverage and it directly leads to thousands of otherwise preventable deaths and untold amounts of preventable or treatable suffering.

DEATH PANELS!!!!

That last paragraph is pretty f***ed up.

 

Yeah, why would you ever give that as an example as how things should work?

 

If the story was "We immediately went to the ER but it ended up being something really minor. We should have waited.", it would at least have made sense.

DEATH PANELS!!!!

 

It's really too bad that Republicans decided to double-down on that incredibly stupid and dishonest complaint since end-of-life counseling and planning is something that can:

 

1) ensure that decisions about care are made ahead of time and with some thought and care rather than in the middle of an understandably emotional and difficult period

2) reduce overall health care spending by lessening the amount of extremely expensive end-of-life care that may only prolong life for a short while with little or no quality

3) actually improve quality and length of life for terminal illness even if the chosen path is minimal treatment

 

but hey, had to go all-in on making Obama a "one-term President"

I'm now on a HMO instead of PPO so basically uninsured but paying even more. If I could buy my kids their own plan and pay the fine for myself I would because this is just getting ridiculous.

The Republican plot to devour retirees' nest eggs

 

http://theweek.com/articles/669573/republi...irees-nest-eggs

 

TLDR bring balance billing to Medicare and Medicaid, which will enrich providers (hence why the AMA supports Tom price for HHS) but will seriously hurt many, many seniors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/opinion/...col-left-region

 

 

Trump better hope the stock market continues to skyrocket or medical savings accounts and privatizing Social Security will be dead in the water like the last time GW Bush attempted this nifty maneuver of the shell game.

 

Krugman is exactly right on how the GOP is trapped on having zero replacement ready to go, yet facing huge pressures to repeal from voters/constituents misled by the insurance industry and Big Pharma. The fallout will be catastrophic, which unfortunately comes with real human/family and health consequences.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-derides-re...102.html?ref=gs

 

Obama derides "reckless" plan to repeal...says he'll be on board if they can improve upon it, warns of consequences with a replacement at least two years away (after 2018 midterm elections).

 

 

Ryan pledges to bring ObamaCare replacement legislation to Congress "this year"

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/paul-ryan-p...ory?id=44576835

Edited January 7, 20179 yr by caulfield12

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/repealing-ob...-131500075.html

 

Repealing ObamaCare taxes gives the superwealthy back an average of $7 million per year.

Edited January 13, 20179 yr by caulfield12

Get health insurance through your employer? ACA repeal will affect you too.

 

http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2017/01/11/g...affect-you-too/

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/13/health/obama...-aca/index.html

 

What doctors really think about ObamaCare...

I hate that people still insist on calling this Obamacare, because the Republicans successfully branded it as such.

 

The ACA needs fixes, but that doesn't mean it needs to be repealed because of reasons...

 

I think more control needs to be exerted over drug and healthcare prices if this is ever going to work.

I'm pretty sure one of your "stop calling it Obamacare!" rants was the inspiration for the thread title

I'm pretty sure one of your "stop calling it Obamacare!" rants was the inspiration for the thread title

 

I do not "rant".

 

And yes, I recall that.

I hate that people still insist on calling this Obamacare, because the Republicans successfully branded it as such.

 

The ACA needs fixes, but that doesn't mean it needs to be repealed because of reasons...

 

I think more control needs to be exerted over drug and healthcare prices if this is ever going to work.

 

Im pretty sure that if both parties worked together they could put together some pretty amazing controls that could result in better/cheaper healthcare for everyone.

 

Its unfortunate.