The Affordable Care Act

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by Boreas

All I have to say is the government better start tooling up for single payer right now. If those thieves raise their rates that high that fast, the people will demand "Medicare Part E".

John

We're ready.

Got a bill right now.

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2011/februa...re-for-all-act

Summary: H.R. 676, The Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act

PNHP note: The following text draws heavily upon the summary of H.R. 676 provided by Rep. John Conyers Jr. when he introduced his bill in 2011. PNHP has made some slight alterations, chiefly to reflect new estimates of cost savings.

Brief summary of legislation

H.R. 676 establishes a unique American universal health insurance program with single-payer financing. The bill would create a publicly financed, privately delivered health care system that improves and expands the already existing Medicare program to all U.S. residents, and all residents living in U.S. territories. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that all Americans will have access, guaranteed by law, to the highest quality and most cost effective health care services regardless of their employment, income or health care status. In short, health care becomes a fundamental human right, with no financial barriers or financial harm resulting from seeking care. With 50 million uninsured Americans, and another 30 million who are underinsured, the time has come to change our inefficient and costly fragmented non-system of health care. The current for-profit health care system in the U.S. is not financially sustainable over the long run, hence the need for a unique nonprofit, universal single-payer health care system.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Look they should have gone SinglePayer or emulated one of the European plan, say like the Dutch. You and I both know doing anything that sensible would never have gotten passed even when the Dems had both chambers. Never would have made it past the Blue Dog DINOs. So we take what we can and smooth out the rough bits. The healthcare and Big Pharma spent a small fortune making it look the way it does.

Back home they put a 0.8% surcharge on my taxable income and the Ontario family plan was $54 per month. Hell here the Medicare surcharge is high than 0/8% and we each pay $128.80 per month. Until this month I took no drugs but now the eye doc says I will be on the eye drops for life. Both are generics, one at $60 the other at $28, even frigging generics are overpriced here. Florence had a BP med start at $300 for 90 days three years later it was $645.

Awesome post!

Dead on true.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by whell

I'd say something isn't ringing quite true.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2932704.html

Since you've turned liberal and now read the HuffPost, here's a less stale and outdated source for you Mike.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/0...676.html?hp=l5

Hmmmm, more insurers vieing for a piece of the pie means better deals, right? Capitalism at it's best.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Look they should have gone SinglePayer or emulated one of the European plan, say like the Dutch. You and I both know doing anything that sensible would never have gotten passed even when the Dems had both chambers. Never would have made it past the Blue Dog DINOs.

And I gotta say that's because every member of Congress is intelligent enough to know that the majority of Americans are self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-centered schmucks who have tidy employer based coverage and don't give a shit in Paul Ryan's hat for how many of their fellow citizens are going bankrupt or dying every year for lack of decent coverage.

[Ike Bana]

Three points...

1. Most of the people who are bitching about having to pay "huge" (let's get real now)...uh higher premiums are people who had shit catastrophic coverage with big deductibles and copays because they wanted lower premiums. The ACA provides for actual health insurance coverage for typical use. These cheapskates are the same people who, in many cases, when they needed non-catastrophic care, went in to their doctor's office...convenient care...or worse...the ER, got their care and never paid their bill. They are one of the primary causes for the cost of care in this country being twice that of most other 1st world western nations. So just shut your festering pieholes and pay your premiums.

2. The great majority of Americans who are having problems with the ACA or will be in the future are the financially disadvantaged who live in states where the state governments rejected any expansion of their Medicaid programs. And are primarily red states...no, really Ike?

3. The people whining about having to change their plan or their doctor. When your boss decided to switch insurance providers were you in his office ragging at him? No. When your insurance provider decided to eliminate your plan and you had to change plans and or doctors were you in your bosses office ragging at him? No. But now that it's the Kenyan witch-doctor anti-colonialst...now it's an outrage. Just STFU for christ's sake.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Tom Joad

Awesome post!

Dead on true.

Forgot to mention the extra $307 per month for each of us with Care First.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

And I gotta say that's because every member of Congress is intelligent enough to know that the majority of Americans are self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-centered schmucks who have tidy employer based coverage and don't give a shit in Paul Ryan's hat for how many of their fellow citizens are going bankrupt or dying every year for lack of decent coverage.

Well yes, there is that also.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Forgot to mention the oextra $307 per month foe each of us with Care First.

Sometimes I think our health care "system" was designed specifically to enrich hospitals, doctors, insurers and Big Pharma while extracting just enough money from the public that they don't riot in the streets.

[JJIII]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Sometimes I think our health care "system" was designed specifically to enrich hospitals, doctors, insurers and Big Pharma while extracting just enough money from the public that they don't riot in the streets.

The design is working damned well too.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Sometimes I think our health care "system" was designed specifically to enrich hospitals, doctors, insurers and Big Pharma while extracting just enough money from the public that they don't riot in the streets.

Well, in a way, isn't that a basic truth about...........all of American industry? Just substitute "hospitals, doctors, insurers and Big Pharma" with "owners, stockholders, senior management and contractors".

Dave