Posted on 11/17/2014 9:08:26 AM PST by PROCON
This month, two developments have shaken the conventional wisdom that repealing President Obama’s healthcare law is an impossibility.
First, Republicans scored a historic election victory, not only taking control of the Senate but likely winning the most House seats since 1928 — the year before Ernest Hemingway published A Farewell to Arms.
Second, the Supreme Court took up another case on Obamacare, and if the justices rule against the administration, it would force a re-opening of the law.
This doesn’t even account for the recently released videos of one of Obamacare’s main architects, MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, conceding that Democrats misled the public to get the legislation passed, benefiting from “the stupidity of the American voter.”
The prospects of repealing Obamacare can now be better described, in the words of Rocco Lampone in The Godfather Part II, as “difficult, not impossible.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Certain important aspects of this turkey of a law are never going away.
- We’ve permanently expanded the Medicaid rolls (unless you think the GOP actually has the stones to withstand the media onslaught from trying to pare them back)
- Junior is going to continue getting coverage till age 26 (unless you think they have the stones to repeal that as well)
- Mandated coverage of pre-existing conditions not going anyplace.
- I doubt they’ll even be able to claw back the free birth control from the Sandra Fluke crowd.
The Gruberment was in bed with insurance companies screwing up health care long before the Clintons occupied the Oral Office.
I believe there were 2 or 3 alternatives proposed by Repubs in 2006 - 2008 and none of them got any air time.
The alternative is competition. And government keeping their hands and noses at least 10 miles away at all times.
At the time Obolacare was rammed through there were a great many alternatives to decrease health costs. Federally this included allowing Insurers to sell across state lines, allowing people to create tax sheltered HSA’s, and making medical treatment and devices tax free. At the state level it is all about tort reform.
The most difficult nut to crack is what to do about those who won’t get insurance and then can’t/won’t pay for treatment recieved. I have heard that even in the best cases hospitals still have at least a 20% no-pay rate, and in poorer areas the no pay rate can be well over 50%. That doesn’t even take into account underpayments from medicare/caide. Hospitals then must distribute the cost of treating these people to all those who do pay.
It may not be popular here on FR but if we as a society aren’t willing to tell those who can’t or won’t pay that their only option for treatment is private charity, then we invite the government into the health care business. Once that is accepted I believe the best thing to do is have clinics and hospitals run by local governments where those who can’t or won’t pay will get government standard treatmetn. Those who will pay will get to participate in the free market system. There is no way to give non-payers the same treatment as payers unless care for all goes down.
Money pulled from illegal alien welfare and put towards bolstering senior health care
Medical savings accounts
More money for Verterans Administration
pre-existing condition fix.
The Republicans are GREAT PONTIFICATORS but do we see ANYONE on the horizon with LEADERSHIP qualities and a SOLID PLAN?
“My wife had brain tumor removed this past summer. I have over 300 thousand in medical bills”
WOW! My wife is a stroke survivor and so far insurance has held up its end and I’ve had deductibles to pay and that was it for as far as what the plan covered. The one draw back so far has been during times I pull in home care help as that is all out of pocket but luckily we’ve saved well for those times. There does need to be affordable solutions for people with extreme circumstances be it gov program or whatever.
I think what ocare has tried to do is just not sustainable though but at least it has people talking about how to make it better.
Scenarrio 1:
I worked in a clinic. A patient will call, and state they want an appointment for a problem, and you quote them a price for that particular problem. They show up for the visit, and then when the doctor is in front of them, they add on more health problems than what they originally told the person who quoted them the price. This results in a longer visit. Then, when they get the bill, the patient is angry because they were billed at a higher rate than what was quoted. This is a major factor in why clinics will not give out pricing.
Scenario 2:
You are admitted in the hospital for an elective procedure. Patient A is younger, and recovers quickly and leaves the hospital in 2 days. Patient B has much more medical problems, , and winds up staying in the hospital for 7 days. Patient B should have to pay more, and hospitals do not have the ability to know in advance how a patient is going to recover from a treatment. That is why hospitals do not quote prices, because they do not know how long you will be in the hospital, and how many interventions you might need.
Something like 26 states have tort reform limiting damages in medical malpractice cases. Can you provide any evidence that medical insurance premiums are less in any of those states compared to states without tort reform?
Alternative: Sever the relationship between your employer and your health care insurance. Make it like car insurance and homeowners/renters insurance.
My employer pays 90% of my healthcare premium costs. Remove that and my insurance costs go up my hundreds of dollars each month. Why should I be happy about that?
I just completed a course of accutane for acne. I was told if I paid out of pocket- the cost would be $1200. My insurance covered everything except for a total of $50 copay. I was happy that my insurance paid so well for my treatment, but I would have willingly paid for it out of my own pocket. Acne is not a life or death disease. This is why insurance is so expensive, they are covering conditions that should not be covered.
You saw companies like Walgreens and Wal-Mart announce that they were planning on offering their employees a fixed amount and pushing them to the exchanges. But now that the exchanges are gone how would that work?
The original RomneyCare / Heritage bill had a caveat that the non insured post a $100,000 bond or some such number as their self insurance. Ya that didn't make it beyond the Mass Legislature which at time was prolly as left as Gorby's Politburo....
“Scenarrio 1:...”
Your point is well taken, so we can’t do this 100% but even if you could find standard services/testing prices it would help I think. There are certainly a lot of variables to consider with any solution. :)
So long as you don't need surgery, prescriptions, tests, or a doctor then it'll work fine.
Portability
Buy across state lines
Most importantly, do not pay for illegals’ care. Do not even admit or serve them. We cannot afford legions of Duncans.
Actually they date back to the Nixon days.
An alternative plan means that you accept the premise that the lying Democrats put forth.
And they are liars. In case you haven’t been paying attention.
Just like Gruber inferred, if you think the Republicans need to offer up an alternative Federal solution to the Democrat lie of a healthcare crisis then you are stupid.
My employer pays 90% of my healthcare premium costs. Remove that and my insurance costs go up my hundreds of dollars each month. Why should I be happy about that?
The problem we now face in this nation is that too many of the voters vote their wallet, rather than long term common sense.
Remove health insurance from the employer and, over time, the cost will “re-center”. That is, the cost will reflect the fact that the people using it are the people paying for it. You may find that instead of paying 10% of $1,000 a month ($100), you are paying all of $400 a month (the new “centered” price), but earning $300 a month more.
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