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With ObamaCare Collapsing, What Do We Do Next?
Forbes ^ | November 10, 2016 | By Steve Forbes

Posted on 11/10/2016 10:09:15 AM PST by Brad from Tennessee

WITH THE OBAMACARE exchanges collapsing and millions of people being battered by ghastly increases in health insurance premiums, what’s to be done?

Forgetting that socialism doesn’t work–never mind that it’s deeply immoral–Democrats are addicted to the idea of government-dominated health care. They see ObamaCare’s terminal crisis as the perfect opportunity to realize their age-old ambition of socialized medicine, hence the current mouthing of such slogans as “a single-payer system,” “Medicare for all” and the offer to consumers of “a public option,” i.e., subsidized policies from a health insurance company run by Uncle Sam.

Republicans should be ready with proposals that will help health care ultimately become a normal market, where patients are in charge, not such third-party payers as health insurers, Medicare and Medicaid. Currently, the patient isn’t the “customer,” which is why so many thousands of them die unnecessarily from infections received at hospitals or from medical errors. The current system works to make the patient as passive as possible. A consumer revolution won’t be achieved overnight, but several ideas will help.

– Nationwide shopping for health insurance. Bust up the Balkanized, state-by-state arrangement we have today. We’re one country, after all. There’s no reason that a resident of, say, New Jersey shouldn’t be allowed to buy a policy offered in Wisconsin. Let scores of companies compete for your business instead of the handful you now have. . .

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: aca; healthcare; repealandreplace; trumpagenda
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To: WENDLE
No that is is not correct. Everyone can go to the ER — That has been the law for 20 years. We don’t let poor people die in the street. Trump clearly stated the system of replacement with not allow people to die in the street. Dieing in the street is off the table. Is that what you want? death in the street? Do away with the ER?

Hyperbole aside, what you are talking about is a government mandate and not an entitlement. Government doesn't reimburse the full cost of that plan; it's passed on to paying customers. And that's fine since it prevents your doomsday scenario of streets carpeted with dead people.

I am trying to create a stem that will actually work and restore a private option and a public option.

Look at the three public options we now have - Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA system. Then look how much we spend on it each year. Then add the cost of your government provided health insurance and you tell me how we as a nation will pay for that?

Ill tell you one thing— we better put up or shut up because we are going to repeal obamacare- Not fix it!!

Which is pretty much what I've been saying all along. Repeal Obamacare and be done with it. The government cannot provide a replacement that will do anything but make the situation worse or be horribly expensive.

61 posted on 11/10/2016 12:07:07 PM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: lurk
Allow competition.

What if competition isn't interested?

62 posted on 11/10/2016 12:07:43 PM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: cba123
Remove the tons of laws about medical care.

For example?

It is why healthcare elsewhere, is cheap.

In most countries healthcare is comparatively cheap because it isn't a private, for profit industry.

63 posted on 11/10/2016 12:10:23 PM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: DoodleDawg
Cheap elsewhere? What a joke.

"If you think HC is expensive now, wait until it is free."

Every where there is 'cheap' HC you will find a people with constricted disposable income.

64 posted on 11/10/2016 12:20:42 PM PST by deadrock (I is someone else.)
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To: jimmygrace

“Here’s a novel idea - if you want something, pay for it.”

The problem with that is that government interference has driven costs far beyond an ordinary man’s ability to pay.


65 posted on 11/10/2016 12:24:09 PM PST by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: jimmygrace

“Here’s a novel idea - if you want something, pay for it.”

The problem with that is that government interference has driven costs far beyond an ordinary man’s ability to pay.


66 posted on 11/10/2016 12:30:04 PM PST by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

We should let them pay the premiums for at least 6-12 months just to make the bloody point about their love for Obama-who-doesnt-Care


67 posted on 11/10/2016 12:56:20 PM PST by Jumper
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To: cba123

The government is far too involved and should be out of damn near everything. Nevertheless, if they must be covered you are either advocating the totalitarian Obamacare mandate or requiring that Peter be robbed to pay Paul, which is socialism. Do you think that SS is anything other than a welfare program?


68 posted on 11/10/2016 2:37:09 PM PST by achilles2000 ("I'll agree to save the whales as long as we can deport the liberals")
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To: achilles2000

I just watched Al Franken making the same arguments for socialized medicine. I believe we are witnessing his presence at Freerepulic.


69 posted on 11/10/2016 3:16:16 PM PST by deadrock (I is someone else.)
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To: ConservativeMind

“Everyone should have a BMW.”

No, I would much rather have an automobile than a BMW.


70 posted on 11/10/2016 3:35:52 PM PST by RipSawyer
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To: deadrock

There are a lot of people who somehow think they are conservatives who want to save or “reform” the welfare state and government schools. At some point people need to begin thinking clearly about principles and cause and effect.


71 posted on 11/10/2016 4:11:01 PM PST by achilles2000 ("I'll agree to save the whales as long as we can deport the liberals")
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To: cba123

Do you want healthy young people who never get sick and don’t want to buy insurance to be forced to do so? Or do you prefer others are forced to pay for it? I mean, if everyone must have coverage then you have to pick one or the other.


72 posted on 11/10/2016 4:26:39 PM PST by SoCal Pubbie
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Pretty good article.

Been thinking today about what to do with the healthcare mess that exists in this country. Some thoughts:

1. Issue an obamacare waiver to all US citizens. Nobody has to pay a fine for not having health insurance.
2. Repeal HIPAA and the HiTech act. Easy and welcome way to demonstrate a commitment to reducing government regulations.
3. Establish a pilot program of say 1,000 employers where they will no longer be able to deduct health insurance premiums and their employees would buy health insurance directly from the insurance company. This test market would be as free of government intervention as possible. Provides a test environment for moving the entire private health insurance industry to individual policies as opposed to the current employer policies.

The idea is to return the power to the people and create a private marketplace free from government intervention. Get my government and my employer out of my health care.


73 posted on 11/10/2016 5:31:32 PM PST by stevestras
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To: Brad from Tennessee

It would seem to make perfect sense to get healthcare & insurance completely out of the realm of the federal gov’t. The money spent in that area is mostly a waste.


74 posted on 11/10/2016 6:48:37 PM PST by oldtech
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To: IYAS9YAS

Rand Paul has the best idea I’ve heard. Health insurance analogous to whole life insurance. At age 18 or 22, people should be able to purchase 40-50 year health insurance plans.

This solves most of the problems with pre-existing conditions.

The coverage would be true catastrophic insurance, so premiums would be reasonably priced.

The difference could be paid in a number of ways, from out of pocket to supplemental insurance.

Writing these policies would be enormously complex, but that’s what actuaries and medical experts are for.

And plans could be rated by independent PRIVATE accrediting agencies to facilitate informed shopping.

After age 72 people could be covered by charity or Medicare.


75 posted on 11/10/2016 8:01:25 PM PST by St_Thomas_Aquinas (Isaiah 22:22, Matthew 16:19, Revelation 3:7)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

I want doctors, medical institutions,pharmaceutical companies and insurers who compete for my business.


76 posted on 11/10/2016 8:58:04 PM PST by clearcarbon
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Proposed legislation:

“The Affordable Health Care Act is hereby repealed in its entirety.”


77 posted on 11/10/2016 11:26:13 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Find the Democrat sponsors of Obamacare.

Put them in prison for life.


78 posted on 11/10/2016 11:27:13 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: Vendome
Take it out back, tie it to a post and shoot it....
Several times. You want to be sure. ;-)
79 posted on 11/11/2016 12:09:32 AM PST by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
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To: Tunehead54

80 posted on 11/11/2016 12:15:41 AM PST by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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