Posted on 01/15/2017 5:52:27 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
President-elect Donald Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid.
Trump declined to reveal specifics in the telephone interview late Saturday with The Washington Post, but any proposals from the incoming president would almost certainly dominate the Republican effort to overhaul federal health policy as he prepares to work with his party’s congressional majorities.
Trump’s plan is likely to face questions from the right, following years of GOP opposition to further expansion of government involvement in the health-care system, and from those on the left, who see his ideas as disruptive to changes brought by the Affordable Care Act that have extended coverage to tens of millions of Americans.
In addition to his replacement plan for the ACA, also known as Obamacare, Trump said he will target pharmaceutical companies over drug prices and demand that they negotiate directly with Medicaid and Medicare.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
This from the very article linked at the start of this thread!
It’s not going to be their plan, he said of people covered under the current law. It’ll be another plan. But they’ll be beautifully covered. I don’t want single-payer. What I do want is to be able to take care of people, he said Saturday.
What is so danged hard to comprehend here?
None of this will work. Unless Trump instructs the DOJ to break up all Medical Monopolies, whatever he does will not stop the destruction we are facing.
Health Care costs are now over 1/3rd of the Federal Budget and growing annually at compounded rate of 9%. Along with that we have Interest Rate payments on the Debt growing also. In a short few years the Math will win out and we are done for.
The short term solution will be to drastically cut benefits on Medicare, Medicaid, and SS. Then what do you do?
That won’t work and is not the real problem anyway.
Understood. However, besides my parents paying for my health insurance for 18 years. I paid for my own insurance without ever lapsing for close to 40 years before developing cancer. I’m not supporting that I should pay more now.
In case you hadn’t notice, everything the US ferl government touches becomes astronomically expensive. College tuition has increased 1200% in the past years because the feral government made sure there was lots of money available for dumb 18-year olds to borrow and hand over to Left-wing universities.
The health care cost explosion all started with Medicare and “cost-shifting” from people covered by it to people covered by insurance.
Get the US feral government out of health care.
More central planning (sigh). Hopefully, this one will at least involve some free market elements.
Thanks Holly. Name brand drugs will be difficult to limit costs on. They have specific actions, and they are unique. Generics? Sure.
That already happens though. Hospitals are members of purchasing groups, and generic drug companies bid those down.
The fees for Medicare / Medicaid services are capped. Hospitals get paid a certain amount for each Diagnostic Related Group (DRG).
Hospitals have been under the squeeze for 25 years. I hope the new plans aren’t based on cutting their fees further.
Not happening. We’ll see major closings in short order if they go this route.
Well it will not happen. No Political will to confront the medical and insurance lobbies.
Breaking the Monopolies could result in medical prices falling as much as 80 to 85%. It would also result in jolt to the economy by causing a recession and a 10 to 12% decrease in GDP related to the health care field. In the long run though we can balance the budget, pay down debt and redirect all that investment money to other places.
But guess what, it will never happen. So we are looking at maybe 5 years or so down the road and real problems, Default on the Debt maybe. I am preparing as best I can.
I read “the art of the deal,” and the thing that impressed me was that Trump can see the heart of problems and how to solve them. I think there is a possibility that we are going to see a meaningful reset in a lot of things that the feral government should never be involved in in the first place.
It appears the Never Trumpers simply can’t keep up their facade.
Other countries are not paying the high costs on name brand drugs as US consumers of Prescription meds are paying. Fortunately, pharmaceutical companies will give needed meds free or discounted to those who can not afford them should one call and discuss the situation with them. I’ve heard this option discussed for very serious medical conditions, not simple things.
So, while pharma’s can be outrageous, it is nice to know they can be equally generous at times.
No government involvement!
gotcha
Like you say, they have had some plans for people who couldn’t afford the meds for fifteen years or so, perhaps a bit longer.
Some people get the idea that because this is a health care related issue, pharmaceutical companies should sell the newer meds for small margins.
Pharmaceutical companies investigate many drugs before they come up with winners. Those winners may not last on the patent list as long as some folks might think.
Chemical chains are frequently patented, then studied years out. They may find a great use for a chemical and finally market it just a few short years before the patent runs out.
I don’t have an answer for why they sell some single source meds in the U.S. for one price, and in Canada or another nation for another price.
There may be room to clamp down on some of that. I am not sure for the reasons (as stated above).
Some things that don’t make sense to us, can make sense when it is explained. This doesn’t make sense to me, but there may be a decent reason.
“:^)
“:^)
That was the shortest reply I’ve made in two years :)
I’ve meant to tell you you’ve been doing better... Bwa ha ha ha...
Just kidding.
I like to make short posts at times too.
People don’t have insurance, so they use the ER. Then they don’t pay either. Hospitals and insurance companies raise prices to cover their losses, so you end up paying for it regardless.
I already have insurance. Since the guvment’s been involved my costs are up over 80% and with a higher deductible. I don’t want anymore guvment involvement.
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