Now is the time for Dems to fix the ACA

[JimBowie1958]

I can't think of a better time for the Dems to introduce a bill that addresses the cost issues involved with the ACA. The great achievement of the bill was that it got 20 million people insured, but it still has many problems. We need to increase competition, offer some regulatory relief to small businesses, reduce drug costs, healthcare costs, and premium costs, etc. Now is the time to do it. If the GOP rejects their solutions then it puts the blame on them and they can no longer continue with the narrative that the ACA is self destructing. The ACA went far, perhaps a little too far, it may be good to consider some conservative principles to reign it in and help with some of the cost issues.

My question is, are the Dems going to roll up their sleeves and get to work at a time that the country needs it, and will the President respond in a cooperative way or will both sides keep playing the partisan divide games?

Trump has already said that he is open to working with Democrats on fixing the problems with the ACA.

Personally, I think the top three things that need removal (individual mandate, business mandate, and the lack of granularity in consumer choices) combined with some enhancements that will make the insurance market more competitive (remove state boundary limitations, allow for people to take only options that apply to them) will make Obamacare work in the long run. Those are the biggest things to me.

But frankly, I think that insurance companies need a transition period as well to make it into a profitable set of procedures and technology.

The ACA is not going to be entirely repealed, not ever, but we can give it a good over haul.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Well, the debt doubled in 8 years, major part of this is due to Obamacare. No matter what memoirs Obama writes or how he is viewed in history, as a Conservative economist, his one legacy which is undeniable is that he doubled the debt in eight years.

The American system is based on individual accomplishment and achievement. This means, if you provide too many "freebies", or entitlements it is not copacetic with the system. The system of excessive entitlements is called socialism, it has failed and is failing everywhere. America is the last bastion of freedom and individuality.

I do believe healthcare is a right. This right is supported and enshrined in an individuals right to pursue their dreams and achieve personal wealth to pursue their health needs. This is where options are a must, let the free market reign and even someone making minimum wage will be able to find care when needed. Provide different tiers of access and service based on ones needs and ability to purchase these healthcare packages.

Now, if this healthcare is in place simply to subsidize the unemployed and underemployed because jobs are being shipped out, well, you have a major problem as it is just buying todays generation at the expense of tomorrows. Instead, get jobs back, produce a booming economy, open up unparalleled competition in the healthcare market and let consumers decide what they want. Get government out fast before you end up with an economy stifled and excessive debt that can't be addressed.

 

[JimBowie1958]

The time for the left to fix THEIR COLOSSAL FUCK UP passed when they lost control in DC. In fact it is one of the reasons they lost control although they've yet to figure that out.

IT is time for all of us to cooperate together and fix this for the sake of innocent nonpolitical Americans that depend on their medical care to stay alive and maintain their biological quality of life.

 

[JimBowie1958]

It's akin to forcing All-State to cover me in my automobile when I've had a half dozen dui's and lots of crashes & speeding tickets.

And yet, guess what? Auto insurance companies have to offer you at least liability insurance. They just charge the hell out of your for the pleasure.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

The time for the left to fix THEIR COLOSSAL FUCK UP passed when they lost control in DC. In fact it is one of the reasons they lost control although they've yet to figure that out.

IT is time for all of us to cooperate together and fix this for the sake of innocent nonpolitical Americans that depend on their medical care to stay alive and maintain their biological quality of life.

Medical care =/= insurance.

Forcing Americans to buy insurance did not suddenly cure their ills, nor will giving them the option to opt out, Kill them.

 

[Dragonlady]

By elderly I ment sick old people. If it weren't for them insurance would be affordable. That is an undeniable fact. They are the ones consuming the benefits of this law. They are the reason a perfectly healthy 20 something is paying hundreds with thousands of out of pocket for services if he actually needs them. The mandate fucked the youth at the expense of the old & sick.

Every other first world country in the world manages to provide quality health care for its elderly and sick without bankrupting the country, and no one complains about young and healthy people paying into the system, except Americans.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

By elderly I ment sick old people. If it weren't for them insurance would be affordable. That is an undeniable fact. They are the ones consuming the benefits of this law. They are the reason a perfectly healthy 20 something is paying hundreds with thousands of out of pocket for services if he actually needs them. The mandate fucked the youth at the expense of the old & sick.

Every other first world country in the world manages to provide quality health care for its elderly and sick without bankrupting the country, and no one complains about young and healthy people paying into the system, except Americans.

I don't live in every other country in the world. I live in the United States. Purportedly the LAND OF THE FREE.


Fuck off with your nonsense

 

[JimBowie1958]

Medical care =/= insurance.
Forcing Americans to buy insurance did not suddenly cure their ills, nor will giving them the option to opt out, Kill them.

That is all true, but the likelihood of getting medical care for something like a kidney stone is much improved if you have decent medical insurance.

 

[BluesLegend]

Pay your own damn bills moochers, stop thinking you can gift yourself the money I worked to earn.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Pay your own damn bills moochers, stop thinking you can gift yourself the money I worked to earn.

Lol, so you are a special little snowflake that should never have to pay taxes, or what?

IT is clearly in the public interest to have a healthy population.

If you cant understand that, oh, well, you dont really have to.

Tough.

 

[HaShev]

Watching the Dems fix anything is like watching the 3 stooges fix plumbing.
They are just good at breaking stuff then complaining about those who dare want to clean up and fix their messes.

 

[Mike473]

Take a family plan. 2 adults, 1 child. No subsidy available. What is the fair cost of a family plan?

 

[Borillar]

I can't think of a better time for the Dems to introduce a bill that addresses the cost issues involved with the ACA. The great achievement of the bill was that it got 20 million people insured, but it still has many problems. We need to increase competition, offer some regulatory relief to small businesses, reduce drug costs, healthcare costs, and premium costs, etc. Now is the time to do it. If the GOP rejects their solutions then it puts the blame on them and they can no longer continue with the narrative that the ACA is self destructing. The ACA went far, perhaps a little too far, it may be good to consider some conservative principles to reign it in and help with some of the cost issues.

My question is, are the Dems going to roll up their sleeves and get to work at a time that the country needs it, and will the President respond in a cooperative way or will both sides keep playing the partisan divide games?

Why bother? McChinless and Eddie Munster won't let anything come of it.

 

[Borillar]

Watching the Dems fix anything is like watching the 3 stooges fix plumbing.
They are just good at breaking stuff then complaining about those who dare want to clean up and fix their messes.

At least they try. All repugs do is blow shit up.

 

[HaShev]

Watching the Dems fix anything is like watching the 3 stooges fix plumbing.
They are just good at breaking stuff then complaining about those who dare want to clean up and fix their messes.

At least they try. All repugs do is blow shit up.

0 votes on the Health Care for sake of obstruction and destroying is trying? Really?

 

[Borillar]

Watching the Dems fix anything is like watching the 3 stooges fix plumbing.
They are just good at breaking stuff then complaining about those who dare want to clean up and fix their messes.

At least they try. All repugs do is blow shit up.

0 votes on the Health Care for sake of obstruction and destroying is trying? Really?

They passed the ACA with 0 votes from repugs. Why should they vote for a repug POS bill that doesn't fix anything?

 

[Slade3200]

I can't think of a better time for the Dems to introduce a bill that addresses the cost issues involved with the ACA. The great achievement of the bill was that it got 20 million people insured, but it still has many problems. We need to increase competition, offer some regulatory relief to small businesses, reduce drug costs, healthcare costs, and premium costs, etc. Now is the time to do it. If the GOP rejects their solutions then it puts the blame on them and they can no longer continue with the narrative that the ACA is self destructing. The ACA went far, perhaps a little too far, it may be good to consider some conservative principles to reign it in and help with some of the cost issues.

My question is, are the Dems going to roll up their sleeves and get to work at a time that the country needs it, and will the President respond in a cooperative way or will both sides keep playing the partisan divide games?

You can't fix the cost. There are not enough young adults to offset the high costs for the elderly.

The law is broken. It was never designed to succeed

The elderly are on Medicare..

By elderly I ment sick old people. If it weren't for them insurance would be affordable. That is an undeniable fact. They are the ones consuming the benefits of this law. They are the reason a perfectly healthy 20 something is paying hundreds with thousands of out of pocket for services if he actually needs them. The mandate fucked the youth at the expense of the old & sick.

The mandate didn't fuck anybody. It actually saved the % of 20 year olds that get in accidents or get sick without insurance from going bankrupt or in lifelong debt. All the mandate did was get more young people insurance which they should all have. The major problem with our healthcare system is the extremely high prices for drugs and care. We need to be working on ways to reduce those costs.

I don't think most of you stop to think, WHAT IS INSURANCE. ANY KIND OF INSURANCE.

It is not an Entitlement. It is nothing more than a lottery ticket created to make a third party wealthy. Party A issues a lottery ticket (policy) to party B in the hopes that party B never has to hit the jackpot and thereby turns a profit off of the risk. Forcing coverage for pre existing conditions was nothing more than a surefire way to bankrupt party A thereby creating the need for the government to take over.
It's akin to forcing All-State to cover me in my automobile when I've had a half dozen dui's and lots of crashes & speeding tickets.

I agree with you about the insurance game. It is a middleman that is a black whole sucking up a ton of wealth. I wish we could eliminate health insurance all together and dramatically decrease healthcare costs so people could just afford to buy the medicine and treatments that they need.

But in the world we live in today and with medical procedures, hospital stays, and drug costs so high, nobody can afford any of it without insurance. So lets just make the best out of the system we have until we figure out a better way.

 

[KissMy]

I can't think of a better time for the Dems to introduce a bill that addresses the cost issues involved with the ACA. The great achievement of the bill was that it got 20 million people insured, but it still has many problems. We need to increase competition, offer some regulatory relief to small businesses, reduce drug costs, healthcare costs, and premium costs, etc. Now is the time to do it. If the GOP rejects their solutions then it puts the blame on them and they can no longer continue with the narrative that the ACA is self destructing. The ACA went far, perhaps a little too far, it may be good to consider some conservative principles to reign it in and help with some of the cost issues.

My question is, are the Dems going to roll up their sleeves and get to work at a time that the country needs it, and will the President respond in a cooperative way or will both sides keep playing the partisan divide games?

You can't fix the cost. There are not enough young adults to offset the high costs for the elderly.

The law is broken. It was never designed to succeed

The elderly are on Medicare..

By elderly I ment sick old people. If it weren't for them insurance would be affordable. That is an undeniable fact. They are the ones consuming the benefits of this law. They are the reason a perfectly healthy 20 something is paying hundreds with thousands of out of pocket for services if he actually needs them. The mandate fucked the youth at the expense of the old & sick.

Why do you want to pay for expensive insurance that is designed to not cover or prevent any illness you are likely to get? Do you believe wallstreet insurance executives deserve your hard earned money to buy politicians? Also Repubtards screamed to stop money saving "Death Panels" so now all the terminally ill can bankrupt the country on their way out!

 

[Slade3200]

I can't think of a better time for the Dems to introduce a bill that addresses the cost issues involved with the ACA. The great achievement of the bill was that it got 20 million people insured, but it still has many problems. We need to increase competition, offer some regulatory relief to small businesses, reduce drug costs, healthcare costs, and premium costs, etc. Now is the time to do it. If the GOP rejects their solutions then it puts the blame on them and they can no longer continue with the narrative that the ACA is self destructing. The ACA went far, perhaps a little too far, it may be good to consider some conservative principles to reign it in and help with some of the cost issues.

My question is, are the Dems going to roll up their sleeves and get to work at a time that the country needs it, and will the President respond in a cooperative way or will both sides keep playing the partisan divide games?

Why bother? McChinless and Eddie Munster won't let anything come of it.

Because at some point our leaders have to stop acting like children and take responsibility. Each party can only control their own actions. If the GOP doesn't pass anything that the Dems put forth, especially if the Dems pull from the GOP's ideas, then my guess is there will be a change in power come next election. My hope is that both sides start to work together and this is a great opportunity for the Dems to save the name ACA/Obamacare but make some much needed fixes and the GOP has presented some good ideas.

 

[Slade3200]

Slade3200 Even though I am opposed to statist solutions, here are a couple policy items which would lower costs under the current healthcare system

- Allow shopping across state lines
- Remove essential health benefits and force states to choose their own
- Permit businesses to form expanded pools to cover employees
- Remove taxes on drug manufacturers and hospital equipment
- Force medicaid beneficiaries to abide by a set of healthy habits
- Demand public data publishing on all new drugs after a year
- End increased subsidies for EoLC. 20% of healthcare costs should not be absorbed by those in the process of dying.
- Legalize assisted suicide
- Expand the HSA program. The elderly absorb almost all healthcare costs, which is why it should be made easier to save for healthcare costs during seniority.

That's all I can think of right now. What do you think?

I appreciate you laying out some ideas so we can have a substantive discussion. So many on this board resort to the petty partisan attacks and never get below the surface. I like some of your ideas... I've heard some talk about allowing drugs to be imported from other countries which would help lower costs, so i'd add that to the list. I'd also take a close look at the hospitals and see what their major expenses are, it is imperative that we find ways to get costs down so people can actually afford to go to the doctor and get treated. Right now it is out of control and it seems all the money is going to the insurance companies and big Pharma.