Interesting how the same people who scream "Stay out of my uterus!!" are the same ones who want the government involved in every aspect of their health care. Creepy.
What are you talking about? In what way do you think the Affordable Care Act is "involved in every aspect of [my] health care"? It is really insurance companies who drive the market and control the health care that you and I get. That doesn't change, unfortunately, except that the govt has stepped in and said:
You can't drop family coverage because the child gets MS;
You can't drop Grandma Smith because they've discovered a heart murmer;
You can't refuse to take Vern Higgenbotham because he has had diabetes type 1 since childhood;
If you're going to sell what you call a "comprehensive" policy to unsuspecting consumers who aren't savvy about insurance policy language, then the policy really does have to be comprehensive;
Ins. cos can still include some care providers and not others in their networks, just like before;
Ins cos can still charge varying rates to different people based on risk, just like before;
Ins cos can no longer charge unreasonably high rates for high risk...making a high risk policy not economically feasible (but they can still charge more for those);
Ins cos can still charge older people more and younger people less;
Ins cos cannot charge more for women than for men, unlike before (this provision is I think what is generating a lot of blogs on the internet about increases in premiums....young healthy men are noticing that they have lost their big price break - but hey, guys, you used to have to pay more for car ins. when young, and young women have lost their price break on that, but you didn't hear outcries over THAT, did you?)
People can carry their children into their 20's on their family policies;
Ins cos now have a cap on their premiums....no more getting away with charging premiums and not paying claims. NOW ins. cos have to pay 80% - 85% of premiums collected on claims. If they don't, they have to refund the difference BACK to the insureds.
If you are a working American but can't afford ins. coverage and don't get it thru your employer (this applies to MILLIONS) - the govt will now subsidize your premiums in the form of tax credits or paying the ins. cos.
If you are a part time employee, and you don't get ins. benefits (as most part timers don't), the govt will subsidize your premiums on a sliding scale to help you;
If you lose your job and you are older, there is virtually no chance you will get another job paying what you got paid before, if you are lucky enough to get a job at all - the govt will subsidize your premiums on a sliding scale, so you won't have to cash in your 401k to pay for health care, leaving you to be a destitute senior citizen (the govt doesn't pay for the whole premium...it HELPS with the payments. This is a win-win, BTW, enabling the insured to stay healthier, and not rely on as many govt services as they age, since they will have more of a chance of keeping their life savings, and may even be able to postpone getting Social Security, which saves the govt money).
Sounds good to me and not intrusive at all to the health care of individuals. Your dr is still your dr. The services you get are still between your insurance company and the dr. (which is too bad, actually - there shouldn't be a for-profit ins. co. involved in that decision). AND it saves money in the long run by helping people get diagnosed and treated early on for conditions instead of the person ending up in ER or the hospital with a critical illness. It's a win-win. Which is what the Republicans are desperately trying to prevent the country from finding out.
Find someone who is on Medicare who doesn't think it's a good thing. Including Republicans. But if it were being passed now, the conservatives would be full-blown out with their fear tactics of death panels, bankruptcy of the country, government intrusiveness into your private care (disregarding the fact that many if not most elderly people would not HAVE health care if there were no Medicare).
