How democrats would fix obamacare

[Unitedwestand13]

There is already a reinsurance program built into Obamacare. It didn't help. A new one won't either.

I agree that prices are way too high, but there are a number of causes, not least is government regulations. Obamacare only intensified the problem. The solution is less government involvement and more consumer decision-making.

Consumers have no input into how insurance companies calculate their prices.
If one insurance company charges an arm and a leg for coverage, and another company charges two legs for coverage it makes no difference what the consumer chooses. He still gets screwed by the insurance companies.

 

[Greenbeard]

Talking point nonsense. This was all put into motion before Trump was even elected. And, repubs had NOTHING to do with Obama care. It's utterly laughable that libs are now attempting to blame Obama care on Trump. :doh

Wrong.

Actions:

Trump tells advisers he wants to end key Obamacare subsidies ; Uncertainty as American Health Care Act passes U.S. House.

Consequences:

Oliver Wyman: Analysis: Market Uncertainty Driving ACA Rate Increases

The nationwide survey of health insurers, conducted May 16 to May 24, found that 94 percent of respondents currently offering plans on the ACA exchanges intend to remain in that market; 6 percent intend to exit. However, if CSR payments are halted, 42 percent of respondents said they would likely withdraw from the market. The other 58 percent indicated they would refile proposed rates, with the assumption being payers would adjust rates higher to cover the loss of the CSR payments.

Anthem to bolt from Ohio health insurance exchange

The high-profile health insurer, which sells Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states including New York and California, for months has said that uncertainty over the payments used to make insurance more affordable could cause it to exit markets next year.

In addition, Republicans are trying to cut off these Obamacare subsidy payments in court proceedings and President Donald Trump has made conflicting statements about continuing paying them.

Anthem attributed the Ohio decision to volatility and uncertainty about whether the government would continue to provide cost-sharing subsidies.

Blue Cross in North Carolina:

Our ACA customers will receive an average rate increase of 22.9 percent for coverage purchased on and off the exchange. That’s according to our proposal filed with the North Carolina Department of Insurance for their review and approval.

Still, cost-sharing reductions have a big impact on North Carolinians. That became clear to our actuaries as we looked at proposed rates for 2018. If the federal funding continued, we would have filed an average increase of just 8.8 percent for 2018.

And Pennsylvania: Depending on Trump, PA insurers' rate requests could rise from 9 percent to 36 percent

Pennsylvania health insurers are requesting 2018 premium increases averaging 8.8 percent for individual plans -- but that's only if the Affordable Care Act stays as it is, state regulators announced this afternoon.

If the federal government repeals the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department said, the insurers would request a 23.3 percent increase.

If insurers stop receiving cost-sharing reduction payments known as CSRs, the department said, the requested increase would be 20.3 percent.

And if both the individual mandate and the CSRs stopped, the department said, the requested increase would be 36.3 percent.

“These low percentages show that Pennsylvania’s market is stabilizing and insurers are better understanding the markets and the population they serve,” said Commissioner Miller. “I sincerely hope that Congress and the Trump Administration do not take action that could negatively impact the progress we have made in Pennsylvania.”

The GOP has really screwed things up. As usual.

 

[Greenbeard]

There is already a reinsurance program built into Obamacare. It didn't help. A new one won't either.

You realize that's like the centerpiece of the AHCA, right?

 

[Whythink]

so, lemme guess; you're sitting here bitching about something the Dems addressed many years ago, something the Reps had no hand in because they were very whiney & their fewings was hurt, something the Reps offered no improvements to, and you're just making it a bitch fest about the Dems.

OK, yeah, we got that ..........................

I listened to multiple dems run on improving the ACA because repeal was not an option. I just wish they would propose an alternative, have it scored (hopefully much better) and take that to the voters.

I am a dem, but I am disappointed in watching them behave like the GOP from 2010-16.

I expect more from the party I support. The GOP set them up perfectly.
Why not?

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[ALiberalModerate]

There is already a reinsurance program built into Obamacare. It didn't help. A new one won't either.

I agree that prices are way too high, but there are a number of causes, not least is government regulations. Obamacare only intensified the problem. The solution is less government involvement and more consumer decision-making.

For the most part, government regulations have nothing to do with providers charging outrageous fees. They do it because, as every other nation but us has figured out, necessary healthcare doesn't work like any other economic sector. For example, if I want to buy a new car, and I don't get the price I think I should on it, I just go home without buying it. That is how everything works. In some cases you have such an over production of a good, that its always fairly inexpensive (example: food).

In contrast, lets say you get cancer. Your choice is to pay whatever the cancer hospital charges you, or die. You can't price shop chemo. If you are in a traumatic accident, you could incur hundreds of thousands of dollars of bills before you are even conscious. I am all for HSA's and some of the consumer driven type plans, but they only help to control costs on routine care, and thats not where most of the cost growth has been. Its not your GP thats charging you insane fees, its critical care, chronic care, and so on.

In my opinion the best thing we could do is get away from this highly fragmented insurance market and instead figure out a way to move towards a handful of really big private insurers. Those huge insurers could then use their purchasing power to negotiate far lower fees from providers than they can currently. We should also make it easier for health professionals from other countries to come here (why are health providers the only ones immune to foreign worker competition). Moreover, we should pass laws that require price transparency, and a good faith estimate of the costs of a procedure to be provided along with the patient consent forms.

The reason why this doesn't happen though is that the healthcare sector spends more lobbying than any other economic sector.

 

[countryboy]

They HAD nothing to do with the ACA until the republicans got together to put together a WORSE plan than the ACA so yeah they and trump own The AHCA and all it's patheticness should it pass the senate.

Ummm, it hasn't passed. O'Bama care is still the law of the land. Do libs ever even visit the real world anymore? :roll:

 

[trouble13]

I don't think medical costs decreased. The rate of increase may have slowed.

Here's a list of data: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/search?st=Consumer+Price+Index+for+All+Urban+Consumers:+Medical+Care

So if we are being honest about those that support acca it isnt about reducing costs. Its about takingsome of the urden on the poor and transferring their costs onto the more affluent. Is that a fair way to explain it, from your perspective?

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[countryboy]

Wrong.

Actions:

Trump tells advisers he wants to end key Obamacare subsidies ; Uncertainty as American Health Care Act passes U.S. House.

Consequences:

Oliver Wyman: Analysis: Market Uncertainty Driving ACA Rate Increases


Anthem to bolt from Ohio health insurance exchange




Blue Cross in North Carolina:



And Pennsylvania: Depending on Trump, PA insurers' rate requests could rise from 9 percent to 36 percent


The GOP has really screwed things up. As usual.

Nice try. O'Bama care is collapsing by it's own weight. Your lame talking points hold no water. What's the weather like in Liberal Lala Land? I bet it's nice, what with no global warming and all.

 

[jimbo]

What are you going to do when the speaker of the house says he doesn't want to work with democrats?

Dems had 8 years when that wasn't a factor. What happened? Or didn't happen?

 

[Fenton]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/how-democrats-would-fix-obamacare/530376/

As a progressive, I have become very disheartened by the lack of democrats producing something to fix the ACA.

Considering what the house produced, it seemed like the dems were handed a gift. They could easily produced a better alternative and be the political heroes.

It is easy to criticize, I was hoping for more of a leadership role.

Unfortunately, like the GOP for 6 years, the dems are being politically safe (cowardly).

Or, maybe not.

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Lol....the Democrats created this disaster, what makes you think they CAN fix it ?

The reality is there is no fixing the ACA, its a disastrous law written by idiots who had no concept of how our market economy works and after what they did, they are the last people that should EVER have a say in our Nations healthcare.

The GOP has to fix their mess, the Democrats have done enough damage

 

[Whythink]

Dems had 8 years when that wasn't a factor. What happened? Or didn't happen?

Try 2 years. GOP took the house in 2010.

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[Greenbeard]

The GOP has to fix their mess, the Democrats have done enough damage

The GOP's brilliant "solution" is back down to 17% approval.

 

[Mycroft]

Consumers have no input into how insurance companies calculate their prices.
If one insurance company charges an arm and a leg for coverage, and another company charges two legs for coverage it makes no difference what the consumer chooses. He still gets screwed by the insurance companies.

With less government involvement in the health care industry...including insurance...the consumer WILL have input. Their dollars will speak for them.

 

[Mycroft]

You realize that's like the centerpiece of the AHCA, right?

I don't think it is...at least not in the sense that Obamacare used it.

 

[jimbo]

Try 2 years. GOP took the house in 2010.

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The dems still had the Senate and the Presidency. What was the democrat fix plan?

 

[Henrin]

The GOP's brilliant "solution" is back down to 17% approval.

I'm not really sure why liberals keep using that argument when the ACA was passed without the approval of the majority of the public.

 

[Greenbeard]

I'm not really sure why liberals keep using that argument when the ACA was passed without the approval of the majority of the public.

Because 17% approval for the signature legislative centerpiece of a party's agenda (for eight years) is absurd. The reality is virtually everyone recognizes how terrible the AHCA is.

 

[Greenbeard]

I don't think it is...at least not in the sense that Obamacare used it.

Meaning what?

 

[<alt>doxygen]

When you say "reps", you mean representatives, right?

Yes.

Sometimes the 'representatives' just let the lobbyists write the bills for them. I guess the only difference is time wasted. Maybe the dems should have followed the Medicare-D example with the ACA. Make it a pure giveaway for everyone involved.
No losers! Well, there's the debt, but that's for someone else.

Supposedly everyone hates congress, but everyone LOVES their own rep. I think that's more of a reflection on the choices given combined with mass ignorance, but I'm one of the (I guess) few that can't stand his rep.

 

[Praxas]

Ummm, it hasn't passed. O'Bama care is still the law of the land. Do libs ever even visit the real world anymore? :roll:

It passed the house trumpbot, and given the cloak and dagger performance your senate is giving he AHCA with trying to get it under the radar from public eyes it will most likely pass as well. Do cons ever visit the real world anymore?

 

[Mycroft]

Meaning what?

ACA Section 1341 Transitional Reinsurance Program FAQs
Section 1341 of the Affordable Care Act establishes a transitional Reinsurance Program to help stabilize premiums for coverage in the individual market during the years 2014 through 2016. The statute requires all health insurance issuers and third-party administrators on behalf of self-insured group health plans to make contributions under this program to support payments to individual market issuers that cover high-cost individuals (payment-eligible issuers). Regulations proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the Reinsurance Program specify that self-insured group health plans are liable for the contributions, although a plan may utilize a third-party administrator or administrative-services-only contractor for transfer of the contributions.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/aca-section-1341-transitional-reinsurance-program-faqs

You'll have to show me how any version of AHCA does this same thing.

 

[azgreg]

Dems had 8 years when that wasn't a factor. What happened? Or didn't happen?

They should have put us in single payer at the least when they had the chance, but they screwed that up.

 

[Greenbeard]

You'll have to show me how any version of AHCA does this same thing.

The AHCA creates a $100 billion Patient and State Stability Fund to push states to set up reinsurance programs or otherwise pump billions of extra federal dollars into insurers in their marketplaces. And if a state chooses not to, the federal government sets up a reinsurance program for them.

If a state chooses not to apply for these funds, the Federal Government will establish a reinsurance program for its non-group market, reimbursing issuers for 75 percent of the amount of an individual’s claims beginning at $50,000 and ending at $350,000. These amounts are subject to adjustment.

 

[<alt>doxygen]

I'm not really sure why liberals keep using that argument when the ACA was passed without the approval of the majority of the public.

Maybe there are quantitative and qualitative differences? As in quality of the product and quantity of support?

Maybe you can enlighten us by posting a similar poll from the ACA era.

 

[<alt>doxygen]

They should have put us in single payer at the least when they had the chance, but they screwed that up.

If a super-majority passed single payer, the SCOTUS would have nuked it. It's not happening here until blood flows. Literally, I'm afraid.