[Sixstrings]

GOP in talks about helping insurers after ObamaCare repeal

Republicans are planning to pass repeal legislation as soon as January but plan to delay it from taking effect for a few years to avoid immediate disruption in people’s coverage. The delay would also buy them time to come up with a replacement. ...

An exodus of insurers could dramatically limit the coverage options for the roughly 10 million people enrolled in the system, potentially creating a backlash.

Recognizing the problem, Republican congressional staffers are in talks with insurers about policies they could implement to help improve their financial situation in that interim period and prevent a breakdown in the market, according to three Republican lobbyists. ...

Any policies favorable to insurers could be politically treacherous for Republicans, given that they have railed for years against ObamaCare “bailouts” of insurance companies. It is also unclear if any policy changes would be enough to convince insurers to stay. ...

It is also possible that no provisions for insurers will end up being included in the repeal bill, making the political messaging simpler. Republicans could instead look to regulatory changes that the Trump administration could make that are favorable to insurers.

One Republican lobbyist said that in discussions about a plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement, insurers are “painting a picture of the market that isn't very pretty and Republican staffers are getting the picture.”

“They want to pump money back in to the insurers without appearing like they’re giving them a handout or bailing them out,” the lobbyist added.
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/308403-gop-in-talks-about-helping-insurers-after-obamacare-repeal

Republicans Are Going To Take Your Healthcare Away And Give Insurance Companies A Bailout

When all of those angry white voters voted for Trump, they were giving corporate America a big blank check to raid America’s piggy bank.

Here’s what’s going to happen. Those Trump voters who get their health insurance through the marketplace are going to lose their health care. Maybe in a couple of years, Republicans might get around to replacing it with something, but in the meantime, these people are going to have to pay higher premiums, if they can get insurance at all, while the insurance companies are going to get a bailout worth billions of dollars.

Donald Trump was never for the little guy. It was always a con, and once he takes office, the president-elect is going to cut taxes for the rich, while raising them on everyone else, take away your health care, and dismantle Social Security and Medicare.
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/12/01/republicans-healthcare-give-insurance-companies-bailout.html

I'm trying to figure this thing out.. it seems like it's:

* Pass a bill to "repeal Obamacare," set to take affect three years from now (after the midterms )

So that disrupts things for two groups. (a) tens of millions of American people and (b) health insurance companies.

That second group, has lobbyists.. and congress is gonna give them a bailout.

So who is the American people's lobbyist? Wasn't that supposed to be Trump?

Republicans just care about the insurance companies though, apparently. The People don't have any lobbyists.

[vtsnowedin]

Not having any inside information I'm just guessing at their intentions but being politicians winning the mid term elections is foremost on their minds. I would expect them to have put in place something that looks good to the majority of voters before November 2018 and I'm also sure the liberal media will have looked for and howled about any and all flaws in it, and even made up more then a few false claims.

[Pops]

I think that's right, they can tell folks they repealed the evil economy ruining law just like they promised while at the same time making no changes.

Most folks just would not notice. Heck maybe all they need to do is change the name to trumpcare and everyone would love it!

[vtsnowedin]

I think that's right, they can tell folks they repealed the evil economy ruining law just like they promised while at the same time making no changes.

Most folks just would not notice. Heck maybe all they need to do is change the name to trumpcare and everyone would love it!

I think it will take quite a bit more then a name change.
We could probably have a thread on what the new better plan would be. I know I have more then a few ideas on what needs to change.

[Newfie]

Well I guess that would be a good thing? Making the Rs love it. Would the Ds then hate it?

Ocare does seem like it is stumbling. Let's hope it gets improved.

Anyone know why it is implemented on a county by county basis?

[Pops]

You can start a new thread if you want vt.

There are only a couple criteria that can be used to set rates under ACA: location, age, smoker Y/N.

That is the thing, either you have a risk pool to spread the cost of your catastrophic loss or you don't. Limit the pool to small fractions based on insurance company profit and it's no longer a pool, just a savings account with 30% taken off the top.

[Newfie]

How's that work with car insurance? Get a speeding ticket and your rates go up.

[Cog]

When health insurance became health care is when this spiraled out of control. Insurance was designed to protect us against some future risk not to be part of an ongoing process. In the past people paid cash for medical services, the indigent were covered though hospitals set up for that purpose, and catastrophic insurance covered the unexpected. All that is gone now.

[vtsnowedin]

There are a couple of things I want them to do. First is make all health payments tax deductible. That gives you a fifteen percent cut or better on what you are paying out of pocket.
Second I want them to stop telling doctors to jump through "Best management practices hoops" I don't ever want to be asked if I have guns in the house or be told I need to get on a drug because I'm a little above the governments goal.
Next I want the first $1000 of my health care to be at least 80% covered by my insurance before any other deductible hits me.
Next , any test, screening, or procedure required by the government or your employer (thinking about commercial drivers here) should be totally at government expense.
I can go on but should let others chime in.

[Pops]

How's that work with car insurance? Get a speeding ticket and your rates go up.

Like I said, smoking ups the rate, living in an expensive area does, as well as simply surviving another year.

The problem is, as you whittle down the pool you defeat the purpose, which is spreading the risk.

[evilgenius]

I agree on the personal responsibility aspect. My Wife agrees also and as a counselor her profession is to help people come to grips with themselves.

There should be certain limits set.

Obese people do not get medical care for obesity related diseases.
Smoker? No treatment for lung cancer.
Riding a motorcycle wo a helmet? No state care if you crush your can.
Etc.

And before folks whine again about this there are plenty of precedents.
Speeding tickets? Your premium goes up.
For some professions of you are over weight you are let go.

As it stands we reward or enable poor behavioir which we all have to pay for.

If I go into a food store or Walmart I see many folks who are grossly obese and they are buying junk food. I know healthy food is more expensive, but no more so than doubling or tripling the QUANTITY of food consumed.

We need to get over that.

I didn't bring personal responsibility up in order to exclude people, though. I brought it up because if it is included, and we can get people to engage in it, then it becomes a very powerful part of healthcare. Punitive exclusion is a nice idea because it would bring costs down, but it is really the equivalent of telling people to go and die in some ditch. Healthcare for all is going to have to listen as well as speak.

Helping people to see what good habits can do for them is about empowerment. Getting at what causes people to hang onto bad habits, and helping them understand how to get away from both those causes and those habits is also about empowerment. Doing it without imposing some kind of hell on earth teetotaler nightmare is the real challenge.

People need some of the things they like to indulge in. They just don't need them nearly as often as most people seem to think they ought to be able to enjoy them. Part of it is the foolish polarity that surrounds the whole issue of individual rights.

The way we talk about rights is as if any amelioration of them is an affront to their very idea. As a consequence you get all these three hundred pounders. Their little parties rage on, usually all the way to the grave. They even think they are dying happy because they have managed to hang onto all of the causes for their self-destructive behavior. They like to accuse the pansy assed lentil eaters and the fruity granola munchers of exerting some kind of untoward pressure upon them to change their ways, but really it's another version of themselves that they are pitted against, one which they can't engage with their antagonism. That version of their selves only responds to concerted effort and honesty.

[Pops]

Likely the most hated aspect of obamacare aside from the name, is exactly personal responsibility, the mandate.
Death panels are likely up there tho, lol

Pre-ocare just under half of health costs were paid by government (medicare, medicaid, government employees, vets/military) another 45-ish percent by employers, so 10 or 15% was paid out of pocket or individual plans.

So 85-90% of people are not affected by anything but the good parts, higher dependant age, preconditions, minimum basic coverage, digital records, whatall. Of course someone must pay for the good stuff, the insurance cos gotta get their 30%.

So the big problem of ACA is that there is no real stick to encourage coverage —personal responsibility. The $600 fine/tax/whatever is way lower than any reasonable policy.
Of course the ACA eliminated the rip off policies that provided no real world coverage so...

[evilgenius]

Yeah, Pops, likely Obama's biggest mistake was not somehow setting it up so that people thought it was their own idea.

I have this Libertarian sister who digs her heels in against it. She'd rather pay the penalty. If, however, she could get what it provided for a reasonable cost she would. But, then, she can. It just wasn't her idea. Somehow, it becomes a rights issue when it really ought to be about taking advantage of an opportunity.

[Plantagenet]

So the big problem of ACA is that there is no real stick to encourage coverage —....The $600 fine/tax/whatever is way lower than any reasonable policy..

The tax penalty is the "stick" that was built into the ACA to encourage coverage. However, for some bizarre reason Obama himself has authorized so many waivers to the mandate that let people not buy insurance and not pay any penalty that he has effectively gutted the "individual mandate" requiring people to buy ACA insurance.

For instance, did you you know a waiver was instituted in 2014 that enables people to not buy insurance and not pay a tax penalty if they attest they lost their insurance and aren't insured?

Obamacare's secret mandate exemption

Yup----thats right. Under Obamacare a valid excuse for not buying Obamacare ---an excuse that allows people to choose to be uninsured and also not pay the tax penalty ------is not having healthcare insurance.

The shear stupidity of that is mind-boggling.


Dr. Gruber, the "architect" of the ACA, explains the political strategy behind Obamacare

[Pops]

LOL, surveys show most people like most of the Affordable Care Act but everyone hates obamacare.

[Pops]

for some bizarre reason Obama himself has authorized so many waivers

plant you used to surprise me but you are just a funny little anti-obama-bot to me now.

[Plantagenet]

for some bizarre reason Obama himself has authorized so many waivers

plant you used to surprise me but you are just a funny little anti-obama-bot to me now.

I won't bother insulting you back. There are enough childish ad hom exchanges at this site already.

And you are welcome to ignore the facts on Obamacare waivers.

Have a great day!

Cheers!

[Pops]

It was an ad hom, I apologize.

[Newfie]

Pops, that's very rare and admirable. Thanks for taking the lead in decency.

NO SARCASAM! THANKS.

[Plantagenet]

Pops, that's very rare and admirable. Thanks for taking the lead in decency.

NO SARCASAM! THANKS.

Actually I took the lead in decency by not responding to Pop's initial ad hom.

Pops then responded decently to my decency.

And now Newfie has showed great decency in recognizing Pop's decency.

Its a good trend. You can't have too much decency.


Decency r us