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Repealing the ACA under Trump


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Well I guess ask and ye shall receive.

Just saw an ad on TV sponsored by the house republicans asking for us to visit...

www.abetterhealtcareplan.com

 

Pretty disappointed. It links you to a ten second video bragging about how they have a plan and then redirects you back to that site so you can watch the worthless video again. No details. F#@kers.

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Just checked out that site. Paid for by something called the American Action Network, whose stated purpose is to promote center right policy. Who knows whose plan they support, but apparently they also work to promote a House GOP majority, so it could be any of those- Ryan's, Price's, etc. I honestly think they're trying to figure how to piece bits and pieces of them all together to form a working whole at this point. They obviously haven't coalesced behind anything.

 

The ACA did decrease premium growth overall, but it didn't work for everyone and it certainly didn't reverse growth. That's going to be difficult save for some very major changes in the dynamics of our healthcare, ones which I would welcome. You're a small business owner, are you not, JJ? I fear you may be in one of those unfortunate groups who did not see a single muc relief form the ACA as others.

 

I worry about the implications of these Republican plans, though. They seemingly want to ditch the pre-existing conditions bit as a cost saving method, in favor of a "non-lapse" policy instead. This would mean they could not deny anyone who maintained continuous coverage, but if you become unemployed and lose your insurance, you becomes eligible for denial. I worry about them tossing out the "No lifetime cap" rule. And from what I've gathered, ALL the GOP plans will, without exception, make it cheaper for young, healthy people and more expensive for older or sicker folks. I'm not cool with shifting the cost burden to the folks who actually need the coverage.

 

We shall see. Have it remain hopeful.

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Dudeguyy- The only relief I experienced was the first year I changed from our small group company plan to the ACA plan, I was able to get a better plan for only slight increase from what I wouldve had to pay on my other renewal. Our company plan was with Anthem BCBS and I had cut it down to generic only Rx's and it had a little higher deductible, out of pocket etc. The ACA plan I went with Kaiser who had just expanded into our area. The prescription coverage was better and had lower deductible. The next year the premium went up 18% and this year almost 28%. I compared many different available plans and the only better premiums were real sh#t for coverage.

 

I'm not sure if I fall into some unlucky category or not. That doesn't seem likely as I am in the same marketplace as anyone else. Of course I do not have an employer subsidizing any of my cost and I don't get any premium help from the government as I make too much money. So fAR I have been able to deduct the health premiums on my taxes since I am considered self employed.

 

The other benefit (sort of) I got was I discontinued offering a health plan to my employees. Once the ACA came into being, I did not have to be worried or concerned about them being able to acquire coverage so I 86'D it. I absolutely hated the yearly rigamaroll of selecting a plan that fit everyone's needs and it was becoming cost prohibitive because I had to pay a certain minimum percentage of their premiums. So I gave them all a healthy raise and turned them loose to the marketplace or, in some cases, it allowed them to get on a spouses work plan that they were not eligible for when my company had it available.

 

But my experience has been that prior to the ACA premium costs were increasing about 15% per year and after it has averaged about 20%+ per year. Those kind of increases are not and will not be sustainable for many people. Luckily, being the boss of me ;-) I have been able to adjust my pay as needed to cover my insurance increases. Business has been decent or that wouldn't be an option. Our plan covers a family of 4 and the monthly premium is about $1860 now. It's now more than our house payment. $4-$5K yearly cost increases cant be sustainable for a lot of people, can they? The threshold for premium assistance is well below my income and I'm feeling the pinch. Of course we have experienced some unusual healthcare costs as well. Maxed our out of pocket last year, so that sure didn't help. About $32K between premiums and care costs. It has to really suck for people near the threshold.

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The problem with healthcare, that Obamacare didn't remotely fix, is that our health should not be a for-profit business. We need universal healthcare like every other first-world nation. They can repeal and replace Obamacare but all they're going to do is interrupt the healthcare of millions of Americans without fixing the problem.

 

Until that happens, rates are going to go up and Americans are going to continue to go broke paying these outrageous healthcare prices.

 

hCNTbpR.jpg

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Knapp - While the rank/order of compensation is probably accurate, the actual numbers in the Medscape Compensation Report are generally regarded as quite inflated. The survey is pretty flawed in determining earnings but rather than fix it, Medscape/WebMD just blame the participants...

 

Dudeguyy - Prior to the ACA, pre-existing conditions were lapsed-based. If you ever had a gap in insurance, anything that occurred at/before that gap fell into not covered. It was total BS and removing that clause is not the financial drain the Repubs are making it out to be. If it was, you would see the insurance companies' leadership at the front of this public discussion. They are not for good reason...

 

JJ - Sorry to hear about your experience. As a small business owner in Colorado for 10+ years now, I have had to deal with the same issues. However, my experience is the exact opposite of yours in terms of cost, premium increases, and quality of coverage. My family has more medical issues than anyone I have ever met. As an employee for others I had stellar insurance. As a business it's been pretty close to that. With the ACA, our costs came down a lot. I will say that Anthem BCBS and Kaiser are probably the two worst providers for small businesses. I have had an insurance broker even before starting my own company. I would strongly urge you to find a good broker as I think it would make a world of difference.

 

It has been my position for years that the main reason for premium increases is simply because the insurance companies can do it. I have experience with claims processing systems and revenue assurance projects for the largest insurance providers. Imo, health insurance cannot be a free & open market; how can it be when it is literally a matter of life & death? It is a monopolistic, collusion based system.

 

The plight of Colorado HealthOp is a great example of how insurance companies work in this country. This health cooperative started post-ACA. It was highly profitable from the outset and provided excellent and affordable coverage. Rather than compete with the cooperative, the three largest insurance providers in the state lobbied the Division of Insurance, Governor, and State Reps to get CHO dropped from the Exchange and delisted. The reason given by the state in deslisting CHO was a $30 million shortfall when the cooperative had over $50 million in cash. It was classic private sector corruption of government policy standards, imo.

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The problem with healthcare, that Obamacare didn't remotely fix, is that our health should not be a for-profit business. We need universal healthcare like every other first-world nation. They can repeal and replace Obamacare but all they're going to do is interrupt the healthcare of millions of Americans without fixing the problem.

 

Until that happens, rates are going to go up and Americans are going to continue to go broke paying these outrageous healthcare prices.

 

hCNTbpR.jpg

 

I honestly don't have a problem with what doctors make. 8+ years of college and 300,000-400,000+ in debt, along with having our health in their hands.....they should be making a lot of money.

 

And....your doctor's salary isn't the biggest problem with the cost of health care. But...it's a convenient boogie man.

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The problem with healthcare, that Obamacare didn't remotely fix, is that our health should not be a for-profit business. We need universal healthcare like every other first-world nation. They can repeal and replace Obamacare but all they're going to do is interrupt the healthcare of millions of Americans without fixing the problem.

 

Until that happens, rates are going to go up and Americans are going to continue to go broke paying these outrageous healthcare prices.

 

hCNTbpR.jpg

 

I honestly don't have a problem with what doctors make. 8+ years of college and 300,000-400,000+ in debt, along with having our health in their hands.....they should be making a lot of money.

 

And....your doctor's salary isn't the biggest problem with the cost of health care. But...it's a convenient boogie man.

 

 

So when a doctor gets a bonus from a pharmaceutical company for prescribing needless medication, it doesn't concern or bother you?

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The problem with healthcare, that Obamacare didn't remotely fix, is that our health should not be a for-profit business. We need universal healthcare like every other first-world nation. They can repeal and replace Obamacare but all they're going to do is interrupt the healthcare of millions of Americans without fixing the problem.

 

Until that happens, rates are going to go up and Americans are going to continue to go broke paying these outrageous healthcare prices.

 

hCNTbpR.jpg

 

I honestly don't have a problem with what doctors make. 8+ years of college and 300,000-400,000+ in debt, along with having our health in their hands.....they should be making a lot of money.

 

And....your doctor's salary isn't the biggest problem with the cost of health care. But...it's a convenient boogie man.

 

 

So when a doctor gets a bonus from a pharmaceutical company for prescribing needless medication, it doesn't concern or bother you?

 

 

But at least drug reps are no longer allowed to show up unannounced or provide food to clinical practices and staff. Glad our government is cracking down on the high-risk/high-corruption activities...

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The problem with healthcare, that Obamacare didn't remotely fix, is that our health should not be a for-profit business. We need universal healthcare like every other first-world nation. They can repeal and replace Obamacare but all they're going to do is interrupt the healthcare of millions of Americans without fixing the problem.

 

Until that happens, rates are going to go up and Americans are going to continue to go broke paying these outrageous healthcare prices.

 

hCNTbpR.jpg

 

I honestly don't have a problem with what doctors make. 8+ years of college and 300,000-400,000+ in debt, along with having our health in their hands.....they should be making a lot of money.

 

And....your doctor's salary isn't the biggest problem with the cost of health care. But...it's a convenient boogie man.

 

 

So when a doctor gets a bonus from a pharmaceutical company for prescribing needless medication, it doesn't concern or bother you?

 

 

But at least drug reps are no longer allowed to show up unannounced or provide food to clinical practices and staff. Glad our government is cracking down on the high-risk/high-corruption activities...

 

I would assume those figures are their salaries from whatever hospital/clinic they work. That is the part I don't have a problem with.

 

Where in that data does it show how much they make off of pharmaceutical companies giving bonuses?

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Oh. Not to comment on doctor's salaries, I think the important part of that post was the idea that health should be viewed as a public good, and healthcare both a right and a social responsibility, versus purely a profit-driven enterprise. This is less about indignation over those who currently profit and more about the role government ought to play.

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The problem with healthcare, that Obamacare didn't remotely fix, is that our health should not be a for-profit business. We need universal healthcare like every other first-world nation. They can repeal and replace Obamacare but all they're going to do is interrupt the healthcare of millions of Americans without fixing the problem.

 

Until that happens, rates are going to go up and Americans are going to continue to go broke paying these outrageous healthcare prices.

 

hCNTbpR.jpg

 

I honestly don't have a problem with what doctors make. 8+ years of college and 300,000-400,000+ in debt, along with having our health in their hands.....they should be making a lot of money.

 

And....your doctor's salary isn't the biggest problem with the cost of health care. But...it's a convenient boogie man.

 

 

So when a doctor gets a bonus from a pharmaceutical company for prescribing needless medication, it doesn't concern or bother you?

 

 

But at least drug reps are no longer allowed to show up unannounced or provide food to clinical practices and staff. Glad our government is cracking down on the high-risk/high-corruption activities...

 

I would assume those figures are their salaries from whatever hospital/clinic they work. That is the part I don't have a problem with.

 

Where in that data does it show how much they make off of pharmaceutical companies giving bonuses?

 

 

The "earnings" is calculated from self-reported data on questionably structured survey (being nice). Things like pharma/distributor bonuses typically come through the practice so those could be excluded. Also, the survey ignores a lot of direct expenses...

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