Repealing the ACA under Trump

[funhusker]

^^^I know people appreciate it. And tend to want to see it continued. But I fear that if it fails via "sabotage", most Americans will just blame whomever their peers tell them to. And for all those people in West Virginia (just using as an example), what's to say the current system collapses, Trump says "well, we saw it coming. Let us fix it.". They are more then happy to re-elect him because "hey, he saw it coming.....he must know something about it."

[Danny Bateman]

^^^I know people appreciate it. And tend to want to see it continued. But I fear that if it fails via "sabotage", most Americans will just blame whomever their peers tell them to. And for all those people in West Virginia (just using as an example), what's to say the current system collapses, Trump says "well, we saw it coming. Let us fix it.". They are more then happy to re-elect him because "hey, he saw it coming.....he must know something about it."

 

WVa is one of the places hurting worst right now owing to the opioid epidemic and relative poverty there. They probably have worse health outcomes than the rest of the country comparatively. Interesting example... they're one of the places that really needs the politicians to come through and help address where the status quo is failing. It's literally life or death.

 

I think you're speaking about a very real problem. People are suggestible. Many don't have time or want-to to really get in depth on a subject and study the nitty-gritty details to truly understand it. So if they have a loudmouth like Trump feed them easily disprovable lies, it can be easy to be the sucker. His words have a certain amount of gravitas simply due to his position now, sadly.

 

It's all the more reason it's important for those of us who do know better to speak up - loudly - to refute things being said that aren't true.

[BigRedBuster]

Just because a majority of Americans like the benefits the ACA has given, doesn't mean it's long term sustainable. And, that's not just because of "sabotage".

 

Problem is, Dems want to constantly talk about how great it is and not acknowledge the problems.

 

Republicans want to constantly do nothing but talk about how horrible it is and must be repealed without acknowledging the benefits it has given.

[knapplc]

Problem is, Dems want to constantly talk about how great it is and not acknowledge the problems.

What "Dems" have been only talking about how great Obamacare is?

[BigRedBuster]

 

Problem is, Dems want to constantly talk about how great it is and not acknowledge the problems.

What "Dems" have been only talking about how great Obamacare is?

 

What problems with the ACA have the openly acknowledged and worked to fix?

[knapplc]

I'm asking to be shown this "constant talk" by Democrats that Obamacare is without flaw. If you want to rephrase that to say they're not saying anything, I'll agree with that.

 

Frankly, I think the Democrat Party should be put on the side of a milk carton. They're nonexistent right now.

[Danny Bateman]

Sanders might be the face of the Democratic Party right now. He's certainly the most popular politician they have to offer.

 

And he's been VERY vocal about trying to implement his single-payer dream and has proposed legislation to allow imports of cheaper drugs from Canada in order to lower drug prices.

 

Isn't that considered trying to improve the problems?

[zoogs]

When the ACA is under assault, wouldn't you expect people who don't want to see it dismantled and roll back to defend it strongly and publicly?

 

Without the public pressure and the rallying around the ACA, repeal would have happened. This is different from calling it flawless.

[JJ Husker]

Sanders might be the face of the Democratic Party right now. He's certainly the most popular politician they have to offer.

 

And he's been VERY vocal about trying to implement his single-payer dream and has proposed legislation to allow imports of cheaper drugs from Canada in order to lower drug prices.

 

Isn't that considered trying to improve the problems?

 

Is there something preventing the import of drugs now? I ask because I have ordered drugs from a Canadian pharmacy online quite a few times with no problems. They were ordered in Canada, shipped out of India via Singapore and we're delivered direct to my mailbox. It was a generic version of a drug that still has patent protection (thanks FDA) here in the states. Cost here for 30 day supply of name brand, $700. Cost of Canadian generic for 100 day supply, less than $200.

 

If Bernie can get some deals like that importing for sale in US pharmacies, that would be great first step. It would help on 2 fronts; direct drug costs and insurance premiums.

[NM11046]

Right now the reason importing drugs is not allowed is tied to FDA approval and the fact that production anywhere other than the US is not controlled to our standards.

 

I'd guess Bernie is likely ok with this - in VT they routinely take US citizens over the Canadian line by bus to fill prescriptions there.

 

JJ why in the world did your meds have to come via India & Singapore? That creates some concern for me.

[JJ Husker]

Right now the reason importing drugs is not allowed is tied to FDA approval and the fact that production anywhere other than the US is not controlled to our standards.

I'd guess Bernie is likely ok with this - in VT they routinely take US citizens over the Canadian line by bus to fill prescriptions there.

JJ why in the world did your meds have to come via India & Singapore? That creates some concern for me.

I don't know why other than this particular generic is manufactured in India. No clue why it was mailed to me from Singapore. Trust me, I was also very leery the first time. I looked into the mfg plant and they seemed legit so I did it. Funny thing is, the generic (mesalamine) seems to work better for me than the name brand (Lialda). At the time, my plan only covered generics so that's why I started looking in Canada.

 

And back to your first paragraph. It s3ems like a double standard. Many talk about how great healthcare and drugs are in Canada but the decry that they don't have the same level of standards as our FDA. So which is it, is it better or worse in Canada? My answer is the FDA is past their prime and doing us more harm than good on many fronts.

[BigRedBuster]

The FDA is just like the EPA.

 

They are needed. The way they do their jobs needs to be totally redesigned.

[NM11046]

I agree BRB. - the FDA and healtcare are two totally separate beasts.

 

I believe the Canadian equivelant of the FDA actually functions quite similar to ours. That's not the case in the UK and other countries like China where there is a more liberal approval process, (which means drugs come to market years earlier than they do in the US, and so there is less spent on development, and a drug has more years on patent so they can charge less because they've got more years to recup their investment.)

[ZRod]

Regarding importing drugs - Why can't we do with drugs what China does to us for selling cars? They require routine testing, and plant inspections by government officials at any facility that produces parts outside of China. They then issue a certificate for specific parts and require annual compliance. All of which the manufacturer and suppliers pay for in order to sell cars in China. Once shipped, imported products are inspected for authenticity at the docks.

[JJ Husker]

Seems reasonable to me ZRod. I think the answer can be found in this question. How would that help protect the profits of our drug companies? You know, the profits that help buy influence in our government. And how can our FDA help protect those profits if any capable manufacturer in the world is given a shot at producing a pill for 5 cents a piece when the guys writing our laws and regulations can sell the same thing, without competition, for $10 per pill? Who will fund that re-election campaign then?