Reid finally admits the obvious about Obamacare

No TM, a little consumer protections/regulation is a step in the right direction..a small one, but clearly its in the right direction..And this AFA wasn't what Obama or the Democrats wanted, this is what they had to settle for. Republicans in Washington represented the insurance industry (not the people) during the "healthcare battle" and they got what they wanted, and now they are threatening to shut down the government simply to stop 30 million more Americans from getting Healthcare next month? Unless there is some serious brainwashing going on, how could this possibly be popular amonst "the people"...?

The Elephant in the room that republicans never talk about is that RIGHT NOW- We have the worst healthcare system on earth, it's emulated by no one and for good reason. Most humans beings think its a sin to profit from someones tragidy, a crime to profit from someone cancer. These brain washed drones act like the Affordable Care Act is the end of the world because they watch tv- tv is owned/sponsered by insurance companies and everything they do is designed to form popular opinion...

Its not the end of the world guys..Look at Germany...Free healthcare, free education, highest wages, shorter work days, the most sick and vacation time, why even new fathers get A YEAR of paid maternity leave- by law...And they got the best strongest economy in the world. You wanna worry about spending? Worry about defense spending, worry about interest on defense spending, worry about military pensions, the FBI, NSA, CIA, TSA, DEA, ATF, and homeland security... Don't f***in worry about the few things WE GET BACK FOR OUR MONEY....Do we need this much security!? Who are we afraid of again?

Its a country of idiots.

towermonkey wrote: I think that the ACA is a giveaway to the insurance companies. They are and will continue to raise their prices and gouge the American people with no push back. They wrote the law. Anyone who is for the ACA as a step in the right direction is misguided. Single Payer on the other hand, would have been a BIG step in the right direction.

And what would happen if the gov't forced insurance companies to keep premiums stable when they are force to cover millions more people with pre-existing conditons who may or may not have been able to afford insurance but just waited until they got sick to do it? My surgeries and treatments have cost Kaiser nearly $400,000 and they've gotten about $50,000 from me in premiums. It's simple math. Premiums must be raised drastically unless the actual costs of health care comes down... which this ACA doesn't address.

Rick wrote:

towermonkey wrote: I think that the ACA is a giveaway to the insurance companies. They are and will continue to raise their prices and gouge the American people with no push back. They wrote the law. Anyone who is for the ACA as a step in the right direction is misguided. Single Payer on the other hand, would have been a BIG step in the right direction.

And what would happen if the gov't forced insurance companies to keep premiums stable when they are force to cover millions more people with pre-existing conditons who may or may not have been able to afford insurance but just waited until they got sick to do it? My surgeries and treatments have cost Kaiser nearly $400,000 and they've gotten about $50,000 from me in premiums. It's simple math. Premiums must be raised drastically unless the actual costs of health care comes down... which this ACA doesn't address.

Yeah dipshit..Insurance companies should be cut out of the equation...Just like they are in the rest of the world..

"oh we must protect the insurance industry!!!"

If ever you should go to a big city one day, Rick..Look up- See all those big buildings? Insurance companies own most of those, they are doing just fine.. :rofllol

And do you watch TV Rick? Every commercial is for a bank or an insurance company..They own the world- Insurance companies beat everything you've ever seen on the Big Board my friend, so


Wake the F up man- You argue for the people that have hijacked democracy, and are robbing you blind

#moronAmerica

Hey dumbass, the ACA was designed to work work with insurance companies, not to get rid of them (or did I miss THAT Obama speech?). If the ACA was created as a way to get rid of insurance companies, then we have all been misled. But you can't tell me that allowing people to buy insurance only when they get sick won't cause premiums to go through the roof. And the tax/penalty won't ease that pricing pressure unless it is as expensive as the avergae premium imo.

Rick...Calm down, take a breath

Now start at the top of the page, and read down- All your questions have been answered there...... before you even asked them


#geeeez

Sometimes VL....you post exactly the right thing.

Rick wrote:

towermonkey wrote: I think that the ACA is a giveaway to the insurance companies. They are and will continue to raise their prices and gouge the American people with no push back. They wrote the law. Anyone who is for the ACA as a step in the right direction is misguided. Single Payer on the other hand, would have been a BIG step in the right direction.

Premiums must be raised drastically unless the actual costs of health care comes down... which this ACA doesn't address.

Yes... The ACA DOES "address it." It doesn't address it by necessarily "raising the premiums"...(Another Randroid talking-point...) They address it by having MORE PEOPLE IN THE SYSTEM. The premiums of those additional people in the system bring the costs down. The economists are already predicting that with single-payer, and EVERYONE in the system, it saves $500 BILLION in the first ten years.

The ability to fall back on your talking points while hearing nothing is truly awe-inspiring.

Rick wrote: And what would happen if the gov't forced insurance companies to keep premiums stable when they are force to cover millions more people with pre-existing conditons who may or may not have been able to afford insurance but just waited until they got sick to do it? My surgeries and treatments have cost Kaiser nearly $400,000 and they've gotten about $50,000 from me in premiums. It's simple math. Premiums must be raised drastically unless the actual costs of health care comes down... which this ACA doesn't address.

To answer that question, you are only allowed to purchase health insurance once a year under the ACA (similar to Medicare). So it is difficult to wait until you get sick before getting insurance.

For 2014 the open enrollment period is very wide at 5 months (Oct 2013 to Mar 2014), but it goes down to Oct 1 to Dec 7 in following years.

http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2011/07/15/the-insurance-exchanges-open-enrollment-and-switching-plans/

I don't think coverage begins until Jan 1, and there might also be a 90 day waiting period, but I'm not sure about that.

I suppose some people could delay elective procedures until they get a chance to get insurance. But I think the vast majority of people would need treatment close to the time after they get sick or injured.

So far as single payer goes, I guess I'd like to learn more about it.

Would it be similar to what Bill Clinton tried to do, or more similar to Medicare? I tried to find the specifics of Clinton's plan, but haven't found much so far.

If it's similar to Medicare, or becomes part of Medicare, I'd like to see what it would cost to first bail out Medicare (I haven't seen any plans so far) and then add this new huge plan.

I wonder if doctors or hospitals could opt out? If so, I guess you could pay out of your own pocket to get better service if you face too long a wait time or are concerned about the quality of service (I don't think you can do that in England or Canada, but could be mistaken). Would single payer weaken medical research and advances in which the US seems to currently have the lead?

For me the ACA is an example of a what happens when noble ideas become law before doing the reality check and determining if what exists now is better than what is being proposed.