Affordable Care Act in jeopardy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

I had private insurance for a long time before ACA. My premiums went up by a lot every year. It got so bad I had to switch to a high deductible plan. At least with ACA, they are now forced to spend x% on healthcare.

Spending isn't an issue. Remember when they were touting rebates people were receiving as a result of ACA? Heard of any lately? Of course the rebates came before a more fuller implementation of the law had occurred.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/latest-sign-obamacare-exchanges-arent-working-in-many-markets/ar-BBw0HPg

This is alarming, especially now that I am about to buy health insurance on the exchange.

How worried should I be about this continuing to be an option, and not costing a fortune? I live in DC, and I don't have any other viable insurance options due to self employment.

+1 also self employed. I thought the repub. party was the party friendly to small businesses. In this case, they sure do make it harder to become self employed.

I don’t understand how you can blame the Republican party for the demise of ACA. It was destined to fail from the beginning, and that is what many of us Republicans have been saying all along. With all its mandates, its pay structure, its taxes, and frankly, lack of choice, it is inevitable.
I will remind you that NOT ONE Republican member of Congress voted yes for this legislation. Not one.
We need to scrap the whole thing and start new - tort reform, selling across state lines, and more choice with no mandates. And, something needs to be done about the actual costs of treatment.... Obama promised that ACA would do that, but it didn’t.

I will take this argument seriously when the Republicans make anything that remotely resembles a serious attempt at their own version of healthcare reform. "Repeal and replace" doesn't work unless you actually have a plan for "replace."

Hmm.

It was Romney the guy who introduced a much more successful health reform than Obama's.

Unfortunately, we (and that includes me) chose not to give him a chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

I had private insurance for a long time before ACA. My premiums went up by a lot every year. It got so bad I had to switch to a high deductible plan. At least with ACA, they are now forced to spend x% on healthcare.

Spending isn't an issue. Remember when they were touting rebates people were receiving as a result of ACA? Heard of any lately? Of course the rebates came before a more fuller implementation of the law had occurred.

It wasn't a huge issue, I agree. But, my point was really about how premiums were going up rapidly even before ACA. I had that painful experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/latest-sign-obamacare-exchanges-arent-working-in-many-markets/ar-BBw0HPg

This is alarming, especially now that I am about to buy health insurance on the exchange.

How worried should I be about this continuing to be an option, and not costing a fortune? I live in DC, and I don't have any other viable insurance options due to self employment.

+1 also self employed. I thought the repub. party was the party friendly to small businesses. In this case, they sure do make it harder to become self employed.

I don’t understand how you can blame the Republican party for the demise of ACA. It was destined to fail from the beginning, and that is what many of us Republicans have been saying all along. With all its mandates, its pay structure, its taxes, and frankly, lack of choice, it is inevitable.
I will remind you that NOT ONE Republican member of Congress voted yes for this legislation. Not one.
We need to scrap the whole thing and start new - tort reform, selling across state lines, and more choice with no mandates. And, something needs to be done about the actual costs of treatment.... Obama promised that ACA would do that, but it didn’t.

I will take this argument seriously when the Republicans make anything that remotely resembles a serious attempt at their own version of healthcare reform. "Repeal and replace" doesn't work unless you actually have a plan for "replace."

Hmm.

It was Romney the guy who introduced a much more successful health reform than Obama's.

Unfortunately, we (and that includes me) chose not to give him a chance.

Yes, and I recall that during the debates with Obama, Obama kept saying how Romney had a universal healthcare plan so why was he now so against universal healthcare. I recall Romney stating something like "it's different", but from what recall, it didn't seem all that different. I do agree, though, managing universal healthcare for a small state is vastly different than trying to implement it in 50 states and several districts.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Not sure why this was moved from Off-Topic to the Political Discussion forum, because I had no intention of discussing the politics behind it or getting into partisan debates about who was to blame for what. I was just wondering what others thought about how this might play out and what my options are, given that I have some pre-existing (but not expensive to manage) conditions? I could go on COBRA, but that's very expensive. I feel stuck and like the rug might get pulled out from under me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not sure why this was moved from Off-Topic to the Political Discussion forum, because I had no intention of discussing the politics behind it or getting into partisan debates about who was to blame for what. I was just wondering what others thought about how this might play out and what my options are, given that I have some pre-existing (but not expensive to manage) conditions? I could go on COBRA, but that's very expensive. I feel stuck and like the rug might get pulled out from under me.

I'm hopeful that even if they pull ACA, they will mandate that health insurance providers not deny people based on pre-existing conditions, and also keep the removal of lifetime max cap. These two things were my biggest issues with insurance pre ACA. I saw someone go bankrupt because they had reached the lifetime max on their insurance, then died penniless. I couldn't get coverage because of my pre existing condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not sure why this was moved from Off-Topic to the Political Discussion forum, because I had no intention of discussing the politics behind it or getting into partisan debates about who was to blame for what. I was just wondering what others thought about how this might play out and what my options are, given that I have some pre-existing (but not expensive to manage) conditions? I could go on COBRA, but that's very expensive. I feel stuck and like the rug might get pulled out from under me.

I'm hopeful that even if they pull ACA, they will mandate that health insurance providers not deny people based on pre-existing conditions, and also keep the removal of lifetime max cap. These two things were my biggest issues with insurance pre ACA. I saw someone go bankrupt because they had reached the lifetime max on their insurance, then died penniless. I couldn't get coverage because of my pre existing condition.

Well wouldn't that be magic? Repeal the system that makes the pre-existing exclusion rule possible, but keep the rule.

OK then, I'll wait until I have cancer and then apply for insurance when I need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

It's a good thing we have the ACA or your premiums would be even higher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

It's a good thing we have the ACA or your premiums would be even higher

Why do you think that premiums would be higher without the ACA? Obama mandated that insurance companies cover all sorts of stuff, so naturally the premiums would be higher as a result. Unless you're thinking of subsidized insurance, but then....the only reason your premiums are lower is because someone else is paying more to make up the difference. That's the problems with Obamacare....some people are winners, and others are losers. How is that fair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

It's a good thing we have the ACA or your premiums would be even higher

For some people (the sick, those not paying federal taxes) that may be true. For most, including the healthy and the taxpayers, nope -- the actual cost for them is now higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/latest-sign-obamacare-exchanges-arent-working-in-many-markets/ar-BBw0HPg

This is alarming, especially now that I am about to buy health insurance on the exchange.

How worried should I be about this continuing to be an option, and not costing a fortune? I live in DC, and I don't have any other viable insurance options due to self employment.

+1 also self employed. I thought the repub. party was the party friendly to small businesses. In this case, they sure do make it harder to become self employed.

I don’t understand how you can blame the Republican party for the demise of ACA. It was destined to fail from the beginning, and that is what many of us Republicans have been saying all along. With all its mandates, its pay structure, its taxes, and frankly, lack of choice, it is inevitable.
I will remind you that NOT ONE Republican member of Congress voted yes for this legislation. Not one.
We need to scrap the whole thing and start new - tort reform, selling across state lines, and more choice with no mandates. And, something needs to be done about the actual costs of treatment.... Obama promised that ACA would do that, but it didn’t.

I will take this argument seriously when the Republicans make anything that remotely resembles a serious attempt at their own version of healthcare reform. "Repeal and replace" doesn't work unless you actually have a plan for "replace."

Hmm.

It was Romney the guy who introduced a much more successful health reform than Obama's.

Unfortunately, we (and that includes me) chose not to give him a chance.

Let's not rewrite history. Romney was a "repeal and don't replace" guy. He campaigned on overturning the ACA and then leaving it to the states to implement a Massachusetts-style program if they wanted to. So right back to where we were before the ACA, with zero reforms at the federal level.

[Anonymous]

For some people (the sick, those not paying federal taxes) that may be true. For most, including the healthy and the taxpayers, nope -- the actual cost for them is now higher.

significantly higher!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

It's a good thing we have the ACA or your premiums would be even higher

For some people (the sick, those not paying federal taxes) that may be true. For most, including the healthy and the taxpayers, nope -- the actual cost for them is now higher.

This is true, but then, if you are saying that we shouldn't help pay for the sick and the not poor enough for medicare people, then are you saying to them "too bad for you.. you're just sol"?

Let's play this out: a middle income person who can't afford good healthcare (since ACA is no longer available) get sick. Now this person either goes on medicare or ends up in the ER and can't pay. Who ends up paying? The taxpayer.

Either way, taxpayers end up footing the bill. I'd rather have people healthier, able to go see the dr. fore preventative care, and be contributing members of society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

It's a good thing we have the ACA or your premiums would be even higher

For some people (the sick, those not paying federal taxes) that may be true. For most, including the healthy and the taxpayers, nope -- the actual cost for them is now higher.

This is true, but then, if you are saying that we shouldn't help pay for the sick and the not poor enough for medicare people, then are you saying to them "too bad for you.. you're just sol"?

Let's play this out: a middle income person who can't afford good healthcare (since ACA is no longer available) get sick. Now this person either goes on medicare or ends up in the ER and can't pay. Who ends up paying? The taxpayer.

Either way, taxpayers end up footing the bill. I'd rather have people healthier, able to go see the dr. fore preventative care, and be contributing members of society.

And, as with most things today, the middle class are the ones losing out.
The rich can afford health care and associated costs. Those who are poor have it paid for.
The middle class are really the ones suffering.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/burden-of-health-care-costs-moves-to-the-middle-class-1472166246

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope the ACA gets shut down. My premiums have been continuously rising to pay for all the subsidized people that are using it. Meanwhile I went for a yearly physical exam and my premiums have more than doubled in the past year. Thankfully this was my last month using a plan on the exchange.

It's a good thing we have the ACA or your premiums would be even higher

For some people (the sick, those not paying federal taxes) that may be true. For most, including the healthy and the taxpayers, nope -- the actual cost for them is now higher.

This is true, but then, if you are saying that we shouldn't help pay for the sick and the not poor enough for medicare people, then are you saying to them "too bad for you.. you're just sol"?

Let's play this out: a middle income person who can't afford good healthcare (since ACA is no longer available) get sick. Now this person either goes on medicare or ends up in the ER and can't pay. Who ends up paying? The taxpayer.

Either way, taxpayers end up footing the bill. I'd rather have people healthier, able to go see the dr. fore preventative care, and be contributing members of society.

I mean the opposite.

First, don't lie to folks.

Second, if you are going to spend two terms on just one thing, do it well. Explain it well, sell it well, organize it well, and offer a solid public option.