Anonymous
10/16/2025 00:17
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:I'm French. Like in most first-world nations, waiting for specialists can be fraught. My father ended up in hospital for two weeks because no specialist could see him and understand his complex medical needs before his health deteriorated to the point where he was admissible to hospital. He lives in Paris, where there is a concentration of specialists!
In rural France, there are medical deserts like in all rural areas of the world. Some villagers with no means of transportation haven't seen a doctor in years. Sometimes mayors of villages organize transport to the nearest health center, or if the village is touristy or has other means to pay, it offers free housing and free office space for doctors to come and settle there. But maternity wards are a particular problem.
If you live in a French city and have uncomplicated medical needs, though, yes, French healthcare and pharmaceuticals are very cheap and good quality. Note that due to the government subsiding costs, some brand medications are not available in France (or indeed, in the EU). Synthroid, my thyroid med, is not available there, because the generic levothyroxine is much cheaper and that's the only one that's distributed. I tried both and prefer Synthroid. The EU and other nations also have stricter drug rules when it comes to controlled substances: Adderall is not legal to prescribe, for example. We traveled with my son's Adderall for years before we realized this!
We have the same issues here at 10x the cost.
Anonymous
10/16/2025 00:17
Subject: Re:Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Please explain this to me:
- The number of ACA individual market enrollees with no medical claims more than tripled from 2021 to 2024. Nearly 12 million enrollees had no medical claims during 2024—equal to 8 million enrollees on an annualized basis.
- A staggering 40 percent of enrollees in 94 percent actuarial value silver plans and bronze plans had no medical claims in 2024.
- The rise in phantom enrollees is absent in the small-group market, strongly suggesting it was driven by Biden’s COVID credits.
- Tens of billions in federal subsidies are flowing to insurers and brokers for phantom enrollees—people without a single doctor visit, prescription filled, or service received.
- This surge mirrors Paragon’s findings on improper enrollment, showing taxpayer dollars wasted on coverage for people not using the program.
Original article:
https://paragoninstitute.org/paragon-prognosis/the-rise-of-phantom-obamacare-enrollees-biden-covid-credits-drive-massive-increase-in-individual-market-enrollees-with-no-medical-claims/
Original raw data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, a GOVERNMENT organization:
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/enrolleeswithoutclaims-2019-24.xlsx
- The number of ACA individual market enrollees with no medical claims more than tripled from 2021 to 2024. Nearly 12 million enrollees had no medical claims during 2024—equal to 8 million enrollees on an annualized basis.
- A staggering 40 percent of enrollees in 94 percent actuarial value silver plans and bronze plans had no medical claims in 2024.
- The rise in phantom enrollees is absent in the small-group market, strongly suggesting it was driven by Biden’s COVID credits.
- Tens of billions in federal subsidies are flowing to insurers and brokers for phantom enrollees—people without a single doctor visit, prescription filled, or service received.
- This surge mirrors Paragon’s findings on improper enrollment, showing taxpayer dollars wasted on coverage for people not using the program.
Original article:
https://paragoninstitute.org/paragon-prognosis/the-rise-of-phantom-obamacare-enrollees-biden-covid-credits-drive-massive-increase-in-individual-market-enrollees-with-no-medical-claims/
Original raw data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, a GOVERNMENT organization:
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/enrolleeswithoutclaims-2019-24.xlsx
Anonymous
10/16/2025 00:08
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:I'm French. Like in most first-world nations, waiting for specialists can be fraught. My father ended up in hospital for two weeks because no specialist could see him and understand his complex medical needs before his health deteriorated to the point where he was admissible to hospital. He lives in Paris, where there is a concentration of specialists!
In rural France, there are medical deserts like in all rural areas of the world. Some villagers with no means of transportation haven't seen a doctor in years. Sometimes mayors of villages organize transport to the nearest health center, or if the village is touristy or has other means to pay, it offers free housing and free office space for doctors to come and settle there. But maternity wards are a particular problem.
If you live in a French city and have uncomplicated medical needs, though, yes, French healthcare and pharmaceuticals are very cheap and good quality. Note that due to the government subsiding costs, some brand medications are not available in France (or indeed, in the EU). Synthroid, my thyroid med, is not available there, because the generic levothyroxine is much cheaper and that's the only one that's distributed. I tried both and prefer Synthroid. The EU and other nations also have stricter drug rules when it comes to controlled substances: Adderall is not legal to prescribe, for example. We traveled with my son's Adderall for years before we realized this!
Here in the good ole USA, you can keep paying your insurance premium and the first time you want to see a specialist (neurologist, pulmonary medicine, etc.), you're in for a three month wait on the schedule.
The big squeeze: ACA health insurance has lots of customers, small networks
April 5, 2023 | NPR
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/05/1168088923/the-big-squeeze-aca-health-insurance-has-lots-of-customers-small-networks
Anonymous
10/15/2025 22:57
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:They replace it with rationing. Canada, which supposedly is the best socialized medicine, has wait times of over a year for MRI and CT. Many go to Seattle, Michigan, Vermont as an escape valve.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ACA was sold as reducing the cost of healthcare. Now costs have gone up and they want more and more subsidies to cover the premiums.
Of course some of the price increase is because of these same subsidies.
Look at what happened in education. Trump put a limit of $50,000 for student loans, and a college that was charging 65,000 now has lowered tuition to.... 50,000!
So what’s the answer? Huge portions of the country just don’t deserve healthcare? The current Congress is unable to solve the easiest problems these days so what’s the path forward?
Get government out and market forces in.
Competition between the states.
Drop the subsidies. The inherent pricing by insurance companies and medical establishments subsumes all subsidies and prices it right in to the service. So subsidies are like pure gravy to the industry.
If a procedure is $150 and the government tries to lower it by $50, the industry will just price the procedure at $200 (or more).
This is like a treadmill. You're on it and don't know how to get off. So all your answers are just raise the subsidy higher.
Why do insurance companies and medical establishments do this? It's a really simple answer: because they can.
Why doesn't it necessarily work that way in other developed countries with universal health care?
This is not what I've heard from my Canadian friends. They like their healthcare. They have access to the care they need -- every Canadian does.
My parents lived in Canada for a few years and have many friends still there. My mom still talks about how she wishes our system was like Canada's.
Did she live there when she was young and healthy or as an older person who needed more medical care?
My mom is 87 and lives in Vancouver. My in laws are 88 and 96 and live just outside Vancouver. They wouldn’t trade their healthcare for anything offered in the US!
Anonymous
10/15/2025 22:43
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:I'm French. Like in most first-world nations, waiting for specialists can be fraught. My father ended up in hospital for two weeks because no specialist could see him and understand his complex medical needs before his health deteriorated to the point where he was admissible to hospital. He lives in Paris, where there is a concentration of specialists!
In rural France, there are medical deserts like in all rural areas of the world. Some villagers with no means of transportation haven't seen a doctor in years. Sometimes mayors of villages organize transport to the nearest health center, or if the village is touristy or has other means to pay, it offers free housing and free office space for doctors to come and settle there. But maternity wards are a particular problem.
If you live in a French city and have uncomplicated medical needs, though, yes, French healthcare and pharmaceuticals are very cheap and good quality. Note that due to the government subsiding costs, some brand medications are not available in France (or indeed, in the EU). Synthroid, my thyroid med, is not available there, because the generic levothyroxine is much cheaper and that's the only one that's distributed. I tried both and prefer Synthroid. The EU and other nations also have stricter drug rules when it comes to controlled substances: Adderall is not legal to prescribe, for example. We traveled with my son's Adderall for years before we realized this!
So would you like to switch to the American system? I’d be very happy to trade with you.
Anonymous
10/15/2025 21:51
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:They replace it with rationing. Canada, which supposedly is the best socialized medicine, has wait times of over a year for MRI and CT. Many go to Seattle, Michigan, Vermont as an escape valve.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ACA was sold as reducing the cost of healthcare. Now costs have gone up and they want more and more subsidies to cover the premiums.
Of course some of the price increase is because of these same subsidies.
Look at what happened in education. Trump put a limit of $50,000 for student loans, and a college that was charging 65,000 now has lowered tuition to.... 50,000!
So what’s the answer? Huge portions of the country just don’t deserve healthcare? The current Congress is unable to solve the easiest problems these days so what’s the path forward?
Get government out and market forces in.
Competition between the states.
Drop the subsidies. The inherent pricing by insurance companies and medical establishments subsumes all subsidies and prices it right in to the service. So subsidies are like pure gravy to the industry.
If a procedure is $150 and the government tries to lower it by $50, the industry will just price the procedure at $200 (or more).
This is like a treadmill. You're on it and don't know how to get off. So all your answers are just raise the subsidy higher.
Why do insurance companies and medical establishments do this? It's a really simple answer: because they can.
Why doesn't it necessarily work that way in other developed countries with universal health care?
And yet their medical outcomes are better for just about every major medical diagnosis. It's almost as if many of those expensive MRIs and CTs are more about someone making money off of them, instead of actually improving patient health.
Anonymous
10/15/2025 21:46
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
I'm French. Like in most first-world nations, waiting for specialists can be fraught. My father ended up in hospital for two weeks because no specialist could see him and understand his complex medical needs before his health deteriorated to the point where he was admissible to hospital. He lives in Paris, where there is a concentration of specialists!
In rural France, there are medical deserts like in all rural areas of the world. Some villagers with no means of transportation haven't seen a doctor in years. Sometimes mayors of villages organize transport to the nearest health center, or if the village is touristy or has other means to pay, it offers free housing and free office space for doctors to come and settle there. But maternity wards are a particular problem.
If you live in a French city and have uncomplicated medical needs, though, yes, French healthcare and pharmaceuticals are very cheap and good quality. Note that due to the government subsiding costs, some brand medications are not available in France (or indeed, in the EU). Synthroid, my thyroid med, is not available there, because the generic levothyroxine is much cheaper and that's the only one that's distributed. I tried both and prefer Synthroid. The EU and other nations also have stricter drug rules when it comes to controlled substances: Adderall is not legal to prescribe, for example. We traveled with my son's Adderall for years before we realized this!
In rural France, there are medical deserts like in all rural areas of the world. Some villagers with no means of transportation haven't seen a doctor in years. Sometimes mayors of villages organize transport to the nearest health center, or if the village is touristy or has other means to pay, it offers free housing and free office space for doctors to come and settle there. But maternity wards are a particular problem.
If you live in a French city and have uncomplicated medical needs, though, yes, French healthcare and pharmaceuticals are very cheap and good quality. Note that due to the government subsiding costs, some brand medications are not available in France (or indeed, in the EU). Synthroid, my thyroid med, is not available there, because the generic levothyroxine is much cheaper and that's the only one that's distributed. I tried both and prefer Synthroid. The EU and other nations also have stricter drug rules when it comes to controlled substances: Adderall is not legal to prescribe, for example. We traveled with my son's Adderall for years before we realized this!
Anonymous
10/15/2025 20:28
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:DP - Anyone who doesn't wish the US had a healthcare system like pretty much all other universal systems the rest of the developed world has is a fool. That's all. Or they've never gotten sick before, have kids or are just filthy rich. Anyone who has a family and lives like a mere mortal understands that no other developed country's healthcare system sucks as much as the US. This isn't even talking about the other scam that is vision and dental care!!
And this doesn’t even take in to account if you lose your job. We are paying over $1,300 a month for a family of three for medical (all healthy, no scripts or conditions). Yea- you could go cheaper but also risk wiping out life savings. And at a time when you’re already vulnerable and unemployed and scared. Don’t think it can happen to you- neither did we as fed contractors both cut through Doge. We’re also mid fifties and the job market is absolute sh!t. We’ve always lived modestly, saved and done all the things we were told as responsible adults. We’ve found PT work that doesn’t even cover the ACA plan we are on. I just don’t know where all this is heading but it truly feels hopeless.
Anonymous
10/15/2025 20:14
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ACA was sold as reducing the cost of healthcare. Now costs have gone up and they want more and more subsidies to cover the premiums.
Of course some of the price increase is because of these same subsidies.
Look at what happened in education. Trump put a limit of $50,000 for student loans, and a college that was charging 65,000 now has lowered tuition to.... 50,000!
So what’s the answer? Huge portions of the country just don’t deserve healthcare? The current Congress is unable to solve the easiest problems these days so what’s the path forward?
Get government out and market forces in.
Competition between the states.
Drop the subsidies. The inherent pricing by insurance companies and medical establishments subsumes all subsidies and prices it right in to the service. So subsidies are like pure gravy to the industry.
If a procedure is $150 and the government tries to lower it by $50, the industry will just price the procedure at $200 (or more).
This is like a treadmill. You're on it and don't know how to get off. So all your answers are just raise the subsidy higher.
Why do insurance companies and medical establishments do this? It's a really simple answer: because they can.
Why do you think US taxpayers should fund Argentinian healthcare and not American healthcare?
Anonymous
10/15/2025 19:12
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
DP - Anyone who doesn't wish the US had a healthcare system like pretty much all other universal systems the rest of the developed world has is a fool. That's all. Or they've never gotten sick before, have kids or are just filthy rich. Anyone who has a family and lives like a mere mortal understands that no other developed country's healthcare system sucks as much as the US. This isn't even talking about the other scam that is vision and dental care!!
Anonymous
10/15/2025 18:49
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:They replace it with rationing. Canada, which supposedly is the best socialized medicine, has wait times of over a year for MRI and CT. Many go to Seattle, Michigan, Vermont as an escape valve.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ACA was sold as reducing the cost of healthcare. Now costs have gone up and they want more and more subsidies to cover the premiums.
Of course some of the price increase is because of these same subsidies.
Look at what happened in education. Trump put a limit of $50,000 for student loans, and a college that was charging 65,000 now has lowered tuition to.... 50,000!
So what’s the answer? Huge portions of the country just don’t deserve healthcare? The current Congress is unable to solve the easiest problems these days so what’s the path forward?
Get government out and market forces in.
Competition between the states.
Drop the subsidies. The inherent pricing by insurance companies and medical establishments subsumes all subsidies and prices it right in to the service. So subsidies are like pure gravy to the industry.
If a procedure is $150 and the government tries to lower it by $50, the industry will just price the procedure at $200 (or more).
This is like a treadmill. You're on it and don't know how to get off. So all your answers are just raise the subsidy higher.
Why do insurance companies and medical establishments do this? It's a really simple answer: because they can.
Why doesn't it necessarily work that way in other developed countries with universal health care?
This is not what I've heard from my Canadian friends. They like their healthcare. They have access to the care they need -- every Canadian does.
+100
I have family in Canada and this is correct. They're very happy with their healthcare. And even if "universal" hc isn't perfect or has flaws, it's better than what we have. And we shouldn't let the perfect get in the way of hte good.
Anonymous
10/15/2025 17:15
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
How do democrats support ANY deal with the GOP when we have this assertion:
Trump: "We're just at the start. We're going to go into other cities that we're not talking about purposely. We're getting ready to go in."
Trump: "We're just at the start. We're going to go into other cities that we're not talking about purposely. We're getting ready to go in."
Anonymous
10/15/2025 07:15
Subject: Re:Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
Anonymous wrote:I am Canadian. We do not have the best universal healthcare in the world. Many European countries do it better, like France. However, Canadians would never trade our healthcare for the US system. We may wish to trade it for the French system, which has a nice blend of private and public, but is still universal.
The negatives with the Canadian system are: (1) if your issue is not a threat to your life, there are indeed long wait time, (2) there are thousands of people with no family doctor. Family doctors are not paid well, so there is a severe shortage in almost every province.
The positives are: (1) everyone has access to preventive care (there are walk-in clinics for those without family doctors - not ideal of course), (2) if your life is in danger, the care is very good. My family and I have all had close calls with the grim reaper and we got very good care. My father had complications from diabetes for 30 years, and got excellent care, which greatly expanded his lifespan. The care included subsidized housing, routine foot care, and other routine check-ups.
That is like 10000000x better than what we have here.
Anonymous
10/15/2025 07:04
Subject: Re:Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
I am Canadian. We do not have the best universal healthcare in the world. Many European countries do it better, like France. However, Canadians would never trade our healthcare for the US system. We may wish to trade it for the French system, which has a nice blend of private and public, but is still universal.
The negatives with the Canadian system are: (1) if your issue is not a threat to your life, there are indeed long wait time, (2) there are thousands of people with no family doctor. Family doctors are not paid well, so there is a severe shortage in almost every province.
The positives are: (1) everyone has access to preventive care (there are walk-in clinics for those without family doctors - not ideal of course), (2) if your life is in danger, the care is very good. My family and I have all had close calls with the grim reaper and we got very good care. My father had complications from diabetes for 30 years, and got excellent care, which greatly expanded his lifespan. The care included subsidized housing, routine foot care, and other routine check-ups.
The negatives with the Canadian system are: (1) if your issue is not a threat to your life, there are indeed long wait time, (2) there are thousands of people with no family doctor. Family doctors are not paid well, so there is a severe shortage in almost every province.
The positives are: (1) everyone has access to preventive care (there are walk-in clinics for those without family doctors - not ideal of course), (2) if your life is in danger, the care is very good. My family and I have all had close calls with the grim reaper and we got very good care. My father had complications from diabetes for 30 years, and got excellent care, which greatly expanded his lifespan. The care included subsidized housing, routine foot care, and other routine check-ups.
Anonymous
10/15/2025 06:52
Subject: Government Shutdown - September, 2025 Editiion
And Republicans want to further undermine our already bad healthcare system by gutting ACA subsidies and Medicare. They have no plan, other than to make millions of Americans go without. This is not Making America Healthy Again.