Obamacare/Trumpcare Horror Stories

[Make Angels Great Again]

No, it's just a shitty law.

[Tank]

still don't see how any of this is constitutional, especially the "buy it or else!" requirement.

[fan_since79]

still don't see how any of this is constitutional, especially the "buy it or else!" requirement.

 

John Roberts ruled that it was a 'tax' and Congress had the authority to mandate it and impose penalties for non-compliance.

Edited April 15, 2016 by fan_since79

[Blarg]

That needs to be revisited in the courts to arbitrarily create a tax without voter approval.

[Tank]

John Roberts ruled that it was a 'tax' and Congress had the authority to mandate it and impose penalties for non-compliance.

 

yeah, and that's why he's full of crap about this.

[Tank]

That needs to be revisited in the courts to arbitrarily create a tax without voter approval.

 

there will need to be a lawsuit, maybe a class action thing or a series of individuals or states filing about it, to get the ball rolling on the constitutionality of it. logic says that it should easily be struck down, but logic is something in very short supply in washington.

[nate]

Where have we heard this before?  http://www.cbs58.com/story/31762626/unitedhealth-to-trim-affordable-care-act-exchanges-to-handful-of-states

[Spirit]

The countries largest insurance company is pulling out of Obamacare?  Nothing to see here.

[Tank]

thanks, obama!

 

 

 

wait, this time that really applies, doesn't it? way to go, barry!

[NJHalo]

It will be interesting to see if there is still an ObamaCare around for Trump to repeal, or will it collapse on it's own.

[Docwaukee]

Aetna and BCBS on their way out soon as well.  It's collapsing.

 

The losses being sustained to keep it afloat are potentially country crippling.  

 

It's going to be very interesting what will happen after it's repealed.  

[Tank]

doc, do you think a different version of obamacare will come about after this one blows up?

 

i always figured hilary would swoop in and fix some of the major problems that come with obamacare.

[Docwaukee]

doc, do you think a different version of obamacare will come about after this one blows up?

 

i always figured hilary would swoop in and fix some of the major problems that come with obamacare.

the system of subsidies is very arbitrary and inconsistent.  

 

healthcare spending outpaces rises in income and it is predicted that it will continue to do so.   So on a relative basis, healthcare stands to become more and more expensive.  Since obamacare mandates you purchase insurance and in particular a considerable package of benefits, you are therefore going to be forced to spend more and more.  When you start dropping the big dogs, it's gonna leave you with fewer options through the exchange and essentially force you to use purchase outside of it.  Also, it treats the same level of income differently depending on the situation of how that person is employed.  It  gives incentives for employers to outsource labor and keep workers on a part time basis.  I am sure you can see how this would disrupt the microeconomy of healthcare yet with considerable collateral damage to the way companies are structured and how they function.  

 

Also, 5% of the population is responsible for 50% of the healthcare spending.  I am not sure how to resolve this issue, but people smarter than I should be able to figure it out.  What it does is to shift the bell curve of mandated coverage way over and make the other 95% of the population pay for coverage they aren't likely to need.  So instead of raising premiums to everyone across the board, United bails out and now their population mix becomes a much small portion of that 5% needing all the care.  The reason that BCBS and Aetna are soon to follow is that with one player out of the game it just infuses more of that population into their pools and makes their margins even more unsustainable.  

 

There could also be a fair amount of political pressure for the big three to bail in order to fuel agendas but in the end, the ACA is dead man walking.  Interestingly, if they had acquiesced to some of the proposed changes, it may have had a chance to survive.  But alas, there was not going to be any consolation as expected.  

 

What I think will happen is that they will repeal it and propose a less intense version that is called something else.  They will try to make it more consistent from an subsidy standpoint and release the mandate required to have insurance.  The key is figuring out what to do with that 5%.  

 

The other thing that will happen is that if you pull out the bigs from a bunch of markets, then there will only be a few left in those markets to provide care.  Which means more unhealthy people infused into those plans which means a massive microscope on those providing care for those people.  You would then see a massive bail out of doctors from those plans in those markets leaving a shortage and those left might not be the top notch folks so to speak.  

 

I really think the exchange is toast.  In the end, I think the market as a whole goes back to being similar to how it was previously with some minor changes.  ie credits.  There are a lot of internal changes to the way medicine is being practiced so I don't think that part will change much for awhile until the markets are allowed to stabilize.   

[gotbeer]

Obamacare's 2017 Insurer Rate Requests Are Starting to Stream in, and the Figures Are Scary

30% hike for Oregon.  Looks like well over 10% everywhere else. 

[AngelsLongBall]

Our company policy got hit with back to back 30% hikes in 2015 and 2016.  Can't wait to see what's in store for 2017...

[nate]

Unless your company had high claims to premium ratio the rates shouldn't go up a ton this year.

Rate hikes for 2017 will be mostly for individual on and off exchange plans.

[Amazing Larry]

Well fuck. 

[Blarg]

Can we just refer to them as Obamacare Rape Increases?

[fan_since79]

I could handle a 10% rate hike next year, but if it's 30% or similar, I don't know...

I have just a few years to go until the relative safety of Medicare, but many doctors are opting out of treating senior citizens.

Greatest country in the world, but you'd better stay damned healthy in order to enjoy it.

 

Edited May 17, 2016 by fan_since79

[fan_since79]

(copied from the Wall Street Journal, which requires a subscription, so I won't link it for now.)

Insurers seek big premium boosts

Big health plans stung by losses in the first few years of the U.S. health law’s implementation are seeking hefty premium increases for individual plans sold through insurance exchanges in more than a dozen states.

The insurers’ proposed rates for individual coverage in states that have made their 2017 requests public largely bear out health plans’ grim predictions about their challenges under the health-care overhaul.

According to the insurers’ filings with regulators, large plans in states including New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia are seeking to raise rates by 20% or more.

In states such as Florida and Maryland, insurers are seeking to raise premiums by percentage averages that are markedly above 10%. Among those that have published so far, only in Vermont do big insurers’ requests fall below 10%.

[Adam]

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/01/the-irs-warned-the-obama-administration

[Amazing Larry]

28 minutes ago, Adam said:

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/01/the-irs-warned-the-obama-administration

It would be nice if our justice system actually enforced the Constitution.

[nate]

33 minutes ago, Adam said:

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/01/the-irs-warned-the-obama-administration

Excellent article.

Seriously, pretty scathing example of the Obama administration blatantly breaking the law for their own agenda.

[fan_since79]

Obama breaking the law?!

No, impossible!

 

[Blarg]

9 minutes ago, nate said:

Excellent article.

Seriously, pretty scathing example of the Obama administration blatantly breaking the law for their own agenda.

Hillary Clinton was part of that Administration of lies and deceit.